Meet the 2023-2024 HLCS Board of Directors
Meet the Officers:
Cheryl Jenkin's passion for horned lizards and other wildlife began during her childhood surrounded by nature in rural and suburban New Mexico. After relocating to California, she earned a B.S. in Biology from San Diego State University. During her 20+ year career as an environmental and wildlife biologist, she has participated in training and extensive general and focused wildlife surveys involving California native reptile species including Blainville’s, desert, and flat-tailed horned lizards. She has been serving as one of the southern California representatives for the HLCS for the last several years and loves sharing her knowledge of horned lizards with anyone who will listen!
Rachel Alenius-Thalhuber is a Ph.D. candidate at Texas Christian University, where she previously earned a B.S. and M.S. in biology. She's always loved animals, but became especially enthralled with horned lizards while doing undergraduate research with Texas Horned Lizards at TCU. This passion solidified during her graduate research studying reintroduction efforts by the Fort Work Zoo and Texas Parks & Wildlife. She enjoys working with horned lizard conservation especially in public outreach and conservation research.
Shana Fredlake grew up in Northeast Iowa spending time on her grandparents’ farm, leading to her love of all animals. She received her B.S. from Iowa State University in Animal Ecology – Wildlife Care. Having worked in zoos for over 15 years, she has become a huge advocate for teaching about the “unloved” animals including reptiles, bats, and invertebrates. Working with reintroduction programs for both Texas horned lizards and several amphibian species is Shana’s passion and has been the driving force of her career at the Dallas Zoo. When not working, Shana enjoys being in nature, spending time with her family and friends, reading, creating art, watching baseball, football, hockey and traveling.
Ryan Zach is a self-proclaimed Phrynosoma Addict with a passion for all Animals! Having spent the last 20 years working in Zoo’s, He has turned that passion into a career. Ryan has a B.S. in Zoology from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale and is a United States Air Force Veteran and a proud Air Force brat. Working to educate the general public about Reptiles is a driving force in his work. Further helping to stop the decline of Horned Lizards throughout their range has led him to his work with the HLCS Ryan enjoys many outdoor activities and is a huge college football fan (Go Canes!) in his off time.
Lynn Seman is membership services officer for the HLCS. After teaching for 32 years, she now volunteers for several organizations, and is a certified Texas Master Naturalist since 2006. Growing up in the Texas Panhandle, Lynn loved observing and playing with Texas Horned Lizards in her backyard. Currently, she conducts horned lizard surveys each year in several North Texas counties and gets just as excited now, as then, when she finds one of these iconic little reptiles. With conservation as a top priority, she hopes that future generations will continue to experience the joy of observing a horned lizard.
Dalton Neuharth grew up in Central Texas and has always been interested in lizards, especially horned lizards. He has a BS in Wildlife and Fisheries Science from Texas A&M and is currently working on his MSc in Population and Conservation Biology at Texas State University. He hopes to contribute to applied conservation efforts with these degrees and through HLCS. While Texas Horned Lizards are one of his favorite lizards, he wants to raise awareness and appreciation of the lesser known species of horned lizards as well. In his free time, he likes to hike, camp, and photograph wildlife.
Duties of each office:
President - The President shall in general execute supervision of the business and affairs of the Corporation. The President shall preside at all meetings of the general membership and of the BOD. The President signs, with the Secretary or any other proper officer of the Corporation, contracts or other instruments which the BOD has authorized to be executed; appoints all committee chairs, accepts Nominations/Elections and those committees chaired as specified in this Article; and subject to the approval of the BOD; may serve as an ex-officio member of all committees, except the Nominations/Elections Committee; and shall have the general powers and duties of management incident to the Office of President and such other duties
President-Elect - The President-Elect shall serve in the absence of the President or in the event or the incapacity or resignation of the President, and when so acting, shall have all the powers of and be subject to all the restrictions upon the President. The President-Elect shall plan and recruit committees and plan and execute the biennial national meeting. The President-Elect becomes the President at the end of a two-year term.
Secretary - The Secretary shall be responsible for Corporate records, keep the minutes of all general membership and BOD meetings, and in general perform all duties incident to the office of Secretary and such other duties as from time to time may be assigned by the President or the BOD. The Secretary shall also be responsible for cataloguing and maintaining the supply of all publications of the Corporation and responding to requests for information from the membership and general public.
Treasurer - The Treasurer shall be responsible for all funds and securities of the Corporation; receive and give receipts for moneys due and payable to the Corporation from any source; and deposit all such moneys in the name of the Corporation in such banks, trust companies, or other depositories as shall be elected by the BOD. The Treasurer shall advise the BOD in preparation of an annual budget, be responsible for all financial records, and provide the BOD and the membership with written financial reports, including an annual report, sit on the Fund-Raising Committee, and in general perform all duties incident to the office of Treasurer and such other duties as from time to time may be assigned by the President or the Board of Directors.
Director-at-large - The Director-at-Large shall be responsible for development of special projects as assigned by the Board, particularly related to integration of scientific knowledge and conservation issues – this position has been filled by a professional biologist/ecologist in the past. Whenever possible, nominees for this position should be drawn from states not otherwise represented on the BOD.
Member Services Officer - This is not an elected position but is an appointed one. The Member Services Officer shall see that all notices are duly given in accordance with the provisions of these Bylaws or as required by law, oversee the membership records and provide the membership with reports as may be requested by the BOD. The Member Services Officer shall serve as chair of the Member Services Committee and act as liaison between the BOD and any other standing or special Committees assigned to him or her, and perform such other duties as from time to time may be assigned by the President or the BOD.
Cheryl Jenkin's passion for horned lizards and other wildlife began during her childhood surrounded by nature in rural and suburban New Mexico. After relocating to California, she earned a B.S. in Biology from San Diego State University. During her 20+ year career as an environmental and wildlife biologist, she has participated in training and extensive general and focused wildlife surveys involving California native reptile species including Blainville’s, desert, and flat-tailed horned lizards. She has been serving as one of the southern California representatives for the HLCS for the last several years and loves sharing her knowledge of horned lizards with anyone who will listen!
Rachel Alenius-Thalhuber is a Ph.D. candidate at Texas Christian University, where she previously earned a B.S. and M.S. in biology. She's always loved animals, but became especially enthralled with horned lizards while doing undergraduate research with Texas Horned Lizards at TCU. This passion solidified during her graduate research studying reintroduction efforts by the Fort Work Zoo and Texas Parks & Wildlife. She enjoys working with horned lizard conservation especially in public outreach and conservation research.
Shana Fredlake grew up in Northeast Iowa spending time on her grandparents’ farm, leading to her love of all animals. She received her B.S. from Iowa State University in Animal Ecology – Wildlife Care. Having worked in zoos for over 15 years, she has become a huge advocate for teaching about the “unloved” animals including reptiles, bats, and invertebrates. Working with reintroduction programs for both Texas horned lizards and several amphibian species is Shana’s passion and has been the driving force of her career at the Dallas Zoo. When not working, Shana enjoys being in nature, spending time with her family and friends, reading, creating art, watching baseball, football, hockey and traveling.
Ryan Zach is a self-proclaimed Phrynosoma Addict with a passion for all Animals! Having spent the last 20 years working in Zoo’s, He has turned that passion into a career. Ryan has a B.S. in Zoology from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale and is a United States Air Force Veteran and a proud Air Force brat. Working to educate the general public about Reptiles is a driving force in his work. Further helping to stop the decline of Horned Lizards throughout their range has led him to his work with the HLCS Ryan enjoys many outdoor activities and is a huge college football fan (Go Canes!) in his off time.
Lynn Seman is membership services officer for the HLCS. After teaching for 32 years, she now volunteers for several organizations, and is a certified Texas Master Naturalist since 2006. Growing up in the Texas Panhandle, Lynn loved observing and playing with Texas Horned Lizards in her backyard. Currently, she conducts horned lizard surveys each year in several North Texas counties and gets just as excited now, as then, when she finds one of these iconic little reptiles. With conservation as a top priority, she hopes that future generations will continue to experience the joy of observing a horned lizard.
Dalton Neuharth grew up in Central Texas and has always been interested in lizards, especially horned lizards. He has a BS in Wildlife and Fisheries Science from Texas A&M and is currently working on his MSc in Population and Conservation Biology at Texas State University. He hopes to contribute to applied conservation efforts with these degrees and through HLCS. While Texas Horned Lizards are one of his favorite lizards, he wants to raise awareness and appreciation of the lesser known species of horned lizards as well. In his free time, he likes to hike, camp, and photograph wildlife.
Duties of each office:
President - The President shall in general execute supervision of the business and affairs of the Corporation. The President shall preside at all meetings of the general membership and of the BOD. The President signs, with the Secretary or any other proper officer of the Corporation, contracts or other instruments which the BOD has authorized to be executed; appoints all committee chairs, accepts Nominations/Elections and those committees chaired as specified in this Article; and subject to the approval of the BOD; may serve as an ex-officio member of all committees, except the Nominations/Elections Committee; and shall have the general powers and duties of management incident to the Office of President and such other duties
President-Elect - The President-Elect shall serve in the absence of the President or in the event or the incapacity or resignation of the President, and when so acting, shall have all the powers of and be subject to all the restrictions upon the President. The President-Elect shall plan and recruit committees and plan and execute the biennial national meeting. The President-Elect becomes the President at the end of a two-year term.
Secretary - The Secretary shall be responsible for Corporate records, keep the minutes of all general membership and BOD meetings, and in general perform all duties incident to the office of Secretary and such other duties as from time to time may be assigned by the President or the BOD. The Secretary shall also be responsible for cataloguing and maintaining the supply of all publications of the Corporation and responding to requests for information from the membership and general public.
Treasurer - The Treasurer shall be responsible for all funds and securities of the Corporation; receive and give receipts for moneys due and payable to the Corporation from any source; and deposit all such moneys in the name of the Corporation in such banks, trust companies, or other depositories as shall be elected by the BOD. The Treasurer shall advise the BOD in preparation of an annual budget, be responsible for all financial records, and provide the BOD and the membership with written financial reports, including an annual report, sit on the Fund-Raising Committee, and in general perform all duties incident to the office of Treasurer and such other duties as from time to time may be assigned by the President or the Board of Directors.
Director-at-large - The Director-at-Large shall be responsible for development of special projects as assigned by the Board, particularly related to integration of scientific knowledge and conservation issues – this position has been filled by a professional biologist/ecologist in the past. Whenever possible, nominees for this position should be drawn from states not otherwise represented on the BOD.
Member Services Officer - This is not an elected position but is an appointed one. The Member Services Officer shall see that all notices are duly given in accordance with the provisions of these Bylaws or as required by law, oversee the membership records and provide the membership with reports as may be requested by the BOD. The Member Services Officer shall serve as chair of the Member Services Committee and act as liaison between the BOD and any other standing or special Committees assigned to him or her, and perform such other duties as from time to time may be assigned by the President or the BOD.
