Young Professionals Advisory Council

Kelsey Baird-Campos grew up in NE Scotland, where her love of wildlife, birds in particular, really started. After earning her B.S. in Environmental Science and Biology from University of Stirling, Kelsey moved to Maryland to complete her M.S. in Applied Ecology and Conservation Biology at Frostburg State. She moved down to Houston six years ago, and during this time has thoroughly enjoyed working as an afterschool environmental engineering STEM coach and wildlife biologist. Kelsey most recently joined the environmental affairs group of EDPR where she helps oversee environmental compliance and permitting for operating wind and solar farms across the US, Canada, and Mexico. When she is not working or stealing some time to run down to the coast to bird, Kelsey spends much of her time running along the White Oak Bayou, working on one of several ongoing house renovation projects, and buying plants.

Chris is a Police Officer at Rice University currently working night shift patrol and has served the Rice community for 9 years. Chris is also a U.S. Army Veteran who served 7 years. His love and curiosity of birding began after seeing a Rose-Breasted Grosbeak eating from his backyard bird feeder. From that point on, his birding has evolved into ways to transform his backyard into usable habitat for resident, migrating and wintering birds. After a lot of hard work and lessons learned, the positive impact on the environment is evident as his yard list stands at 143 species of birds observed and numerous butterflies, bees and insects as well.

Ryan Call teaches English to ninth and eleventh graders at The Kinkaid School. During the school's Interim Term, he offers--with a fellow teacher--a birding and nature-writing class, during which students learn about and practice birding basics as well as writing about nature, all while observing the winter residents of Piney Point Village. An alum of Rhodes College, Ryan has an MFA in Creative Writing from George Mason University, is the author of two story collections, and received a Whiting Award. Ryan and his wife and daughters enjoy taking road trips to natural attractions and parks. His favorite bird is the Mississippi Kite.

Danielle Cavender is a multi-faceted geologist with ConocoPhillips and holds an M.S. in Geology from the University of Missouri. She grew up in the Nashville area where she frequently visited the blue macaws and lorikeets at the Nashville Zoo.  Her past volunteer efforts include the HA's Native Nursery and the Mizzou's Raptor Rehabilitation program. She loves adventuring and drawing birds in her sketchbook.

Royce Daniels is a semi-native Houstonian. He graduated with a B.S. in Fisheries and Wildlife Management from The Ohio State University. Upon graduation his career took him to New York, Oregon, and Hawai’I before coming back to work as an Environmental Field Technician for the Harris County Engineering Department. In his free time he enjoys cooking, birding, biking, and spending quality time with friends and family.

Melissa D'Mello grew up in Bahrain, a little island in the middle east. She migrated to Buffalo, New York over 16 years ago where she graduated with a triple major in Communications, Political Science and Psychology. Her work and travels have taken her to 6 continents, over 50 countries and she has lived in multiple cities in the US. Her love for nature evolved when she moved to Delaware where she would go on multi day hikes with her partner and dog Uno. When she isn't outdoors, Melissa supports local nonprofits with their marketing and operations through Digital Craftory, a company she recently started. Melissa has over a decade of digital marketing experience working with Pharmaceutical and Healthcare companies. She is an active member of her community in The Woodlands and also serves on the board of the Creekside Park Village Association. The pandemic really got Melissa to start appreciating birdlife and her favorite bird is the Great Blue Heron.

Hannah is a native Houstonian with a degree in Economics and Business from Marquette University. After graduating, she entered the renewable energy industry at Pattern Energy, where she supports the energy management division as an analyst and trader. In her free time, Hannah enjoys hiking, photography, painting and birding. 

Cassidy Kempf is a Park Naturalist at the Houston Parks and Recreation Department. She plans and coordinates habitat restoration projects across the city and works to protect the natural resources of Houston. She studied Ecology & Evolutionary Biology at Rice University and is very interested in bird conservation.

Cameron is a Project Engineer at Weatherford, specializing in downhole tool design, and is a licensed Professional Engineer in Texas. He graduated from The University of Texas at Austin in 2012 with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering. A 2017 trip to bird-rich Everglades National Park reawakened a passion for birding originally fostered by his grandad, and he hasn’t looked back since. He has made up for lost time by birding all over the greater Houston region, as well as taking trips across North America, with his life list sitting at 340 and his Harris County list at 180. He also enjoys volunteering his time for conservation efforts at the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center. You can follow his birding adventures on Instagram @thetexasbirder.

Catherine advises families and nonprofits on their investment portfolios so they can meet their missions. Her favorite bird is the roseate spoonbill, and she loves to combine birding with kayaking and cycling around Houston and the Hill Country. A native Houstonian, Catherine holds a BA in Philosophy from Wellesley College.

Clayton Leopold grew up in a small rural community just north of Victoria. Growing up in the country, Clayton was surrounded by wildlife, which cultured a deep appreciation of the natural world. Clayton received his degrees in Marine Biology and Marine Fisheries from Texas A&M University at Galveston. During that time, he volunteered at Moody Gardens, which led him to his current position. He currently works as a Senior Biologist/Exhibit Specialist at Moody Gardens in Galveston. Clayton and his wife have two amazing children, Laiken, 3, and Cassin, 1.

Halli’s birding adventure began at the ripe old age of 20 months, when after her first word “Mom”, her second and third were “Chipping Sparrow”, while spotting one in the back yard. Having been inspired by her birding enthusiast Grandmother, a cornerstone of the Thunder Bay Ornithological society, her own passion for birdwatching began to blossom. Throughout high school she worked at several banding and bird research stations across Canada, however life had other plans and she went on to study Chemical Engineering at McGill University.  Following graduation, she entered the Oil & Gas Industry as an Open Hole Wireline Field Engineer, and has since progressed on to work at Baker Hughes as a Sales Engineer.  She continues to bird watch as her primary escape and her life list sits at 1726.

Originally from Northern California, Kelly has always loved the outdoors, especially the ocean. This led to pursuing a bachelor’s degree from the University of Miami (FL) and a Master’s degree from the University of Washington, both in marine science and policy. Her career has ranged from teaching marine ecology in The Bahamas to working as a marine policy fellow in the United States Senate, and she recently joined the bird world as the Texas Coastal Outreach Coordinator for the American Bird Conservancy. In this role, she’ll be working to reduce trash pollution along the coasts and waterways of the Houston-Galveston region in order to minimize threats to birds, as well as people and all other wildlife. As a new birder, she looks forward to getting her life list started while working with the Young Professionals Advisory Council!

Nikki Paranzino is currently a Naturalist at the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center. While she primarily likes to focus on mammals and reptiles, she does have hands-on experience working with numerous animals including different species of song birds, water birds, and raptors. Raptors being her favorite.

In her current role serving as the Director of Philanthropy and Engagement for Bayou Preservation Association, Branwen Ranck leads collaboration efforts among Houston’s environmental non-profits, cultivates constituent relationships, and develops strategies that meaningfully engage the community with our bayous. Branwen’s decade of experience in non-profits, nature centers, state parks, wildlife hospitals, and government agencies has culminated in a personal mission of using the power of storytelling to inspire wonder in the youngest and action in the oldest. By engaging and empowering people within their own community she strives to bridge an ever-growing disconnect and help communities establish a deeper connection with the natural world. In addition to being a Certified Fund Raising Executive and Certified Volunteer Administrator, Branwen received her Bachelor of Science in Organismal Biology from Austin Peay State University in her native Tennessee. As for her favorite bird — the entire Corvidae family!