Board Members

Bruno Giri
President

Bruno was born in Connecticut and raised in NC and VA. He attended William and Mary for undergraduate studies and completed a B.S. in Biology. He joined the Peace Corps following graduation and served as a fisheries extension volunteer in rural Nepal. He returned to the US and studied at Auburn University, where he completed a M.S. degree in water quality of catfish ponds. Since then, he has mostly worked as an analytical chemist for both the state and federal governments. He enjoys travel, delicious food and drink and being a volunteer for UOWN and other organizations in Athens. If you don’t know, Bruno loves to talk about how important it is to protect our natural resources and how it’s our responsibility to step up and work harder!! Contact Bruno.

 

Diane Windham
Vice President, Water Trails Chair

Diane developed a love for creeks and rivers early in life growing up in Western Pennsylvania. She serves as the Recreation Chair for her local watershed group, is Co-Chair of the Upper Oconee Water Trail, assists with monitoring activities of Oconee Waters, and serves on the Citizen’s Advisory Commission on Water Resources, an advocacy group, in Oconee County, Georgia. She has been an avid paddler, hiker, and cyclist for all her adult life. As a retired educator she conducted activities in her school to encourage youth to be good stewards of the environment, and continues to be involved in educational outreach activities with individuals of all ages to make a difference in their communities. She is a graduate of the University of Georgia and Piedmont College.  Contact Diane.

 

Megan Robertson
Secretary, Science and Monitoring Chair

 

Tim Schreiber
Treasurer

Tim grew up in Ypsilanti, Michigan and moved to Athens, Georgia in 2001. Two years after his relocation, he received his Bachelor’s in Philosophy from the University of Georgia after which he spent several years playing and recording music with friends, traveling the country, and taking long walks along the Oconee River Greenway. More recently he graduated with an Associates in Accounting from Athens Tech and works as an Accounting Associate at the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia. He enjoys hiking in the North Georgia mountains & visiting the various waterfalls in the area. He has been UOWN’s treasurer since January 2022. 

Deb Dooley
Education Chair

Deb Dooley is originally from Ft. Wayne, IN. She completed her undergraduate degree in Geology at Indiana University, Bloomington and moved on to the Bloomington of the south, Athens GA, where she completed her PhD, also in Geology. It is in Georgia where she developed her fondness for the outdoors and a passion for conservation. As a professor at Piedmont University, she has been encouraging her students Explore!!! and Respect!!! the gift that is our environment. Deb has actively participated in UOWN activities for about 10 years, most recently serving on the UOWN Education Committee for the past 6ish years. Serving on the UOWN Board affords even more opportunities for education, engagement, protection, and conservation of our natural environment.

 

Liz French
Liz grew up in Flowery Branch, GA, playing in the streams surrounding her neighborhood and exploring Lake Lanier by kayak, canoe, and sailboat. She attended the University of North Georgia and completed a B.S. in Biology. During this time, Liz studied stream ecology with an undergraduate research group and helped to organize Adopt-a-Stream and Rivers Alive events. She completed a M.S. degree in Forest Resources at the University of Georgia and currently works as the BioSTEAM Coordinator for Jefferson City Schools. In this position, Liz manages the school’s 177-acre wetland along the Middle Oconee River in Jackson County and provides educational programs and outreach opportunities for students and the community. She loves to travel to hike, camp, and paddle, and is passionate about getting students outside!

David Wenner
Oconee Waters Chair

David recently joined the Board as a representative of Oconee Waters, an affiliated organization of UOWN located in Oconee County. He has been associated with UOWN since nearly it’s beginning over twenty years ago, both serving as a board member in the past and an active member since the organization’s inception.David retired from the geology department at the University of Georgia about 14 years ago. During this time he taught a number of classes focused on water chemistry, which has defined his interest in water quality studies. Currently Oconee Waters is doing monthly grab sampling of two major streams, Calls Creek and Barber Creek, in Oconee County using the Georgia Adopt-A-Stream protocols and conducting continuous monitoring for temperature, pressure (a proxy for discharge), and specific conductivity at two sites on Calls Creek that bracket the county’s waste water treatment plant.David recently joined the Board as a representative of Oconee Waters, an affiliated organization of UOWN located in Oconee County. He has been associated with UOWN since nearly it’s beginning over twenty years ago, both serving as a board member in the past and an active member since the organization’s inception. David retired from the geology department at the University of Georgia about 14 years ago.During this time he taught a number of classes focused on water chemistry, which has defined his interest in water quality studies. Currently Oconee Waters is doing monthly grab sampling of two major streams, Calls Creek and Barber Creek, in Oconee County using the Georgia Adopt-A-Stream protocols and conducting continuous monitoring for temperature, pressure (a proxy for discharge), and specific conductivity at two sites on Calls Creek that bracket the county’s waste water treatment plant.