Deanna H. Olson is a research ecologist with the USDA Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station in Corvallis, Oregon. Dede’s work as an ecologist is devoted to sustainability of our natural heritage. Her work has encompassed every vertebrate class (fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals), with a focus on amphibians. Her bachelor’s degree at University of California–San Diego intersected with the first Conservation Biology Conference there in 1978, helping to build the foundation for her passion for biodiversity conservation. In 1981, her PhD from the Department of Zoology at Oregon State University brought her to the Pacific Northwest, with its natural grandeur from the sea to the forests, mountains, and high deserts. In addition to her duties with the PNWRS, she also serves as courtesy faculty at Oregon State University and associate editor for Herpetological Review, and is past president of the Society for Northwestern Vertebrate Biology and past co-chair of Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation.