All staff photos on this website are the property of Kaua’i Forest Bird Recovery Project and are protected by copyright. Unauthorized use, reproduction, or distribution of these images in any form is strictly prohibited. If you require permission to use any images, please contact us at info@kauaiforestbirds.org
CORE STAFF
Dr. Lisa “Cali” Crampton
Project Manager
crampton@hawaii.edu
Cali Crampton
Dr. Crampton (“Cali”) has been KFBRP’s Project Leader since April 2010. She obtained her Ph.D. in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology from the University of Nevada at Reno in December 2004.
Cali has extensive experience coordinating the design, conduct, and delivery of large research and monitoring projects with teams of diverse stakeholders. For her doctoral research, she examined the landscape ecology and conservation of Phainopeplas, threatened passerines in southern Nevada, for the regional Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP). As part of her post-doctoral work, she led a team of other scientists, NGOs, and government managers in designing the HCP’s adaptive management plan for conserving and restoring threatened desert woodlands on which Phainopeplas and other sensitive species in Nevada depend. In addition to her familiarity with avian field research techniques, Cali is experienced in the use of multivariate statistical and spatial analysis tools to evaluate the effects of environmental variables on animal distribution, abundance, and fecundity. For example, while working at the USGS Kilauea Field Station on Hawai’i Island, she analyzed field data on the population and behavioral ecology of the endangered Laysan teal to improve monitoring and management strategies implemented by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Subsequently, for the US Forest Service, she analyzed impacts of recreation on abundance of Sierra Nevada forest birds, small mammals and carnivores.
All of Cali’s projects have involved substantial interaction and communication with scientific and non-scientific groups, including interpretative programs for the general public. Consequently, her record includes numerous journal publications, technical reports, and conference presentations as well as popular articles and TV shows.
Dr. Julia Diegmann
Planner
Julia Diegmann
Dr. Julia Diegmann has been working with KFBRP since 2011 and founded Diegmann Science Services in Spring of 2013. She obtained her Ph.D. in Genetics from the Friedrich-Schiller University in Jena, Germany.
Dr. Erica Gallerani
GIS/Data Senior Technician
Erica Gallerani
Dr. Erica Gallerani is returning to the Kauaʻi Forest Bird Recovery Project as the GIS/Data Senior Technician after completing her PhD at UCLA, where she studied how remote sensing can support the conservation of Pacific island birds, including those in Hawaiʻi and the California Channel Islands. Growing up in North Carolina, she developed a love of birdwatching thanks to her dad, a passion that guided her through a B.S. in Environmental Science at UNC–Chapel Hill and into a career combining ecology, technology, and conservation. She’s excited to rejoin KFBRP to advance data analysis, visualization, and innovative spatial tools that help protect Kauaʻi’s native forest birds.
Brandon Franta
Brandon Franta
GIS/Data Senior Technician
Brandon earned his Master’s degree from Emporia State University, where he studied
the spatial relationship between old bison wallows and migratory shorebirds in the North
America Great Plains, and analyzed the locations of breeding birds in Ioway Tribal
National Park. Before graduate school, he served as a health and environmental
education volunteer in the Peace Corps in Togo, West Africa. He returned to Togo on a
Fulbright research grant to understand the perceptions of rangers and local residents on
the management of one of the country’s last, relatively intact protected areas, Fazao-
Malfakassa National Park. Conservation and outreach became central themes in his life
after studying abroad in the Amazon Rainforest and on the Galapagos Islands, where
he conducted behavioral research on the Sally Lightfoot crab (Grapsus grapsus). He
now joins KFBRP to apply geographic information systems (GIS) and data-driven
approaches to the conservation of Kauaʻi’s forest birds.
Sarah Simpson
Program & Data Assistant
Sarah Simpson
Sarah grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, and developed a strong connection to the natural world at an early age. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution from UCLA, where she deepened her knowledge of environmental science and conservation. Sarah’s passion for fieldwork was ignited during a transformative field course in Peru, where she gained hands-on experience working in diverse ecosystems. Now, as a Program & Data Assistant with the Kaua’i Forest Bird Recovery Project, Sarah applies her knowledge to support research, data collection, and mosquito control efforts aimed at recovering the island’s native bird populations.
Jenny Allen
Fiscal and Program Associate
Jenny Allen
Jenny has been rescuing animals in need since kindergarten and has always had a special love for birds. Australian by birth and a veterinary graduate from the University of Sydney, Jenny came to the US for a Residency in Equine Medicine at Washington State University, but quickly became engaged in the conservation science community after the 1989 Exxon-Valdez disaster—when oil-spill remediation work drew her to Alaska for more than a decade as a technical program manager—before ultimately returning to her warmer roots and making Kauaʻi home in 2010. Along with horses and birds, Jenny’s other lifelong passion is native plants, and on Kauaʻi she has worked for the National Tropical Botanical Garden at Limahuli, Princeville Botanical Garden, and the Kauaʻi Invasive Species Committee (KISC).
Jenny joined KFBRP in May of 2020 to provide fiscal and program support. Being a long-time KFBRP fan and in awe of the work that the team does, she is thrilled to be on board. She also volunteers for the Hanalei National Wildlife Refuge doing weekly botulism surveys for endangered waterbirds, and for the University of Hawaiʻi Bishop Museum Plants of Hawaiʻi project, helping database and catalog Hawaiʻi’s plant collections. In her spare time she enjoys hiking, camping, gardening, and learning about birds.
Monika Mira
Website Coordinator / Outreach Assistant
Monika Mira
Monika has been a resident of Kauaʻi for nearly 30 years. She came to KFBRP several years ago to help with the layout and publishing of Who Am I? A Kauai Forest Bird Guessing Game. She has since adapted to updating and maintaining our blog and website, designing education and outreach materials, and increasing our presence on social media. Monika’s role continues to diversify as KFBRP’s needs change.
Monika is the author of many books including, The Complete Hawaiian Reef Fish Coloring book. She has developed a large body of environmental educational materials for children and hopes to continue using these skills to expand KFBRP’s education and outreach program.
Monika has a degree in Marine Science from the University of Hawaii Hilo. She is passionate about plastic-free living, reducing ocean plastic, and reversing climate change. She spends her free time volunteering for local non-profits that fulfill these missions.
AVIAN PROGRAMS
Avian Research Coordinator: Vacant
Raven Barbera
Ornithological Research Technician
Raven Barbera
Raven has been a lifelong lover of wildlife and conservation efforts. This passion led them to study Animal Sciences at the University of California, Davis with the intention of entering the wildlife veterinary field. However, after completing an undergraduate research thesis on white sturgeon physiology under climate stressors, they developed a new love for ecological research! Raven then completed their MSc at Simon Fraser University studying European starling reproductive trade-offs and life history traits. After wrapping up their thesis, Raven joined KFBRP at the start of 2025 as one of two aviculture specialists to aid in the collection of ‘anianiau eggs for a reserve captive population. As Ornithological Research Technician, they look forward to continuing to study and protect the special forest birds of Kaua’i. When not running around the Alaka’i, Raven loves to draw, crochet, knit, climb, play video games, go birding, and snorkel!
Avian Field Associate: Vacant
MOSQUITO PROGRAMS
Allison Cabrera
Kauaʻi Mosquito Research Coordinator
Allison Cabrera
A steward for environmental justice from a young age, Allie has committed herself to making a positive impact on her surroundings. With a Masters of Arts in Environmental Conservation Education from New York University, she has spent over 10 years teaching children about the wonders of the natural world. Her love of birds blossomed in the unlikely setting of the East Village in Manhattan. Here she observed Red-Tailed Hawk populations and their influence on the local community, which ultimately became the focus of her thesis. Allie has been with KFBRP since 2020, working mostly on the ongoing mosquito study. When not in the field she loves to snorkel, camp on the beach and craft.
Corrina Carnes
Field Supervisor
Corrina Carnes
Originally from Eastern Washington State, Corrina grew up on the edge of a wildlife refuge, where from a young age she felt most at home romping around in the woods. A long-time resident of Oʻahu, she graduated from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa in 2013 and spent the first few years of her career working with endangered Hawaiian waterbirds, pueo (the Hawaiian short-eared owl), and on various invasive species control projects. More recently, she has been assisting with mosquito research on the Big Island and Maui, and is excited to be continuing this work with KFBRP. Corrina’s hobbies include wildlife photography, backpacking, trail running, and re-living her childhood adventures with her three nieces.
Kai Hollenberg
Field Supervisor
Jennifer Jackson
Field Associate
Jennifer Jackson
Growing up in Utah, Jenny first learned about Hawaiian birds from a book as a child. She has since worked with animals around the world from tiny Hawaiian leaf litter invertebrates, endangered Florida grasshopper sparrows, and monkeys in the Amazon rainforest. She is concurrently a graduate student at Northern Arizona University investigating the interactions between the forest birds, mosquitos, and avian malaria.
Luciano “Lucho” Gomez
Field Associate
Lucho Gomez
Lucho was born and raised in the mountains of Colombia, South America until his family relocated to the U.S. when he was 9 years old. He’s always had a passion for animals and wildlife conservation. He graduated cum laude from Northwood Business School in West Palm Beach Florida and created two successful businesses in education and solar energy. When he’s not in the mountains with the team he can be found volunteering and working at Kaua’i Animal Education Farm, as well as surfing, camping, and riding horses. Lucho also holds his real estate license in the state of Hawaii.
Anna Fratantoni
Field Associate
Anna Fratantoni
Anna grew up in Pennsylvania and has recently graduated from University of Vermont with a degree in Wildlife and Fisheries Biology. Her interests in birds began during her field semester where she was doing point count surveys for species of concern in Botswana. Since then she has worked on various field projects including stream restoration, agrivoltaics, and nest searching for Puaiohi. Anna is excited to contribute to KFBRP’s mosquito research. Outside of work, Anna enjoys diving, skateboarding, reading, and making art.
Maddie Hoesel
Field Associate
Maddie Hoesel
Maddie was born and raised on the beautiful island of Kauai, which fostered in her an early love of nature and the outdoors. While pursuing her bachelor’s degree in Biology from Wellesley College she worked with various species of insects in an evolutionary/developmental biology lab. After graduating, she moved back to the island and fell in love with field work during a volunteer trip with KFBRP. Now she is so excited to be an official member of the team and work in conservation! When not in the field Maddie loves being outside, swimming in the ocean, and hanging out with her dog Jason.
Kaiya Lawing
Field Associate
Kaiya Lawing
Kaiya grew up in Michigan and enjoyed visits to the island, where she discovered her love and fascination with the natural world. She has a passion for environmental conservation and recently graduated from Michigan State University and their Honors College with a degree in Environmental Biology/Zoology. After working with KFBRP in the summer of 2024, she is thrilled to be once again participating in their mosquito research on Kauai. Kaiya enjoys snorkeling, knitting, sailing, and reading in her spare time.
Sammy Israelsen
Field Assistant
KUPU ‘ĀINA CORPS AND CLPD MEMBERS
Joanna Manna
Kupu ‘Āina Corps Member: Conservation Research Assistant
Joanna Manna
Growing up in Panama City Beach, Florida, Joanna found a love for wildlife and environmental conservation at a young age. Pursuing her passion, she graduated with a Wildlife Biology degree from Colorado State University in 2024. During the pursuit of her degree, she promoted sustainable recreation as a Park Ranger, gained hands-on experience in wildlife rehabilitation, and studied at CSU’s Mountain Campus in Roosevelt National Forest. She’s passionate about environmental sustainability and conserving endangered species.
Owen Nakagawa
CLDP Member: Conservation Research Assistant
Owen Nakagawa
Born on the island of Oahu, Owen has always thought of Kauai as a second home. Drawn to conservation while in high school, he has always wanted to be more connected to nature and has spent multiple internships and learning experiences to further increase his love of the land. While at KFBRP, he hopes to learn from his fellow coworkers and to gain friendships along the way. After his KUPU term, he intends to pursue a college education in Environmental Studies or Psychology.
Graduate Students
Sam Bosio
Sam Bosio
PhD Graduate Student
University of Hawaii at Manoa
A lifelong fascination with ecology and humanity’s relationship with nature led Sam to join the KFBRP in 2024. In rural Montana, he grew up doing a variety of outdoor activities from mountaineering to birdwatching. To pursue these interests, he studied environmental science at Notre Dame and obtained a master’s in Biodiversity and Conservation at Trinity College Dublin. Sam has worked on stream restoration, amphibian ecology, and rangeland management projects. His Master’s project was a social-ecological analysis of native woodland restoration efforts in Ireland. This involved collection of bird, forestry, and vegetation data, and analysis of these factors along with the results of social surveys on landowner perspectives and values. Sam is excited to support the KFBRP through data analysis and processing, as well as field work when possible. Outside of work you can usually find him on a soccer field, and he also enjoys martial arts, cooking, gardening, and drawing.
Riley Temkin
MS Graduate Student
Northern Arizona University
Riley joined KFBRP in October 2022 as a KUPU Avian Conservation Field Assistant. He developed his interest in avian ecology and conservation during his undergraduate studies at the University of California, Davis, where he worked as a Research Assistant aiding in projects studying seabird chick-rearing behavior and raptor ecology in agricultural settings. After graduating, he worked restoring coastal sagebrush habitat in his hometown of Los Angeles before his desire to once again work with birds led him to seabird research positions in Southern Alaska and the Farallon Islands off the coast of California. Riley is excited to be a part of KFBRP and gain experience using applied methods to conserve endangered birds
All staff photos on this website are the property of Kaua’i Forest Bird Recovery Project and are protected by copyright. Unauthorized use, reproduction, or distribution of these images in any form is strictly prohibited. If you require permission to use any images, please contact us at info@kauaiforestbirds.org