Officers (Past and Present)

For a list of officers (1968-present) Click here

Current officers

 

President:  Clayton Good

Clayton is a Fisheries Biologist with the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission in the Division of Environmental Services where he provides resource centric comments on state and federal encroachment permit applications and participates in a number of interagency working groups. A current focus has been on improving regulatory guidance and best management practices for aquatic organism passage at road stream crossings. Clayton has professional working experience with Trout Unlimited, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and a County Conservation District. Clayton is a graduate of Lycoming College with BS in Biology focusing on aquatic ecology, he was active in research with the Lycoming College Clean Water Institute. There he found his passion for working with salmonids in headwater ecosystems. Clayton is an avid angler and hunter enjoys fly fishing and archery hunting in particular. Clayton and his wife enjoy hiking, camping and introducing their two daughters to the abundant outdoor recreation opportunities that Pennsylvania has to offer.

 

President-Elect:  Aaron Henning

Aaron M. Henning (AFS Certified Fisheries Professional) works as a Fisheries Biologist for the Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC) where he’s been since 2010. Aaron’s work includes various fisheries monitoring, restoration and management activities focused within the Susquehanna River Basin. He serves as the Commission’s technical expert on migratory fish restoration, hydroelectric relicensing and invasive species management. Aaron currently leads studies monitoring the reintroduction of the American eel, tracking Northern snakehead & Blue catfish invasions via eDNA and is the creator of ‘Eels in the Classroom’, a pre-K-12 hands-on environmental education program. He also serves as a fish taxonomist for EPA’s National Aquatic Resource surveys and is a member of the Pennsylvania Biological Survey’s Fishes Technical Committee. Aaron frequently collaborates with fellow resources agencies, academic institutions and the regulated community to improve the fisheries of the Basin. When he’s not staring at fish Aaron can be found recreating throughout Penn’s woods & waters and feverishly cheering on Penn State athletic teams.

 

 

Secretary / Treasurer: Adam Slowik

Adam is a fisheries biologist and environmental compliance specialist currently employed with Brookfield Renewable. He received his BS in wildlife and fisheries biology from California University of Pennsylvania. Much of Adams experience is working with regulatory agencies in meeting common goals in compliance and fisheries restoration in the state of Pennsylvania. 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 turbine passage survival, biotelemetry, and migratory fish passage. He utilizes PIT, radio, and acoustic-telemetry to perform large scale fish passage projects with anadromous and catadromous fishes. Adam has proudly served as a member of the PA AFS board since 2019. He has given multiple presentations for organizations and groups such as AFS, SRAFRC, EPRI, USACE, and many more. Additionally, he has co-authored several peer-review publications on anadromous fish passage and freshwater ecology. Locally, he aides and assists key stakeholders along the Susquehanna River in River Herring restoration, American Silver Eel re-introduction, and bio-monitoring. Adam resides in southeastern Pennsylvania with his wife, two daughters, and two dogs. When not working he enjoys target sports, hunting, fishing, and sharing his passion of fish with his two daughters.

 

Executive Committee Member: Logan Stenger

Logan is a Project Manager at the Chesapeake Conservancy, a non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation and improvement of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Specifically, he is a part of the Pennsylvania restoration team where he develops and implements grants and projects to support water quality and habitat restoration work across central PA, including Centre, Clinton, Huntingdon, Lycoming, Snyder, and Union counties. He earned a B.S. in Environmental Science from Juniata College and a M.S. in Entomology from Penn State. Logan specializes in utilizing benthic macroinvertebrates for assessing water quality and is a certified taxonomist through the Society for Freshwater Science. Prior to working at the Chesapeake Conservancy, Logan most recently worked as a Watershed Specialist with the Huntingdon County Conservation District (2018-2023) where he coordinated stream restoration projects, water quality monitoring assessments, and environmental education programs. Logan has been an AFS member since 2018 and is an Associate Fisheries Professional working towards his Certified Fisheries Professional recognition.

As a central PA native, Logan enjoys spending time outdoors and is particularly passionate about hunting, trapping, and most recently, fly fishing. Logan and his wife, Francesca, reside in Tyrone with their two cats, Fish and Ion.

 

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 Representative: 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: 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.