Southern Division
of the
American Fisheries Society

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2006 SOUTHERN DIVISION AFS CANDIDATES FOR OFFICE

Download the 2006 Election Ballot here

Vice-President Candidates

Vic DiCenzo – Candidate for Vice-President

Vic DiCenzo is a fisheries biologist with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries where his work focuses on lake and reservoir management.  He earned his B.S. from Virginia Tech in 1991 and his M.S. from Tennessee Tech in 1993.  Vic has also worked as a researcher at Auburn University and as a District Fisheries Supervisor with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.  Vic has been a member of AFS since 1992 and is active within the Southern Division and the Virginia Chapter.  He is currently Chair of the SDAFS Reservoir Committee, which will be hosting the 4th North American Reservoir Symposium in June 2007.  From 2003-2005, Vic served as Secretary-Treasurer of the SDAFS where he was able to get valuable insight on how the Division operates and how to best meet the needs of the chapters, committees, and membership.  Vic also served as the Program Chair for the 2005 SDAFS Spring Meeting in Virginia Beach and continues to serve the Virginia Chapter as Chair of the Nominating Committee.  His past AFS experiences include Southern Division Representative to the Fish Management and Education Sections, and President of the Tennessee Tech Student Fisheries Association.

Vic considers serving the SDAFS a privilege and past experience at the EXCOM, technical and standing committees, and Chapter levels have been invaluable.  He recognizes that the SDAFS has always been a leader in information exchange and student support, and hopes to see that continue under his leadership.  Vic feels that technical committees have always been the heartbeat of the Division, and if elected would look for new ways to serve the technical committees.  As the fisheries profession continues to broaden and diversify, Vic understands the importance of finding new ways for the SDAFS to equip its membership with its technical and professional needs. 

 

Cecil A. Jennings – Candidate for Vice-President

Cecil Jennings is the Leader of the Georgia Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit and an Adjunct Professor of Fisheries in the School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia where he teaches, advises students, and has an active river and estuarine fisheries research program.  He received his B.S. in Biology and Natural Science (1981) from Carthage College (Wisconsin), his M.S. in Wildlife and Fisheries Ecology (1985) from Mississippi State University, and his Ph.D. in Fisheries Science from the University of Florida (1990).  Cecil’s tenure at the University of Georgia began in 1994.  Previous positions include service as a research fishery biologist with the UG Geological Survey’s Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center (1990-1994), and fisheries biologist with the Virgin Islands Division of Fish and Wildlife (1980, 1985).  He has authored or coauthored over 50 scientific articles and technical reports on many aspects of fisheries science. 

Cecil has been a member of AFS since 1985 and has been very active in the Society on every level.  He has held the following offices in professional societies:  President, Georgia Chapter - American Fisheries Society (1997), Executive Committee (1998), and   Ex Officio member of Executive Committee (1999-present).  Cecil’s list of committee assignments over the years includes:  AFS – Publications Oversight Committee (2006 – Present); AFS - Editorial Board (2002 – 2005), Assoc. Editor - Trans. of the Am. Fisheries Society; AFS - GA Chapter: Program Committee Chair (2001 annual meeting); AFS - GA Chapter: Local Arrangements Chair (2001 Annual Meeting); AFS – Southern Division:  Warmwater Streams Technical Committee (1996 – Present); AFS – Southern Division: Marine and Estuarine Resources Technical Committee (1996 – Present); AFS - Editorial Board (1994 – 1997), Assoc. Editor - N. Am. J. of Fisheries Management; AFS - Task Force on Unsolicited Proposals (1994);  AFS - Liaison Committee to the American Association for the Advancement of Science (1992); AFS - Membership Concerns Committee (1993); AFS - Equal Opportunities Committee (1992). 

 

Secretary-Treasurer Candidates

Dave Coughlan – Candidate for Secretary-Treasurer

Dave Coughlan is a senior fishery scientist for Duke Energy where he has worked for 23 years.  He received a B.S. in biology from Penn State University and a M.S. in fisheries and aquatic toxicology from Cornell University.  His work at Duke Energy initially focused on aquatic toxicology and has evolved over the years towards fishery research.  Current efforts involve fish population evaluations in reservoirs, streams, and rivers with recent emphasis on diadromous species.  Evaluation techniques involve hydroacoustics, electrofishing, netting, and fish health assessments.  The hydroacoustic sampling of reservoir forage fish populations has also resulted in numerous reservoir bathymetry projects. 
Dave joined AFS in 1979 and is a Certified Fishery Scientist and lifetime member.  At the Chapter level, he is a member of both the NC and SC Chapters, has been the president of the NC Chapter (1999), and is currently the NCAFS newsletter editor (2000 – present).  He serves on the Reservoir Committee (although lately his participation has been limited to judging the Robert M. Jenkins Memorial scholarship applications) and has chaired the Nominating Committee (2001-2002) for the Southern Division.  In addition, Dave was a member of the Local Arrangements Committee for the 1999 National AFS meeting in Charlotte.  He has been a member of the Robust Redhorse Conservation Committee since 1996 and will begin a two-year term as the chairperson in the fall of 2006.  He has also been a member of the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists since 1999.  Dave is a regular presenter at AFS Chapter and Divisional meetings and has authored several scientific publications.

 

Dennis Riecke – Candidate for Secretary-Treasurer

Dennis Riecke joined the AFS as a student in 1979 and became a Certified Fisheries Scientist in 1996 and was recertified in 2002.  He received a B.S. degree in Fishery Biology and Aquatic Science from the University of Southwestern Louisiana in 1982 and a M.S. degree in Fisheries Management from Mississippi State University in 1985.  He has worked for the Kansas Fish and Game Commission as a District Fisheries Biologist, in Louisiana as an Aquaculture Research Associate and for the past 17 years for the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks as a fisheries biologist and a fisheries coordinator.  He has served on the Membership Concerns (1987-1991) and Continuing Education (1992-1995) committees, and on the Reservoir, Small Impoundments and Warmwater Streams committees.  Dennis served as Secretary-Treasurer of both the Mississippi Chapter of AFS (1997-1999) and the SDAFS Warmwater Streams Committee (2000-2005).  He has served as Chairman of the SDAFS Resolutions Committee since 2003 and recently joined the AFS Professional Safety Committee.  Dennis has authored over 30 popular articles about fisheries for hunting and fishing magazines and newspapers.

 

Division Rep To AFS Nominating Committee Candidates

Keith Ashley – Candidate for SDAFS Rep to AFS Nominating Committee

Keith Ashley is the District 4 Fisheries Biologist with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, a position he has held for the past 21 years.  He received both his B.S. (Biology – 1975) and M.S. degrees (Fisheries & Wildlife Sciences – 1979) from Virginia Tech.  After completing his M.S., he began his career as a Research Associate at the University of Florida in Gainesville where he spent three and one-half years conducting research on the impacts of water level fluctuations on the sport fish populations in Rodman Reservoir.  He has authored 14 peer-reviewed publications in primary scientific journals, magazines, and extension bulletins, as well as 16 technical reports to natural resource funding agencies and others.  Keith also served as co-editor for the American Fisheries Society Special Publication #24 entitled, “Investigation and valuation of fish kills”.  His research results have been presented at eight professional society meetings as well as numerous seminars, workshops, and meetings of natural resource and conservation organizations as an invited speaker.  He served as both a member and Chairman of the Southern Division’s Pollution Committee and as a member of the Warmwater Streams, Small Impoundments, and Catfish committees.  He also served as Chair of the Southern Division’s Mail Ballot Committee from 1999 through 2002.  Keith has been a member of the AFS North Carolina Chapter since its inception.

John Odenkirk – Candidate for SDAFS Rep to AFS Nominating Committee

John Odenkirk is a fisheries biologist with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries where his work focuses on river and reservoir fish management (and more recently on playing with northern snakeheads).  He has worked out of the Fredericksburg Regional Office in northern Virginia since 1989.  John earned his B.S. from Virginia Tech in 1985 and his M.S. from Tennessee Tech in 1987.  He worked as a researcher with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services’ Office of Fisheries Assistance (anadromous fish project) in Panama City, FL for several years.  John is a certified fisheries scientist and has been a member of AFS since 1984.  He has served the Southern Division as Secretary-Treasurer and participated on the Small Impoundments Committee.  He is very active in the Virginia Chapter where he has chaired the Continuing Education Committee, served as Treasurer and, most recently, was President.  He is also a member of the Fisheries Management Section.  If nominated, John will focus on finding a solid Southern Division representative to compete at the national level.  It is incumbent and appropriate in John’s opinion that the “Bubba Division” remains a force at the top.