Toni Barnes, DVM
President, Founder
As President, Dr. Barnes works closely with our partners to provide for integration and coordination of our projects. She manages all laboratory and field staff in meeting our foundation’s goals.
About Us
Wildlife Population Management Without Killing
We give our partners and agencies the ability to access scientific data, collaborate, and implement new alternatives in human and animal safety protocols.
Board of Directors
Dr. Toni Barnes
Board Member/Chair
Dr. Barnes earned her Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine at Colorado State University. She was the owner of Westside Veterinary Clinic for 12 years until March of 2018 when she sold the practice to Dr. Jenny Siess. Dr. Barnes has a passion for internal medicine in small animals.
She is also certified in Veterinary Acupuncture and has years of experience in alternative and Chinese veterinary medicine. In her free time, Dr. Barnes enjoys doing agility and hiking with her 3 Jack Russell Terriors, Petey, Reggie, and Babs. She loves gardening and relaxing around the house as well as traveling both in an out of the United States.
Diane Jarvis
Board Member
Diane is retired from the social services field, has volunteered and been employed in animal rescue for more than 20 years including founder and President Paw Placement of Northern AZ where more than 800 dogs and cats found loving homes since December 2006. In addition, more than 200 families have been helped through the PPNAZ medical assistance fund; and nearly 1,000 owned cats and dogs have been spayed or neutered thereby preventing the birth of thousands of unwanted companion animals.
Dr. Scott Stonebrook
Board Member
Dr. Scott Stonebrook received his PhD from the University of Utah In Bioengineering. Scott worked in new product development for the medical device Industry for 25 years. He then ventured into small animal veterinary practice management and ownership where he partnered with Dr. Toni Barnes.
Scott has performed the roles of manager, surgical technician, and emergency technician for Dr. Barnes for 12 years, while also becoming a Certified Veterinary Technician. Dr. Scott Stonebrook also previously served on the Animal Care and Use Committee of Senestech, Inc.
Tom Ohmart
Board Member
Thomas (Tom) Ohmart is our newly appointed Chief Executive Officer. For the past few years, Tom has been heading up the FYXX Foundation’s rodent population management research projects across the Western Coastal States. His experience in wildlife management has allowed him to develop very effective rodent treatment station deployment techniques and strategies for rodent fertility control products. These strategies have been 100% successful and resulted in drastic rodent population reductions (80-99%), while saving the end-user thousands of dollars annually. His desires are to share this knowledge with anyone that wants to learn. Whether it be a Pest Management Professional, facilities manager, rancher/farmer, animal care provider or a home-owners group, he will be more than happy to share what he has learned.
Tom has “nature” in his blood being the son of the Head Professor in Wildlife Ecology at Arizona State University. Post-graduation from ASU he started work for Arizona Game & Fish Department and subsequently became a State Police Officer. Tom advanced to the Director’s office where he helped draft the Mo Udall Arizona Wilderness Act attracting the gratitude of Senator John McCain.
Tom’s next project was to form the framework of the Arizona Heritage Program, the first of its kind in the U.S. This program was also the first to receive general fund revenues for the protection of threatened, endangered critical wildlife habitats and management of non-game species. While he was the Heritage Program Director Tom also received the Arizona Game & Fish Commission Employee of the Year.
Tom migrated into the fire service as a Phoenix Fire Fighter and eventually retired as a Captain. His community board service includes Phoenix Neighborhood Block Watch, City of Phoenix Prop 200 and Political Action Committee Consultant for the city of Paradise Valley Unified School District. Tom currently serves as President of the Southwest Vegetation Management Association (SWVMA). The SWVMA is a nonprofit environmental organization whose primary focus is to protect Arizona’s fragile ecosystem. When you think of making a better world, you think of Tom. He has been working to bring fertility control of invasive wildlife to the main stage of animal population for the past 20 years. No project too small and no challenge too great, Tom is “all in”.
Robyn J. Araiza
Board Member
Robyn Araiza is not your typical Science Lecturer at California State University San Marcos, where she is a double alumna. In 2007 Robyn earned her B.S. in Biochemistry and started teaching the following year. Over the next ten years she focused on course development driven by application of instrumentation and greener laboratory practices. Returning for her Master’s in Chemistry in 2020, where her research was based on cross disciplinary projects utilizing mass spectrometry. She is now pursuing her PhD in Analytical Chemistry at the University of Texas at Arlington.
With a passion for making STEM programs available to all children she runs community outreach programs to engage children of all ages with the hopes of empowering all children to find a sense of belonging in the sciences. Robyn believes in the lasting impact of mentoring and has created programs to connect students with industry leaders with the hope of building a powerful local industry community ready for the future. She frequently gives talks focused on food chemistry with the goal of making chemistry applicable to the general audience. Robyn is a dedicated advocate for equity in STEM and she is committed to diversifying instructional strategies both in and out of the classroom setting.
Brandy Pyzyna
Board Member
Brandy Pyzyna is an accomplished leader with extensive experience in fertility control. Prior to joining FYXX, Brandy served as Vice President of Research and Regulatory Affairs at SenesTech, Inc. where she led scientific research, product development, technical services, project management, and regulatory affairs. From 2011 to 2020, Brandy managed field research teams testing fertility control products in real-world conditions to support EPA registration and product commercialization.
Ms. Pyzyna holds a master’s degree in Biology from Northern Arizona University, is a certified project manager and earned a graduate certificate in biotechnology enterprise from John’s Hopkins University. Brandy is also an author on several peer-reviewed research articles studying fertility control effects on rodent populations.
Project Directors
Christopher "Chris" A. Ohmart
Project Director
Chris began volunteering with FYXX as a Research Technician a couple years ago when the public demand for our research assistance increased beyond his father’s (Tom – our CEO) capabilities. Chris quickly learned the importance of fertility control in rodent populations. He was a quick study in recognizing rodent behavior and activity, allowing fertility control measures to be more effective, thus reducing rodent populations in a quicker manner. Chris is a social animal and is ALWAYS willing to stop his research activities and take time to answer all questions and educate the public on FYXX’s success.
Leadership
Thomas K. Ohmart
CEO and Chief of Wildlife Management
With extensive wildlife and sensitive habitat management experience coupled with inter-agency coordination skills, Tom works with the entire scientific staff to insure project execution.
Research Advisors
Dr. Toni Barnes
Thomas K. Ohmart
