Our Team

Brian Mealor

IMAGINE Director and

Professor at UW Plant Sciences

Brian is the director of the Institute for Managing Annual Grasses Invading Natural Ecosystems and is a full professor in Plant Sciences at the University of Wyoming. He has been working with various stakeholders and land managers to help reduce the spread of invasive annual grasses throughout the greater west.

Jaycie Arndt

IMAGINE Coordinator and

Assistant Research Scientist

Jaycie is the Coordinator for IMAGINE and NEWIGWG (Northeast Wyoming Invasive Grasses Working Group). Jaycie conducts rangeland and weed science research, develops educational materials, organizes the IMAGINE Monitoring Network, and facilitates annual grass workshops throughout Wyoming.

Peter Cole

Masters Student and Monitoring Crew Lead

Peter is a master’s student in the Plant Sciences department. His research focuses on post-wildfire recovery in Northeast Wyoming. Peter is assessing vegetation responses to wildfire across ecological sites utilizing field data collection and remote sensing imagery

Beth Fowers

Assistant Research Scientist

Beth manages the ShREC greenhouse to ensure research, educational, and infrastructure objectives are met. Provide research support to other principal investigators undertaking research at ShREC, including assisting with data collection, experimental installation, etc. Communicate updates on status of projects during their management, such as presenting at conferences or written publications, and facilitate educational programs with other partners.

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Morgan Frost

IMAGINE Postdoctoral Research Associate

Morgan is a plant community ecologist interested in the consequences of invasion for grassland ecosystems, especially under global climate change. Morgan is compiling and analyzing monitoring data associated with invasive grass species across the Northern Great Plains. She is working collaboratively with IMAGINE and Wyoming Natural Diversity Database (WYNDD) to both curate data and update existing models to better understand invasive grass management in this region.

Winter Hansen

Accountant

Winter is a graduate of the University of Wyoming and has worked at UW for over 15 years. She also supports Plant Sciences and the Powell Research & Extension Center and has extensive experience with grants management and various funding sources.

Cassie Hengel

Central/ Southwest Wyoming Invasive Annual Grass Coordinator and Masters Student

Cassie is the Central/Southwest Wyoming Invasive Grasses Coordinator. She works out of Carbon County Weed and Pest to improve education, outreach, and collaborative efforts for IAG management. She is also a master's student in the Plant Sciences department. Her research focuses on pre-treatment litter removal to improve conditions for effective invasive annual grass management.

Chloe Mattilio

IMAGINE GIS Specialist

Chloe is the IMAGINE GIS specialist. She develops predictive models for invasive annual grasses at landscape scales for management partners across Wyoming. Using IMAGINE monitoring network observations to train frequently collected satellite imagery, she aims to capture the spectral signature of invasive annual grasses for accurate detection to inform management decisions.

Claire Visconti

Outreach Program Coordinator and Assistant Research Scientist

Claire is the outreach program coordinator of the Invasive Annual Grasses Tech Transfer Partnership (IAG TTP) and assistant research scientist. She helps to plan and implement invasive grasses workshops throughout the western US. She also collaborates with project partners to produce educational materials for land managers.

Nancy Fleming (Webb)

Wind River/ Bighorn Basin District Invasive Annual Grass Coordinator

Nancy is the Invasive Annual Grass Coordinator for the Wind River/ Bighorn Basin District. Nancy works directly with the BLM District fuels team and other federal, state, and local partners to develop and implement strategic invasive annual grass programs throughout the region. She also provides monitoring support and coordination for land management.