Who's in Charge
Gail G. Evans, Ph.D.
Dr. Gail Evans is the Dean of Undergraduate Studies. She is the Administrator of the Presidential Scholars' Program, responsible for:
- Coordinating the application process;
- Serving as liaison with the President regarding the program (e.g., conveying the President's decisions regarding the awarding and renewal of the scholarship);
- Authorizing and coordinating the work of various University offices in conducting the program; and
- Maintaining files and records concerning the program.
Dr. Evans received her B.S. degree from San Jose State University, and her M.S. and Ph.D. from Washington State University. She has been at San Francisco State University since 2008, and prior to coming to SF State was on the faculty at the State University of New York, Brockport and San Jose State University.
Gretchen LeBuhn, Ph.D.
Dr. Gretchen LeBuhn, Professor in the Department of Biology, is the Faculty Director of the Presidential Scholars' Program, responsible for:
- Providing regularly and individually scheduled advising for Presidential Scholars;
- Planning and managing a schedule of co-curricular and extracurricular enrichment events; and
- Conducting periodic meetings of the Presidential Scholars to provide information, discuss relevant issues, and promote meaningful interactions among and between the Scholars
Dr. LeBuhn is passionate about conserving and promoting 'the little things that run the world' – our native pollinators. Since leaving a career in investment banking, Dr. LeBuhn has worked to understand when and why pollinator communities decline – and what we can do to conserve them. She has investigated the ecology of a variety of pollinators ranging from Andean hummingbirds to desert hawk moths and San Francisco's native bumble bees. Most recently, she has explored what factors amplify the effects of habitat loss and fragmentation on pollinator communities using a set of studies from naturally fragmented mountain meadows to oak woodlands surrounded by vineyards to city parks embedded in a sea of cement. She joined the faculty at San Francisco State University in biology and teaches ecology and conservation biology. She has published around 30 papers on birds, plants and pollinators and a book. She is an avid gardener and the parent of twins.
Her appointments have been:
- Director, Great Sunflower Project
- Professor, Department of Biology, San Francisco State
- Visiting Scholar, Stanford University and UC Berkeley
- Post-doctoral scholar UC Berkeley and Florida State University
- PhD – UC Santa Barbara
- MS – Univ. of Connecticut
- BA – Vanderbilt University
