Our Team

Dr. Jim Anderson, Director

James C. Kennedy Waterfowl & Wetlands Conservation Center

Dr. James T. (Jim) Anderson is the James C. Kennedy Endowed Professor of Waterfowl and Wetland Ecology, the Director of the James C. Kennedy Waterfowl and Wetland Center, and a faculty member in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Conservation at Clemson University. Jim arrived at Clemson in August 2021. Until August 2021, he was a Wildlife and Fisheries Resources Professor and the Davis-Michael Professor of Forestry and Natural Resources at West Virginia University (WVU). He started at WVU in January 1999 as an assistant professor, became an associate professor in 2004, and became a full professor in 2009. He earned a B.S. in wildlife from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (1991), an M.S. in range and wildlife management through the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute at Texas A&M University-Kingsville (1994), and a Ph.D. in wildlife science from Texas Tech University (1997).

Jim’s research centers on wetland and riparian wildlife ecology and wetland/ riparian management. He has published >150 scientific articles, mentored over 60 graduate students, and garnered >$29 million in grants and contracts. Jim has taught or co-taught various courses,including Waterfowl Ecology, Introduction to Wildlife and Fisheries Resources, The Tradition of Hunting, Renewable Resources Policy and Governance, Applied Wetlands Ecology and Management, and Restoration Ecology. He has received multiple department and college awards for outstanding researcher, teacher, and service provider. He has received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources at Texas Tech University and the Outstanding Faculty Award from the West Virginia University Forestry Alumni Association.

In his spare time, Jim likes to garden, hunt, and go on adventures with his wife, Heather, and their Labrador retriever, Gideon.

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For more details please view Jim's profile.

Andrew Hopkins, Post-doctoral Fellow

James C. Kennedy Waterfowl & Wetlands Conservation Center

Andrew Hopkins is a postdoctoral fellow at the James C. Kennedy Waterfowl and Wetland Center working with Dr. James Anderson. He previously completed a postdoctoral position at Purdue University where he researched antimicrobial resistance in amoeba and canines as well as worked on a USDA project examining the role backyard poultry owner attitudes and perceptions influence biosafety and security. Before this he completed his PhD at Purdue University in 2023 where he researched the effects of agricultural fungicides on aquatic communities. He earned his M.S. from Western Michigan University in 2019 and his B.S. from Eckerd College in 2013.

At the Kennedy Center, Andrew will be assisting with various existing projects and those in development as well as mentoring students. Additionally, Andrew will be developing independent projects examining waterfowl community ecology in wetlands as well as projects in either disease ecology or the ecology of herpetofauna.

In his free time Andrew enjoys baking and reading as well as exploring new areas to find local amphibians and reptiles.

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For more details please view Andrew's profile.

Crystal Anderson, Wildlife Biologist III & Ph.D. Student

James C. Kennedy Waterfowl & Wetlands Conservation Center

Crystal Anderson is a Wildlife Biologist at the James C. Kennedy Waterfowl and Wetland Center and a Ph.D. student under the mentorship of Dr. Jim Anderson in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Conservation at Clemson University. Crystal commenced her Ph.D. studies in August 2023 and began her role as a wildlife biologist in December of the same year. Prior to joining the Kennedy Center, she was a professor at Horry-Georgetown Technical College, where she taught courses in Forest Mensuration, Recreation Management, Soil Fertility, Forest Ecology, Forest Protection, and Vertebrate Biology. She earned her B.S. in Wildlife and Fisheries Biology from Clemson University in 2019 and her M.S. in Forest Resources from Clemson University in 2023.

In her role at the Kennedy Center, Crystal focuses on writing proposals to secure funding for graduate student research projects related to waterfowl, wetlands, and other wildlife species, while assisting fellow students with their graduate projects and fieldwork. As a Ph.D. student, Crystal's research engages with underserved communities adjacent to coastal wetlands to enhance education on pollinators, develop sustainable community gardens aimed at improving food security, and assess local wetland pollinator diversity and abundance to identify rare and threatened species. Additionally, her work includes performing salinity testing on endangered and threatened pollinator host plants and mapping potential range shifts in response to rising sea levels and associated saltwater intrusion.

Crystal is a published author, having co-written "Winter Tree Identification for the Southern Appalachians and Piedmont - a Photographic Guide" with Dr. Donald Hagan and Hailey Malone. She utilized her photography skills to capture detailed images for this identification guide, which is now used in teaching dendrology at schools and universities across the southeast.

In her spare time, Crystal advocates for Autism awareness, makes valiant attempts at gardening, and spends quality time with her husband and two teenage children in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

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For more details please view Crystals's profile.

Keegan Foster, Wildlife Biologist I

James C. Kennedy Waterfowl & Wetlands Conservation Center

Keegan Foster was born in Massachusetts and raised in Rhode Island for most of his life. Having spent 20 years in a state that takes only an hour to drive from one end to the other, he felt as if he was ready to branch out and explore new regions. Keegan earned his bachelor’s in “wildlife and conservation biology” at the University of Rhode Island in 2023. Keegan’s first experience conducting field and lab research occurred during the summer of 2022 at North Dakota State University. Here, he helped conduct research on the agriculturally beneficial Megachile rotundata (alfalfa leaf-cutting bee) relating to diapause under the guidance of a graduate student. Since then, Keegan has held multiple seasonal technician positions with an emphasis on field ornithology. Some of his previous work highlights include monitoring nesting shorebirds on Martha’s Vineyard, capturing and banding wild turkeys with the Rhode Island Division of Fish and Wildlife, and banding and tracking American woodcock for the University of Rhode Island. Having these experiences under his belt, Keegan’s love of fieldwork only continues to grow.

Keegan now works at the James C. Kennedy Waterfowl and Wetland Center as an entry-level wildlife biologist, eager to help graduate students with their projects and participate in the vast array of research conducted at this institution.

In his free time, Keegan loves being physically active outdoors. He has found the combination of exercise and nature to be particularly helpful in reducing stress. He loves camping, hiking, kayaking, and birdwatching.

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For more details please view Keegan's profile.