Meet The Team

Eric M. Welsh, Founder and Executive Director
Born and raised in Northern Arizona, Eric has always been fascinated with the beauty and intrigue offered through National Forests and Public Lands. His interest in Geology grew after taking an introductory class at Yavapai College while working on AA in Business Administration, this inspired him to continue his education and enroll in the Geology Program at Northern Arizona University where he earned a BS in Geology. He has since completed a MS in Information Technology emphasizing in Project Management and is currently working on a DPA in Nonprofit Management. Upon graduating from NAU, he formed a consulting agency and began working as a geologic consultant with individuals and small companies looking to claim mineral rights or expand operations on existing claims by completing basic survey, mapping, and safety assessments on a contractual basis. After working with small miners in the Nevada desert, he was awarded a GeoCorps Internship with the BLM which lead to his being contracted as a liaison with the Bureau of Land Management in the Abandoned Mine Lands (AML) Program in New Mexico assisting in their inventory and remediation project work as a geologic consultant. It is through this experience that Eric decided to change his consulting agency into a non-profit organization benefiting geoscience students struggling to find jobs due to lack of experience or contacts within the industry. It is Eric's dream to create an environment through GEM's programming where students can apply the knowledge they have acquired in school to the practical industry applications used by many leading geologic and mining companies before they graduate, giving those students a higher chance at landing a job in their area of study, post graduation.
Contact him at Ericwelsh@gemenvironmental.org 
Jessica R. Cook, Chairman of the Board and Business Manager
Jessica was born and raised in Arizona and currently resides in Prescott with her husband Brandon, puppy Winslow, and two cats Damien and Pablo. She studied Business Administration at Yavapai College after working in the construction industry along side her grandfather. It was through the experiences she gained working after high school that she decided to start her career in Construction Management. Currently, Jessica is working as an Office Manager for a local paving and construction company. Jessica benefits our organization with her experience in bookkeeping, accounts receivable, accounts payable, contract writing, policy enforcement, and her ability to stay current on state and federal policy changes. She is passionate, loves helping those in need, and is excited to take on her new role in environmental conservation while assisting the development of GEM. As Chairman of the Board, Jessica takes pride in creating new partnerships between our organization and local businesses who share our passion and drive in creating new opportunities and experiences for those involved in our project work.
Contact her at: jessica@gemenvironmental.org
Mona L. Welsh, Treasurer and Secretary
Mona Welsh has lived in Prescott with her husband Gary for over 30 years where they raised two children. Her mission with the organization is to help develop and raise awareness for the scholarship program which will enable STEM students to help in funding their college education costs. She is enthusiastic about getting the community involved in fundraising. Throughout her life, Mona has worked with several nonprofit organizations in the Prescott Community where she has served as a board member for the YMCA to build a new pool and fitness center, as a board member on the Diamond Valley Water District special committee, and as a secretary for our local chapter of ABATE. Aside from work, Mona loves traveling in her motor-home with her husband where they visit National Parks and attend the Ranger programs. She believes that educational opportunities provided by programs such as the National Parks Ranger Program provide enjoyment, education and inspiration; all of which she hopes to foster in her continued work with G.E.M. Environmental. During her time off,
she hopes to visit every National Park in the United States.
Contact her at: Monawelsh@gemenvironmental.org
Sharon Andrus Felker, Director of Scholarship
Sharon has lived in the Prescott area for 40 years with a few short detours to Chandler, Tucson, Northern California, and Germany. She has worked in Bookkeeping, Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, Collections, and Customer Service for over 25 years. Sharon loves her work and enjoys interacting with customers and clients while helping them with budgets, finances and savings.
In addition to working at G.E.M., she is the Business/ HR/ Transportation Manager at Northpoint Expeditionary Learning Academy (a Charter High School) in Prescott. Prior to this, she worked for Prescott Newspapers Incorporated in Accounts Receivable, Billing and Collections for 10 years. When not in the office, she enjoys traveling, spending time with her kids, family, friends, and critters. She has a 3 year old Rottie named Prim and 5 Napoleon cats.
Contact her at: sharon@gemenvironmental.org
Alejandro "Chino" Martinez, Diversity Officer
As a native Arizonian, Chino has always felt a certain responsibility and commitment towards the community that raised him. This sense of responsibility inspired him to begin taking psychology classes at Yavapai College. While attending his first semester, Chino quickly developed a deep passion for charitable work. He fell in love with the rewarding feeling gained through nonprofit work while attending community college. This resolve stuck with him through the rest of his collegiate years, leading him to complete a Bachelors in Social Work at Northern Arizona University. After 5 years working with several different behavioral health nonprofit companies, Chino decided to continue his dream and further his education. Now working towards a MS in Professional Counseling, Chino hopes to continue his support for our local community and is happy spending his days keeping Arizona and Prescott an amazing place to live, one program at a time.
Contact him at: Chino@gemenvironmental.org
Robert Briggs, Operations and Program Technician - Member at Large
Robert, a 21-year resident of the Prescott area, moved to Yavapai County from Sacramento when he was 25 years old. After working as a reputable auto mechanic for 20 plus years, he elected to change his career path and made the decision to return to college life as an older student at the age of 42. With persistence and dedication, he graduated in the spring of 2015 from Northern Arizona University with a BS in Geology. During his work in the auto industry, he attained ASE Master Tech certifications and developed the ability to fix just about anything. This has led to a unique opportunity for Robert to join GEM as our fleet supervisor and as a contract geologist working with our Abandoned Mine Lands Inventory team. He thoroughly enjoys being outside with his eyes constantly on the terrain. His experiences working in the automotive field and his renewed zest for geology offer GEM a unique ability to visit remote field locations without fear of being stranded.
Contact him at: robertbriggs@gemenvironmental.org
Madison Link, AmeriCorps VISTA Member and G.E.M. Environmental Program Coordinator
Madison was raised in Georgia with a loving, close family. She graduated summa cum laude from Georgia College & State University in three years with a Bachelor’s in Psychology and a Minor in Mathematics. She worked as a mathematics tutor at the college and as a legal assistant at a law firm while attending GCSU. She knew that she wanted to serve her country after college and joined AmeriCorps VISTA to help fight poverty through indirect service. After being raised by a science teacher mom and a data scientist dad, she realized that one of the best ways to help combat poverty is by creating STEM educational opportunities for children while collecting data that confirms those opportunities are working as intended. She is very excited to be part of G.E.M. Environmental and AmeriCorps VISTA through Arizona Serve as a STEM Outreach Specialist and she has already fallen in love with the beautiful city of Prescott. During her off time, she can often be found working on other charitable projects or kayaking on Watson Lake.
Contact her at: madison@gemenvironmental.org

AmeriCorps/AZ Serve Interns

We are pleased to have partnered with AmeriCorps and Arizona Serve to provide several exciting internships. Scroll down to learn more about our new team members.
Jason Parker
He was born in Washington state and grew up loving the outdoors. After visiting his parents in Northern Arizona in 2015, and seeing the natural beauty of the Southwest, Jason decided to move after finishing his degree in 2016. He enjoys the variety of terrain in the Prescott area where he can go for a quick hike and get back to town easily. Jason currently has an AAAS degree in Clean Energy Technology from Shoreline Community College in Washington State. He is an NAU student working toward a Bachelor of University Studies with Minors in Parks and Recreation Management and Entrepreneurship Applied to Conservation of Natural Resources.   
Contact him at: jparker@arizonaserve.org                 
Alex Monksfield, Campus Liaison
Alex has lived in Prescott for ten years and is currently a senior at Tri City College Prep. She will graduate in December and enroll at ASU in the fall to major in Business with a concentration in Public Service and Public Policy. She is excited to stir passion in underrepresented kids for STEM programs as an AmeriCorps state member. In her spare time, she loves to travel and cook. Her future plans include working in the nonprofit sector, but until then, in the spring semester she is going to attend culinary school.
Contact her at: amonksfield@arizonaserve.org
​Kali Plummer, Campus Liaison
​Kali is a 22-year-old Arizona Native. She grew up in the east valley of Phoenix, where she attended Mesa Community College; before moving to Prescott to finish her undergraduate degree at Prescott College. Kali is in the Environmental Studies program, at Prescott College, focusing on Conservation Biology and Wildlife Management. She enjoys cooking, hiking, and of course wildlife! Her post-graduation plan is to get into the field and do hands-on field research and eventually attend graduate school for a Master of Science. She is very excited to reach out to underrepresented communities about STEM programs, in hopes to share her excitement and passion of science.
Contact her at: kplummer@arizonaserve.org

2019 Summer Field Interns

G.E.M. Environmental partnered with AmeriCorps through Arizona Serve and the staffing agency Aerotek to provide three summer 2019 internship positions. These interns assisted the GEM Field Team with our Abandoned Mine Land (AML) program work where they helped identify and categorize abandoned mining features on public lands as entry-level field cartographers while serving their 300 hour terms with GEM.
Jacob Salas
He is a geography major at New Mexico State University out of Las Cruces, New Mexico. Jacob was born and raised in Las Cruces and has been involved in the mining field for over 8 years, where he has worked for the Bureau of Land management. He was also involved with the GIS aspect for the AML program, where he did monitoring, inventory, and closure projects. He looks forward to expanding his knowledge in the mining field and growing as a professional at G.E.M. Environmental. Jacob is joining us as an Aerotek contractor for his 4 month term.
Dallas Willoughby
Dallas is a high school senior currently enrolled in Prescott High. He grew up in Arizona and Utah with two younger brothers. He is a scout and has taken classes and programs on land navigation and management and feels this internship will help him in the field to identify mines and other things. He has always had a knack and love for science and feels that through the G.E.M Environmental internship he will be able to expand his horizons of science-related work. Dallas is joining us as an AmeriCorps State Member through Arizona Serve.
Elliott Hoy
He grew up in Paradise Valley in North Phoenix. Elliott is currently studying geology at Yavapai college with plans to move to NAU. Before Yavapai he worked for four years at the Geek Squad, and then for the Prescott Unified School District. He has also lived in Thailand teaching English and has backpacked throughout Europe. Elliott is joining us as an AmeriCorps State Member through Arizona Serve.