2014 Kolshorn Lecture & Distinguished Alumni Award

Jerry is a retired US Fish and Wildlife Service Law Enforcement Special Agent whose career spanned 28 years, ten states, and four countries. He began working as an agent months after receiving his B.S. in Wildlife Management from the University of Minnesota in 1974. As a special agent, Jerry investigated illegal harvest of marine mammals, marine fisheries, raptors and grizzly bears. He ran the wildlife evidence morgue after the Exxon Valdez oil spill. As part of Aid to International Development (AID) programs, he worked with wildlife managers in Russia to develop approaches for combating tiger poaching, assessed the feasibility of establishing a national park in Russia, and in Ecuador, developed training programs for rangers responsible for protecting marine resources of the Galapagos Islands. His work included covert operations, complex investigations, developing inter-cultural education programs and training rangers in several parts of the world. Since retiring from his first career, Jerry has served as Code Enforcement Officer for Ketchikan, Alaska and led numerous community service projects related to coastal conservation and education