Who We Are

Paula Capece, Program Manager

970-267-2127; email

Education and Areas of Expertise:

Grad Certificate, Environmental Policy, The George Washington University
MS, Botany, Ecology, Evolution & Conservation Biology, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa
BS, Biology (Ecology Option), Penn State University

Paula joined the network in 2020. Prior to her role with ROMN, she worked in several I&M and Park Resource Management roles with NPS, as well as program management, conservation, and science roles with state agencies and academic institutions. Her primary interest lies in the application of science to decision making; she is a Certified Decision Analyst and a facilitator of Structured Decision Making for natural resources. In her personal time, Paula enjoys hiking, gardening, and exploring public libraries.

Billy Schweiger, Ecologist

970-267-2147; email

Education and Areas of Expertise:

PhD, Ecology, University of Kansas
BA, Ecology, University of Colorado

Billy has worked for the NPS I&M program since 2004, developing and implementing several long term monitoring protocols for six National Parks. His interests are in the rigorous application of science to protected areas, stream and wetland ecology. Prior to the NPS he was a research scientist for the US EPA. When not doing science, Billy likes to race cars, play Ultimate Frisbee and get lost in the wilderness...

Erin Borgman, Ecologist/Field Coordinator

970-267-2124; email

Education and Areas of Expertise:

MS, Ecology, Colorado State University
BA, Sociology and Latin American Studies, Scripps College

Erin joined the Rocky Mountain Network in 2014. Prior to that, she worked at Rocky Mountain National Park for many years, first in Environmental Education and then in Resource Management. Her M.S. research focused on local adaptation of limber pine populations in the Southern Rockies. She now finds herself thinking about how grassland, forest, and alpine systems are affected by change. In her current role at the ROMN, she is a (plant) ecologist leading the upland vegetation and soils protocol and she coordinates our field crews. When not working, she enjoys spending time outside with her family and biking around town.

Kirk Sherrill, Data Manager

970-225-3549; email

Education and Areas of Expertise:

MS, Geospatial Sciences, Colorado State University
BS, Natural Resource Management, Colorado State University

Kirk joined the ROMN team in 2016 and serves as our Data Manager. He was previously the Data Manager for the Upper Columbia Basin I&M program. His professional background includes working in geospatial science positions for the NPS, USGS, BLM, and the Center for Ecological Applications of Lidar at CSU. As our data manager his primary goals focus on facilitating the use of ecological and geospatial data to benefit the parks and support informed resource management and scientific understanding. When Kirk is away from the office you can find him walking his dog, enjoying Nuggets basketball, and exploring outdoors with his wife and sons.

Sonya Daw, Science Writer/Editor

541-552-8578; email

Education and Areas of Expertise:
MA, Professional Writing, Northern Arizona University
MS, Wildlife Science, Oregon State University
BA, Environmental Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz
BA, Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz

Sonya began working with the Rocky Mountain Network in 2015. She serves as the science communication specialist for multiple networks, including the Klamath Network, Greater Yellowstone Network, and the Mediterranean Coast Network. After years as an avian biologist, she went back to school to develop professional writing and communication skills. For the editorial duties of her current position, she helps NPS authors bring rough drafts of technical reports to final publication. For science communication, she helps develop outreach materials to share network science with parks and the public. Outside of work, she loves to hike, go birding, and play music.

Kati Zybko, Field Crew Botanist

970-225-3542; email

Education and Areas of Expertise:
BS, Conservation Biology, Colorado State University

Kati began working for The Rocky Mountain Network in summer of 2018 as a seasonal field technician through Colorado Natural Heritage Program. In 2019 she was hired as a permanent employee with the NPS. As part of the ROMN crew she helps to identify plant species and collect field data for several long-term monitoring protocols including Wetland Ecological Integrity, Upland vegetation and soils, and Stream Ecological Integrity. When not obsessing over plants in the parks, Kati can be found working on her small farm, mountain biking, or rafting.