Faculty

Kara serves as AFT’s Midwest farmland protection manager, a position that was newly created in 2020. Kara’s work seeks to weave together soil and water conservation practices with permanent farmland protection in the states of Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Indiana, Illinois and Iowa. Kara is also passionate about increasing farm economic viability and improving land access and tenure for farmers of color. Kara received her undergraduate degree from the University of Nebraska and received her law degree and master of public policy from the University of Minnesota.

Karen Buck is Vice President of Nonprofit Impact which radically impacts how organizations fulfill their missions and achieve results. Karen works with land trusts to create business, fundraising, and marketing plans. She has spent much of the past year helping organizations clarify strategy, recalibrate plans, and build skills and practices needed to survive rapid and unprecedented change.

Dr. Karen Capuder is a sociocultural anthropologist and archaeologist with the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation History/Archaeology Program (CCT H/A), where she helps to support the assertion of Colville tribal sovereignty over culturally important places and tribal history through research, consultation, and advocacy. She is Kanien’keha:ka (Mohawk) and French through her mother and Irish through her father, and her family is from Akwesasne. Prior to her work with the Colville Tribes, Karen earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Native American Studies, and master’s and doctoral degrees in Anthropology. Her previous work centered on collaborative anthropological research with cultural and spiritual leaders from the Nisqually and Skokomish Nations. In her spare time, she enjoys gathering plant foods and medicines, engaging in cultural activities in the fishing, gardening, and cooking for community events.

Karen Strong started Strong Outcomes in 2018 after twenty years working in conservation and fifteen years as a non-profit board member. She is deeply committed to science-based decision-making, creative community engagement, and effective board governance. Over her career she has built capacity to conserve natural resources in dozens of communities and organizations and is always thinking about how we can make conservation more relevant to more people.

Karena Mahung is a consultant with Indufor North America, where she advises on conservation finance, sustainable natural resource management and organizational design and management. Previous experience includes working with the National Park Foundation on its strategic plan, co-launching a collaborative landscape conservation initiative with NPS and working with Forestland Group LLC, Massachusetts Audubon Society, Harvard Forest and the Downeast Lakes Land Trust. She holds a master’s of environmental management from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.

Kari is Projects Branch Chief for the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Karin F. Marchetti is a lawyer who has devoted her career to land trust representation, in particular conservation easement design and drafting. She is the author of the drafting guide in the Conservation Easement Handbook, 2005, Land Trust Alliance. She has been general counsel to Maine Coast Heritage Trust since 1985, and principal at Land Conservation Legal Services since 1992. She is a member of the Claims Committee at Terrafirma Risk Retention Group. She authored legislation in Maine to limit amendment of conservation easements.

Karyn Good is the community coordinator for Envision Lincoln. She has lived, worked, and raised her family in rural Montana for most of her life. Working with community members to create recreation opportunities that help bolster the local economy, while improving the quality of life for residents has been a personal andprofessional passion of hers for years. Her work with Envision Lincoln includes developing an in-town trails plan, web-based trails marketing plan and a downtown revitalization plan with the community of Lincoln. She collaborates closely within her community and with important partners including County staff, Western Transportation Institute, USFS, the Wilderness Society, and the Heart of the Rockies Initiative.

Kate Raman, AICP is Conservation Projects Manager at the Natural Lands Trust which she joined in 2018. She supports a variety of projects for land protection and planning teams, including easement and fee acquisitions, mapping and GIS support, open space planning and ordinance reviews. She has a master’s degree in Spatial Analytics from the University of Pennsylvania.

Kathleen Biggins is Co-Founder and President of C-Change Conversations, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting productive, non-partisan discussions about the science and effects of climate change. Kathleen led the development of the C-Change Primer, a non partisan, accessible presentation that provides a 360 degree view of climate change. The Primer has been presented to almost 15,000 people in 30 states. C-Change also hosts climate change discussions with nationally recognized scientists and business and military leaders; supports burgeoning C-Change chapters in several cities; and writes op-eds, blogs, and newsletters to help more people understand the urgency of climate change and come together to address it. Kathleen is a former journalist and advertising executive and ives in Princeton, NJ.

Kathryn is the project coordinator for the northern Mississippi River corridor at Minnesota Land Trust.

Kathy Leavenworth, a retired consultant in interpersonal training, communications, group dynamics, strategic planning and outdoor team-building, has been involved in civic, community and educational issues for more than four decades. Leavenworth served as president of the Ohio School Boards Association and as a member of the Ohio State Board of Education. In addition to Western Reserve Land Conservancy, she serves on the boards of the Land Trust Alliance , Cuyahoga Valley National Park Conservancy, The West Geauga Educational Foundation and is president of the Geauga Humane Society’s Rescue Village.

Kathy Moser is chief conservation officer at the Open Space Institute, an East Coast land trust based in New York.  Kathy directs OSI’s Parks, Stewardship and Land programs for OSI.  Prior to OSI Ms. Moser was appointed by NY’s Governor as deputy commissioner for Natural Resources at the Department of Environmental Conservation in December 2011.  Kathy directed DEC’s portfolio in Lands and Forests, Fish and Wildlife, and Marine Resources.  Previous to DEC Kathy worked as managing director for strategic initiatives at World Wildlife Fund.  She has also held various senior positions at The Nature Conservancy in New York State (acting state director) and in their International Program (regional director for Central America) from 1992 to 2009.  Kathy has her undergraduate degree in botany and master’s degree in forest productivity, both from Duke University. She served in the Peace Corps in Honduras and is fluent in Spanish.  Kathy is married with three daughters, lives in Albany, and can be found early in the morning rowing and bird watching on the Hudson River.

Katie’s love of nature was cultivated during her youth, growing up in the wilds of Idaho. Born and raised in Moscow and Elk City, Idaho, Katie has always believed that spending time in nature is integral to one’s growth. Katie received her bachelor’s degree in Education from the University of Idaho and a Masters in Architecture from the University of Washington. Thus far, Katie has focused her professional life in the fields of Education and Architecture, with a particular interest in building community. Katie looks forward to sharing the good work of Kaniksu Land Trust with its regional community, focusing on growing the conservation, education and recreation programs.

Katie Michels is a graduate student at the Yale Schools of Management and the Environment

Katie Pofahl manages community relations with the Climate Resilient Forests and Communities team at The Nature Conservancy in Washington State. Her work focuses on bringing together local communities, partners and leaders to plan, design, and implement projects that reflect community needs such as climate resilience, environmental justice, habitat conservation, forest health, recreation, economic development and health and safety. Katie has a master of environmental management from the Yale School of the Environment and over ten years of experience in applied conservation.

Kelly Watkinson is the Land and Climate Program Manager with the Land Trust Alliance. Kelly coordinates the efforts of the Alliance to help land trusts protect resilient lands, mitigate climate change, and pursue renewable energy solutions. Her previous experience includes 11 years as a resource and land conservation professional working to protect and restore lands of Chesapeake Bay watershed.

In May 2018, Ken retired as an Army Lieutenant Colonel with 24 years of active federal service. Ken is a 1998 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and also earned a master’s in Civil Engineering from Missouri University of Science and Technology. He served as an engineer officer in the 3rd Infantry Division, 1st Cavalry Division and most recently the Mississippi Army National Guard as the Environmental Program Manager where he managed Camp Shelby’s Army Compatible Use Buffer Program.

Ken Grudens has been the dxecutive director of Indian River Land Trust since 2004. Ken works with the board of directors to develop and implement a variety of programs which protect and conserve the natural resources and special places of Indian River County. He previously managed the New York State Farmland Protection Program and before that was Director of Land Protection for the Columbia Land Conservancy in the Hudson River Valley. Ken most recently served as the President of the Alliance of Florida Land Trusts, Chairman of the Indian River County Conservation Committee, member of the Indian River Lagoon National Estuaries Program Citizens Advisory Committee, and member of the City of Sebastian Natural Resources Committee

Ken Kriese is a wildlife biologist for the Natural Resources Conservation Service Easement Programs Division.

Keymah Durden is one of the founders of Rid All Green Partners, and will soon serve as its first CEO. Keymah was born and raised in the predominantly black neighborhoods on the east side of Cleveland, which is also where Rid All operates. Rid All is one of the most successful urban farms in America, and is a strategic partner with Western Reserve Land Conservancy, on whose board he also serves. From the Kinsman neighborhood in Cleveland to Ghana in West Africa to Israel, Keymah has worked to create better communities through clean water, food production, and environmental conservation.

Kimberly Brewster joined Chagrin River Watershed Partners in 2016 and works with communities and Central Lake Erie Basin watershed partners on flooding, erosion, and other land use issues, including updating comprehensive plans, adopting ordinances, and assisting communities with implementing their NPDES Phase II Storm Water Management Programs. Kimberly leads and assists with planning and implementation of watershed protection, stormwater management, and restoration projects. Kimberly received her Master of Science in Environmental Studies and Bachelor of Science from Ohio University.

Kris Olsson joined the Huron River Watershed Council in 1992. She specializes in GIS analysis, landscape ecology, and local land use planning and ordinance development. Kris works with local governments and land protection organizations on promoting land use planning and policies that protect the watershed. She also trains local residents to become involved in their local government planning efforts. Kris earned two Masters of Science (resource ecology, natural resource policy) degrees at the University of Michigan.

Kristen Schmitt is a climate change adaptation specialist working in support of the Northern Forests Climate Hub. She works with a variety of partners to create new tools and to plan and execute trainings that help natural resources professionals integrate climate change into their work.

Kyler manages The Climate Trust’s carbon offset projects in the biogas digester sector and provides technical analysis, including greenhouse gas modeling, to support the Trust’s carbon project development in grasslands, forestry and wetlands. She also manages The Trust’s offset project portfolio account registries and internal credit tracking registries. Kyler holds a master’s of greenhouse gas management and accounting and bachelor’s in natural resource management from Colorado State University. Kyler has been with The Climate Trust since 2018.