Images created by Andrew Lehoullier

Jenni Kempf, Member

Jenni is an environmental toxicologist in the water evaluation section at the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Her role at the Department centers around the revision, development, and implementation of water quality standards for toxic substances in surface waterbodies. This is accomplished through collaboration across programs and agencies throughout Wisconsin, including participating with several workgroups studying emerging contaminants and their implications. Jenni earned a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in environmental studies from Northland College in 2006 and a Master’s of Public Health with an environmental health focus from UW Madison in 2015. Jenni is the mother of two environmental protectors and cultivators of joy, Greta (12) and Scarlet (7). 

Meet the Board

Gavin Saari, President

Gavin Saari is a supervisory research toxicologist at the U.S. Geological Survey Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center. His role at the center focuses on developing invasive species control tools to remove nuisance freshwater fish species. This is accomplished by characterizing pesticide species sensitivity and chemical fate and transport in aquatic systems. Gavin earned a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Biology from the University of Wisconsin-Superior in 2010 and a PhD in Environmental Science from Baylor University with an aquatic toxicology focus in 2018. 

• The Midwest Regional Chapter of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry is governed by four Officers and a Board of Directors who are elected by the general membership as described in the chapter's Constitution and Bylaws. 
  
• Annual scientific and business meetings are held annually at venues across the upper Midwest and have been hosted by government, private industry, and university members at those locations.   
  
• As part of each annual meeting, awards and grants of various sorts are provided, as provided in the Student Awards. 
  

CHAPTER GOVERANCE

Dagmara Antkiewicz, Member

Dagmara obtained her Ph.D. in Molecular and Environmental Toxicology from University of Wisconsin Madison and works as a scientist at the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene in Madison, Wisconsin. Dagmara studied Ecology and Environmental Protection in her home town of Krakow, Poland, followed by a bachelors degree in Biological Sciences from University of Illinois at Chicago. During her Ph.D. she studied the developmental toxicity of persistent toxicants in a zebrafish model and has worked in the field of environmental toxicology ever since. Her primary areas of research include in vitro models of aerosol toxicity, environmental biomonitoring using Whole Effluent Toxicity testing, and aquatic invasive species monitoring using environmental DNA. Since 2020 she has focused on development and optimization of Wastewater Surveillance methods for SARS-CoV-2 and other pathogens of concern.

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Marissa Jensen-Brickley, Student Representative

Marissa received her master’s degree in Integrated Biosciences from the University of Minnesota-Duluth, where she was advised by Dr. Carlie LaLone (US EPA). Her master’s research focused on broadening the definition of the taxonomic domain of applicability of adverse outcome pathways through bioinformatics approaches. Currently, she is pursuing a PhD at the University of Minnesota-Duluth continuing under the direction of Dr. LaLone. Marissa's doctoral research focus includes furthering adverse outcome pathway application, studying effects of pesticides across multiple species, and predicting chemical susceptibility across species. 

Tawnya Cary, Treasurer

Tawnya Cary is an Associate Professor at Beloit College in Beloit, Wisconsin. Tawnya is an aquatic ecotoxicologist and teaches courses in aquatic biology, zoology, ecotoxicology, ecology, and biostatistics. She and her students perform whole animal studies with tadpoles and frogs to investigate how contaminant exposure influences growth, development and immune function at different life stages. If stressors, like contaminants, are causing adverse effects on amphibian immune function, amphibians might then be more susceptible to pathogen infection and disease. Because amphibian immune systems are similar to mammalian immune systems, this research has implications for how human health may be affected by environmental pollutants. Tawnya enjoys working closely with her students and exposing them to lab and field research, with all its glory (read as “hot, sweaty, long days being tracked by mosquitos!”). In addition, her academic interests include investigating how students learn biology and develop a sense of identify and belonging to the scientific community. Outside of the classroom and laboratory, Tawnya enjoys anything outdoors, but especially biking, hiking, and canoe-camping with her daughter, Vernon the beagle, and her husband.

Emily Cornelius Ruhs, Member

Emily is currently a Postdoctoral Scholar in the Grainger Bioinformatics Center focusing on the bioinformatics of emerging pathogens. She received her bachelors degree from Michigan State University and her master’s degree from the University of Georgia. She completed her PhD at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Wildlife Ecology where she focused on how immune function and physiology of wild birds is influenced by energetic constraints. Currently, in collaboration with Dr. Cara Brook (University of Chicago), she is working on a long-term dataset exploring how nutritional and reproductive status might drive patterns of seroprevalence to zoonotic pathogens in fruit bats in Madagascar and establishing a mass-serological tool to conduct viral surveillance on bats in Madagascar and SE Asia. Additionally, after beginning in the Grainger Bioinformatics Center at the Field Museum, she has been helping colleagues at WI DNR and WI Sea Grant to understand how PFAS and heavy metal contaminant exposure in an apex predator, the Bald Eagle, impacts their immunological health and gene expression.

Becca Fahney, Secretary & Web Administrator

Becca is the laboratory coordinator in the Certification Services section at the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. In her role at DNR, she manages communication, data reporting, and other projects between the various sections at DNR and Wisconsin certified labs. Before joining DNR, she was an environmental toxicologist at the Wisconsin State Lab of Hygiene, where she was involved with toxicity sampling and testing and pathogen surveillance in wastewater. Becca received her bachelors degree from the University of Wisconsin - Madison in Conservation Biology with a minor in Business.

Gavin Dehnert, Treasurer

Gavin is an emerging contaminant scientist with Wisconsin Sea Grant and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. As a scientist, he conducts research and outreach on the impacts of emerging contaminants (e.g., PFAS, Pesticides, Microplastics) on aquatic ecosystems. Gavin received his undergraduate degrees from the University of Miami (Florida), including a B.S. in marine science and B.S. in biology, with minors in mathematics and chemistry (2015). He received his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in integrated biology where he studied aquatic toxicology.