BOARD OF DIRECTORS
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Mark Dilley, President
Mark Dilley earned a B.S. in Natural Resources (Fisheries Management) in 1991 and an M.S. in Environmental Science (specializing in wetlands) in 2003, both from The Ohio State University. He and his wife Chris are co-owners of the environmental consulting firm MAD Scientist Associates, which specializes in ecological and wetland consulting. Mark has over 20 years of experience as a field biologist, ecologist, and wetland scientist. His academic research has focused on biological monitoring of streams and rivers and atrazine (agricultural herbicide) fate and transport processes in constructed wetlands. As consultants, Mark and his staff are responsible for wetland delineation, permitting, assessment, and wetland restoration design and monitoring, as well as ecological surveys and ecological risk assessment. Mark is a Certified Senior Ecologist with the Ecological Society of America and is a Professional Wetland Scientist certified by the Society of Wetland Scientists. He has also been teaching the Wetland Ecology and Restoration course at The Ohio State University since 2012.
Mick Micacchion, Vice President
Mick is a certified Professional Wetland Scientist (Society of Wetland Scientists). He works as a Wetland Ecologist (2011-present) at the Midwest Biodiversity Institute, Hilliard, OH, where he instructs courses on wetland assessment methods, wetland delineation, wetland botany, headwater stream assessment methods, and the ecology and identification of Ohio amphibians. Mick also works for The Nature Conservancy (April 2018-present) in Dublin, OH as a Restoration Ecologist in TNC’s Ohio In-lieu Fee Compensatory Mitigation Program. He is a retired Wetland Ecologist (1995-2011) and 401 Coordinator (1992-95) at Ohio EPA, Division of Surface Water, Groveport, and Columbus, OH. His areas of expertise are wetland amphibians and vernal pool ecology, wetland flora, wetland invertebrates, hydric soils, wetland hydrology, watershed studies of wetlands, wetland delineation, wetland mitigation banking, wetland monitoring protocols, development of wetland bioassessment tools, headwater streams, advanced statistical analysis, report writing, grant writing, wetland rule drafting and adoption, and incorporating wetland assessment and rules into a comprehensive wetland protection program. Mick has a B.S. and M.S. in Wildlife Management from Ohio State University.
Amelia Harris, Secretary
Amelia hails from the hills of Tennessee, where she grew up enveloped by dense forests, playing in raging rivers, exploring boundless natural biodiversity. After college at Tennessee Technological University and a degree in environmental biology, She joined the US Peace Corps to hone her skills, serve humanity, and travel the world, serving in East Timor.
After returning from the Peace Corps, Amelia got her start in environmental consulting, working as a certified arborist. She loved working with trees worked with The American Chestnut Foundation as a research assistant at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga while earning her graduate degree in Environmental Science. Amelia’s research site had some unique wet meadows and forests that piqued her interest and allowed her to learn more about wetlands. Amelia is now working as a wetland ecologist with a small environmental consulting firm that has a strict policy of ethical work and dedication to science. She leads wetland delineations, manages projects, and is a GIS and mapping guru.
Tammy Miller, Treasurer
Tammy is an experienced accountant with experience using sophisticated database management and other software programs. She currently works at the Ohio Hospital Association, where she has developed programs that manage and provide data on 333 million patient encounters to the organization’s 280+ member hospitals and emergency care centers.
Tammy is partnered with David Hague on the Coyote Run Farm in Pickerington, where they manage and are restoring large sections of the land.
DIRECTORS
Kyle Bailey, Director
Kyle is the Director of Natural Resources for the Richland County Park District based out of Gorman Nature Center located in Mansfield. He sees his work with OWA as a means to extend the reach of his professional goals to educate others about the necessity for the conservation and protection of valuable resources and habitats. Kyle brings with him the experience as a former board member of the Richland Soil & Water Conservation District, as a member of the Shelby Floodplain Management Commission and as current Vice President of the Ohio Odonata Society.
Logan Dunn, Director
Logan is an enthusiastic Park Technician at Preservation Parks in Delaware County. He is a graduate student at Colorado State University, specializing in Ecological Restoration. He is experienced in wetland restoration, vegetation monitoring, and public education. Logan has a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Policy and Management from The Ohio State University.
Dr. Brett R. Joseph, Director
Brett is managing Director, Center for Ecological Culture, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio. He founded a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering individuals, organizations, and communities with sustainability education, action research, and ecological design services, to support adaptive social change inspired by the patterns and processes of the Earth’s natural systems.
He also teaches at Lorain County Community College, Elyria, Ohio, where he is the Sustainable Agriculture Program Coordinator and Adjunct Faculty. He is teaching courses in permaculture, including its guiding principles, its basis in the knowledge of natural systems and the development of design skills, and its applications through various service learning projects involving the design of food forests, natural building projects, regenerative systems for energy, water, and waste management, and related social systems.
Dr. William Mitsch, Director
Dr. Mitsch hales from Columbus, Ohio, and is an ecosystem ecologist who was co-laureate of the Stockholm Water Prize in August 2004. A few of his most significant contributions are the development of the field of ecological engineering as an author of the first book on this subject and the founder (in 1992) and editor-in-chief of the scientific journal Ecological Engineering. Mitsch is founding Director of the Olentangy River Wetland Research Park, a unique 50-acre wetland research laboratory and now Ramsar Wetland of International Importance. He is Professor Emeritus at OSU and is currently Eminent Scholar and Director at the Everglades Wetland Research Park, Florida Gulf Coast University in Naples, Florida.
Mike Peppe, Director
Mike is a Commercial and Industrial Realtor and Developer with Hadler Realty Companies Mike served four years active duty as a Captain in the U.S. Army Military Police before returning to Columbus. He is a graduate of The Ohio State University.
Mike has volunteered his talents to several organizations, the Columbus Cancer Clinic, where he received their Outstanding Volunteer Award, the Ohio National Road Association, where he received an outstanding achievement award. Mike is a member of the Advisory Board for the Everglades Wetlands Research Center. Mike advocated on behalf of the Olentangy Wetlands Research Park at The Ohio State University and helped to prevent the local gas utility from running a high-pressure gas line underneath this internationally recognized wetlands research facility.
Ric Queen, Director
Ric is a 32-year State of Ohio employee who built and has been the Senior Environmental Section Manager for the Water Quality Certification, Isolated Wetland Permitting, Mitigation Compliance, and Wetland Ecology programs at Ohio EPA for the last 22 years. During Ric’s tenure, he has been involved in all aspects of the programs, including writing the laws and rules pertaining to wetlands and streams. Personally, Ric purchased and protected 312 acres in the Hocking Hills over a 20 year period that includes Coldwater and Exceptional Warmwater streams, Category 3 wetlands, and numerous high-quality mature ecosystems and T & E species. Ric currently resides in Galloway, Ohio, where he has restored a 3-acre vernal pool complex on his property.
Dale Reising, Director
Dale has served his nation and community in a consistently exemplary manner. He was an Army reservist mobilized for Operation Iraqi Freedom, where he received a commendation for his service. Back home, he has been a volunteer firefighter, Deputy Sheriff, and Police Officer recently promoted to Sargent. In his youth, Dale achieved the rank of Eagle Scout with the Boy Scouts of America and graduated high school with honors. Dale is also an accomplished Computer Science Technologist assisting the City of Vermilion with their IT needs. Dale is a state-certified 'Volunteer Naturalist,' and He volunteers with the Great Lakes Marsh Monitoring Program.
Giovanna Reising, Director
Giovanna works as a Quality Assurance Manager at the Lorain County Juvenile Court in Elyria. Such administrative duties belie her love for the outdoors and the natural world. She is the new Ohio Regional Coordinator for the Great Lakes Marsh Monitoring Program, where she will train and place volunteers to conduct citizen science functions in critical locations across northern Ohio. She is a state-certified 'Volunteer Naturalist' and a Certified Naturalist via the Cleveland Museum of Natural History with a long history of volunteerism in her community. She has a Bachelor’s of Science in Biology cum laude from Cleveland State University.
Mark Dilley, President
Mark Dilley earned a B.S. in Natural Resources (Fisheries Management) in 1991 and an M.S. in Environmental Science (specializing in wetlands) in 2003, both from The Ohio State University. He and his wife Chris are co-owners of the environmental consulting firm MAD Scientist Associates, which specializes in ecological and wetland consulting. Mark has over 20 years of experience as a field biologist, ecologist, and wetland scientist. His academic research has focused on biological monitoring of streams and rivers and atrazine (agricultural herbicide) fate and transport processes in constructed wetlands. As consultants, Mark and his staff are responsible for wetland delineation, permitting, assessment, and wetland restoration design and monitoring, as well as ecological surveys and ecological risk assessment. Mark is a Certified Senior Ecologist with the Ecological Society of America and is a Professional Wetland Scientist certified by the Society of Wetland Scientists. He has also been teaching the Wetland Ecology and Restoration course at The Ohio State University since 2012.
Mick Micacchion, Vice President
Mick is a certified Professional Wetland Scientist (Society of Wetland Scientists). He works as a Wetland Ecologist (2011-present) at the Midwest Biodiversity Institute, Hilliard, OH, where he instructs courses on wetland assessment methods, wetland delineation, wetland botany, headwater stream assessment methods, and the ecology and identification of Ohio amphibians. Mick also works for The Nature Conservancy (April 2018-present) in Dublin, OH as a Restoration Ecologist in TNC’s Ohio In-lieu Fee Compensatory Mitigation Program. He is a retired Wetland Ecologist (1995-2011) and 401 Coordinator (1992-95) at Ohio EPA, Division of Surface Water, Groveport, and Columbus, OH. His areas of expertise are wetland amphibians and vernal pool ecology, wetland flora, wetland invertebrates, hydric soils, wetland hydrology, watershed studies of wetlands, wetland delineation, wetland mitigation banking, wetland monitoring protocols, development of wetland bioassessment tools, headwater streams, advanced statistical analysis, report writing, grant writing, wetland rule drafting and adoption, and incorporating wetland assessment and rules into a comprehensive wetland protection program. Mick has a B.S. and M.S. in Wildlife Management from Ohio State University.
Amelia Harris, Secretary
Amelia hails from the hills of Tennessee, where she grew up enveloped by dense forests, playing in raging rivers, exploring boundless natural biodiversity. After college at Tennessee Technological University and a degree in environmental biology, She joined the US Peace Corps to hone her skills, serve humanity, and travel the world, serving in East Timor.
After returning from the Peace Corps, Amelia got her start in environmental consulting, working as a certified arborist. She loved working with trees worked with The American Chestnut Foundation as a research assistant at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga while earning her graduate degree in Environmental Science. Amelia’s research site had some unique wet meadows and forests that piqued her interest and allowed her to learn more about wetlands. Amelia is now working as a wetland ecologist with a small environmental consulting firm that has a strict policy of ethical work and dedication to science. She leads wetland delineations, manages projects, and is a GIS and mapping guru.
Tammy Miller, Treasurer
Tammy is an experienced accountant with experience using sophisticated database management and other software programs. She currently works at the Ohio Hospital Association, where she has developed programs that manage and provide data on 333 million patient encounters to the organization’s 280+ member hospitals and emergency care centers.
Tammy is partnered with David Hague on the Coyote Run Farm in Pickerington, where they manage and are restoring large sections of the land.
DIRECTORS
Kyle Bailey, Director
Kyle is the Director of Natural Resources for the Richland County Park District based out of Gorman Nature Center located in Mansfield. He sees his work with OWA as a means to extend the reach of his professional goals to educate others about the necessity for the conservation and protection of valuable resources and habitats. Kyle brings with him the experience as a former board member of the Richland Soil & Water Conservation District, as a member of the Shelby Floodplain Management Commission and as current Vice President of the Ohio Odonata Society.
Logan Dunn, Director
Logan is an enthusiastic Park Technician at Preservation Parks in Delaware County. He is a graduate student at Colorado State University, specializing in Ecological Restoration. He is experienced in wetland restoration, vegetation monitoring, and public education. Logan has a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Policy and Management from The Ohio State University.
Dr. Brett R. Joseph, Director
Brett is managing Director, Center for Ecological Culture, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio. He founded a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering individuals, organizations, and communities with sustainability education, action research, and ecological design services, to support adaptive social change inspired by the patterns and processes of the Earth’s natural systems.
He also teaches at Lorain County Community College, Elyria, Ohio, where he is the Sustainable Agriculture Program Coordinator and Adjunct Faculty. He is teaching courses in permaculture, including its guiding principles, its basis in the knowledge of natural systems and the development of design skills, and its applications through various service learning projects involving the design of food forests, natural building projects, regenerative systems for energy, water, and waste management, and related social systems.
Dr. William Mitsch, Director
Dr. Mitsch hales from Columbus, Ohio, and is an ecosystem ecologist who was co-laureate of the Stockholm Water Prize in August 2004. A few of his most significant contributions are the development of the field of ecological engineering as an author of the first book on this subject and the founder (in 1992) and editor-in-chief of the scientific journal Ecological Engineering. Mitsch is founding Director of the Olentangy River Wetland Research Park, a unique 50-acre wetland research laboratory and now Ramsar Wetland of International Importance. He is Professor Emeritus at OSU and is currently Eminent Scholar and Director at the Everglades Wetland Research Park, Florida Gulf Coast University in Naples, Florida.
Mike Peppe, Director
Mike is a Commercial and Industrial Realtor and Developer with Hadler Realty Companies Mike served four years active duty as a Captain in the U.S. Army Military Police before returning to Columbus. He is a graduate of The Ohio State University.
Mike has volunteered his talents to several organizations, the Columbus Cancer Clinic, where he received their Outstanding Volunteer Award, the Ohio National Road Association, where he received an outstanding achievement award. Mike is a member of the Advisory Board for the Everglades Wetlands Research Center. Mike advocated on behalf of the Olentangy Wetlands Research Park at The Ohio State University and helped to prevent the local gas utility from running a high-pressure gas line underneath this internationally recognized wetlands research facility.
Ric Queen, Director
Ric is a 32-year State of Ohio employee who built and has been the Senior Environmental Section Manager for the Water Quality Certification, Isolated Wetland Permitting, Mitigation Compliance, and Wetland Ecology programs at Ohio EPA for the last 22 years. During Ric’s tenure, he has been involved in all aspects of the programs, including writing the laws and rules pertaining to wetlands and streams. Personally, Ric purchased and protected 312 acres in the Hocking Hills over a 20 year period that includes Coldwater and Exceptional Warmwater streams, Category 3 wetlands, and numerous high-quality mature ecosystems and T & E species. Ric currently resides in Galloway, Ohio, where he has restored a 3-acre vernal pool complex on his property.
Dale Reising, Director
Dale has served his nation and community in a consistently exemplary manner. He was an Army reservist mobilized for Operation Iraqi Freedom, where he received a commendation for his service. Back home, he has been a volunteer firefighter, Deputy Sheriff, and Police Officer recently promoted to Sargent. In his youth, Dale achieved the rank of Eagle Scout with the Boy Scouts of America and graduated high school with honors. Dale is also an accomplished Computer Science Technologist assisting the City of Vermilion with their IT needs. Dale is a state-certified 'Volunteer Naturalist,' and He volunteers with the Great Lakes Marsh Monitoring Program.
Giovanna Reising, Director
Giovanna works as a Quality Assurance Manager at the Lorain County Juvenile Court in Elyria. Such administrative duties belie her love for the outdoors and the natural world. She is the new Ohio Regional Coordinator for the Great Lakes Marsh Monitoring Program, where she will train and place volunteers to conduct citizen science functions in critical locations across northern Ohio. She is a state-certified 'Volunteer Naturalist' and a Certified Naturalist via the Cleveland Museum of Natural History with a long history of volunteerism in her community. She has a Bachelor’s of Science in Biology cum laude from Cleveland State University.