A skilled facilitator and educator, Gwen thrives on clearly communicating complex issues, untangling situations rife with conflict, and supporting community partnerships for resource management.

She served in the Peace Corps' aquaculture program and worked 12 years with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources as a biologist and administrator.

Gwen is currently an adjunct professor at Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis and has taught over a dozen different graduate and undergraduate level courses as a visiting instructor at six universities in three states. She has written dozens of articles and given presentations on non-point source pollution, invasive species control, land use effects on aquatic resources, territorial behavior and species evolution in coral reef ecosystems, professional diversity, decision support systems, parliamentary procedure, and aquatic stewardship education.

Gwen holds a doctorate in conservation biology from the University of Minnesota and a master's degree in zoology from the University of Maryland. She is actively engaged in the American Fisheries Society (AFS), having served for over a decade on the Governing Board as the Equal Opportunities Section President, Society parliamentarian and North Central Division President-Elect. She was recognized with the Society's 2010 Distinguished Service Award.