Originally from Colorado, Dr. Maureen Frank first came to Texas for her undergraduate degree. After graduating with a B.S. in Wildlife Ecology from Texas A&M University in 2012, she moved to Logan, Utah for graduate school. Her dissertation focused on the ecology of 3 migratory waterbirds – eared grebes, Wilson’s phalaropes, and red-necked phalaropes – that rely on Great Salt Lake as a staging area before flying south for the winter. She graduated from Utah State University with her Ph.D. in 2016 and returned to Texas to work for Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service as a Wildlife Extension Specialist. Dr. Frank's extension work focused mainly on non-game species and helping small-acreage landowners understand wildlife management options. She was also involved in efforts to connect landowners with ecotourism opportunities such as birding. In her current role with the Borderlands Research Institute, Dr. Frank's primary interest remains connecting people to the land in a way that encourages conservation, and her research interests include grassland bird research, working lands conservation, and science communication.