For a list of officers (1968-present) Click here
Current officers
President: Matt Shank
Matt is a Certified Fisheries Professional that has served in various roles throughout environmental agencies in Pennsylvania. Matt is currently employed as a Water Program Specialist at the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, where he develops methods, biological indices, and analyzes data to inform management and restoration.
He holds a B.S. degree (2008) in Environmental Studies from Gettysburg College and a M.S. degree (2013) in Fisheries Science from Penn State University. Matt serves on the Mid-Atlantic Panel on Aquatic Invasive Species and is currently an Executive Committee member of PA AFS. He has given numerous presentations at local, regional, and national conferences and has authored several peer-reviewed publications on freshwater ecology issues including invasive species and the effects of water withdrawals.
Matt’s primary responsibilities at DEP include leveraging large datasets to answer complex environmental questions. His current research includes investigating the physicochemical conditions in headwater streams impacted by acid deposition and the implications for biological communities. Matt is also using historic water chemistry datasets to contextualize present-day conditions, with a focus on mine drainage pollution and freshwater salinization.
In his free-time, Matt enjoys catching large trout on small flies, hunting, and taking photographs in Penn’s woods. He resides with his wife, three kids, and beagle in the Kishacoquillas Creek watershed in central Pennsylvania.
President elect: Clayton Good
Secretar
y / treasurer: Sara J. Mueller
Sara is a graduate of The Pennsylvania State University with both an undergraduate (Schreyer Honors College, 2014) and Masters degree (2016) in Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences. She is currently pursuing her PhD. Sara’s past research has focused on aquatic ecology ranging from community interactions with invasive species to metabarcoding eDNA samples for aquatic organisms. Through her work, she advocates for the integration of knowledge between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems; and encourages collaboration and cooperation across respective disciplines. Outside of academics, Sara enjoys teaching hunter education courses, hiking and camping with her dog, and nature photography.
Executive Committee Member: Jon Niles
Jonathan Niles has been involved with the American Fisheries Society at a variety of levels during both graduate school at West Virginia University and professionally in his previous roles at Susquehanna University. He was previously Chapter Treasurer of the Student Sub-Unit at WVU and has been an AFS member since 2002. He completed a Master’s in Wildlife and Fisheries Resources from WVU in 2004, and a PhD in Forest Resource Science in 2010. In the fall of 2010 he came to central Pennsylvania as a visiting assistant professor at Susquehanna University. Since then he served in a variety of roles at Susquehanna including the Director of the Freshwater Research Institute which was founded in 2014. His primary focus in fisheries is coldwater fisheries including Brook Trout, and has worked with the PA Fish and Boat Commission as part of their Unassessed Waters Initiative to sample over 1000 streams for that program since 2011.
Executive Committee Member: George Merovich, PhD
I have been teaching and doing research in fisheries and aquatic sciences for almost 20 years. After receiving a BS in Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences from The University of Arizona and an MS in Applied Ecology and Conservation Biology from Frostburg State University, I taught in the biology department at Western Michigan University for 4 years. After that I attended West Virginia University where I completed my PhD in Forest Resources Sciences (Wildlife and Fisheries Program) in 2007 working on the aquatic ecology of coal-mined Appalachian watersheds. After a post-doctoral position from 2007-2008, I joined the faculty at WVU as a teaching assistant professor until 2015. Currently, I am an associate professor in the Environmental Science Department at Juniata College where I direct the Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences degree program. I have been a member of AFS since 1996. When not teaching, doing research, or analyzing data, I like archery hunting, taking the kids bluegill fishing, hiking, and playing baseball.
Student Repr
esentative: Emily Bierer
Emily is a graduate of Hiram College (2015) and Miami University (2017) with both an undergraduate and Masters degree in Biological Sciences with and emphasis on education. She is starting her PhD at Duquesne University in the fall with the intention to work with the coloration of darters in Pennsylvania. Emily’s past research has focused on water quality and species diversity in aquatic environments. Outside of academics, Emily enjoys hiking, swimming, nature photography, playing with her dog and educating the public about science!
Past President: Adam Slowik
A
dam is a fisheries biologist currently employed with Normandeau Associates Inc. He received his BS in wildlife and fisheries biology from California University of Pennsylvania. While with Normandeau he has performed turbine injury and survival research with many different Salmonidae Species in the Pacific Northwest. Currently, Adam performs research on much of the lower Susquehanna River and its tributaries. Most of the fisheries research he performs is very diverse and broad; however, Adam specializes in bio-telemetry. He utilizes PIT, radio, and acoustic-telemetry to perform large scale fish passage projects with anadromous and catadromous fish es. Locally, he aides and assists several key stakeholders along the Susquehanna River in River Herring restoration, American Silver Eel re-introduction, and bio-monitoring. In his spare time he enjoys hunting and teaching his daughter how to fish.