Kathleen is a Michigan native who has spent 40+ years living in the Traverse City area (30+ years in Acme Township). She became involved with the Acme Shoreline project from inception, having facilitated early visioning discussions and participated on the Acme Shoreline Citizen’s Advisory Committee, and is thrilled to see this beautiful East Grand Traverse Bay Shoreline become open parkland for present and future generations to enjoy. Kathleen is a graduate of Alma College (B.A.) and Michigan State University (M.S. and Ph.D.). She served as a vice president at Northwestern Michigan College and is now an independent consultant specializing in fundraising, non-profit board development, strategic planning and communications. She and her husband Mark love Michigan’s water and land and enjoy it to the fullest while boating, hiking, fishing, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. They have two married daughters and four precious grandchildren who live in the Traverse City area.

Linda, a Michigan native originally from St. Joseph, spent her working life in Midland. She retired from Midland Public Schools after a 33 year career that began as a kindergarten teacher and ended as the associate superintendent for finance, facilities, and operations. While in Midland, Linda held leadership positions on a variety of boards including a credit union, a community foundation, and an arts organization. She was also an enthusiastic warrior against invasive species for the Little Forks Conservancy, a role she has brought with her to Traverse City where she is the treasurer of TART Trails and a member of its Leelanau Trail invasive species team.

Linda earned her A.B. in education from the University of Michigan and an M.B.A. from Central Michigan University. She and her husband, Dan, moved to Traverse City in 2016 and are now enjoying outdoor activities year-round, including exploring northern Michigan’s many Conservancy protected properties.

Greg is a recently retired certified public accountant, having practiced in Traverse City since 1990. Born
in Flint, Michigan, he received his bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Western Michigan University
and a Master's in Taxation degree from Walsh College. Greg’s main discipline focused on estate, trust
and charitable giving taxation. Twice a prior board member and treasurer of the Grand Traverse
Regional Land Conservancy from 1991-2000, 2013-2022, he was involved in the early Michigan Natural
Resources Trust Fund projects, Antrim Creek, Seven Bridges and Yuba Creek Natural Areas. His favorite
GTRLC property is the Upper Manistee Headwaters Preserve in Kalkaska. An avid black and white film
photographer and darkroom fanatic since age 13, he and his partner, Tracey McVicar, published Shine
On – Photographs of the Northwestern Michigan Region in 2013, featuring several GTRLC properties.
Greg and Tracey live in Acme Township and combined have five children.

John was born in Dowagiac and grew up a free range kid, fishing, biking, swimming, hunting and hiking the surrounding lands. That adolescent experience left him with a deep appreciation of woods and water and the ability to access the land.

He attended Western Michigan University and graduated with a B.S. and M.A. in Political Science.

Based in Chicago, he has spent 35 years on Wall Street representing money managers such as Nicholas Applegate, Alliance Bernstein, and Eaton Vance. He spent the last 10 years as a Senior Vice President for the Roosevelt Investment Group, a small investment boutique which is the former family office of the descendants of President Teddy Roosevelt.

In 2013, John and his spouse Rebecca relocated to Traverse City full time so they could live where they have vacationed many times.

Now fully retired, John is Treasurer for the Board of Trustees for Peninsula Community Library and sits on the Board of Directors for Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities.

He resides with his spouse Rebecca on Old Mission Peninsula. With his free time, he enjoys bicycling, fishing, photography, sporting clays and hiking the wonderful trails found on the GTRLC properties.

Cathie retired from a twenty-five-year career in the Departments of Natural Resources and Environmental Quality, where she served as Director of the Coastal Zone Management (CZM) program. As Director, Cathie worked in partnership with NOAA on Great Lakes and coastal issues at the local, state and federal level. The CZM program also provided grant funds for public access, habitat protection and land acquisition projects across the state, including at several GTRLC preserves. Cathie also served on advisory committees for the National Academy of Sciences, and the Cooperative Institute for Coastal and Estuarine Science and Technology at the University of New Hampshire.

Active in the community, she has served on the Boards of Directors for several local nonprofit organizations, including, Inland Seas Education Association, Land Information Access Association (LIAA) and the TC Community Garden.

When she’s not in her garden, Cathie’s other interests include reading, practicing Tai Chi and traveling with her husband Don.

Alena is a Michigan resident with ties to the east coast and an ever-growing affection for the Traverse City region, an area she and her spouse Andrew have chosen for its sense of community, beauty and resilience. Professionally, she supports nonprofits as a strategic consultant with CCS Fundraising and is exceptionally lucky to work with a wide range of clients including cultural institutions, universities and environmental organizations.

Prior to landing in Michigan, Alena spent years in the Hudson Valley, New York and in Connecticut involved in sustainable agriculture and regional food systems.

Alena earned a bachelor’s degree from Barnard College, Columbia University, and completed several years of study in France while living abroad.

She and her spouse also own and operate Cherry Basket Farm, a historic property and seasonal event space in Leelanau County where they aim to contribute to the beauty and health of the region. The agricultural operations underway are driven by climate considerations and efforts to model the wildlife-friendly land management practices they hope to see in the county, state and country.

Don is the cofounder and former owner of Black Star Farms, a winery, distillery, inn, restaurant and working farm in the Grand Traverse region. Don and his wife Marylou reside in Traverse City and have two adult children. Both Don and Marylou grew up in Connecticut but have summered in Leland with other family members for over 40 years, moving full time to this area in 1998. They are long time members of the Leelanau Conservancy and active supporters of numerous environmental based organizations.

Don earned his BS degree from the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University, followed by five years in the U.S. Navy and 30 years in international and national marketing and sales of spirits and wines. They have lived in the Caribbean, Latin America, Canada, Europe and the United States, and Don retired President of U.S. operations of Allied Domecq Spirits (formerly Hiram Walker Company).

While building Black Star Farms, Don was appointed to two terms as a Commissioner for the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development by Governors Granholm and Snyder and served as President and Board Member of the Leelanau County and Grand Traverse regional EDCs. Black Star Farms was the 100th MAEAP certified farm in Michigan. Don has actively supported farmland and farmer preservation efforts by working with townships, the local food network and Grand Traverse Food Shed Alliance.

Becky Ewing began her work at Rotary Charities of Traverse City in 2008 as the Program Officer, becoming Associate Director in 2013 and Executive Director on July 1, 2018. Her responsibilities included managing the grants portfolio; working with the Board and committees of Rotary Charities and Rotary Camps & Services; and participating in various community initiatives. She is a 2017 fellow with the Grantmakers for Effective Organizations (GEO) Change Leaders in Philanthropy, a national program for senior philanthropic leaders involved in change efforts. In 2021, Becky received the Russell Mawby Award for Philanthropy from the Council of Michigan Foundations.

Before joining Rotary Charities, Becky developed partnerships and programs for the Great Lakes Water Studies Institute at Northwestern Michigan College. In addition, she has worked with the Traverse City Area Chamber of Commerce on smart growth issues. Before that time, Ms. Ewing co-owned an environmental consulting firm for 15 years.

Becky has lived in Traverse City for 50 years, served on nonprofit boards and worked as a community volunteer. Her degrees include a B.S. in Biology and a B.A. in Literature, both from Grand Valley State University. On Big Ten game day, she bleeds green – being the daughter, sister, mother and mother-in-law of MSU grads. She is an avid runner, reader, meditator and connector. Having grown up in a family that camped, hiked, and explored; one of her favorite things is to be in nature, looking for morels, rocks, fish and birds.

After her retirement in June 2021, Becky and her husband Bob took an extended van trip to visit national parks in the southwest. Currently, she continues to give back by mentoring young professionals in the nonprofit sector; serving on the Author Selection Committee for the National Writers Series; and co-facilitating the Child Caring Now initiative, a 5-county, systems-based approach focused on increasing the quality and quantity of early childhood care and learning.

Cliff grew up in Maryland, enjoying the rivers, mountains and caves of the mid-Atlantic region while spending summers with his grandmother on Platte Lake in Benzie County. He attended the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, earning a B.S. in Economics in 1981. While working in New York City, he attended evening classes and received an MBA from the Stern School of New York University in 1984. That year Cliff also earned the right to use the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation. After forty years in the investment world managing growth stock portfolios and raising a family with his wife Norma in Connecticut, he recently retired and became a Michigan resident and now spends much of the year on Platte Lake. He enjoys hiking, bicycling, snow and waterskiing and is trying to learn to play bridge.

Jim grew up on a lake near Cadillac with an appreciation and passion for the natural resources of the region. He and his wife Diana moved to the Old Mission Peninsula in 1985 with their two daughters, who have returned to the Peninsula and Harbor Springs to raise their families. Their grandchildren are now the sixth generation to live in the region. Hiking, boating, biking, skiing and fishing, continue to be favorite family recreational pursuits. Jim is a graduate of Michigan State University and before retirement was the founder and president of media companies operating in Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin. He has served as a director on a variety of non-profit, professional and corporate boards. Huckle stated, “It is a privilege to have the opportunity to add my support to further the mission of the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy.”

Ray Kendra is the owner and principal architect at Environment Architects in Traverse City, Michigan. He was fully engaged with the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy through the process of designing the Conservation Center at Mitchell Creek Meadows: The Don and Jerry Oleson Nature Preserve. After completing this amazing project and getting to know the team, Ray wanted to continue to contribute to the organization in a meaningful way and joined the board at the end of 2023. In addition to the Conservation Center, his regional work of note includes the Historic Barns Park Cathedral Barn, Botanic Garden and Visitor, the Grand Traverse Bay YMCA, the Commongrounds building and the new Traverse City Senior Center.

Originally from the Detroit Area, Ray attended Lawrence Technological University, and on an extended honeymoon in Bozeman, Montana, he completed his Master's Degree in Architecture at Montana State University. The past 25 years of his career have been in Traverse City.

Ray loves off-grid adventures in Ontario, Canada, and is an avid fisherman who spends a great deal of time in wild places.

Koffi Kpachavi is the Executive Director of the Grand Traverse Conservation
District. Koffi who has been a leader in the non-profit sector for over 25 years
assumed leadership of GTCD on May 6, 2019.

Much of his career has been with the YMCA, leading camps and youth
programs in various parts of the country: Camps Mason, Ockanickon,
Matollionequay in New Jersey, Camp Colman in Washington State, Camp
Loma Mar in California and Camp Echo in Michigan. Most recently he has
worked at TrueNorth community Services in Fremont, Michigan where he
supervised an afterschool program for several local school districts. The
program was funded through the 21 st Century Community Learning Centers, a
federal grant administered by the Michigan Department of Education. Koffi
holds a BA in English and French literature from the University of Lome in
West Africa.

Koffi and his wife Teresa have three boys: Arnaud, Ian and Yannick. Arnaud,
the oldest, is a Conservation Officer for the Minnesota Department of Natural
Resources. Ian is in graduate school at the University of Wisconsin, Madison,
and Yannick studies information technology systems at Ferris State University.
Teresa works remotely for Stanford University managing online courses for the
Continuing Studies program.

When he is not working, Koffi is passionate about environmental issues and is
involved in Apiculture. He is the founder and former president of the Fremont
Area Bee Club. He is also an enology enthusiast with a focus on geology and
wine-grape growing around the world. He co-leads educational sessions in
France and the US. Koffi and Teresa own and operate a small hobby farm
following sustainable practices in Beulah, where they test the use of Biochar for
carbon sequestration and soil amendment. Koffi who is a life-long learner
enjoys reading, music, running and has coached High School Track/Cross
Country.

Chip has served as the executive director of Camp Arcadia, a Lutheran family resort on the shores of Lake Michigan in Arcadia in Manistee County since 2000. As a teen he came to Camp Arcadia as a teen camper eventually served on staff with his future wife, Sarah. They married in 2000 and raise three children, daughters 13 and 11 and a son aged 6. The GTRLC's properties near Arcadia are an important part of their lives. Springtime wild flowers, hikes to Arcadia Dunes, Baldy, mountain bike trips to the St. Pierre Trails and Glacial Hills, cross country skiing and snowshoeing highlight their year. Chip and Camp Arcadia were helpful in the Conservancy's Coastal Campaign. Chip, a graduate of Michigan State University, serves as the vice chair of the Manistee County Community Foundation and has served on the Arcadia Planning Commission. He and his wife are also very involved in their church and the local community center. Chip is passionate about protecting precious land and making it available for everyone to access.

Paul retired as President and CEO of Lucite, International, in 2016 after a 30+-year career, which included positions with Dow Chemical and private equity firm Bain Capital. He and his wife Paula have owned property in northern Michigan for 25 years and have settled permanently in the Traverse City area. Paul served as a board member and president of United Way of Northwest Michigan and on the board of Northwest Michigan Supportive Housing. He grew up camping and fishing in northern Michigan and is now an avid hiker and kayaker. Paul is also an active volunteer with the Conservancy, working with the staff and other volunteers to build and maintain trails, remove invasive species, blaze trails, and plant trees. He looks forward to working on future Conservancy projects and continuing his commitment to protecting and preserving our region’s natural resources.

Barbara Nelson-Jameson is a Park Planner and was Michigan Program Director for the National Park Service - Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program. Barbara assisted communities and organizations working to protect rivers, develop non-motorized trails, conserve open space, and preserve our natural and cultural heritage. Ms. Nelson-Jameson has been instrumental in efforts such as The Automobile National Heritage Area, Southeast Michigan Greenways Initiative, The Detroit Heritage River Water Trail, The Downriver Linked Greenways Initiative, Iron Ore Heritage Trail, Oakland County BlueWays, Cass River Water Trail, Flint River Water Trail, Fred Meijer River Valley Rail Trails, and Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail. She’s worked with the GTRLC on the Traverse City to Charlevoix Trail and the Northwest Michigan Greenways Plan.

Ms. Nelson-Jameson has worked at Isle Royale National Park, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. She has served on the boards of The Leelanau Conservancy, Michigan Trails and Greenways Alliance, Land Information Access Association, and The Heart of the Lakes Center. Barbara received a Bachelor’s of Science in Outdoor Recreation Planning and a Master’s of Science in Natural Resource Management from the University of Michigan, School of Natural Resources and Environment.

Annie Olds is a Business Development Manager at Venture North Funding & Development having recently made a big career shift. This follows her recent role as Northwest MI-SBDC Regional Director and Business Consultant where she led a team of small business consultants providing support to early stage entrepreneurs to that of larger companies looking to expand and grow their operations. During her tenure as a consultant, Annie worked with more than 500 start-up and existing businesses, assisting them to capture more than $26M in capital formation, and supported 54 of those clients to launch their new businesses.

Having grown up in and played a very active role in her family's business, Shetler Family Dairy, from start-up to early-growth to the wind down and sale of a successful operation, she credits this lifetime of experience for growing her passion for small business. Annie earned both an MBA in Strategic Management and BAS in Management with specialties in Human Resources and Small Business Management from Davenport University, as well as an AAS in Business Administration from Northwestern Michigan College. She also became a Certified Business Business Consultant via Grand Valley State University and certainly considers herself a lifelong learner.

She and her husband, Justin, own Pine Ridge Farm, a small-scale 126-acre farm in Kalkaska Co. where they custom raise beef and pork for private sale and have plans to eventually process their own maple syrup. And in their limited spare time, they enjoy camping in their 1961 Overlander Airstream with their two young children, Luke and Evelyn.

Susan Palmer, her husband Tom and her family fell in love with the water and land of northern Michigan when they first began to come 45 years ago for summer vacations. Palmer family values align with GTRLC mission which is why Susan is happy to join the board. She is the former development director at the Toledo Museum of Art where she is a current board member and Docent. She also serves as Secretary on the University of Toledo Foundation Board and the Toledo Community Foundation Board.
With her husband Tom she is a co-chair of the United Way of Toledo Tocqueville campaign. She has a daughter and son in law and three grandchildren.