Lisa Merkhofer joined Xerces in 2022 as the organization's first Conservation Data and GIS Analyst. She works across all conservation programs to develop efficient data management systems and provide GIS support, finding new ways to use spatial data to make discoveries, improve collaboration, and tell stories to further Xerces' mission.  

Lisa has over a decade of experience working with geographical data. Previously, she used GIS to help inform planning decisions for parks across the country with the National Park Service. Before that, she monitored rare species with the Colorado Natural Areas Program and mapped everything from dinosaur footprints to caribou lichens with several land management agencies in the western U.S. She completed her bachelor's degree in Geosciences and Biology at Williams College and studied rainforest paleobiogeography for her master's degree at Pennsylvania State University. She lives in Colorado and enjoys spending time in the mountains and looking at maps.