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Our Team

Core Staff

Updated Lisa 1

Lisa Brush

CEO / Founder

Erin Claflin

Erin Claflin

Finance

Lizzy Courtois

Lizzy Courtois

Operations

Rob Luzynski

Rob Luzynski

Communities

Rachel Muelle

Rachel Muelle

Programs

Bob Zammit

Bob Zammit

Communications

Extended Team

Boo Curry

Boo Curry

CLSN & GLS

Sharon Farrell

Sharon Farrell

Special Projects & Strategy

Zac Hummel 2 - sq

Zac Hummel

Special Projects

Celia Larsen 1 - larger

Celia Larsen

Volunteer

Amy Mickel

Dr. Amy Mickel

Applied Research

Mittendorf sq

Erin Mittendorf

Volunteer

Philip Rice sq

Philip Rice

GLIA

Member Community Points of Contact

Abbie Bristol

Abbie Bristol

SWxSW Corner CISMA
Patrick Canniff

Patrick Canniff

Oakland County CISMA
Anna's Headshot

Anna Cone

Huron Arbor Cluster
Julie Conley WLEC

Julie Conley

Grand-Raisin CC
Stephanie Day 01 1x1

Stephanie Day

Mid-Michigan CISMA
Emily Duthinh

Emily Duthinh

Headwaters Cluster
Alex Florian

Alex Florian

SWxSW Corner CISMA
Jacob Fluur

Jacob Fluur

Central Wisconsin IP
Wade Foster

Wade Foster

CAKE CISMA
Jason_Frenzel_web21

Jason Frenzel

Huron Arbor Cluster
Murielle Garbarino

Murielle Garbarino

West Michigan CN
Katie Gray

Katie Gray

CAKE CISMA
Kim Hack-Davidson

Kim Hack-Davidson

Columbia River Gorge SN
Heather Hasenstein

Heather Hasenstein

South Central IP
Sara Huetteman

Sara Huetteman

BCK CISMA
Bob Kellum

Bob Kellum

Grand-Raisin CC
Carley Kratz

Carley Kratz

Grand-Raisin CC
Devin Landry

Devin Landry

California Landscape SN
Matt Preisser

Matt Preisser

Great Lakes Islands Alliance
Amanda Ruffini 2024

Amanda Ruffini

Lake St. Clair CISMA
Shikha-Singh

Shikha Singh

JLW CISMA
Dylan Skybrook

Dylan Skybrook

Santa Cruz Mountains SN

Ashley Traut

Ashley Traut

Greater Baltimore WC
Matty Watkins

Matty Watkins

Green Ribbon Initiative
Jasmine Wyant

Jasmine Wyant

South Central IP

Board Members

Updated Lisa 1

Lisa Brush

Board President

RickBunch2024

Rick Bunch

Board Treasurer

headshot

Gretchen Driskell

Board Member

Shawn Johnson

Shawn Johnson

Board Chair

Remy Long

Remy Long

Board Member

Mark Shepard

Mark Shepard

Board Member

Chris Theriot

Chris Theriot

Board Secretary

Reneé V. Wallace

Reneé V. Wallace

Board Member

Strategic Advisors

Jon W. Allan

Jon W. Allan

Strategic Advisor
Colm Fay - upsampled

Colm Fay

Strategic Advisor
Ann Kim

Ann Kim

Strategic Advisor
Jason Krick

Jason Krick

Strategic Advisor
Joanne Marchetta sq

Joanne Marchetta

Strategic Advisor
Contact Us

Lisa Brush

CEO / Founder

Lisa Brush has been leading collaborative conservation initiatives in the environmental sector for more than 25 years. In her role as CEO and Founder of The Stewardship Network, she has engaged thousands of professionals and volunteers in identifying community and stewardship needs of the 21st century. She has facilitated the initiation, growth, and ongoing support of networks and collaborations at all scales across the country. Lisa has worked with all volunteer nonprofits to global NGOs; municipal, state, federal and tribal governments; consultants and contractors; students and researchers; private property owners and more. She has facilitated strategic planning sessions, focus groups, citizen task forces, community visioning sessions, and public involvement and feedback meetings with groups ranging in size from four to four hundred. Lisa believes deeply in the power of people to create positive community change and works to support people and institutions in this endeavor.

She has been involved in all aspects of organizational management including: foundation/agency relationships; grant based project funding; budget tracking; contract negotiation, implementation, accountability; staff and board development.

Lisa serves on numerous boards of directors, has a BA in Science in Society from Wesleyan University, an MS from University of Michigan’s School of Natural Resources and Environment, and is a graduate of Michigan State University’s Great Lakes Leadership Academy.

Erin Claflin

Finance & Fiscally Sponsored Programs Manager

Erin genuinely loves accounting and has since her early days as a bookkeeper for local organizations! While earning her masters degree in accounting from Eastern Michigan University, she joined a mid-size local firm where she learned to apply her skills in service to small businesses and professionals. Upon earning her CPA license, Erin went on to develop her expertise in a variety of accounting roles over the past 20 years. 


These days, Erin is committed to working with mission-driven organizations and businesses. She loves to support those who are changemakers in the world – the problem solvers, the visionaries, the people getting things done. Erin is an avid learner and who loves to guide and teach others who are interested in broadening their accounting skill set. She believes financial data should be clear and helpful,  transparent to stakeholders and decision makers. Good data, she believes, empowers people to make good decisions.


Outside of work, Erin is a caretaker of two vibrant, young people and two soft, sweet cats. She spends time in her garden and is outside as often as possible.

Lizzy Courtois

Lizzy Courtois

Business Operations Manager

Lizzy Courtois joined The Stewardship Network as the Business Operations Manager in 2022 to work closely with the team on ensuring all things administrative run smoothly. She comes to TSN with a long-standing career as a non-profit administrator in Detroit and the Bay Area. Before that, she earned a BA from Kalamazoo College in Theatre Arts, with a focus on stage management and arts/non-profit administration. She is excited about applying her experience and knowledge of non-profit administration to the environmental sector, which has always been near and dear to her.

Beyond work, Lizzy is a reader, home cook, potter, music enthusiast, and also enjoys spending time outdoors, especially in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

Rob Luzynski

Rob Luzynski

Community Coordinator

Rob joined The Stewardship Network in 2017 after several years of working with Lisa unofficially as a mentee and external TSN supporter. Before that, he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science with a concentration in Environmental Psychology from the University of Michigan’s Program in the Environment, where he was awarded outstanding student in his major in 2016. Before working for The Stewardship Network, Rob was a fellow with the OptiMize Social Innovation Challenge in 2016, worked as a research assistant in U of M’s Organizational Studies Department, built hoop houses for the Michigan Urban Farming Initiative in parts of Detroit, and worked as a floriculturist with the City of Detroit’s General Services Division.

As the Community Coordinator at TSN, Rob is the primary point of contact for our member community coordinators. He is in charge of coordinator support, which includes providing technical and strategic guidance, facilitating peer-learning opportunities, and maintaining relationships with member community coordinators and partners, among many other things. He is responsible for overseeing the growth and development strategy of the program, and works closely with Executive Director Lisa Brush to identify and pursue new partnership opportunities. On a day to day basis, you can find Rob doing things like attending member community planning meetings, assisting with tech support for Zoom webinars or email newsletters, providing strategic input on member community programming, and lending a listening ear to coordinators that just need someone to talk to who understands the unique challenges of being a coordinator.

In his free time, Rob is a musician, arts organizer, and journalist in Detroit. He enjoys gardening, skateboarding, and playing hockey, and likes to get up to his family’s place on Torch Lake whenever he can. He loves meeting new people and experiencing new things, and if you’re looking for him at your local watering hole, he is likely at the pool table or in line for karaoke!

Rachel Muelle

Rachel Muelle

Senior Program Manager

Rachel joined the team in 2016 and manages a number of TSN’s programs and grant projects. She earned a MS from the University of Michigan’s School of Natural Resources and Environment in Sustainable Systems and a BS in Environmental Studies and Agriscience from Michigan State University.

Rachel has worked on a diverse set of ecological and conservation projects, including neotropical bee habitat in Nicaragua, endangered mountain gorilla behavior in Uganda, and collaborative group function across North America. When not working on TSN projects, Rachel is probably out exploring northern Minnesota, where she lives with her partner and her dog.

Bob Zammit

Bob Zammit

Senior Director of Communications & Engagement

Bob leads TSN’s outbound engagement efforts to activate donors, volunteers, and other key groups across the wider community while constantly refining a holistic communications strategy for the organization. The story of The Stewardship Network needs to be told and through everything from email, web, social media, and paid advertising strategy to copywriting, asset creation, and communications partnerships, this is the person responsible for making sure it’s a story told well.

Fortunately, Bob learned to tell impactful stories from great teachers and comes to us after a long run marketing video games at Xbox (Microsoft) while living in Seattle. Before that, he spent years as a senior advertising agency strategist with Wunderman and earned his MBA from the University of Washington.

When not busy trying to use his corporate marketing powers for good, he is an avid and active musician. 

Boo Curry

Collaborative Landscape Stewardship Fellow

Born and raised in Missoula, Montana, Laurel Ann “Boo” Curry attended the University of Montana where she earned a BS in Wildlife Biology in 2011. After a 10+ year career in avian field biology, her passion for landscape conservation and traveling enticed her to pursue a master’s degree at UM in the International Conservation & Development Program. During this time, she drank the kool aid of systems-thinking, social-ecological justice, and collaborative approaches to landscape conservation, and is set on applying these lenses to her work. She has helped plan and facilitate international seminars in protected area management, Indigenous perspectives travel abroad groups, and is excited to be helping both the California Landscape Stewardship Network and Global Landscape Stewards coordinate their efforts in her TSN Fellow role. In her off time, Boo enjoys drumming and dancing in a local performance group. Her seasonal activities include swimming and camping in the summer, snowboarding in the winter, and birding and hot-springing in all seasons!

Sharon Farrell

Sharon Farrell

Special Projects Lead & Strategic Advisor

Sharon Farrell was most recently Executive Vice President of Projects, Stewardship & Science at the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy. Sharon and her team lead the organization’s project design and delivery, conservation initiatives, community science, restoration, and stewardship programs. She also worked closely with agency partners to oversee the One Tam Initiative, a community initiative to help ensure a healthy future for Mt. Tamalpais.

Prior to joining the Parks Conservancy in 2004, Sharon was the Executive Director of the Watershed Project. Her work included capacity building for “Friends” groups, with a focus on partnership and fund development with municipalities and local governments. Sharon developed training and grants programs to support this work, and forged regional partnerships with other Bay Area non-profit organizations to support community-based stakeholder groups.

Sharon holds a MS in Park Management with emphasis on Ecological Restoration and Community Stewardship, and a BS in Chemistry. Originally from the United Kingdom, she now lives in the East Bay with her wife Sue, their two children, and their dog, Marco.

Zac Hummel

Project Associate

Zac spends much of his free time in the mountains, either backpacking or climbing. He has had the privilege of traveling extensively throughout South America and has come to love the region’s diverse cultures and landscapes. These passions continue to act as the foundation of his career aspirations.

He recently finished a Master of Science in International Conservation and Development at the University of Montana, with a graduate certificate in Natural Resource Conflict Resolution. His academic interests center on collaborative approaches to conservation governance, with a particular focus on South America. Put simply, he is curious about how communities are involved in decision-making that impacts their landscapes.

Professionally, Zac sees himself continuing his path as an environmental educator, helping facilitate difficult conversations around environmental conflicts, and supporting collaboratives towards their land stewardship goals. On his own time, he likes to cook, rock climb, play music, drink maté, and discuss philosophy.

Celia Larsen

TSN Conference Book Sale Volunteer

Celia joined our TSN Conference Planning Committee at its inception and continues to curate the beloved Book Sale at the event each year. She loves books and words, is a trusted editor for the organization, and enjoys playing word games with Lisa Brush. 
 
Celia is also a native plant enthusiast who taught gardening and outdoor education at the Rudolf Steiner School of Ann Arbor for twelve years.

Dr. Amy Mickel

Applied Research Lead

Dr. Amy Mickel earned her doctorate from University of Washington’s Foster School of Business. She has been a full-time faculty member at Sacramento State since 2000. She has taught in MBA programs domestically and overseas and in the inaugural CA Parks Leadership Development Program. Her research is published in prestigious and international journals such as Academy of Management Review, Human Relations, Journal of Management Education, and Journal of Management Inquiry.

Dr. Mickel has also served the State of California and other organizations as a principal research investigator and consultant, including California Department of Parks and Recreation (Division of Boating &Waterways and OHMVR Division), Delta Protection Commission, and One Tam (Marin, CA). The most recent projects she has completed include: (a) 2018 California Boating Facilities Needs Assessment (Ten Volumes), (b) Recreation & Tourism in the Delta (2019) for Delta Protection Commission, and (c) Generating, Scaling Up, and Sustaining Partnership Impact: One Tam’s First Four Years (2018) and Partnership Impact Evaluation Guide (2019) for One Tam and the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy.

Erin Mittendorf

General Programs Volunteer

A former TSN staff member, Erin rejoined the team in 2025 as a volunteer to lend a hand on various projects. When she’s not helping us out, she’s helping out at her family’s farm (Brines Farm) and raising two kids. Erin holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Michigan.

Philip Rice

GLIA Communications Specialist

Philip Rice is a community organizer, musician, and poet based on Mackinac Island. With over a decade of experience in the nonprofit sector with a focus on ecology, equality, sustainability, culture, and quality of life in the Midwest, he supports collaboration and resilience in rural communities through his work with the Great Lakes Islands Alliance.

Abbie Bristol

Abbie Bristol

SWxSW Corner CISMA

Abbie works in many roles with the SWxSW Corner CISMA, including: Strike Team Coordinator, Invasive Species Treatment Specialist, Outreach, Education, and Coordination, and Native Plant Specialist.

Patrick Canniff

Patrick Canniff

Oakland County CISMA

In addition to his role as TSN Member Community Coordinator for Oakland County CISMA, Patrick (He/Him/His) is the Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Outreach Coordinator for Oakland County Parks and Recreation. He holds a M.S. in Conservation Ecology/Environmental Informatics from University of Michigan, and a B.S. in Environmental Science from Loyola University Chicago. Patrick has come to the CISMA from the Great Lakes Commission supporting their Aquatic Invasive Species program. Previously, Patrick has held positions working for the National Park Service (Sleeping Bear Dunes NL), Chicago Botanic Garden, and working with Bureau of Land Management (Twin Falls-ID field office). In his free time, you will likely find Patrick out on a hike, waist-deep in a vegetable garden, or behind a drum set.

Anna Cone

Huron Arbor Cluster

Growing up on an apple orchard sparked Anna’s lifelong interest in environmental conservation. With a master’s in Ecosystem Science and Management & Environmental Justice from the University of Michigan, she is committed to creating inclusive, people-first solutions to environmental challenges. Anna has worked in a variety of roles such as environmental educator, DEI consultant, and parks department director. Currently, she supports climate-resilient farming practices with the Michigan Climate Smart Farm Project at Washtenaw County Conservation District.

Julie Conley

Grand-Raisin Conservation Community

(bio coming soon)

Stephanie Day

Mid-Michigan CISMA

Stephanie is the Coordinator for the Mid-Michigan Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area (CISMA) which is housed at Woldumar Nature Center in Lansing. Stephanie has a bachelor’s degree in biology from Spring Arbor University and has completed the MSU Conservation Stewards Program. She grew up in northern Michigan where she spent much of her time in the Huron National Forest and on the AuSable River. She now lives in Holt with her family and enjoys hiking, kayaking, and tending to her native plant garden. As the CISMA Coordinator, Stephanie can share valuable resources about managing invasive species on your property, so feel free to reach out to her with questions you may have. Organizations are welcome to invite her to give presentations and workshops on invasive species. 

Emily Duthinh

Emily Duthinh

Headwaters Cluster

Emily has served on NOHLC’s Board of Directors since 2013 and is currently serving as president.  She has been active in the Stewardship and Land Acquisition Committees for twelve years.  She is also Chair of the Oakland County Cooperative Invasive Species management Area *(CISMA). She is a Conservation Steward in Michigan and co-founded the Oakland Phragmites and Invasive Species (OPIS) Task Force.

Emily earned her bachelor’s degree in geology from Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and her master’s degree in environmental science from Duke University.  She worked for 18 years in environmental consulting, investigating and remediating contaminated soil and groundwater at industrial sites throughout the mid Atlantic states, Ohio, and Michigan. 

Emily is an adjunct professor at Wayne State University in Detroit and Owens Community College in Toledo, Ohio.  She has extensive experience in preschool and K-12 education, particularly educating students with special needs, and was a founding school board member of the M.O.D.E.L. Community School, a charter school for students with autism in Toledo.

Alex Florian

Alex Florian

SWxSW Corner CISMA

Alex studied biology at GVSU, focusing on ecology and evolution. He has spent summers studying invasive fish like round goby and silver carp, as well as wonderful native fish like lake sturgeon. Alex spent the winter of 2021 surveying for Hemlock Woolly Adelgid with the the SWxSW Corner CISMA, before becoming the CISMA coordinator in August of the same year.

As CISMA Coordinator, Alex provides information to the public about invasive species, and organizes events to raise awareness. He also works to build local partnerships and support for managing, surveying, and preventing invasive species. Having seen firsthand the impacts of invasive species, he is dedicated to protecting Southwest Michigan from the threat they pose.

Alex enjoys long walks on the beach, in the winter, looking at hemlocks.

Jacob Fluur

Jacob Fluur

Central Wisconsin Invasives Partnership

Jacob is the coordinator of the Central Wisconsin Invasives Partnership. Jacob graduated from UW-Stevens Point in 2019 with a bachelors degree in Natural Resources Planning. He has a combined 4 years of experience with terrestrial invasive species at this point

During his education at UWSP, Jacob worked at Schmeeckle Reserve near campus and also interned for the Ozaukee-Washington Land Trust for a summer. Following his graduation, he started working as a Terrestrial Invasive Species Coordinator at Golden Sands RC&D in 2020 and he now coordinates the Central Wisconsin Invasives Partnership.

Wade Foster

CAKE CISMA

Wade is originally from southern Michigan but has spent summers with his family in Charlevoix Michigan his entire life. Wade started with CAKE CISMA as a field technician while he was still in college at Grand Valley State University. After graduating with a B.S. in Natural Resource Management he moved to Northern Michigan and accepted the position of Restoration Crew Lead. In addition to his degree, Wade holds both fire ecology and ArcGIS certificates. 

​In the office, you’ll often find Wade with ArcGIS, training seasonal staff, and meticulously planning for the field season. Outside of the office Wade is an avid long-distance runner and enjoys backpacking and spending time with his family. 

Jason Frenzel

Huron Arbor Cluster

Jason facilitates current and potential watershed stewards. Previously, he worked with the City of Ann Arbor’s Natural Area Preservation program for 10 years as its Volunteer and Outreach Coordinator.

Jason holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Michigan State University in “facilitating tree hugging.” He joined HRWC in 2011 and lives in the Traver Creekshed.

Murielle Garbarino

West Michigan Conservation Network

In addition to her role within the West Michigan Conservation Network, Murielle Garbarino is the West Michigan CISMA Coordinator out of the Ottawa Conservation District (OCD). As coordinator, she organizes and implements a multitude of invasive plant and pest management and education activities throughout WMCISMA’s seven-county service area. Murielle grew up in Grand Haven, Michigan, and was a generally outdoorsy kid, which later led her to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Natural Resources Management from Grand Valley State University. Murielle enjoys many different outdoor activities, including hiking, camping, swimming, and juggling. 

Katie Gray

CAKE CISMA

Katie grew up in Northern Michigan, an area that fostered her love for the outdoors. Katie attended Michigan State University where she received her bachelors of science in plant biology and environmental biology. Before her position with CAKE, Katie worked as a research assistant for MSU’s Forest Carbon and Climate Program, where she helped develop graduate courses focused on the implementation of climate-smart forest management. 

Katie loves science communication and enjoys observing and teaching about all the little connections in nature that you’ve never noticed before. 

Kim Hack-Davidson

Kim Hack-Davidson

Columbia River Gorge Stewardship Network

Kim is a bridge builder, nature connector, and facilitator of change with strong values in environmental and social justice. She has worked at the local, state, and federal levels of government as well as nonprofit organizations. Some of these positions were as an environmental education, ecologist, natural resource specialist, and advocate. She recently graduated from Portland State University in Urban & Regional Planning where she focused on environmental planning and collaborative governance. She worked at Tualatin Riverkeepers working to increase access to the river then in communications at the Portland Water Bureau before joining as the Coordinator with the Columbia River Gorge Stewardship Network. She’s grateful to have landed in this dynamic, collaborative position that supports ecological stewardship, equity, and inclusive recreation.

Heather Hasenstein

Heather Hasenstein

South Central Invasives Partnership

Heather’s passion for nature led her to do graphic design work primarily for local environmental non-profits. She couldn’t bring herself to design for clients that she wasn’t passionate about, or groups that were actively polluting the environment, and was thrilled to find there was a need for her skills in the environmental arena. Now serving as a Member Community Coordinator, she combines these talents to keep information flowing between groups in an easily digestible way, and to get volunteers interested and motivated. She loves informing people about the plants and animals around them, and helping people to identify and deal with invasive species. If you bump into Heather in the field you will probably find her studying a plant or insect, or with her eyes straining skyward to identify a bird overhead.

Sara Huetteman

Sara Huetteman

BCK CISMA

After attending Central Michigan University, Sara started her career in AmeriCorps going on to managed multiple natural areas for Little Forks Conservancy of Midland, MI for a little over 5 years. Sara enjoys both time outdoors controlling invasive species and spending time speaking with people about the outdoors and empowering them to learn about the natural area around them.

Bob Kellum

Bob Kellum

Grand-Raisin Conservation Community

The son of a geologist and an archeologist, Bob Kellum is the living descendent of an impressionable eight-year-old who was taken into the confidence of his family’s land.  Fifty-eight years later, he works to honor that confidence as steward of 300 acres of highly variable land in the ‘Irish Hills’ of south-east Michigan.  His interest in time comes from his sense that its experience is infinitely variable and that the priorities we see clearly with a long view, can bear little resemblance to the short-term priorities we live by.   Bob is a founding member of the Stewardship Network’s Grand Raisin Conservation Community, a founding cooperator in the Iron Creek Land Community, a founding member and president of Oh These Irish Hills! and a board member of the Central Algoma Freshwater Coalition.

Carley Kratz

Grand-Raisin Conservation Community

Carley Kratz teaches Natural Resources at the Lenawee Intermediate School District Center for a Sustainable Future.  She received her BS from the University of Michigan in the Program in the Environment, an MA from Michigan State University in Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources Education, and her Ph.D. from Michigan Technological University in Forest Science. She was previously the Director of the River Raisin Watershed Council and has taught biology, chemistry, environmental science, and geology at the college level.  In her free time she enjoys trail running and mushroom foraging in the Jackson Interlobate Region.

Devin Landry

Devin Landry

California Landscape Stewardship Network

Devin Landry serves as coordinator of the California Landscape Stewardship Network. In this role, he supports the CLSN’s mission of advancing cross-boundary, landscape-scale stewardship through tracking various initiatives, drafting network-wide communications, and event planning. Devin also provides facilitative support to the Network for Landscape Conservation’s Catalyst Fund Peer Learning Cohort, as well as to the Center for Natural Resources & Environmental Policy at the University of Montana. 

Prior to working in landscape conservation and stewardship, Devin conducted wildlife research across the U.S. Northern Rockies. Whether it’s his background in research, policy, or connecting the two through practice, he maintains a passion for understanding how people connect with nature and place to care for the land and their communities.

Devin holds a B.A. in English and Religious Studies from Skidmore College and a M.S. in Wildlife Biology from the University of Montana, where he also gained certification in the Natural Resources Conflict Resolution Program.

Matt Preisser

Matt Preisser

Great Lakes Islands Alliance

Matt has over twenty years of experience in multi-disciplinary policy, planning, and management, with focus on environment and natural resources. He coordinates state of Michigan activities under the bi-national Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement and federal Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.  Matt also advances a number of special projects both internal and external to state government, most notably by serving as regional coordinator for TSN Member Community the Great Lakes Islands Alliance, a voluntary network of leaders from year-round island communities. In nearly all his roles, he finds himself serving the role of connector or coordinator, which requires navigating the complex interactions between multiple issues, programs, and siloed organizations. Matt holds a Bachelor of Science (biology) degree from Bucknell University and a Master of Environmental Management (resource ecology) from Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment.

To learn more about the Great Lakes Islands Alliance, go to www.GLIAlliance.org

Amanda Ruffini

Lake St. Clair CISMA

Amanda is a University of Denver Graduate with a Master’s in Natural Resource Management. Prior to joining CISMA, she worked for Oakland County in the Natural Resource Department, working on maintaining high quality natural areas in OC Parks, invasive species management, and restoration projects. She has also previously interned with the South Australian Research and Development Institute to develop a GIS protocol for mapping aquatic vegetation in the coastal zone. She spends her free time foraging or hiking in Oakland county and volunteering as a steward for MNA. Now a part of LSC CISMA, she will be spending her time developing and coordinating invasive species management projects.

Shikha Singh

JLW CISMA

Shikha Singh is an invasive species biologist with the Jackson County Conservation District, and coordinates outreach and management activities of the Jackson Lenawee Washtenaw Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area. She graduated from the University of Western Ontario with a degree in Biology, and completed her master’s and PhD at Michigan State University. She has over 20 years’ experience working on environmental issues impacting the Great Lakes region.

Dylan Skybrook

Dylan Skybrook

Santa Cruz Mountains Stewardship Network

Dylan Skybrook is the Manager of the Santa Cruz Mountains Stewardship Network. Previously, Skybrook was a systems leadership consultant who has worked with United Way, Arts Midwest, Impact Hub Minneapolis/Saint Paul, the Minnesota Social Innovation Lab and many others.

Skybrook designed online learning modules on systems thinking and complexity at the Center for Spirituality and Healing at the University of Minnesota as well as guest lecturing on the topic at Kaos Pilots in Aarhus, Denmark and the Masters in Strategic Leadership toward Sustainability program at Blekinge Tekniska Hogskola in Karlskrona, Sweden.

Skybrook’s recent article, Navigating Purpose and Collaboration in Social Impact Networks for Stanford Social Innovation Review can be viewed here.

Ashley Traut

Ashley Traut

Greater Baltimore Wilderness Coalition

Ashley Traut is the Senior Advisor for the Greater Baltimore Wilderness Coalition, where he works to unite regional partners around creating a thriving, resilient and equitable green infrastructure network throughout Central Maryland. Ashley also runs Gaiacene Services, an environmental consulting firm that specializes in site-scale, nature-based and renewable energy solutions. Prior to these roles, Ashley served as Senior Program Manager for Innovative Stormwater Projects at Blue Water Baltimore where he developed and led programs focused on community-wide stormwater reduction strategies and oversaw the design and construction of capital stormwater projects. Ashley has a Master’s degree in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation from the University of Florida, and is a graduate of the Maryland Climate Leadership Academy.

Outside of work, Ashley loves hiking and camping with his wife, two kids and friends, birding and mushrooming, cooking, and pondering the meaning of life, be it while meditating or enjoying a few beers.

Matty Watkins

The Green Ribbon Initiative

Matty Watkins is the Outreach & Education, Green Ribbon Initiative Partnership Specialist for The Nature Conservancy at Kitty Todd Nature Preserve. They are also the chair of the GRI’s Outreach & Education committee. Prior to the GRI, Matty worked as a programmer and environmental education specialist with Metroparks Toledo. Matty is a NAI certified interpretive guide, certified environmental educator, EECO Charley Harper award winner, and enjoys teaching groups all about the Oak Openings on & off the clock. They graduated from the University of Toledo in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in art education and utilize their background in the arts in their work throughout the Oak Openings region. Matty is also the editor, illustrator, & sometimes cartoonist for the GRI’s quarterly newsletter.

Jasmine Wyant

Jasmine Wyant

SC Invasives Partnership

Jasmine was born in the Midwest and earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Wisconsin with focuses in surface mine reclamation and restoration ecology respectively. Jasmine has worked extensively in conservation and education while in positions as a natural resource contractor, with natural resource conservation nonprofits like the Prairie Enthusiasts and Goldensands RC&D Inc, and as an instructor of animal biology at UW-Madison.

Jasmine enjoys gardening with her 2 cats, playing ultimate frisbee, and any activity that gets her out amongst the fellow residents of the land and water like hiking, kayaking, camping, and nature photography.

Lisa Brush

Board President

Lisa Brush has been leading collaborative conservation initiatives in the environmental sector for more than 25 years. In her role as CEO and Founder of The Stewardship Network, she has engaged thousands of professionals and volunteers in identifying community and stewardship needs of the 21st century. She has facilitated the initiation, growth, and ongoing support of networks and collaborations at all scales across the country. Lisa has worked with all volunteer nonprofits to global NGOs; municipal, state, federal and tribal governments; consultants and contractors; students and researchers; private property owners and more. She has facilitated strategic planning sessions, focus groups, citizen task forces, community visioning sessions, and public involvement and feedback meetings with groups ranging in size from four to four hundred. Lisa believes deeply in the power of people to create positive community change and works to support people and institutions in this endeavor.

She has been involved in all aspects of organizational management including: foundation/agency relationships; grant based project funding; budget tracking; contract negotiation, implementation, accountability; staff and board development.

Lisa serves on numerous boards of directors, has a BA in Science in Society from Wesleyan University, an MS from University of Michigan’s School of Natural Resources and Environment, and is a graduate of Michigan State University’s Great Lakes Leadership Academy.

Rick Bunch

Board Treasurer

Rick is a senior consultant with 5 Lakes Energy, where he serves as Executive Director and President of the Michigan Municipal Association for Utility Issues. MI-MAUI provides technical support and a collective voice to local governments to improve utility services, reduce costs and influence utility regulatory processes. Rick has 20 years’ experience in energy and sustainable enterprise research and education, and served as managing director of the Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise at the University of Michigan from 2008 to 2013. He has held senior executive and program leadership positions at The Aspen Institute, Bainbridge Graduate Institute, and World Resources Institute.

Rick serves as Board Secretary of Soulardarity in Highland Park, Michigan, and on the Board of Directors of The Stewardship Network. He is past executive director and currently an officer and Board member of Seattle-based Washington Public Interest Research Group (WashPIRG) and the WashPIRG Foundation, grassroots organizations advocating consumer protections and government reform. Rick was on the board of Michigan Environmental Council 2009-2021, and was Treasurer from 2017 onward. He holds an MBA with Environmental Management certificate from the University of Washington and BS in Political Science from Yale University. He and his family live in Ann Arbor Township, Michigan.

Gretchen Driskell

Board Member

Gretchen was elected in 2024 to serve as Washtenaw County Water Resources Commissioner (aka Drain Commissioner) in southeast Michigan. The WCWRC team is responsible for managing stormwater flooding, countywide home toxins collection program and environmental protection programs like rain gardens. We partner with elected officials, community members, watersheds, and nonprofits to keep our surface water clean. Gretchen has served as a local elected official for 20 years, including 14 years as mayor of Saline, and served two terms in the Michigan State House of Representatives. During her time in elected office she worked collaboratively to build relationships with stakeholders and improve our communities.

Gretchen originally had a career in accounting and finance, held a CPA and received an MBA at The George Washington University. Gretchen received an MPA from the Ford School at University of Michigan in 2020.  She has worked in commercial real estate and recently worked to engage community stakeholders on two utility scale solar projects in southeast Michigan. 

Shawn Johnson

Shawn Johnson

Board Chair

Shawn Johnson is Director of the Center for Natural Resources & Environmental Policy at the University of Montana and co-director of the Center’s graduate certificate program in Natural Resources Conflict Resolution.  Shawn organizes and leads strategic planning and capacity building workshops for a wide variety of organizations focused on natural resource policy and management and has served as a facilitator and mediator on issues ranging from land use planning and forest management to conservation priority setting and regional collaboration. For the past ten years, he has helped advance a joint effort between the Center and the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy on regional collaboration and large landscape conservation. The joint effort explores questions of policy, leadership, and governance at regional or landscape scales, where there is often a mismatch between the scale of an existing challenge or opportunity and that of existing organizations and jurisdictions. In May 2011, Shawn helped organize and convene a group of large landscape conservation practitioners that led to a new network of practitioners throughout North America who are working to improve community and conservation outcomes at the large landscape scale — the Practitioners’ Network for Large Landscape Conservation. Shawn is co-author, with Matthew McKinney, of Working Across Boundaries: People, Nature, and Regions (Lincoln Institute, 2009). He also contributed to Large Landscape Conservation, A Strategic Framework for Policy and Action (Lincoln Institute, 2010) and Remarkable Beyond Borders: People and Landscapes in the Crown of the Continent (Sonoran Institute, 2010). Prior to his work at the Center, Shawn earned a Master’s degree in Public Affairs from Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School and spent three years as a legislative aide to U.S. Senator Max Baucus.

Remy Long

Remy Long

Board Member

Remy Long is a Deputy Manager of Ann Arbor Parks & Recreation, overseeing the City’s land conservation programming. This encompasses stewardship programming across the park system’s natural areas, as well as conservation acquisitions. Part of his work includes advancing the City’s pioneering land conservation program, the Greenbelt, which has permanently conserved 7,500+ acres surrounding the City of Ann Arbor. Remy is an experienced grant-writer and administrator, and well-versed in strategic and operational planning, partnership development, and programmatic innovations. 

Prior to joining the City, Remy worked for The Conservation Fund, a national environmental nonprofit, and Legacy Land Conservancy, a regional environmental nonprofit. Before starting a career in nonprofit and governmental service, he served three years as a Peace Corps volunteer in West Africa focused on environmental projects. He holds a BS in Environmental Studies and International Relations from Western Michigan University, and a MS from the University of Michigan’s School for Environment and Sustainability. 

By appointment of the Governor, Remy also serves on the Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development’s Agricultural Preservation Fund Board. He is married to an endlessly curious and astute conservationist, Allene, with whom he has two children, Rhus and Castor.

Mark Shepard

Mark Shepard

Board Member

Mark Shepard heads Restoration Agriculture Development andForest Agriculture Nursery, but is most widely known as the author of the award-winning book, Restoration Agriculture: Real-World Permaculture for Farmers. Restoration Agriculture is based off his experiences at New Forest Farm and represents his belief in the ability of sustainably grown perennial food crops to feed us into “our resource-compromised future”. Trained in mechanical engineering and ecology, Mark has combined these two passions to develop equipment and processes for the cultivation, harvesting and processing of forest-derived agricultural products. He is a certified permaculture designer and teaches agroforestry, permaculture, and his innovative systems of water management around the world.

Chris Theriot

Chris Theriot

Board Secretary

Chris Theriot has more than 15 years working at the intersection of business, policy, and natural resources. He currently works with Resource Recycling Systems to advance corporate sustainability around materials management.

Previously, he worked at Ducks Unlimited and as a consultant to the United Nations Development Program. Theriot earned a MS from the School of Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan and a MPP from the University of Chicago. He enjoys running, bicycling, fishing, and grouse hunting in the great state of Michigan.

Reneé V. Wallace

Reneé V. Wallace

Board Member

Reneé has the privilege of leading three entrepreneurial entities, Doers Edge LLC (CEO), FoodPLUS Detroit (Executive Director) and ReMark Composting Solutions (Co-Founder & President). She has been a facilitative leader, business consultant and coach for three decades, specializing in development of strategic engagement and execution systems for industry and community-based organizations.

Reneé interprets visionary concepts, translates them into actionable solutions, and facilitates execution through strategic initiatives and special projects.  She helps accelerate results with disciplined orderly execution through policies, processes, people, collaborative work systems, and technologies.  Reneé facilitates strategic and operational planning processes for diverse types of organizations, as well as designs and develops programs.  Her work includes facilitating engagement of leaders, stakeholders, from public, private, academic and community spheres, with diverse roles, experiences, and perspectives.  The project she is most proud of will come to life in 2022. 

Reneé designed and facilitated engagement of university leaders, staff and students in a scenario-based approach to applying WMU’s Institutional Diversity and Multiculturalism practices in the design process for the new student center/dining facility.  She is also a leader in service to the Detroit Community through roles as Project Portfolio Manager of FoodPLUS Detroit, participant in the Detroit City Council Green Taskforce community, and lead for the Michigan Organics Council Infrastructure Action Team.  Her aim through these engagements is to build the capacity of policymakers, citizens, food waste and compost practitioners, to cultivate a culture of resourcefulness, and to catalyze an enabling environment for development of a decentralized compost ecosystem and infrastructure in Detroit. 

Reneé is a Certified Change Manager, Certified Business Process Consultant, Visual Consultant-Facilitator, Participatory Modeling community practitioner, and Strategic Doing Consultant, with a business administration degree in Marketing from Western Michigan University.

Jon W. Allan

Jon W. Allan

Strategic Advisor

Jon W. Allan is President and Founder of the Jon W. Allan Group, a private consultancy specializing in strategic insight for freshwater and the Great Lakes, energy and environmental policy and natural resource governance. The Group supports research, analytical insight, regulatory and legislative guidance, and environmental and natural resource management strategies. They focus on the intersection of ecological, economic, social and cultural value(s) of water and natural resources.

With nearly four decades of experience he has professionally applied his understanding of ecological systems to a variety of pressing Great Lakes issues.

Jon’s research on wetlands, stream ecology, and water policy has been published in Canada and the U.S. Organizations and individuals rely on his expertise to lead or advise on strategy, environmental planning and policy across the region.

Colm Fay

Strategic Advisor

Colm Fay has spent close to 15 years at the intersection of private sector engagement, social impact, and systems change. He has worked in global health and nutrition, economic development and poverty alleviation, energy and climate, and conservation in the United States, Sub-Saharan Africa, and South Asia.

Colm has launched and led innovative grant programs that support entrepreneurs and enhance the enabling environment for impact at scale and has led learning strategy for international programs in clean energy. As an independent consultant he supports organizations to scale their impact through business planning, training and development, funding strategies and thought leadership. Colm holds an MBA and a Masters in Natural Resources from the University of Michigan.

He is currently based in the Hudson Valley in New York and enjoys camping in the Catskills and Adirondacks. Colm also enjoys long hikes and recently completed both the West Highland Way in Scotland and the Camino de Santiago in Spain.

Ann Kim

Strategic Advisor

Ann H. Kim is a retired attorney and active community volunteer. Ann practiced environmental, energy, and administrative law for almost 30 years and served as chief of staff to the CEO and as head of investor relations at a Fortune 200 company. Ann is a founding director and former President and Treasurer of Bay Area Young Survivors, a breast cancer support and advocacy group in the SF Bay Area, has served on the boards of the Presidio Community YMCA and A2 Community Bookfest, and volunteers with the Back Door Food Pantry and 826 Michigan in Ann Arbor. Ann is also the author of two novels, A Good Family and Relative Strangers, under the pen name A.H. Kim.

Jason Krick

Strategic Advisor

Jason Krick returned to school after a long hiatus to pursue his MS degree from the University of Michigan’s School for Environment and Sustainability, studying Behavior, Education & Communication and Ecosystem Science & Management. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University and spent 25 years working as a trust officer, investment manager, and Certified Financial Planner. Jason is now a wet meadow steward at the Oudolf Garden Detroit, a Board Member at ZeroWaste.org, volunteers extensively at community and botanical gardens, and does restoration work in local natural areas. He and Jennifer recently celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary and have college-aged twins, Willem and Katherine.

Joanne Marchetta

Strategic Advisor

Joanne Marchetta spent her career in environmental and land use policy development, management of natural resource conservation and restoration programs, complex conflict resolution, and shared leadership of cross-sector networks for environmental and socioeconomic change. She most recently led the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, a California-Nevada bi-state partnership, as its Executive Director for 14 years. At TRPA she was a network leader and co-chair of the Lake Tahoe Environmental Improvement Program, a successful global model for collaborative landscape-scale restoration. Before that she served as an environmental and land use attorney at the Department of Justice, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and The Presidio Trust of San Francisco.

Joanne is drawn to systems change work, and likes to think forward about how to build big ideas into better ways of doing things. Throughout her 45-year career, she championed novel approaches, finding common ground across divides, and collaborative leadership. Since retiring in 2023, Joanne now engages her interest in strengthening national, regional, and local conservation and stewardship networks and collaboratives.

She and her partner Melodi, with their dog Hotai, live on the California-Nevada border near Lake Tahoe. She loves to hike, camp, kayak, walk the dog, read, and spend contemplative silent time.