Dale Richter Vice Chair Dale Richter is a fifty year young married father of two sons. He is a native of the Albany-Leesburg, GA area. A roof contractor by occupation, he is also a licensed Realtor and insurance adjuster. Dale is founder and past president of the Southwest Georgia Beekeepers Association, and has recently ended a six year term as a member of the Board of Directors of the Georgia Beekeepers Association. He has been awarded the Master Beekeeper designation by the University of Georgia-Young Harris College Beekeeping Institute for his knowledge and promotion of the beekeeping industry. Dale is a local media consultant and emergency management responder for beekeeping related news and events. Dale serves on the board of Trustees at his local church where he is also head of Security. He is supported in his endeavors by Karen, his wife of 20 years. Dale’s interests in nature and wildlife began when he started beekeeping at the age of five.  These interests became a life-long passion while working as the head of the beekeeping lab for the University of Georgia Entomology Department as a college student.  His love of nature, wildlife, and habitat is surpassed only by his desire to educate others about the wonderful gifts of Nature.   Dale’s property has been certified as a wildlife habitat for over 15 years. He has followed the successes and disappointments of Operation Migration for over 5 years and tries to be of service to the team when they are on the Georgia portion of migration. During the 2006 migration, Dale was honored to be a “spotter” from top cover for the team during two segments of the trip. He looks forward to working with the entire Operation Migration team to ensure its continued successes. Jamey Burr Secretary-Treasurer Jamey Burr has over 30 years of experience and expertise in relations between government and the private and voluntary sectors. He has provided executive leadership to governments and community non-profit groups in the areas of public-private partnerships, community infrastructure construction and management, and has a national reputation for introducing innovation and creating excellence in service delivery. A multiple recipient of the highest awards for excellence in partnering and service delivery from previous employers, he is known for his practical, strategic advice to help overcome long-standing problems and bring about sustainable solutions.  Mr. Burr was the president of a consulting firm specializing in assisting non-profit organizations and Aboriginal communities to work in partnership with the private sector. He is an active volunteer with United Way, Habitat for Humanity, and supports the Ottawa-Carleton Wildlife Center, the Ottawa-Carleton Wild Bird Care Center, and the Ottawa Humane Society. Jamey organized and led a community group to save a piece of his neighborhood's rapidly dwindling green space from being "developed" into yet more concrete. Jamey is an avid canoeist and is currently creating a photographic journal of the wildlife living on and around the Ottawa River in the vicinity of the city centre. Jamey and Pamela have created a pesticide/herbicide free oasis for birds, butterflies and other wildlife on their urban Ottawa property, replacing the usual expanses of lawn with native vegetation necessary to provide an abundance of food and shelter. Some lucky "tenants" have made good use of the nesting boxes that they have built over the years. David Sakrison Director David is the author of Chasing the Ghost Birds: saving swans and cranes from extinction, published in 2007, and two books on Wisconsin local history. Chasing the Ghost Birds chronicles three cutting-edge conservation projects: returning trumpeter swans to the Midwest Flyway, international efforts to save endangered Siberian crane populations, and the whooping crane recovery program.   David has been a professional writer and editor for nearly 40 years, working for businesses, associations, health care, non-profits, museums, political and fundraising campaigns, and the press. In 1994, he became a full-time independent copywriter, editor, and corporate trainer. Since then, he has worked for a wide variety of clients from start-up businesses to multi-nationals and Fortune 500® companies.   He has led successful fundraising campaigns and was instrumental in persuading his home city of Ripon, Wisconsin to adopt a new City Forestry Ordinance that significantly reduced the number of trees lost to street and utility projects. He is an avid hiker, cyclist, and amateur photographer. His wife Christal, a Family Physician, is a birder and gardener. They share a long-standing interest in environmental issues.   David serves on the board of directors of the regional chapter of the American Red Cross. He is a mentor at a student-run consulting business at Ripon College. As a volunteer, he helped prepare Operation Migration’s White River Marsh site in June 2011. Walter Sturgeon Director Walter Sturgeon has worked with cranes for over 35 years. He has been a trustee of the Whooping Crane Conservation Association for the past 20 years, and for the past 7 years he has been a volunteer member of OM’s Migration Team. He has served as an OM Board member for the past 3 years. Now retired, Walt spent 38 years as a nuclear engineer and changed careers at 60 to become the Assistant Director of the North Carolina State Museum of Natural Sciences. During the past 30 years he has used his free time as a volunteer field wildlife technician in both Alaska and Canada helping with waterfowl and crane research. Walter has received several awards for his conservation efforts including the Jerome Pratt Whooping Crane Conservation Award and the Disney Conservation Hero Award. Walter served as president of the International Wild Waterfowl Association for over twenty years and he serves as Chairman of the Board of the Sylvan Heights Waterfowl Park and Eco-Center. He and his wife Gay currently maintain a captive collection of more than 60 cranes for conservation, education, and research purposes. Bob Keeping Director Bob Keeping has over 40 years experience operating a communications consulting company specializing in video production, and along the way, has developed a broad range of marketing expertise. Many of his company’s clients are non-profit organizations and they cover a wide spectrum of human care services. Bob is a gifted writer, and turns his talents to video scripts/treatments, and a range of marketing materials. He also has decades of experience writing commercial application computer software - in 11 different programming languages. Considering ways to “give back” to the community, Bob has been a Volunteer for over 45 years, serving on boards, committees and as a front line Volunteer for crisis / intervention and mental health organizations. Bob developed a series of Marketing Workshops that were presented as a practical educational series to community based non-profit organizations. He is an accomplished pilot, with multi engine, IFR, high performance and high altitude endorsements, and seems happiest when flying. His company owns and operates two aircraft. (unfortunately, neither operates at “Crane speed”) Other Volunteer projects include 6 years organizing and running air shows, one of them among the biggest in North America. Bob professes fascination, but little knowledge of cranes or wildlife management. Having said this he is captivated by the magnitude and level of commitment represented at Operation Migration. He admires the dedication that has brought the organization this far, and feels he has something to offer to help in meeting new challenges, and keeping sight of the goals.   Joe Duff Director Ex Officio Joe Duff is a co-founder of Operation Migration and has been involved in the migration studies since 1993 when he worked with Bill Lishman to conduct the first aircraft-guided migration. Joe became the Chief Executive Officer in 1998 and currently leads the training and migration team. Joe wrote the protocol for the Whooping crane reintroduction and is also OM's senior pilot.       Home | Our Work | Get Involved | In the Field Merchandise | Links | Contact Us ©1994-2012 Operation Migration Inc.™ & Operation Migration - USA.™ Not to be reproduced for purposes, public or private without written consent. To obtain consent please visit the Contact Us page.