leadership team
Dwayne Estes, Ph.D., Co-Founder and Executive Director
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Dwayne Estes serves as executive director at SGI. He is a Full Professor of Biology, Director of the APSU Herbarium, and Principal Investigator for the Center of Excellence for Field Biology. In 2016, he co-founded SGI with Theo Witsell. Under his leadership, they have raised $46 million. He has been active in building diverse support for Southeastern US grasslands conservation, from national to local levels and across the Southeast he is often called the “Prairie Preacher.” PBS Appalachia Virginia won an Emmy for Best Documentary titled “The Prairie Preacher” highlighting SGI’s work. He works with the Volgenau Climate Initiative as chair of the America’s Grasslands Coalition. Dwayne’s research interests include the biodiversity, ecology, history, and biogeography of the Southeastern U.S. with emphasis on grasslands and open woodlands.
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Click here to view Dwayne’s CV
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Jeremy French, Chief of Ecological Restoration
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Jeremy French serves as the Chief of Ecological Restoration for the Southeastern Grasslands Institute. Jeremy is based out of Clarksville, TN and serves as the SGI lead for the NPS IRA and BIL projects. In addition to these projects, Jeremy and his team spearhead grassland conservation projects across SGI's 24-state focal region, encompassing grassland research, restoration, and reconstruction. Prior to his role as the Chief of Ecological Restoration, Jeremy served as SGI’s Director of Ecological Restoration and Stewardship, and prior to that, as the Interior Low Plateaus Ecoregion coordinator and successfully led a multi-state and multimillion dollar project geared towards restoring grasslands on private lands, which impacted thousands of acres. Jeremy's love for grasslands stems from his time researching the effects of Bison grazing on herpetofauna communities in tall grass prairie remnants and natural community response to oak savanna restoration.
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Click here to view Jeremy’s CV.
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Reed Noss, Ph.D., Chief Science Adviser
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Reed Noss is a writer, photographer, lecturer, and consultant in natural history, ecology, and conservation. He was formerly Provost’s Distinguished Research Professor of Biology at the University of Central Florida. He received a B.S. in education from the University of Dayton, an M.S. in ecology from the University of Tennessee, and a Ph.D. in wildlife ecology from the University of Florida. He served as Editor-in-Chief of Conservation Biology, Science Editor for Wild Earth magazine, President of the Society for Conservation Biology (SCB), and President of the North American Section of SCB. He is an Elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. His recent research topics include disturbance (especially fire) ecology; ecosystem conservation and restoration; road ecology; and vulnerability of species and ecosystems to climate change. He has more than 350 publications, including eight books. His most recent books are Forgotten Grasslands of the South: Natural History and Conservation (Island Press, 2013) and Fire Ecology of Florida and the Southeastern Coastal Plain (University Press of Florida, 2018).
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Email: reed.noss@segrasslands.org
Theo Witsell, M.S., Co-Founder and Chief Conservation Officer
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Theo Witsell is co-founder and Chief Conservation Officer for the Southeastern Grasslands Institute (SGI), where he oversees science and conservation programs. Prior to his role at SGI, he worked for more than 25 years for the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission (ANHC), the agency that houses that state’s Natural Heritage Program and System of Natural Areas. He had several roles in his time there, serving as a land manager before becoming the agency's botanist, ecologist, and Chief of Research before leaving for SGI in early 2024. He has also worked as a consultant for a wide variety of federal and state conservation agencies and NGOs across eastern North America. A botanist at heart, Theo was co-editor of the Atlas of the Vascular Plants of Arkansas (2013), co-author of Trees, Shrubs, and Woody Vines of Arkansas (2021), and recently completed a book about his field work following the route of naturalist Thomas Nuttall’s 1819-1820 trip through what is now Arkansas and Oklahoma. He has authored or co-authored more than 40 scientific papers and book chapters and is a regional reviewer for the Flora of North America Project.
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Click here to view Theo’s CV
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Chris Oberholster, M.S., Director of Philanthropy
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Chris Oberholster joins our team as SGI’s first Director of Philanthropy. Chris has extensive experience in the conservation space, having previously worked as Director of External Affairs for The Nature Conservancy in Alabama, Development Director for Alabama Audubon, and in partnership and policy facilitating environmental restoration along the Alabama Gulf Coast. Not only is Chris a seasoned conservation advocate, but he also has a deep appreciation and connection to grasslands, in particular prairies, glades, longleaf and shortleaf pine woodlands, and savannas. Chris fell in love with grasslands at an early age growing up surrounded by the rugged mountain grasslands of eastern South Africa. Please contact Chris if you are interested in supporting SGI’s work as a patron and donor.
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Layla Dunlap, M.S., Chief of Staff
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Layla Dunlap is our Chief of Staff after serving as the SGI Director of Finance and Operations. After living out west for over 20 years, Layla decided to come back to her hometown of Clarksville to help us achieve our restoration and conservation goals across the Southeast. While living in Montana, she honed her botany skills as well as her project and personnel management skills. Layla recently worked for the Montana Department of Agriculture where she managed multiple regulatory programs and supervised over 20 employees. Layla earned her Master’s of Science degree from the University of Idaho in 2015 and focused her research on different techniques for growing native plants for restoration. She has multiple years experience in growing native plants and conducting rare plant surveys in the western U.S. Layla’s favorite native plants include Pyrola asarifolia, Lupinus sericeus, Xerophyllum tenax, and Lewisia rediviva.
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Heather Barklow, Chief Strategy Officer
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Heather Griner Barklow is a mission-driven executive with over 25 years of leadership experience spanning the nonprofit, academic, and private sectors. As Chief Strategy Officer at the Southeastern Grasslands Institute, Heather leads strategic initiatives that advance regional and national conservation goals and serves as a key liaison for the National Grasslands Coalition, fostering communication, collaboration, and engagement across partners.
Prior to joining SGI, Heather served as Chief Operations & Finance Officer and Board Secretary for American Prairie, where she played a central role in the organization’s national expansion, capital campaigns, and conservation land acquisition strategy. Her leadership contributed to the development of the National Discovery Center in Montana and the successful stewardship of over 140,000 acres of conservation lands. Earlier in her career, Heather held senior leadership roles in finance and capital markets with Wells Real Estate Funds, where she managed more than $3.8 billion in real estate acquisitions, and also served in administrative leadership at Montana State University.
Heather is a skilled communicator, strategic planner, and team builder known for navigating complex organizational change with pragmatism and compassion. She holds a Master’s in Accounting from Wake Forest University and a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from Auburn University. She is also a former Certified Public Accountant and has been recognized for her leadership by organizations such as the Urban Land Institute. Heather is pleased to return back home to the southeast and further the mission of SGI. She is looking forward to being able to use her skills and experience to protect land and preserve our precious and increasingly rare southeastern grasslands!
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