Chuck Bargeron
Senior Public Service Associate and Director - Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health
Chuck is the Director of the Center for Invasive Species & Ecosystem Health and has a Public Service Faculty appointment in the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources at the University of Georgia. Chuck has been with the University of Georgia since 1999, where his work focuses on invasive species and information technology. Websites he designed have been featured twice in Science Magazine, received regional awards for content and design, and received over 3 billion hits. Chuck developed the infrastructure behind Bugwood Images, which runs the ForestryImages.org and Invasive.org websites and archives over 300,000 images. Recently, Chuck has focused on mapping invasive species and tools for Early Detection and Rapid Response using EDDMapS and smartphone applications. EDDMapS includes over 8 million records from 40,000 organizations, professionals, and volunteers. He has led the development of over 100 smartphone applications, including the first U.S. Forest Service and National Park Service apps.
He was initially appointed to the National Invasive Species Advisory Council in 2013, elected as Chair in 2017, and reappointed in 2022. He was appointed to the Theodore Roosevelt Genius Prize Advisory Council in 2021 and was Chair of the Invasive Species board.
Chuck has been an invited speaker at over 350 regional and national conferences and co-authored over 100 journal articles and outreach publications. Since 2010, Chuck has been awarded more than $4.2 million in grants and cooperative agreements funding to support his work.
Education
Education
A.S. Computer Science, Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, Tifton, Georgia, 1997
B.S. Computer Science, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, Georgia, 1999
M.S. Computer Science, Georgia Southwestern State University, Americus, Georgia, 2004
Professional Appointments
Professional Appointments
Director, Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health. University of Georgia 2019-present
Senior Public Service Associate, Forestry. University of Georgia 2019-present
Public Service Associate, Forestry. University of Georgia 2014-2019
Public Service Assistant, Forestry. University of Georgia 2013-2014
Public Service Assistant, Entomology. University of Georgia 2010-2013
Other Professional Experience
Other Professional Experience
Technology Director, Entomology University of Georgia 2008-2010
Management Information Specialist, Entomology University of Georgia 2001-2008
Computer Services Specialist IV, Entomology. University of Georgia 1999-2001
Student Assistant, Entomology. University of Georgia 1996-1999
Awards & Honors
Awards & Honors
2023. Walter Barnard Hill Award for Distinguished Achievement in Public Service and Outreach. University of Georgia
2016. Award for Excellence in Outreach. Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources.
2013. Award of Excellence for Invasive Plant Research, Outreach and Education by the Southeast Exotic Pest Plant Council
2012. Friends of IPM Bright Idea Award – Southern Region IPM Center
2012. Secretary of Interior’s Partners in Conservation Award for Everglades Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area
2009. “Genius Award” by the Mid-Atlantic Exotic Pest Plant Council
2008. Advocate of the Year, For Extraordinary Service Furthering the Goals of The Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council
Publications
Publications
McNeil C, Divi N, Bargeron IV C, Capobianco Dondona A, Ernst K, Gupta A, Fasominu O, Keatts L, Kelly T, Leal Neto O, Lwin M, Makhasi M, Mutagahywa E, Montecino-Latorre D, Olson S, Pandit P, Paolotti D, Parker M, Samad M, Sewalk K, Sheldenkar A, Srikitjakarn L, Suy Lan C, Wilkes M, Yano T, Smolinski M. Data Parameters From Participatory Surveillance Systems in Human, Animal, and Environmental Health From Around the Globe: Descriptive Analysis JMIR Public Health Surveill 2025;11:e55356 https://publichealth.jmir.org/2025/1/e55356 DOI: 10.2196/55356
Bargeron, C. (2024). EDDMapS—An Applied Technology Tool. In Lessons Learned in Protecting and Restoring Biodiversity: Conservation in Action (pp. 529-530). Cambridge Scholars Publishing https://www.cambridgescholars.com/product/978-1-0364-0641-7
van Rees, C.B., Hand, B.K., Carter, S.C., Bargeron, C., Cline, T.J., Daniel, W., Ferrante, J.A., Gaddis, K., Hunter, M.E., Jarnevich, C.S., McGeoch, M.A., Morisette, J.T., Neilson, M.E., Roy, H.E., Rozance, M.A., Sepulveda, A., Wallace, R.D., Whited, D., Wilcox, T., Kimball, J.S. and Luikart, G. (2022), A framework to integrate innovations in invasion science for proactive management. Biol Rev, 97: 1712-1735. https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.12859
Bowers, J. H., Malayer, J. R., Martínez-López, B., LaForest, J., Bargeron, C. T., Neeley, A. D., Coop, L. B., Barker, B. S., Mastin, A. J., Parnell, S. R., Cossé, A. A., McCluskey, B. J., Isard, S. A., & Russo, J. M. (2022). Surveillance for Early Detection of High-Consequence Pests and Pathogens. In K. Cardwell, & K. Bailey (Ed.), Tactical Sciences for Biosecurity in Animal and Plant Systems (pp. 120-177). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-7935-0.ch005
Wallace, R.D., Bargeron, C.T., LaForest, J.H. and Carroll, R.L. (2021). The Life Cycle of Invasive Alien Species Occurrence Data. In Invasive Alien Species (eds T. Pullaiah and M.R. Ielmini). https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119607045.ch49
Wallace, R. D., Bargeron, C. T., & Reaser, J. K. (2019). Enabling decisions that make a difference: guidance for improving access to and analysis of invasive species information. Biological Invasions, 22(1), 37-45. doi:10.1007/s10530-019-02142-2
Bradley, B. A., J. M. Allen, M. W. O’Neill, R. D. Wallace, C. T. Bargeron, J. A. Richburg, and K. Stinson. 2018. Invasive species risk assessments need more consistent spatial abundance data. Ecosphere 9(7):e02302. 10.1002/ecs2.2302. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.2302
Wallace, R.D., Bargeron, C.T., Moorhead, D.J., and LaForest, J.H. 2016. IveGot1: Reporting and Tracking Invasive Species in Florida. Southeastern Naturalist, 15, 51-62. https://doi.org/10.1656/058.015.sp805
Jarnevich, C.S., Simpson, A., Graham, J.J., Newman, G.J., and Bargeron, C.T. 2015. Running a network on a shoestring: the Global Invasive Species Information Network. Management Of Biological Invasions, 6(2), 137-146. http://www.reabic.net/journals/mbi/2015/2/MBI_2015_Jarnevich_etal.pdf
Starr, J., Schweik, C.M., Bush, N., Fletcher, L., Finn, J., Fish, J., and Bargeron, C.T. 2014. Lights, Camera … Citizen Science: Assessing the Effectiveness of Smartphone-Based Video Training in Invasive Plant Identification. PLOS ONE, 9(11), 7 pages. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0111433
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=JMqra-0AAAAJ&hl=en
Other Links
Other Links
Office Phone: 229-386-3298, 229-402-0412
Professional Website: Bugwood, ForestryImages.org, Invasive.org, EDDMapS, Wild Spotter – Mapping Invasives in America’s Wild Places
