Isabel Ashton, PhD
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
In November of 2022, Isabel joined BRF from the National Park Service where she has worked as an ecologist for over 14 years. Most recently, at Katahdin Woods & Waters National Monument in northern Maine, she oversaw the science and resource management of 87,500 acres of forest. Isabel’s research has focused on adaptive management and how to use long-term monitoring data to understand the effects of climate change, fire, and invasive species. Much of her work has focused on building partnerships and diverse teams to leverage science and conserve national park lands for future generations. She has spent most of her career in federal service, even her early time as an AmeriCorps Environmental Educator in 1998 when she got her start in conservation at Black Rock Forest. Isabel is a native of Brooklyn, New York and has a BA in Environmental Biology from Columbia University. She holds a PhD in Ecology and Evolution from Stony Brook University.
Matthew Brady
FOREST DIRECTOR
Matt’s priority is to focus on land stewardship and conservation as well as promoting responsible land use of the Forest by Consortium member institutions and the public. His primary focus is maintaining BRF’s nearly 17 miles of forest roads, 26 miles of trails and the equipment needed to keep the 3,914-acre forest a safe and accessible place. Matt oversees forest improvements and operations within its infrastructure, manages many volunteer programs and assists scientists with research. He holds a BS from SUNY ESF College of Environmental Science and Forestry.
Aaron Culotta
ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATOR & VISITOR SERVICES COORDINATOR
Aaron started at Black Rock Forest in 2017 as a Student Conservation Association (SCA) intern. Aaron came on board as a full-time environmental educator in 2018. He assists with social media communications and helped to develop and coordinate the Visitor Services program. Aaron is also involved in BRF’s deer management programs, helping to coordinate the annual deer survey and the deer hunting program. Aaron pursued environmental science starting at Haldane High School in Cold Spring where he also graduated from the New Visions Academy for Environmental Science and Sustainability. He holds a BT in Wildlife Management from SUNY Cobleskill.
Aidan Jones
ASSISTANT FOREST MANAGER
Aidan has worked at Black Rock Forest in a variety of positions since childhood. Since 2016 he has served as our onsite caretaker, and in 2024 also full time as our Assistant Forest Manager. He is our go to for help in the Forest and Facilities.
Scott LaPoint, PhD
DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH
Scott joined Black Rock Forest in 2018 to lead the Hudson Highlands Wildlife Connectivity Project which studies the movement of carnivores, specifically fishers and bobcats, to quantify landscape connectivity. Scott is a wildlife ecologist whose research interests include carnivore behavior, movement ecology, and skull morphology and strives to produce conservation relevant information. He joins Black Rock Forest after a post-doctoral appointment at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University. Scott has published nearly 30 papers, book chapters, or models on carnivores, corridors, and connectivity modeling. He holds a BS from Paul Smith’s College, a MS from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, and a PhD from the Universität Konstanz.
Matthew Munson
FACILITIES & IT MANAGER
Matthew became the Facilities & IT Manager in 2018 and has been at BRF since 2000 . He oversees the facilities and reservation system as well as the environmental monitoring network, field sensors, radiotelemetry network, research database, and local area and wireless computer networks. Matt assists visiting researchers and teachers, works as an educator with many school groups and helps the Forest crew. He holds a BS in Environmental Science from Unity College and is certified as an Emergency Medical Technician.
Jessica Schnell, PhD
DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION
Jessica joined Black Rock Forest in 2023 as the Director of Education. Her primary focus is educational programming for K–16 students, teachers, and the general public. Jessica taught middle and high school science in the Bronx for six years, beginning as an NYC Teaching Fellow in 2017. Prior to teaching, Jessica conducted postdoctoral research in wildlife conservation modeling in Germany for four years; first at the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology and then as a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Biology at the University of Konstanz. She also taught college biology courses during her PhD research, which focused on assessing habitat loss of forest-endemic birds. Jessica holds a BS in Nutritional Sciences from Cornell University, an MS and PhD in Biology from Rutgers University, and an MSEd in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, K-12 from City College of New York.
Susanne Vondrak
OFFICE MANAGER & SPECIAL EVENTS
In her role as Office Manager, Susanne is responsible for assisting the Executive Director, human resources, accounts receivable, maintaining the website, scheduling, purchasing as well as managing the logistics for special events. Prior to joining Black Rock Forest in 2019 in Development and Communications, Susanne led operations for T.S.S., Niche Modern and Ondamed, served on the Board of Trustees at the Cornwall Public Library from 2010-2020 and was a Master Gardener through the Cornell Cooperative Extension. She holds a BFA in Jewelry Design from Parson’s School of Design.
Jennifer Wall, PhD
POSTDOCTORAL FELLOW
Jennifer joined Black Rock Forest in April 2025 as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Ecology. She will be building on existing research efforts to understand mammal composition and landscape use within the Forest. Jennifer’s research interests include population and community ecology and wildlife behavior in both applied and theoretical contexts. She has conducted research on a variety of taxa and systems, including alpine mammal distributions in Alaska, owl migrations in Maine, and waterbird nesting success in Maryland. Jennifer is a Maryland native and holds a BS in both Biology and Environmental Science from the University of Maryland and a PhD in Fish and Wildlife Biology from the University of Montana.
