Ecology: The Interconnectedness of All That Exists

Description: Everything in the desert is connected and always changing. We’ll explore how the environment—the mountains, the rocks, the climate, the washes, and more—affects the plants and animals that live here, things in turn change the environment, and how climate change and increasing development may impact what we see here.

Speaker Bio: Dan is the former Principal and Senior Partner (retired) of Deloitte Consulting. He holds a B.S. in Philosophy and Physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an M.S. in Operations Research (applied mathematics) at the Stevens Institute of Technology.

Since retiring, Dan has served in a variety of volunteer capacities with several conservation-related organizations near his Arizona home, notably the McDowell Sonoran Conservancy. He founded the Conservancy’s research center, the Field Institute, and is an active citizen scientist. Dan has authored numerous research papers, contributed to several books, and teaches courses about the natural history of desert ecosystems. He also is a strategy advisor to Conservancy volunteer leadership, staff, and board. Dan currently has an adjunct faculty position at ASU in the School of Life Sciences.