Resume

• 1995

  Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

  Graduate Student Fellowship\nHonor Society of Phi Kappa Phi\nCitation for Outstanding Professional Promise

  Geography

  University of Tennessee-Knoxville

• 1992

  Master's Degree

  Hilton A. Smith Graduate Fellowship\nRobert G. Buzzard Scholarship

  Gamma Theta Upsilon Geography Honor Society\nMerle C. Prunty Scholarship

  Southeastern Division of the Association of American Geographers

  Geography

  University of Tennessee-Knoxville

• 1988

  Bachelor's Degree

  Dean's List\nEmory & Henry Scholar\nSnavely Cup

  Geography and Art

  Alpha Phi Omega (President)

  Pi Gamma Mu Social Science Honor Society

  Sigma Mu Honor Society

  Gamma Theta Upsilon Geography Honor Society (President)

  Emory and Henry College

  Summa Cum Laude

• Research

  Academic Leadership

  Plant Ecology

  Landscape Painting

  Ecology

  University Teaching

  Biogeography

  Academic Writing

  Higher Education

  Geography

  Lafon

  Lafon

  Texas A&M University

  Research:\nI investigate how vegetation responds to environmental gradients and how it is altered by storms

  herbivores

  and fires. Fires are my primary research area at present. I study how fire affects vegetation and also how fire activity changes over space and time because of climate

  terrain

  and human actions. I use tree-ring analysis

  GIS

  remote sensing

  modeling

  and quantitative analysis. The work has been funded by the Joint Fire Science Program

  U.S. Forest Service

  The Nature Conservancy

  and National Science Foundation. It is being applied to fire and vegetation management

  especially in the Appalachian Mountains.\n\nResearch Awards:\nDenali Recent Accomplishments Award (Mountain Geography Specialty Group of the Association of American Geographers)\nHenry C. Cowles Award for Excellence in Publication (Biogeography Specialty Group of the Association of American Geographers)\n\nTeaching: \nI teach an introductory course in physical geography

  which explores the natural features (climate

  terrain

  and vegetation) of the earth's surface. I also teach upper-level courses in biogeography

  climatology

  and field geography

  and a graduate-level course in biogeography.\n\nTeaching Awards:\nUniversity-level Distinguished Achievement Award in Teaching (Association of Former Students

  Texas A&M University)\nCollege-level Distinguished Achievement Award in Teaching (Association of Former Students

  Texas A&M University)\nMontague-Center for Teaching Excellence Scholar (Texas A&M University)\n\nLeadership and Engagement:\nI have served my department

  college

  and university in various leadership roles. Currently I am Assistant Department Head

  and I also chair our departmental Tenure & Promotion Committee. Beyond the university

  I serve as an Associate Editor of the scientific journal Physical Geography. To avail resource managers of my research findings

  I present at fire management conferences

  conduct webinar presentations

  and author management-oriented documents.

  Texas A&M University

  Assocation of American Geographers

  Mountain Geography Specialty Group (past Chair); Organizing Committee

  Physical Geography Symposium; Biogeography Specialty Group (past Board member)

  Consortium of Appalachian Fire Managers and Scientists