UNLV-FIA

Dr. Brenda J. Buck has been with the UNLV-FIA since 2017. As the Program Director and Principal Investigator, she works to provide oversight for our daily operations.

Dr. Buck received her Ph.D. in 1996 from New Mexico State University in Agronomy/Soil Science. She has been a professor at UNLV since 1998. Dr. Buck’s research has spanned a wide range of interdisciplinary topics including: Medical geology research on health hazards associated with dust exposure including those from naturally-occurring asbestos minerals, arsenic, and other carcinogens. Earlier work included research on warm deserts: soil genesis, radionuclide and heavy metal contamination, biologic soil crusts, paleoclimate & landscape evolution, salt tectonics, geomorphic hazards, and other applications of arid soil science/geology. Dr. Buck has served as a researcher, collaborator, and teacher for field expeditions to 18 countries on 6 continents. She is also an artist, outdoor enthusiast, cyclist, and loves live music!

Gretchen Andrew has worked with the UNLV-FIA group since 2009. She currently serves as Program Manager for UNLV-FIA and UNIMS. She also works closely with the FIA National Operations team to improve project management and change management practices and processes. She serves as functional manager for UNLV staff and oversees much of our daily operations. She continually strives to find solutions and strategies to ensure our long-term success. Gretchen received her M.S. in Environmental Science from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). In her personal time, she enjoys hiking, camping, and reading.

Sami Ahmed began working with the UNLV-FIA group on August 2022. As an experienced Software Engineer, he has worked on different software products using various programming languages, frameworks and tools. Additionally, Sami is a skilled end-to-end software developer that has mastered object-oriented programming with analytical thinking and designing attractive user interfaces with back-end solutions. He received a B.S. in Computer Science from Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia. For UNLV-FIA, Sami works on the UMaestro project.

Charles Joseph (CJ) is a student at UNLV and is planning to graduate by the Spring of 2025. He joined the UNLV-FIA team in December of 2023, and will be working with them to make sure that the Section 508 standards are being met on the DATIM website. In CJ's free time, he likes to go to the gym, watch the Warriors, play video games, and spend time with friends and family.

Alana Bayless joined the UNLV-FIA group as a student intern in January 2023, and now serves as a Program Coordinator. Certified as a Trusted Tester by the Department of Homeland Security, Alana assesses web content to determine conformance to Section 508 and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). She also performs quality assurance/quality control testing on the DATIM project. Alana received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from UNLV in August 2023, and plans to pursue a Clinical Master's in Social Work. In her free time, Alana enjoys watching movies/TV series, sewing, painting, drawing, and other creative craft projects.

Helen Beresford began working for the USDA Forest Service in 2000 and retired in June 2021. During her time with the Forest Service, Helen worked on the Forest Inventory and Analysis Database (FIADB) and Timber Product Output (TPO) project. Before her time with the USDA FS, Helen worked for the US Department of Defense as an Oceanographer. Following her retirement from the Forest Service, Helen joined the UNLV-FIA group as a database programmer and is an important contributor to the TPO project. She received her B.S. in Oceanography from the Florida Institute of Technology and has additional education in remote sensing and geographic information systems.

John Bertini joined the UNLV-FIA group in 2015 as a Software Engineer and is now a developer on the UNIMS project. John received his B.S. in Computer Science from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). He enjoys reading, off-roading, and camping.

Dave Castillo joined the UNLV-FIA group as a student intern in September 2021 and originally worked on ensuring Section 508 standards were met throughout DATIM. He graduated from UNLV with a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science and now works on the EVALIDator, UMaestro, and NOMs projects. In Dave's free time he enjoys watching TV shows, playing video games, playing music, and improving his programming skills by designing personal projects.

Brian Cordova has been with the UNLV-FIA group since 1998. His performance as a Computer Systems Analyst earned him a FIA Director Award! He is a key contributor on nearly all of our co-projects including DATIM, FIADB, MAESTRO, NIMS, NOMS, and TPO. Brian received a B.S. in Management Information Systems from the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV). He enjoys gardening, walking, camping, playing piano, sax and oboe!

Zach Dorff joined the UNLV-FIA group as a student intern in December of 2023. He is currently on the path to earning a Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Science from UNLV. Zach is set to graduate in the spring of 2024. Zach will be making sure that Section 508 standards are met on the DATIM site. In his spare time, Zach enjoys riding motorcycles, playing video games, and working on personal projects.

Vicki Foster worked as a Forest Service employee for 8 years and also worked with the United States Air Force both active duty and as a civilian employee. Following her retirement from the Forest Service, she joined the UNLV-FIA group as a Subject Matter Expert & Data Specialist in June 2023. She has extensive experience in database management and has been an important contributor to the MIDAS, NOMS, and NIMS projects. Vicki received her M.S. in Management/Management Information Systems from Minot State University and enjoys riding motorcycles, kayaking, camping, and exploring the forests and beaches of Alaska.

Alex Fox joined the UNLV-FIA group as a student intern in September 2021. He received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Science from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) in May 2023. He is now a software engineer on the DATIM and EVALIDator projects. In Alex's free time he enjoys watching sports, playing video games with his friends, and working on his own personal coding projects.

Westly joined our team as a senior-level Oracle Database Programmer in December 2021. Due to his former role as a consultant, he came into this position already familiar with several of our FIA projects, including UNIMS and DATIM. Wes studied Wildlife Management at the University of Wisconsin and previously worked as an Oracle University Instructor. In addition, he has approximately 25 years of experience in programming, database development, database administration, and database/data warehouse architecture.

Stacey Lai is in her 3rd year working towards a B.S. Computer Science degree, studying at UNLV. Stacey is currently working as a student programmer on the DATIM site. Her focus involves implementing Section 508 standards to guarantee adherence to federal accessibility laws. In her spare time, Stacey enjoys working out, hanging out with friends, and exploring new places.

Sunil completed his Masters in Computer Science from Quaid I Azam University, Pakistan in 2016. He is an experienced full stack Software Engineer with expertise in all aspects of the software development life cycle, including requirements analysis, design, development, and production support. He is proficient at designing and formulating test automation frameworks and writing code in various languages. For UNLV-FIA, Sunil is a Software Engineer on the Maestro and UMaestro projects. Sunil believes in thinking outside the box to find unique solutions to difficult engineering problems. In his free time, Sunil enjoys hiking, playing cricket, and spending time with his family.

Michelle McGowan joined the UNLV-FIA group as a student intern in January 2023. She is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science and hopes to graduate in the Spring of 2024. Michelle currently works on the DATIM, EVALIDator, and UMaestro projects as a developer to remediate any Section 508 violations. In her spare time, Michelle enjoys reading, hanging out with friends, and going to concerts.

James Menlove began working for the USDA Forest Service in 1997 and retired in December 2020. During his time with the Forest Service, James worked on Shoshone and Bighorn National Forests in Wyoming, collected FIA field data for Ogden UT lab, was an FIA analyst at RMRS FIA, and was a member of the DATIM core team representing RMRS FIA. Following his retirement from the Forest Service, James joined the UNLV-FIA group as an Ecologist/subject-matter expert and is an important contributor to the DATIM and EVALIDator projects. James received his M.S. in Zoology & Physiology (emphasis Ecology) from the University of Wyoming. In his spare time, James enjoys spending time with his family and playing music.

Kelvyn Meyers originally joined the UNLV-FIA group as a student intern in October 2020. After receiving his Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Science from UNLV in May 2021, Kelvyn was promoted to Software Engineer. He now works on multiple web development projects as a Senior Software Engineer, including being the lead developer on the DATIM project. Kelvyn is a member of the DATIM, NVCS, and NOMS projects and also serves as technical advisor to student interns. In his free time, he enjoys working on personal projects, playing video games, and spending time with his family.

Jane Reid worked as a Forest Service employee for approximately 20 years. Following her retirement from the Forest Service, she joined the UNLV-FIA group as a Data Specialist in September 2018. She has been an important contributor to the DATIM, FIA2FSVeg, and UNIMS projects. Jane received her B.S. in Zoology from Brigham Young University and enjoys gardening, knitting, and reading in her spare time.

Natalie Renkes joined the UNLV-FIA group in May 2020. She received her M.S. degree in Geoscience from UNLV in May of 2023. She supervises student interns/staff members; is project manager for the DATIM, EVALIDator, Urban EVALIDator, Sample Nonresponse Bias in Estimations, and Science Strategy projects; and performs other duties based on FIA National Operations priorities. As a member of the FIA Section 508 Program Development Team, she is also working to ensure our group's compliance with federal accessibility laws. Outside of UNLV-FIA, Natalie’s research interests focus on naturally-occurring asbestos and its health implications within metropolitan Las Vegas. In her spare time, Natalie enjoys playing The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, hiking/camping, and is an avid reader. Her favorite book series is Game of Thrones (she hasn’t seen the show, don’t ruin the ending)!

Christopher Rosado joined the UNLV-FIA group as a student intern in December 2023. Currently, Chris is pursing a Bachelors of Science degree in Computer Science and is hoping to graduate in the Fall of 2025. Chris is ensuring that the DATIM site meets Section 508 standards. Chris enjoys hobbies such as snowboarding, working-out, and traveling.

Larry Royer began working for the USDA Forest Service in 1978 and retired in January 2008. At the time, Larry worked extensively with numerous Information Systems such as the design and development of NIMS-CS for the Southern Research Station FIA Unit. Since then, Larry has worked with NIMAC in maintaining US Fish and Wildlife Information systems, development of the Wisconsin Ratio Estimation Tool, and supporting PC Evalidator for multiple State inventories. Larry joined the UNLV-FIA team in January of 2008 and worked with us until October of 2016. While working with us, Larry worked extensively on the NIM-CS project, the NIMAC project, the TPO database, the NWOS, among other projects. From November of 2016 to September of 2021, Larry left UNLV-FIA and began working for the SUU-FIA partnership with UNLV and the USDA Forest Service. As of October of 2021, Larry has returned to the UNLV-FIA team as a Forestry Information Management Specialist to provide his expertise for NIMS-CS support, TPO database system, and maintenance of NIMAC systems. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Forest Management from Colorado State University

Joe Tschida joined the UNLV-FIA group as a full-time Enterprise Data Architect in 2024. Having been in the industry since 1990, Joe brings decades of experience to the team. He builds data platforms, employs data integration techniques, and tools with all kinds of data projects. He seeks to leverage his skills as a data architect, modeler, developer, and analyst to assist FIA with enterprise efficiency and lean capabilities. He also hopes to promote strategic and operational improvements via enhanced insights and abilities to make decisions.

Ron Wanek has worked for the Forest Service for over 35 years and 20 years as a FIA employee. Following his retirement from the Forest Service, he joined the UNLV-FIA group as a Data Specialist in 2018. Ron has been an important part of our team and provides subject matter expertise on the design and development support of FIA information management systems in areas such as: data warehouse design, data extractions, transformations, and loads (ETLs), data processing, database programming, data analytics, database administration, software architecture, and quality assurance testing. Ron received a B.S. in Forest Management from Oregon State University.