Past President: Jinnah Benn, 2026-Present

Growing up on 40 acres in the Sierra Nevada foothills next to the South Fork of the American River instilled a love and appreciation for nature in me. Determined to become a biologist to try and understand more about the natural world, I attended Humboldt State University and graduated over 23 years ago. Most of my career has been focused in northern California with the exception of a few years I spent in New Zealand helping my husband with his masters project. Though a generalist, I fell in love with vernal pool flowers and am fascinated by the species-specific pollinators that are specially adapted to pollinate these unique flowers. While native plants are my passion, I have extensive experience working with a variety of species from birds to fish, whales, seals, fairy shrimp bats and amphibians.  I have worked in both the private and public sectors and am excited to be in my current position as a Senior Biologist at a consulting firm where I get to be out in nature observing wildlife on a regular basis.  I am excited to be able to serve this chapter and help to foster a love of wildlife.   

President: OPEN

[Biography under development.]

Vice President: OPEN

[Biography under development.]

TWS Western Section Representative: Kaitlin Kozlowski, 2025-Present

Hi everyone! I am a Senior Wildlife Biologist at ICF (formerly, Jones & Stokes) and am based out of the Sacramento area. As a consultant, I provide biological support across multiple service areas including transportation, renewable energy, and water resources. My interests span terrestrial, semi-aquatic, and aquatic systems, with a focus on wildlife habitat connectivity. When I’m not at my desk writing various environmental reports, I’m out conducting surveys for special-status species such as purple martin, Swainson’s hawk, western burrowing owl, and Yosemite toad, just to name a few, or am out studying wildlife movement. While I was an undergraduate at UC Davis, I served on the TWS student chapter board as Philanthropy Coordinator for two terms. I have been a Sac-Shasta Chapter member since 2018 and look forward to continuing to serve as our Chapter’s Western Section Representative in 2026.

Treasurer: Mark Hayes, 2025-Present

I am a Senior Fish and Wildlife Biologist at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, where I work in the Recovery, Listing and Conservation Banking Division. My areas of expertise are endangered species biology, ecological modeling, research management, renewable energy & wildlife issues, and bat ecology. I regularly represent USFWS on interagency coordination teams. I enjoy mentoring early career biologists through my position at USFWS and with The Wildlife Society’s mentoring program. I have a PhD in Biological Sciences and am a Certified Wildlife Biologist with TWS. I have served one term as treasurer and am interested in continuing in that position on the Sacramento-Shasta TWS board.

Secretary: Robyn Smith, 2021-Present

My name is Robyn Smith and I am excited to perform the role of Secretary for the Sac-Shasta Board. I have been involved on the board since 2017 and was Chapter President in 2019. Most recently I have been serving as scholarship committee chair and served as secretary in 2025. I currently work for JNA-Consulting as a Senior Biologist conducting surveys for rare Sierra Nevada wildlife and plants and writing environmental documents for NEPA/CEQA/CWA/ESA compliance. I am excited to serve our chapter by recording meeting notes at our board meetings and documenting chapter events over the course of the next year.