Amanda Veals is an Arizona native who grew up exploring the Sonoran Desert. She discovered her calling in wildlife conservation after initially pursuing biochemistry at the University of Arizona, where she later completed both her B.S. and M.S., studying gray fox ecology and rabies management. She then earned her Ph.D. from Texas A&M University-Kingsville, researching endangered ocelot conservation and road mortality mitigation alongside East Foundation researchers, before accepting a postdoctoral position at Sul Ross State University’s Borderlands Research Institute. She now leads carnivore research, mentors graduate students and credits her success in balancing conservation with landowner concerns to her experience with the Foundation.

Max Sergeyev was born in Belarus and raised in Chicago. He developed a passion for outdoor wildlife through hiking trips with his father in the western United States, which led him to pursue a career in wildlife ecology. After earning his undergraduate degree in chemistry and ecology from the University of Illinois and spending a year in the field, he completed a master’s at Brigham Young University studying elk in Utah, followed by a Ph.D. from Texas A&M University-Kingsville where he researched habitat use and coexistence patterns of ocelots, bobcats, and coyotes through GPS tracking, LiDAR technology, and thermal sensor analysis.

Mathew Kramm is a San Antonio native raised with military family values. He began his academic journey studying public health at the University of Texas at San Antonio before earning his M.S. in Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences from Texas A&M University, where he researched ivermectin use in white-tailed deer feed for cattle fever tick control on East Foundation’s El Sauz. Now completing his Doctor of Public Health in Epidemiology & Biostatistics at Texas A&M, Kramm credits his formative research experience at the Foundation, where he worked alongside his father, enabling him to bridge the connection between animal and human health in his study of infectious diseases.

Megan Granger grew up throughout Texas and southern Louisiana and pursued her passion for wildlife by earning her B.S. and M.S. in Range and Wildlife Management from Texas A&M University-Kingsville. She worked on multiple research projects alongside East Foundation studying ocelots, white-tailed deer, and notably, nilgai population demographics and habitat use on El Sauz. Now serving as a Wildlife Biologist with Texas Parks and Wildlife in San Saba County, Texas, Granger credits her success to the diverse research opportunities and skills she developed while working on the Foundation’s expansive South Texas ranches.

Jacob Dykes grew up hunting and fishing in Amory, Mississippi, and turned his outdoor passions into a career by earning his B.S. and M.S. in Wildlife, Fisheries, and Aquaculture from Mississippi State University. He studied deer behavior and diet preferences before completing his Ph.D. in Wildlife Sciences at Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, conducting research with East Foundation on heat’s influence on deer and cattle behavior. Now an assistant professor in Texas A&M University’s Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management department and extension wildlife specialist, Jacob leads applied wildlife research and knowledge transfer to landowners, crediting the Foundation’s extensive ranches and conservation values for providing unique research opportunities.

Dillian Drabek was raised on a small ranch near Schulenburg, Texas, and discovered his career path through an FFA wildlife contest that led to a summer job with East Foundation. He worked alongside us throughout his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Range and Wildlife Management at Texas A&M-Kingsville, studying grazing effects on forbs and plant species richness while gaining extensive experience in wildlife monitoring, prescribed burning, and animal captures. Now working as a USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service District Conservationist in Victoria, Texas, Dillian applies the land stewardship and conservation principles he learned during his years at the Foundation to help landowners improve their grazing and wildlife management practices.