Biography
Donata Henry is a senior professor of practice and associate chair in ecology and evolutionary biology. Henry earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology from Antioch College in Ohio and a doctoral degree in ecology and evolutionary biology from Tulane. She is a master bird bander with over 25 years of experience monitoring avian community response to natural and human-driven change. She considers mentoring and teaching students the best part of her job.
During summers, Henry directs the faculty-led study abroad program in Sweden and teaches field courses at the FCAT (Fundación para la Conservación de los Andes Tropicales) biological preserve in Ecuador. She especially enjoys bringing students into the field and experimenting with different hands-on techniques to keep the learning fun. In 2019 she was awarded the Weiss Presidential Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. She founded Girls in STEM at Tulane (an outreach program for middle-school girls), is the program coordinator for Orleans Audubon Society, the founder of the Abita Bird Club and faculty advisor of
the Tulane Triathlon and Cycling Club.
Born and raised in New Orleans, Henry is a Franklin Falcon and also attended NOCCA for creative writing. She now lives in Abita Springs with her husband Rene, a fantastic chef, and their two dogs, Bay and Teala. Their daughter, Donnie, just graduated from college and their son, Ben, is a sophomore at Tulane. She enjoys meeting with students and taking walks to discuss courses, major planning, pathways through science, life in academia and birds.