BSBO Staff
Kimberly Kaufman, Executive Director
Kimberly Kaufman is an Ohio native whose lifelong love of the outdoors grew into a passion for birds in the 1990s. She monitored nesting Bald Eagles for the Ohio Division of Wildlife and ran bluebird trails before she began banding migrant songbirds for the Black Swamp Bird Observatory (BSBO). Kim's involvement with BSBO escalated as she became the observatory's education director in 2005 and then executive director in 2009, a position she still holds. Kim played a key role in starting the highly successful Ohio Young Birders Club, a group for teenagers that has served as a model for youth programs in 13 other states, as well as The Biggest Week In American Birding, a spring event that rapidly has become one of the largest birding festivals on the continent. She is a contributing editor to Birds & Blooms magazine and coauthor of the Kaufman Field Guide to Nature of New England and Kaufman Field Guide to Nature of the Midwest. In 2015, Kimberly received the American Birding Association's prestigious Chandler Robbins Award in recognition of her contributions to bird education and conservation.
Kimberly Kaufman is an Ohio native whose lifelong love of the outdoors grew into a passion for birds in the 1990s. She monitored nesting Bald Eagles for the Ohio Division of Wildlife and ran bluebird trails before she began banding migrant songbirds for the Black Swamp Bird Observatory (BSBO). Kim's involvement with BSBO escalated as she became the observatory's education director in 2005 and then executive director in 2009, a position she still holds. Kim played a key role in starting the highly successful Ohio Young Birders Club, a group for teenagers that has served as a model for youth programs in 13 other states, as well as The Biggest Week In American Birding, a spring event that rapidly has become one of the largest birding festivals on the continent. She is a contributing editor to Birds & Blooms magazine and coauthor of the Kaufman Field Guide to Nature of New England and Kaufman Field Guide to Nature of the Midwest. In 2015, Kimberly received the American Birding Association's prestigious Chandler Robbins Award in recognition of her contributions to bird education and conservation.
Mark Shieldcastle, Research Director
Mark Shieldcastle has a degree in Wildlife Management from The Ohio State University. He was on staff at Ohio State with the Ohio Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit before accepting a position with the Ohio Division of Wildlife where he has spent thirty-two years as a Wildlife Biologist specializing in avian research and in 2012 he retired from his position as Project Leader of Wetland Wildlife Research. Mark was a founding member of BSBO and currently serves as the Director of Research. He has conducted research on Bald Eagle, colonial waders, terns, wetland breeding birds, woodcock, shorebirds, colonial passerines, waterfowl, rails, cranes, migrating raptors, and migrating passerines. Mark co-authored the Beneficial Use Impairments for Wildlife and Wildlife Habitat portion of the Lake Erie Management Plan which is part of the Clean Water Act; The Great Lakes-Upper Mississippi River Regional Plan of the National Shorebird Plan; The Great Lakes-Upper Mississippi River Regional Plan of the North American Waterbird Plan; and has contributed to several of the regional plans of Partners-in-Flight. Mark has authored or co-authored a variety of papers on passerines, Bald Eagles, cormorants, and contaminant issues with birds. He developed recovery plans for the Bald Eagle, Osprey, Common Tern, Black-crowned Night-Heron, and Sandhill Crane in Ohio.
Mark Shieldcastle has a degree in Wildlife Management from The Ohio State University. He was on staff at Ohio State with the Ohio Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit before accepting a position with the Ohio Division of Wildlife where he has spent thirty-two years as a Wildlife Biologist specializing in avian research and in 2012 he retired from his position as Project Leader of Wetland Wildlife Research. Mark was a founding member of BSBO and currently serves as the Director of Research. He has conducted research on Bald Eagle, colonial waders, terns, wetland breeding birds, woodcock, shorebirds, colonial passerines, waterfowl, rails, cranes, migrating raptors, and migrating passerines. Mark co-authored the Beneficial Use Impairments for Wildlife and Wildlife Habitat portion of the Lake Erie Management Plan which is part of the Clean Water Act; The Great Lakes-Upper Mississippi River Regional Plan of the National Shorebird Plan; The Great Lakes-Upper Mississippi River Regional Plan of the North American Waterbird Plan; and has contributed to several of the regional plans of Partners-in-Flight. Mark has authored or co-authored a variety of papers on passerines, Bald Eagles, cormorants, and contaminant issues with birds. He developed recovery plans for the Bald Eagle, Osprey, Common Tern, Black-crowned Night-Heron, and Sandhill Crane in Ohio.
Ryan Jacob, Staff Ornithologist
Ryan is a Toledo native who discovered his passion for birds while working as a naturalist for the state parks and during his many seasons at the BSBO Navarre Marsh banding station. With a background in philosophy and years of travel across North America, he not only has a wide knowledge of birds and the outdoors, but an understanding and appreciation for the natural world at large. Ryan works primarily on our research projects at the Navarre Marsh banding station and our MAPS station at Oak Openings. But he also helps with BSBO education programs, and coordinates the Observatory's Donate the Guia program. We really couldn't think of a title that encompasses the full scope of Ryan's talents and all that he does for our organization. We considered something like "The Dude Who Can Do Everything," but he wasn't keen on that. So, we asked him what he'd like this title to be, and "Staff Ornithologist" was his suggestion.
Ryan is a Toledo native who discovered his passion for birds while working as a naturalist for the state parks and during his many seasons at the BSBO Navarre Marsh banding station. With a background in philosophy and years of travel across North America, he not only has a wide knowledge of birds and the outdoors, but an understanding and appreciation for the natural world at large. Ryan works primarily on our research projects at the Navarre Marsh banding station and our MAPS station at Oak Openings. But he also helps with BSBO education programs, and coordinates the Observatory's Donate the Guia program. We really couldn't think of a title that encompasses the full scope of Ryan's talents and all that he does for our organization. We considered something like "The Dude Who Can Do Everything," but he wasn't keen on that. So, we asked him what he'd like this title to be, and "Staff Ornithologist" was his suggestion.
Jasmine Cupp, Outreach Director
Jasmine is an Ottawa County native and a nature and Great Lakes enthusiast. Traveling throughout the Great Lakes region with her family, she has gained an appreciation for the outdoors. Before coming to the Black Swamp Bird Observatory, Jasmine worked for The Beacon news publication as editor and production manager for over four years. While covering the Biggest Week in American Birding as media, Jasmine fell in love with birding on the boardwalk at Magee Marsh Wildlife Area. Jasmine is passionate about wildlife and habitat conservation and showing people the healing power of nature.
Jasmine earned her Communications Degree, graduated with honors from Owens Community College in 2013. Dedicated to supporting the local community, she was part of the 2016 Leadership Ottawa County class, and served on the Main Street Port Clinton Board of Directors. Her connections with the northwest Ohio community, her passion for birds and conservation, and her commitment to BSBO's mission make her a superb fit for the Outreach Director position.
Jasmine is an Ottawa County native and a nature and Great Lakes enthusiast. Traveling throughout the Great Lakes region with her family, she has gained an appreciation for the outdoors. Before coming to the Black Swamp Bird Observatory, Jasmine worked for The Beacon news publication as editor and production manager for over four years. While covering the Biggest Week in American Birding as media, Jasmine fell in love with birding on the boardwalk at Magee Marsh Wildlife Area. Jasmine is passionate about wildlife and habitat conservation and showing people the healing power of nature.
Jasmine earned her Communications Degree, graduated with honors from Owens Community College in 2013. Dedicated to supporting the local community, she was part of the 2016 Leadership Ottawa County class, and served on the Main Street Port Clinton Board of Directors. Her connections with the northwest Ohio community, her passion for birds and conservation, and her commitment to BSBO's mission make her a superb fit for the Outreach Director position.
Becca Mathews, Education Director
Becca has a degree in Environmental Biology, but experiencing how inspiring it can be to teach about something you are passionate about hooked her into the field of Environmental Education. Now with eight years experience working in the field Becca has taught people of all ages in both formal and nonformal education settings. Developing nature based curriculums, managing summer camps, guiding field trips, and planning public outreach events are a sampling of the scope of her experience. Growing up visiting the Lake Erie shore she developed an appreciation for the intricate ecosystem that it is and the creatures that inhabit it, especially birds. She is excited for her passion for the Great Lakes, passion for environmental education, and love of birding to intersect as she joins the BSBO team.
Becca has a degree in Environmental Biology, but experiencing how inspiring it can be to teach about something you are passionate about hooked her into the field of Environmental Education. Now with eight years experience working in the field Becca has taught people of all ages in both formal and nonformal education settings. Developing nature based curriculums, managing summer camps, guiding field trips, and planning public outreach events are a sampling of the scope of her experience. Growing up visiting the Lake Erie shore she developed an appreciation for the intricate ecosystem that it is and the creatures that inhabit it, especially birds. She is excited for her passion for the Great Lakes, passion for environmental education, and love of birding to intersect as she joins the BSBO team.
Asher Gorbet, Banding Projects Manager
Asher grew up on the west side of Cleveland with a deep love for the outdoors and a passion for conservation. After earning a Bachelor’s degree in Wildlife Management from The Ohio State University the also achieved their Master of Natural Resources degree from Utah State University. After working on Sonoran pronghorn recovery efforts in southwestern Arizona and spending time in Central Ohio studying Acadian Flycatcher, Wood Thrush, and Northern Cardinal, they moved to Albuquerque and spent over a decade exploring New Mexico. Their efforts there included work on Barn Owl, Burrowing Owl, Southwestern Willow Flycatcher, Yellow-eyed Junco, and Varied Bunting, in addition to their groundbreaking research on Black-throated Gray Warbler breeding ecology with Rio Grande Bird Research. Asher spent nine years working at a federal facility where they evaluated hundreds of projects annually for potential biological concerns and performed thousands of surveys to ensure compliance with federal law. Asher spent six years serving on the board of the New Mexico Ornithological Society and comes to BSBO with over a decade of banding experience spanning projects from alpine to desert environments. Asher's biggest passions in life are conservation, research, and education.
Asher grew up on the west side of Cleveland with a deep love for the outdoors and a passion for conservation. After earning a Bachelor’s degree in Wildlife Management from The Ohio State University the also achieved their Master of Natural Resources degree from Utah State University. After working on Sonoran pronghorn recovery efforts in southwestern Arizona and spending time in Central Ohio studying Acadian Flycatcher, Wood Thrush, and Northern Cardinal, they moved to Albuquerque and spent over a decade exploring New Mexico. Their efforts there included work on Barn Owl, Burrowing Owl, Southwestern Willow Flycatcher, Yellow-eyed Junco, and Varied Bunting, in addition to their groundbreaking research on Black-throated Gray Warbler breeding ecology with Rio Grande Bird Research. Asher spent nine years working at a federal facility where they evaluated hundreds of projects annually for potential biological concerns and performed thousands of surveys to ensure compliance with federal law. Asher spent six years serving on the board of the New Mexico Ornithological Society and comes to BSBO with over a decade of banding experience spanning projects from alpine to desert environments. Asher's biggest passions in life are conservation, research, and education.