Useful wild Plants Board
Scooter Cheatham
President and Founder
Scooter Cheatham founded the Useful Wild Plants project in 1971. He is a professional photographer, writer, and architect. As lead author of the encyclopedia he has written and supervised the writing of the economic treatments of the plants, and has photographed 80% of the species to be illustrated. He has planned and supervised experimental full-scale reconstructions of Native American dwellings for several organizations, and has designed and supervised the installation of native landscape projects. An architect and graphic designer, he developed the page layout and design of the encyclopedia, and has scheduled the components of the project and staff activities using critical path and PERT techniques. He taught design, graphics, and watercolor in the Department of Architecture at The University of Texas at Austin until 1981, when he left to devote himself fully to the Useful Wild Plants Project through its completion.
Dr. Stanley J. Roux
Vice President
Dr. Stanley J. Roux is a Distinguished Teaching Professor at the University of Texas at Austin (UT) and has been honored with the Regents Outstanding Teaching Award along with many other prestigious scientific and teaching awards throughout his career. Dr. Roux received his Ph. D. in Biology from Yale University in 1971 and was a Postdoctoral fellow in Biophysics there from 1971-1973. He joined the Useful Wild Plants Project in 1991 and has played an active role in exposing UT students to the work we do as well as working in his role as Vice President of the board of trustees.
Sheryl Cheatham
Treasurer
Sheryl has been an accountant for over 25 years and has served as an Accounting Manager/Controller in the private sector including: Kind Health, ID Shield, Brazos Higher Education and Make a Wish Foundation. She also successfully created a tax and bookkeeping business for 5 business clients and completed tax returns for many individuals. In her professional career, she has specialized in helping many small start-ups with improving financial processes and developing solutions to further their future.
Lynn Marshal
Secretary
Lynn Marshall received her B.A. in Anthropology and Archaeology from the University of Texas in 1975 and has been with Useful Wild Plants, inc. since 1977. She serves the project in the essential role of Research Coordinator and Supervisor, as well as writer. She oversees the procurement and processing of the bibliographical texts and has been involved in many of the tests and experiments performed. She is responsible for most of the extensive organization of the data, and directs other research staff in the preparation and organization of writing materials. In addition to writing and in-house editing, she has supervised preparation of the plant distribution maps, the interviewing of informants, and the extraction of data for database.
John Flowers
Board Member
John Flowers joined with the project in 1991 and has been an important board member ever since. He graduated from the University of Texas with a Masters in English in 1969 and a Master of Education in Vocal Rehabilitation Counseling in 1970. He has worked in Austin, Argentina, and London teaching English literature and vocal rehabilitation. Before retiring in 2002, he worked as a trainer at the Texas Rehabilitation Commission.
Pat McNeal
Board Member
Pat McNeal joined Useful Wild Plants more recently, in 2010. He is the founder and owner of McNeal Wholesale Growers and has designed landscaping and managed nurseries for organizations including the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, the Native Texas Nursery, and the State of Texas School for the Deaf. Additionally, he served as the principle endangered plants species researcher for the biological advisory team to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Balcones Canyons lands habitat conservation plan.
Martin Payne
Board Member
Martin Payne has been on the board of Useful Wild Plants since 2003. He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 1981 with the degree of Bachelor of Science, with honors, in Mechanical Engineering. Payne has served in various engineering and management positions in the upstream oil and gas industry, with involvement in drilling, completion, production, gas gathering, transmission and treating. In 2000, Payne was a co-founder of a Drilling Info, Inc., and served as Executive Vice President and on the Board of Directors there. He currently serves as General Manager of Anvil Energy LLC.
Stephen Speir
Board Member
Steve Speir has been with Useful Wild Plants since 2008. He has extensive state and local government experience at an executive level, having served sixteen years on the staff of Texas Land Commissioner Garry Mauro. During that time he served as Director of Public Information for the Texas Veterans Land Board, which administered the Texas Veterans Land and Housing Assistance Program. He was also involved in the Texas Adopt-A- Beach Program, the states first Wind Farm Project on state lands, the Texas Coastal Management Program, the first ever State Emergency Oil Spill Response Program, and the creation of the award-winning Texas Alternative Fuels Program. He later served as the legislative director for State Rep. Dora Olivo (D-Rosenberg) and the Chief of Staff for State Rep. Richard Pena Raymond (D-Laredo).