Board of Directors

J. David Bamberger and his wife, Margaret, have been joined by the following individuals to serve on the Board of Directors for the Bamberger Ranch Preserve. Having invested the better part of their lives towards the restoration of this 5,500 acre ranch in the Hill Country of Texas, the Bambergers took very seriously (and personally) their decision of who would operate this foundation after they were no longer alive. Each board member has demonstrated, either through their volunteer and work experience or through their personal lifestyle choices, a sustainable and "green" philosophy towards the environment. It is that underlying philosophy, as well as their diverse set of strengths, that make the Board of the Bamberger Ranch Preserve a well-functioning and cooperative organization.

Officers

J.David Bamberger, President

J. David Bamberger is the founder of the Bamberger Ranch Preserve. Not wanting to see his 33 years of land restoration to be dissolved and turned into a subdivision after his death, he created the Preserve in 2001 in an effort to keep the land and its educational contributions to society continuing on into perpetuity. The Preserve is now in its third year of existence. The ranch has long been recognized as the largest habitat restoration project on private land in Texas, and it has been a model for other area landowners to emulate. The educational stewardship message of the ranch has influenced literally thousands of landowners and subsequently thousands of acres of land. Every decision on the ranch begins with "what is best for Mother Nature?" and secondly, "how can we pass that education on to society?" J.David, along with his wife, Margaret, has received numerous awards over the years, such as the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Garden Clubs of America. The Bambergers and their work on the ranch continually receive awards from state and national entities such as the Texas Forest Service, the Texas Wildlife Association and the National Arbor Day Foundation. He has served on numerous boards such as the Texas Nature Conservancy, Bat Conservation International, and the San Antonio Area Foundation.

David K. Bamberger, Vice President

David K. Bamberger brings to the Board the life-long experience of the work at the ranch and the philosophy that accompanies it. His role is to make sure that the work that J. David an Margaret have envisioned for the Preserve will materialize. He is currently a free-lance editor and writer for local magazines.

Anne P. Donovan, Secretary

Ann Donovan's academic experience has focused on zoology, having earned a degree at Wellesly College, as well as completed graduate course work at Stanford University. She was awarded Teacher of the Year in 1999 from St. Andrew's Episcopal School in Austin, Texas. Her volunteer experience has been diverse, yet environmentally-minded: Travis Audubon Society, Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve, Texas Memorial Museum, Capital Area Master Naturalists, and the Junior League of Austin, Texas. Anne's passion is truly environmental education. She has not only been an active board member of the Bamberger Ranch Preserve since 2002, but she has also volunteered additional time with the ranch's educational programs with school children.

Helen Ballew

Helen Ballew has been on the Bamberger Ranch Preserve Board since 2001 and has had vast experience in the environmental arena. With a Masters in field ecology and conservation from Yale, Helen has worked for several leading environmental agencies and foundations in Texas, such as the Hill Country Foundation, Texas Center for Policy Studies and the Texas Nature Conservancy. She is well-published, having had articles printed in Orion Nature Quarterly, as well as newspapers and newsletters.

Margaret Bamberger

Margaret Bamberger has been an active part of the land restoration and environmental education efforts at the Bamberger Ranch since the 1990's. She has long been an environmental activist in Texas, and she is a very knowledgeable naturalist and educator. She currently serves on the boards of the Roger Tory Peterson Institute and the Informal Science Educators Association of Texas. The work at the Bamberger Ranch is sought-after topic for many conferences that focus on sustainable development, green building and ecological restoration, and Margaret and J. David Bamberger both are regularly asked to be guest speakers at conferences and workshops that focus on the natural world and habitat restoration.

Maydelle Fason

Maydelle Fason joined the Board in 2005, bringing years of experience as a member of various community boards including the Junior League of Austin, Paramount Theatre and Austin Area Career Counselors. With a grant from the City of Austin, she started a nationally recognized employment program for women at the Austin Women's Center; in the 16 years of this program's existence, an estimated 80,000 individuals were provided with career help. In 1985 she was appointed to the Governor's Commission for Women. Maydelle continued to work with both men and women as a Licensed Career Counselor for 23 years, assisting individuals with their job search and providing out-placement for laid off employees from corporations, state and federal organizations. Maydelle has a B.A. in Chemistry from the University of Texas at Austin and worked as a research chemist early in her career.

Jack Nokes

Jack has been an active board member since 2001. He is currently the Executive Director of the Texas Association of Museums, where his 15 years of museum management, strategic planning and budget development are utilized. He has a degree in English, with honors, and has been a licensed attorney since 1975.

Jill Nokes

Jill Nokes earned her master's degree in Horticulture from Teas A&M University. IN 1986, she published a book on the propagation and cultivation of native Texas plants entitled How to Grow Native Plants of Texas and the Southwest, and it is now in its revised second edition publication. It was one of the first books in this region to promote the use and production of native plants and naturalistic landscape design, and is now locally regarded as the defining work on literature in that field . She is a frequent lecturer at workshops and conferences around the state, and also regularly appears on radio and television. Jill has been on the Board of the Bamberger Ranch Preserve since 2001.

Jim Rhoades

Jim has had a very long relationship with J. David Bamberger and his land restoration efforts at the Bamberger Ranch for more than 20 years. Jim has worked for 20 years with the City of Austin, Texas' environmental planning department as an urban forester. It is his undying love of trees that makes Jim an advocate of environmentally sensitive construction and sustainable living. He has been an environmental activist for many years, and he has actively brought that philosophy to the board of Bamberger Ranch since 2001.

Mary G. Wallace

Mary Wallace has served on the Bamberger Ranch Preserve's board since 2002. She is an environmental and civic leader in her community and in the State of Texas. She is board member and past-chairman of the environmental Defense/Texas and Currently serves on the Board of San Antonio Trees, The San Antonio Parks Foundation and the League of Conservation Voters. She was the first Directory of Citizens for Hike and Bike in Houston, an organization founded in the early 70's to develop green spaces and bike trails in a densely urban area. She has also had international experience: while living in Mexico, she worked with the United State Embassy on recycling issues and helped develop an environmental education program in the American School.

Scientific Advisors

Dr. Louis Jacobs, President

Dr. Jacobs serves in an advisory role to the Board of Directors. Dr. Jacobs is an internationally renowned paleontologist and is the President of the Institute for the Study of Earth and Man at Southern Methodist University. The Bamberger Ranch is rich with Cretaceous period fossils and dinosaur tracks, and thus geology is a major component to educational activities. Dr. Jacobs is a frequent educator and interpreter at the ranch.

Dr. Fred Smeins, Professor

Dr. Fred Smeins is the Department Chair of the Rangeland Ecology Department at Texas A&M University. He advises both the Board and the staff on rangeland management issues. He is well-published and recognized in his field, and is considered by many to be one of the state's experts in regards to rangeland ecology and biodiversity.

Dr. Gary McCracken, Professor

Dr. McCracken is a nationally recognized bat biologist from the University of Tennessee. Dr. McCracken assisted with the construction of the Bamberger Ranch's man-made bat cave, the"Chiroptorium", which was completed in 1998. Dr. McCracken now leads scientific research on the Chiroptorium every summer, and he assists with educational programs and interpretation on bats and their ecological significance.

Laura Sanchez, Botanist

Laura Sanchez's advisory role to the Board of Directors and staff is related to the plant community at the Bamberger Ranch. She currently works with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Department in Killeen, Texas, and she assists the staff with educational programs as well as with their recovery program for the Texas Snowbell, a tree that is listed on the federal endangered species list.

Education Advisor

Susan Sander

Susan Sander has been invaluable to the educational activities on the Bamberger Ranch for more than 10 years. She brings to the Board of Directors knowledge of starting and managing a nature preserve, as she founded and operated a community-based nature preserve in Kerrville, Texas, the Riverside Nature Center. She is currently the Director of the Headwaters Groundwater Conservation District in Kerrville, and she brings intimate knowledge of the natural world of the Texas Hill Country to the staff and Board. Her academic background includes a masters in environmental land use planning and an undergraduate degree in philosophy.

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