The Sunshine State Biodiversity Group, a Tallahassee-based nonprofit, is the brainchild of North Floridians passionate about this amazing place in which we live. Now we're rolling up our sleeves and pitching in to take on projects that affect our state's quality of life and environment. We're the kind of people who love collaborations and don't mind hard work.
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Jeff VanderMeer
President/Secretary
A NYT-bestselling author, VanderMeer has written about Florida in award-winning novels like Annihilation, set in the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge, and for publications like the Los Angeles Times, Current Affairs, and Orion. His personal rewilding odyssey has led him turn his Tallahassee backyard into a vibrant wildlife sanctuary. He founded the SSBG in 2023.
Ali Sperling
Vice President
Ali Sperling is an assistant professor of English at Florida State University where she teaches and researches in gender studies and the environmental humanities. She received her Ph.D. in English from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2017, and her work has appeared in the Bloomsbury Handbook of 21st Century Feminist Theory, the Los Angeles Review of Books, and many more.
Ann VanderMeer
Board Member
Ann VanderMeer is a fervent believer in local community who has volunteered for and supported many causes in North Florida. An FSU grad and award-winning editor, she has published more than 20 anthologies, including fiction related to the environment. A software manager in another life, She currently also serves on the board of the St. Francis Wildlife Association.
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Eli Wilkins-Malloy
Treasurer
Eli Wilkins-Malloy is the Development Director and Head of the U.S. office for the Asociación Interamericana para la Defensa del Ambiente (AIDA). Eli holds a Master's in Public Administration with a specialization in nonprofit management from New York University. He brings significant experience in nonprofit operations having worked to support communities and organizations across the Americas and globally for the protection of environmental, human, and indigenous rights.