About Tara's Work

Tara Cornelisse is an Invertebrate Zoologist at NatureServe. She earned a B.A. in Biology from Boston University where she worked on termite social behavior as well as an M.S. from San Francisco State University and Ph.D. from the University of California Santa Cruz, where she focused on tiger beetle conservation. Prior to joining NatureServe, Tara worked in land conservation and as a Senior Scientist at the Center for Biological Diversity with a focus on pollinators. She has also served as a postdoctoral scholar at the American Museum of Natural History and an Assistant Professor in Animal behavior, Ecology, and Conservation at Canisius College, studying bumble bees and Monarch butterflies. Her work has included collaboration with diverse partners from local to federal biologists and land managers, academic and NGO scientists, and the public and has led to many publications, presentations, educational modules, and reports in invertebrate conservation. Tara enjoys exploring Northern California from her home in Sonoma County.