Jeffrey A. Gordon

Here’s my resume, updated August 14, 2010. If you’re looking for a more informal introduction to some the things I’m doing and have done, please visit my About Me page.

Profile

A respected, trusted leader in the North American birding community with extensive experience at all levels of responsibility in a range of 501(c)(3) non-profits with missions related to birding, environmental education, ecotourism, conservation, and research. Broad experience in the for-profit birding industry, including ecotourism, festivals, publishing, and optics. Widely published writer and photographer with strong written, oral, and multimedia communications skills, including social media.

Birding And Environmental Non-Profits

Delmarva Ornithological Society Wilmington, DE 1978–Present

President 1999–2001. Council (Board) Member 2001–2010. Elected Fellow 2002. Life Member since 2003. As President, helped end fractious period of near schism in membership and rebuild trust and communication. As Council Member, provided leadership that helped build a new, more active core of members, greatly expanding the scope of the organization’s services and attracting government and corporate funding as well as out-of-region support. Designed new logo and membership brochure. Co-compiler, with Liz Gordon, of Rehoboth Christmas Bird Count since 2004. Paid supervisor of Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch, 2010.

Coordinator, Delaware Birding Trail Dover, DE 2008–Present

Participated both as leader of volunteer steering committee and paid contractor. Committee secured partners and funding for the trail project, selected sites for inclusion, and hired and worked with graphic designer, printer, and web designer to produce trail guide and web site. Staged premier event, including Bird the Trail listing competition. As contractor, designed conceptual framework for trail, wrote text, and secured photos. Sought feedback from birding community through innovative blog format. Produced and delivered keynote presentations promoting trail.

Delaware Nature Society Hockessin, DE 1980–present

Associate Director in charge of Abbott’s Mill Nature Center, 2004–2006 Oversaw operations of nature center and historic site that provided environmental education programs for 12,000 school children annually. Supervised paid staff of approximately twenty, plus volunteers. Worked with contractors, volunteers, and numerous state agencies to complete restoration of historic mill. Pioneered web-based scheduling of teacher-naturalists, later adopted by entire organization. One of six-person statewide administrative team, reporting directly to Executive Director.

Before and after tenure as Associate Director, participated in, and later led, hundreds of programs from children’s day camps to extended ecotours. Completed (1996) graduate level course, Environmental Institution Management, offered through University of Delaware.

American Birding Association Colorado Springs, CO 1994–Present    Served as mentor to five ABA Tropicbirds youth teams between 2007 and 2010, three at the World Series of Birding, two at the Great Texas Birding Classic. As Field Trip Coordinator for the 2001 convention in Beaumont, TX, worked with Ken Hollinga and Victor Emanuel to design and staff all excursions. Also served as volunteer field trip leader at the following conventions:  Minot, ND (1994); Park City, UT (1996); Ft. Collins, CO (2000); Bangor, ME (2006); Lafayette, LA (2007); Snowbird, UT (2008). Judged writing module of Young Birder of the Year competition, 2010.

Delmarva Low-Impact Tourism Experiences Salisbury, MD 2006–Present

Board of Directors. Worked to promote ecotourism on the Delmarva Peninsula, encouraging varied stakeholders to work across state and other administrative boundaries. Helped develop extremely successful Host Our Coast competition, where bloggers compete for high-profile summer job producing videos and social media content about Delmarva.

Birding industry

Self-employed Writer, Presenter, Tour Leader Lewes, DE 2004–Present

Beginning in 2004, pursued an independent career working on a variety of birding-related projects through ongoing associations with many of the industry’s leading businesses and events. Recent clients and partners include:

•Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Currently maintain Facebook page for entire Peterson Field Guide series, posting original content and interacting online with fans. Produced video podcasts for 2008 Peterson Field Guide to Birds of North America and promotional videos for Amazon and Borders. Sole photographer for 2010 Peterson Field Guide to Birds of Western North America and Peterson Field Guide to Birds of Eastern and Central North America. Authored eleven of the chapters in the 2005 Identify Yourself: The 50 Most Common Birding Identification Challenges, and contributed an essay to the 2007 collection, Good Birders Don’t Wear White: 50 Tips from North America’s Top Birders.

•Birding Festivals Sought-after, charismatic keynote presenter at birding festivals, including the Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival, TX; Space Coast Birding & Wildlife Festival, FL; New River Birding Festival, WV; Detroit Lakes Festival of Birds, MN; Cape May Spring Weekend, NJ; and New Jersey Meadowlands Festival of Birding, NJ. Also served as a field trip leader and seminar instructor at these festivals and others. Hired as Field Trip Coordinator for the Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival in its second year (1996), establishing many standards, practices, and promotional materials still in use.

•Leica Sport Optics As member of pro staff, promote Leica sport optics and digiscoping at birding festivals, from trade show booth and on field trips.

•Bird Watcher’s Digest Field Editor. Write articles for popular audience on bird identification, natural history, festivals, and use of technology in birding.

•Field Guides, Inc. Co-lead tours and design and lead custom departures.

Tour Leader, Victor Emanuel Nature Tours Austin, TX 1989–2002

As full-time staff member, designed and led birding and natural history tours worldwide, especially in United States, Canada, and Central America. Responsible for all aspects of expeditions in the field including bird finding, identification, interpretation, logistics, safety, meals, lodging, budgeting, and expense reports. Designed new tours from the ground up including marketing strategies and promotional materials. Elected to Core Leaders Committee, 1994. Produced, shot, and edited a successful promotional video on Panama. Co-led two-week camp in Mexico for teenage birders, 1991 and 1993.

Education

University of Delaware Newark, DE     B.A. Biological Sciences/Recreation & Park Administration; 1988     Environmental Institution Management—Graduate Course; 1996

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