Megan Baker
Annual Conference
Ms. Baker, CWB®, FAA-QAWB, is a contractor with Aerostar Environmental and Construction LLC supporting the Air National Guard (ANG) Bird/Wildlife Aircraft Strike Hazard (BASH) Program. In this role, she conducts and oversees wildlife hazard site evaluations at ANG installations across the United States, helping units manage wildlife risks and maintain safe flying environments. Before joining Aerostar, Ms. Baker worked as a Wildlife Biologist with USDA Wildlife Services, where she supported both civilian and military aviation operations. Her work took her to numerous locations across the United States, Europe, and Southwest Asia, addressing wildlife hazards and assisting airfields with mitigation strategies. Ms. Baker earned her undergraduate degree from Michigan Technological University in 2015. She currently lives in upstate New York and enjoys traveling, hunting, playing ice hockey, reading, and practicing falconry.
Jeff Kolodzinski
Communications
Jeff Kolodzinski is a Supervising Wildlife Biologist with The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, where he specializes in wildlife hazard management at the region’s airports. He holds an undergraduate degree from Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and a Master’s degree from the University of Georgia. His professional interests include big data, risk assessment, and aviation wildlife hazard management, with particular interests in gulls and raptors. Jeff is also actively involved in advancing wildlife strike data collection, analysis, and communication within the aviation community.
Hannah Donner
Education and Outreach
Yakubu Isah
Membership
Yakubu Isah is an Airport Operations Coordinator with the Houston Airport System and a former Senior Bird/Wildlife Hazard Control Officer with the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, bringing nearly a decade of experience in aviation wildlife hazard management. He holds an M.S. in Environmental Science and Policy from the University of South Florida, where his research focused on bird strike hazard assessment of two decades of Tampa International Airport strike records using GIS and spatial risk analysis. During his graduate studies at the University of South Florida, he completed an apprenticeship with Tampa International Airport and an internship with Environmental Science Associates (ESA), where he assisted in conducting wildlife hazard assessments for multiple airports across Florida. His professional and research interests include wildlife strike prevention, airport habitat management, aviation safety, urban ecology, and the application of geospatial technologies to wildlife risk management. Yakubu is committed to advancing evidence-based strategies that enhance aviation safety while promoting sustainable coexistence between airports and wildlife . Yakubu currently lives in Houston with his wife and kids.
Selena Creed
Operations/Policies
Selena is the Senior Wildlife Biologist for Wayne County Airport Authority where she oversees the wildlife hazard management programs at Detroit Metropolitan Airport and Willow Run Airport. She has a degree in Wildlife Management from Lake Superior State University and is an FAA-Qualified Airport Wildlife Biologist. Selena is dedicated to leveraging GIS to further build a data-driven program that makes wildlife management decisions based on documented observations and observable trends. She is passionate about aviation safety and wildlife conservation and is, especially, interested in the intersection of the two. She lives in southeast Michigan with her wife, their dog, and her red-tailed hawk. In her free time, Selena enjoys hunting fair chase game, foraging, weightlifting, and falconry.
Daphne French
Research and Development
Daphne French is a Deputy Fleet Chief in the Southern California Customer Support organization with previous roles as an Airline Support Engineer, Field Service Representative and Payloads Systems Engineering. Externally, Daphne focuses on maintaining relationships with airlines and improving the reliability and safety of their operations. She hosts the annual fleet team meetings to stay connected with the airlines top concerns and areas of opportunity. Key partners for resolving safety related issues in this role are the Boeing Chief Engineers for each product and system, the designated Regional Vice Presidents for each international region, and the FAA. Daphne has 15 years of experience at Boeing and a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Weber State University in Utah. She completed an MIT Leadership Principles for Engineers, Scientists, and Researchers certificate.
Ann Hodgson
Finance
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.