About Us
Our Mission
The Midwest Bat Hub is one of several regional hubs in the North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat) that work within a long-term, continental program to monitor bat distributions and abundance. NABat aims to supply regular analyses and reporting on the status and trends of bat populations to inform managers and policymakers. The Midwest Bat Hub coordinates these efforts on a regional or local scale, bridging a top-down and bottom-up management approach. The Hub provides technical assistance and coordination to its partners and fosters information exchange and collaboration between existing regional efforts. The Midwest Bat Hub works to bolster bat conservation across the 8-state region of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin.
The Midwest Bat Hub Team
Joy O’Keefe
Director
Dr. Joy O’Keefe’s research primarily focuses on ways to facilitate the coexistence of bats and humans in human-altered landscapes. She works to understand the roosting and foraging ecology of bats, identify best practices for studying bat ecology, characterize bat behaviors, and assess the quality of mitigation practices designed to help bats. Dr. O’Keefe collaborates with many organizations and people who interact with bats, including private landowners, USDA Forest Service, National Park Service, and state agencies.
Associate Professor at University of Illinois
Marissa Foley
Hub Coordinator
Marissa Foley was born and raised in central IL. In a valiant attempt to escape the Midwest, she earned her B.S. in biology and B.A. in Spanish from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, AZ. After doing a tropical ecology study abroad trip to Belize, she encountered the world of bats and all the science that comes with them. Marissa started as a mist-netting technician and now works in bat acoustic data management. She spends her free time gaming, reading, and making art.
Hub Coordinator, former Data Manager, Midwest Bat Hub, University of Illinois
Ezekiel Herrera-Bevan
Ph.D. Student
Ezekiel was raised in San Diego County before heading to Virginia Beach, where he earned a B.S. in Earth and Environmental Sciences and a minor in mathematics. Here, he got experience with research on bats via bioacoustics and developed a passion for them. He went on to complete a master’s degree at the University of Michigan, where he focused on forest ecology and published research on the potential impacts of novel flooding on native and invasive plant recruitment. From this experience, Ezekiel realized the importance of the relationship between bats and forests and that there is more to learn. Ezekiel’s PhD research will generally look at the population and community ecology of bats by focusing on the trophic relationships bats have with insects and forest tree species. Ezekiel’s passion for the environment extends beyond academia, as he has explored various landscapes through rock climbing, backpacking and hiking, foraging in the woods around Illinois, living out of his van, and learning about the fellow creatures that call Earth home.
Sydney Hatch
Undergraduate Student Worker
Sydney Hatch is from Chicago and is currently an undergraduate student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She is a sophomore pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in natural resources and environmental sciences with a concentration in fish, wildlife, and conservation biology. Her career interests include ecological sciences and agricultural sustainability. Currently, she is working on data managgement and acoustic analyisis for the Midwest Bat Hub. Her interests include traveling, writing, reading, and hiking.
Undergraduate Student Worker, Midwest Bat Hub, University of Illinois
The Midwest Bat Hub Hall of Fame
Isabella Hubrich
Isabella Hubrich is from the northwest suburbs of Chicago. She is currently an undergraduate student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she is completing a Bachelor of Science degree in environmental sustainability. Their interests also include natural resources and environmental sciences, geographic information systems, and Spanish. With the Midwest Bat Hub, they worked with data collected by the Hub, in addition to updating and improving the Hub’s webpage.
Former Undergraduate Student Worker, Midwest Bat Hub, University of Illinois
Bryan Levi
Bryan Levi is from Edison, New Jersey. He graduated with a bachelors in Environmental Science with a minor in biology from Eastern University in Pennsylvania, and is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Environmental Science and Policy from Johns Hopkins University. He previously worked as the Assistant Hub Coordinator before transitioning to the Hub Coordinator role in 2024. His career interests include conservation biology research, and he would eventually like to work with data to broadly support conservation goals. Outside of work and school, he likes to play the guitar, coach or play tennis, and enjoys doing martial arts.
Former Hub Coordinator, Midwest Bat Hub, University of Illinois
James Cox
James Cox earned his Master of Science degree in biology at Indiana State University, under the guidance of Dr. Joy O’Keefe. His thesis focused on data collection and creating species distribution maps for 3 bat species in Cumberland Gap National Historical Park. James formerly operated as Hub Coordinator and Data Manager for the Midwest Bat Hub, focusing on processing data, maintaining and seeking new partnerships, and creating solutions to increase ease of access to the program. James also oversaw the Midwest Bat Hub Volunteer Monitoring Program. Some of James’s scientific interests include species distribution modelling, computer programming, radio telemetry, and working in a GIS. In his spare time, James enjoys backpacking, gardening, carpentry, and playing live music.
Former Hub Coordinator/Data Manager/Volunteer Program Coordinator, Midwest Bat Hub, University of Illinois