ESCAPE

Seasonal Base Camp Manager/Facilities Unit Leader, USDA; Board member & treasurer for the AUTM Foundation
John Perchorowicz, Ph.D., earned his B.A. and M.A. in Biology from UC Riverside before earning a Ph.D. in Photobiology at Brandeis University in 1979.
Throughout his career, John has served as Vice President and Board Member for the Southern Arizona Rescue Association, a member of the UC Riverside College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences' Board of Advisors, and a base camp manager/facilities unit leader for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). He also currently serves on the board of the Mt. Lemmon Fire District in Summerhaven, AZ. John's professional specialties include customer relations, directing, goal setting, marketing, proposal writing, research, technology evaluation and commercial planning.

Dr. Deborah De La Riva is an entomologist working for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Animal and Plant Inspection Service (APHIS), in the Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) program. She works at the San Diego Plant Inspection Station, located at a port of entry on the California-Mexico border. Her main duties are to identify plant pests arriving in baggage from travelers coming through the airport or land border. Other duties include serving as her program's ant and termite expert and outreach coordinator. Deborah obtained her Ph.D. in Entomology from UC Riverside in 2016 for her research investigating the impacts of habitat pollution on ant communities. Outside of work, she enjoys hiking, camping, gardening, spending time with her dogs and goats, and teaching others about the fascinating world of insects.

Lisa Dong graduated from UC Riverside in 2019 with a B.S. in Environmental Sciences. After that, she took a deep dive into the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) field and started working for Esri, the Environmental Systems Research Institute, in January 2020. For the past three years, she has moved between various technologies, from Desktop to Enterprise to Geodata, and worked as a support analyst, helping other users troubleshoot and resolve various issues. In her spare time, she loves gardening (tomatoes are her favorite), eating, going to conferences and connecting with others.

Lisa Scholl earned her B.S. in Applied Mathematics from UC Riverside in 2016, and earned an M.S. in Engineering, Data Science in 2020. As the Senior Manager of Pricing & Estimating at Northrop Grumman, Lisa manages first time quality sole source and competitive proposals for aerospace Department of Defense contracts. Lisa also served as Principal Proposal Analyst at Northrop Grumman, providing proposals for major government contracts. Prior to joining Northrop Grumman, Lisa also worked as an Inventory Specialist for Aero Trader, managing and updating the inventory control system for North American B-25 Mitchell cabling, fittings, and hardware, along with lighting systems for different aircraft.

Carlos Rojas Torres is a first generation Mexican American alumnus of UC Riverside. He graduated in 2015 with a B.S. in Microbiology. Prior to starting his career in the pharmaceutical industry, Carlos held jobs around Riverside, including food delivery, Yogurtland, and as a teacher's assistant in the Riverside Unified School District. His first job in the pharmaceutical industry was as a Quality Control Microbiology Tech at Gilead Sciences, where he was in charge of testing the clean rooms where medicines are manufactured. Carlos currently works at AbbVie, and working within the advertising and promotion realm of regularly affairs has been something he has been passionate about since he first learned about it at Gilead. Carlos is also the CEO of a small business called Yo Sabo: The Game, a card game that embraces the different experiences Spanish speakers had growing up!

Bruce Zanin earned his B.S. in Environmental Science at UC Riverside in 1979 before earning an M.S. in International Agricultural Development/Agricultural Economics at UC Davis. As the senior USDA official in the European Union (EU) and China, Bruce led high-performing, multicultural teams in engagement on complicated agricultural trade and policy issues, including sanitary and phytosanitary access and climate change mitigation. Bruce also directed agricultural trade offices in embassies in Beijing and Mexico City, and served as African Food Security Advisor to the Department of Defense. He also served as Associate Peace Corps Director-Albania for non-governmental organization, small business development, and agroforestry.

Sean Gallagher earned a B.A. in Biology at Claremont McKenna College before earning his Ph.D. in Plant Physiology, Cell Biology & Botany at UC Riverside. Sean also served as a Postdoctoral Scholar in Plant Science Photobiology at Stanford University from 1985-1987. Sean is an executive leader with over three decades of experience across the life sciences industries, including research & development, instrumentation, technical marketing, and regulatory compliance. He has played an integral role in product development and launching domestic and international distribution and sales channels to generate over $140 million in sales over the last 10 years. As Vice President/Chief Technology Officer at Analytic Jena US, Sean delivers executive leadership across global research and developing for imaging and laboratory products. In his spare time, Sean enjoys visiting the California Botanic Garden, and is excited about the garden's ongoing efforts in conservation biology and community outreach.

Samantha Byers is currently a science teacher at Arlington High School, where she teaches Biomedical Science, AP Chemistry, and Chemistry courses. She started her secondary educational career in 2021 at UC Riverside, where she pursued a teaching credential and M.Ed while student teaching Physics. Previously, she was a Biomedical Sciences Ph.D. student at UC San Diego, where she conducted research in the fields of microbiomes, pharmacology, and immunology. She received her B.S. in Biochemistry from UC Riverside, and was involved with Supplemental Instruction, organic chemistry research, and the CNAS Science Ambassadors. Samantha has used her previous careers to integrate meaningful real-life applications into her classroom while also discussing multiple career options with her students.

Sonia earned her B.S. in Biology at UC Riverside in 2002, followed by her M.S. in Animal Physiology and Ph.D. in Physiology in 2012. She has been teaching at Chaffey College for 11 years as a faculty member in the biology department. Her favorite courses to teach are anatomy and physiology. Her passion lies in teaching and mentoring students, and she enjoys creating and hosting workshops for students that help them understand the expectations of being a college student, as well as how to overcome the challenges associated with being a student. Having been a first-generation college student with very little resources, Sonia recognizes the importance of having mentors who will support and guide students through their academic journeys. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family, reading books, listening to true crime podcasts, and running.