Science Associates

Gwendolyn Aldrich, Ph.D., Senior Economist

Gwendolyn Aldrich holds a MS in Agricultural & Resource Economics from Oregon State University and a Ph.D. in Economics with an emphasis on natural resource & environmental economics from the University of New Mexico. She has 10 years of experience, most recently at the University of New Mexico’s Bureau of Business & Economic Research. Gwendolyn has conducted research on a broad array of environmental issues, including exhaustible resource extraction, resource valuation, regulation and natural resource management, urban development, and the control of invasive species.

Michelle Haefele, Ph.D., Senior Economist

Michelle Haefele has twenty years of research experience in environmental economics, working for the USDA Forest Service, The Wilderness Society and currently Colorado State University. Her research includes the economic value of public lands, the National Park Service, multi-country willingness to pay for migratory wildlife species habitat, the economic consequences of oil and gas development, and the value of ecosystem services. She has a Ph.D. in environmental and natural resource economics from Colorado State University, M.S. in environmental economics and policy from Duke University, and a B.S. in natural resource management from Colorado State.

Evan Hjerpe, Ph.D., Executive Director

Evan Hjerpe holds a Ph.D. in forest economics and management from Northern Arizona University, where he also was a visiting assistant professor. Most recently, he was a Senior Economist for The Wilderness Society. His expertise includes conservation benefits, forest management, ecological restoration, and ecosystem services. He has consulted for private businesses, non-profit organizations, federal agencies, and universities.

Anwar Hussain, Ph.D., Econometrician

Anwar Hussain works as Research Analyst for the State of Alaska, and serves as an Adjunct Faculty Forest Policy Center, School of Forestry & Wildlife Sciences, Auburn University. He earned his BA and MA Economics degrees from the University of Peshawar, Pakistan, and an MS Agricultural and Applied Economics as well as a Ph.D. in Forestry and Agricultural Economics from the University of Minnesota. His research interests include project appraisal, natural resource economics, regional economic analysis, applied econometrics and general equilibrium modeling.

Joe Kerkvliet, Ph.D., Senior Economist

Joe Kerkvliet is Professor Emeritus in Economics at Oregon State University. He has taught and conducted research on many of the major environmental issues facing the American West, including coal mining in Wyoming and Montana, spotted owls and old growth logging in Oregon and Washington, and blue-ribbon trout fishing in Yellowstone National Park. He has also worked at the University of New Mexico, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and The Wilderness Society.

Pete Morton, Ph.D., Senior Economist

Pete Morton is a consulting economist based in Boulder, Colorado. He has a B.A. in Accounting and Business Administration, a Masters of Forestry with an emphasis on quantitative modeling, and a Ph.D. in Natural Resource Economics. Pete has 20 years of professional work experience in the private, academic, and non-profit sectors, including many years as the Director of Economic Research at The Wilderness Society.

Leah Dunn, GIS/Landscape Ecologist

Leah Dunn is a GIS analyst and landscape ecologist. She works with Boise State University and serves as Vice-President for the Idaho’s SW Chapter of the National Audubon Society. Leah has particular expertise in avian ecology and conservation and has consulted for various nonprofits, state, and federal agencies.