Laura Francoeur
Chair/Airport Representative
Laura is the Chief Wildlife Biologist for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, where she is responsible for directing the wildlife management programs at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), LaGuardia Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport, Stewart International Airport, and Teterboro Airport. Prior to assuming her current position in 2009, Laura worked at JFK as a Wildlife Biologist for 10 years. Laura also worked in Virginia as a wildlife biologist for the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service – Wildlife Services and conducted wildlife hazard assessments at airports and landfills. Laura is a Certified Wildlife Biologist with a BA degree from Connecticut College in Zoology and an MS degree from Clemson University in Wildlife Biology.
Aaron Guikema
Vice Chair/USDA Representative
Aaron Guikema has served as the State Director for the Wildlife Services Program in New Jersey since 2015. Prior to that, he served as the District Supervisor for the WS Program in NJ from 2013 to 2015. From 2008 to 2013, Aaron was the Staff Wildlife Biologist for the WS Eastern Regional Office in Raleigh, NC. Aaron started his career with WS as a Wildlife Specialist in Michigan and worked primarily on starling control and airports. Aaron holds a B.S. in Fisheries and Wildlife Management from Lake Superior State University.
Nick Atwell
Past Chair/Airport Representative
Nick works at the Portland International Airport as the Port of Portland’s Senior Natural Resources Manager overseeing a team of professionals in two focus areas: Conservation Ecology and Aviation Wildlife Hazard Management. Nick strives for ongoing program improvement through reviews, monitoring, and adaptive management, which uses science-based methods to evaluate and adjust future actions. He has been working at the Port of Portland in natural resources and aviation wildlife hazard management since 1999. He is an FAA-qualified Airport Wildlife Biologist with degrees in Natural Resources and Organismal Biology. Nick lives in the Oregon foothills of Mt. Hood with his wife and two young daughters. Nick spends his free time with family & friends and enjoys mountain biking, snowboarding, and ultimate frisbee.
Erin O’Connor
Secretary
Erin O’Connor is the Senior Manager, Leadership and Events for the American Association of Airport Executives and has been with AAAE for almost seven years. Before joining AAAE, she worked in the hospitality industry for ten years. Erin is originally from New York where she obtained a bachelor’s degree in Business Economics from SUNY Cortland. Erin moved to Virginia in 2012 to be closer to family and currently lives in Fairfax.
Ann Hodgson
Treasurer/Private Sector Representative
Dr. Ann Hodgson is a recognized expert in wildlife ecology, wetlands ecology, and ornithology. She manages projects and tasks related to threatened and endangered species surveys, wildlife hazard management, population and conceptual ecological models, botanical studies, habitat assessments, and water resources and hydrogeomorphic wetlands evaluations. Dr. Hodgson has 38 years of professional experience in the areas of avian ecology, wildlife management, water resource evaluation, freshwater wetlands, coastal ecosystems, and habitat management and restoration. She has completed multiple FAA Wildlife Hazard Assessments and Wildlife Hazard Management Plans for airports from Florida to California, and provides wildlife management expertise to multi-disciplinary planning teams.