UF Wildlife Society Officers:

President:

Sydney Downey

Pronouns: She/Her

Hi everyone! I’m Sydney Downey, and I’m so excited to be your TWS President for the 2026-2027 year! I’ve been involved with TWS since I started at UF, and I’m so grateful for all of the people I’ve met and skills I’ve learned through this club. Hopefully I can help make the experience just as beneficial for all of you. 

I’m a fourth year Wildlife Ecology and Conservation major with a minor in Chemistry, and I hope to combine these two fields in my future career. This summer, I spent time here at UF in the Baker WATER Lab helping with their research in environmental toxicology. It was super cool to see how the two fields I enjoy can be mixed!

Outside of TWS, I’m also a Study Abroad Peer Advisor (SAPA) and I love exploring new places and countries. I love to snorkel when I get the chance, and I think sea turtles and rays are the most gorgeous creatures ever! I also enjoy going to the gym, playing volleyball, and hanging out with my amazing roommates. I’m super excited for this year, and I hope you all are too!

Internal Vice President

Talia Adelman

Pronouns: She/Her

Hi! I’m Talia, I’m a junior majoring in Environmental Science! My interests right now are mainly turtles, traveling, exploring our amazing state, and national parks!! This summer I went on an incredible roadtrip and got to go to 12 national parks through the Four-Corner states! I’m most looking forward to getting to know all of you as well as Beast Feast. 

Outside of TWS you can usually find me planning a trip or exploring our local parks. I’m also very active at UF’s Hillel and love to bother people about the differences between male and female pinecones!! (Also I’m obsessed with all the things Alaska and puffins) Can’t wait for this year and looking forward to seeing everyone!!

External Vice President

Taylor Petrock

Pronouns: He/Him

Hey peeps! I’m Taylor, and I’ll be serving as External Vice President for my senior year in WEC! After running an insane Conclave last Spring, filling this role only feels right with everything TWS has offered to me. The 43rd Beast Feast can’t come soon enough! We’ll need help to make this one of our best hostings yet, so please reach out if interested!

All aspects of ecology fascinate me. While I particularly enjoy mammalogy and entomology, my technical specialization is GIS, so I aim to incorporate that into my future work. This past Summer I had the amazing opportunity to serve as a reclamation agent on Wyoming’s Wind River Range, since sparking my own undying love for the west!

The Ethnoecology Garden is my other main involvement at UF and, being an officer, I highly encourage you to check it out.  We practice sustainable horticulture, embracing the intersection between plants and people. I am also ecstatic to be working in the Florida Museum’s Mammals Lab under Dr. Jonathan Nations this semester!

When school isn’t taking all my time I like to indulge in origami and piano. Running is my workout of choice - especially with buddies - so I get to that as often as possible. Gainesville’s natural areas are 10/10 and I try to engage with them too on the weekends. But that’s enough personal info – I can’t wait to meet y’all soon!

Secretary:

Charlie Rowe

Pronouns: She/They

Hi y'all! My name is Charlie! I’m a sophomore majoring in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation with a minor in Anthropology, and pursuing a GIS certificate. I’m also this year’s Secretary! Right now, I’m really interested in herpetology with a focus in invasive species management and well as vulnerable species conservation, particularly in the Everglades!

This summer, I had the opportunity to develop field skills and aid in conservation studies through a snake ecology class taught by Dr. Lameace Hussain. During the school year, I work for the Florida Museum as an employee at the Specimen Prep Lab, preparing skeletons for the museum collections!

When I’m not hiking, herping, and birding, I like playing the guitar and sewing! I’m so excited for all the adventures we will have and connections we will build through this club in the upcoming semester!

Treasurer:

Henry Kassebaum

Pronouns: He/Him

I am Henry Kassebaum and I am a third year Wildlife Ecology and Conservation major. I enjoy spending time outside, particularly hiking, biking or running. 

This summer I completed a study abroad program in Australia looking at ecotourism in North Queensland. I visited the Daintree Rainforest, the Great Barrier Reef, and Wallaman Falls just to name a few highlights. 

I decided to join TWS last year because of their great meetings and events and to connect further to people in the wildlife field. Some of my hobbies are disc golf and creative writing. I am looking forward to this upcoming school year and especially TWS Conclave!

Fundraising Coordinator

Katie Glidewell

Pronouns: She/Her

Hi! My name is Katie and I am this year’s Fundraising Coordinator. I am a second year Wildlife Ecology and Conservation major with a minor in Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. I have a lot of different interests, but right now I am currently mainly interested in marine fish and mammals.

This summer I volunteered for the Siders Lab in the Fisheries Department, where I have been collecting data on rockfish for a trait database that will be used to compare multiple different marine and freshwater species. I’ll also be working on this project during the school year and hopefully getting into more marine species! 

I joined TWS because I wanted to make connections with people in the wildlife field and with other students that have similar interests as me. TWS helped me find so many opportunities, and I have had a lot of fun meeting new people and going to all of the amazing events we have! I am most excited for Beast Feast this year, as this will be my first one, and I am helping to plan it! 

Outside of TWS, I spend a lot of time hiking, reading, watching TV (I’m currently watching the X Files :)), and working out. I am very excited to be your Fundraising Coordinator this year, and I look forward to meeting you all!

Conclave & Social Coordinator:

Alejandro Nieves

Pronouns: He/Him

Hello everyone! I'm Alejandro Nieves, and I am the social and Conclave Coordinator. I am a 4th year majoring in Wildlife Ecology and conservation with an interest specifically in aquatic Ecology and Morphology. 

This Summer I have done all sorts of things, from snake tracking and shark tagging, to traveling to 2 different conferences. 

I joined TWS because of all the wonderful opportunities there are to meet so many people who are equally as passionate about wildlife as I am. As social Coordinator I hope to continue to facilitate a wonderful environment where you all feel comfortable sharing the joy of wildlife and conservation together.

Aside from TWS, I love to spend my time trying Martial Arts! I train often and am one of the kickboxing instructors for UFKB. I also love to read and write. I am looking forward to meeting you all so soon, It's gonna be a blast!