Christina Pilla Named 2025 Fourth Quarter Lawrence S. Semo Scientific Achievement Award Winner

Congratulations to Christina Pilla, Natural Resources Team Lead out of our Pensacola office, on being named the Lawrence S. Semo Scientific Achievement award winner for the fourth quarter of 2025.

Since joining SWCA, Christina Pilla has emerged as a passionate and influential leader in wildlife science across Florida and the Southeast. With deep expertise in listed species, habitat conservation planning, and field-based ecology, Christina has strengthened SWCA’s scientific excellence through her hands-on approach, collaborative mindset, and commitment to mentoring the next generation of scientists.

Scientific Excellence and Early Inspiration

Christina’s fascination with wildlife began in childhood with a love for turtles. She earned her bachelor’s degree in wildlife Ecology and Conservation from the University of Florida, later obtaining her master’s in environmental policy and management where the focus of her thesis was on gopher tortoise resiliency on disturbed sites. That work laid the foundation for what would become a career centered on listed species, ecological restoration, and the complex intersection of development and conservation.

Before joining SWCA, Christina gained diverse experience with species across Florida’s uniquely rich ecological environments. Her time in graduate school and beyond deepened her interest in herpetology, establishing her as a go-to resource for turtles, tortoises, and other reptiles and amphibians. Today, she combines academic knowledge with practical field experience to lead some of the region’s most important wildlife initiatives.

Impact, Leadership, and Innovation at SWCA

Christina joined SWCA during a period of growth for the Florida office and quickly became a foundational member of the Natural Resources team. As one of the first field-experienced biologists hired in the region, she helped build operational capacity while supporting junior staff through mentorship and hands-on training. She developed field learning opportunities where staff examined gopher tortoise burrows, bald eagle nests, and the on-the-ground characteristics of listed species.

Her technical contributions include leadership on complex Habitat Conservation Plans (HCPs), where she collaborates regularly with specialists across SWCA. Notably, her work with the Florida Grasshopper Sparrow, a species once thought to have as few as ten individuals remaining in the wild.

Another standout project includes transforming a reclaimed mine into what will soon become the largest solar energy center for the City of Lakeland. Christina played an instrumental role in ecological assessments, permitting, and tortoise relocation efforts, identifying a 75% burrow occupancy rate and safely relocating all individuals to an FWC-approved recipient sites.

Through the Science Leadership Program, Christina expanded her wildlife and HCP expertise even further, thanks to her mentors. Her involvement with the national HCP coalition has also enhanced her ability to deliver innovative, scientifically grounded solutions to clients and communities.

A Legacy of Care and Curiosity

Whether mentoring new staff, leading complex conservation efforts, or helping clients navigate sensitive ecological challenges, Christina brings passion, technical depth, and a genuine love for the natural world to every project. Her enthusiasm for tortoises and the ecosystems that support them has made her a respected voice in the Southeast and a valued mentor within SWCA.

Christina’s journey continues to inspire colleagues and strengthen SWCA’s culture of scientific excellence. Her advice to emerging professionals: “stay open to new experiences, never stop learning, and take every opportunity to grow because every project, every species, and every place has something to teach you.” Her philosophy: “you don’t need to know everything, but you must know where to find it.”

The quarterly Lawrence S. Semo Scientific Achievement Award rewards individuals for demonstrating passion, creativity, and scientific excellence in a manner that advances SWCA’s purpose, mission, vision, and values. The award is in honor of Larry Semo, who began working as a biologist for SWCA in Austin in 1993 and transferred to Denver in 1999. A respected and widely published ornithologist and all-around naturalist, Larry had an insatiable desire to learn and a great love for the outdoors until his untimely passing in 2011.