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Staff


Andrea Huntington, Executive Director

Andrea has served as executive director since July 2021. She has a deep appreciation for Indiana’s rich and diverse landscapes and admires the work being accomplished by land trusts and partners.

Andrea graduated from Chicago-Kent College of Law and received undergraduate degrees in Political Science and English from Temple University. She has been active with the land trust community since 2017.

Andrea’s most memorable experiences have been those outside exploring nature. Her past conservation work includes building awareness and raising support for habitats and ecosystems along the southern Lake Michigan Watershed.

In her spare time, she enjoys running, hiking, traveling and backpacking with her husband Mickey.

Board of Directors


Julie Borgmann, President
Red-tail Land Conservancy

Julie Borgmann is the executive director of Red-tail Land Conservancy, a regional land trust in east central Indiana. Ten of Red-tail’s nature preserves have trails for the public to enjoy the wonders of nature. Julie received her Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Pharmacy degrees from Purdue University. Following a twenty-five year career in pharmacy, she followed her passion for connecting people to nature and preserving our natural places.

“ILPA provides a collective voice for land conservation at the state level and also works to build a stronger network of regional land trusts. This allows individual land trusts to do what we do best, to work in our communities to preserve and restore critical habitats.”

Julie enjoys exploring new nature preserves, paddling local rivers, and biking the backroads to new destinations.

Ben Miller, Vice President
Mud Creek Conservancy

Ben Miller serves as the Board President for Mud Creek Conservancy, an all-volunteer land trust working to preserve a unique corridor of high-quality, urban, habitat in northeast Indianapolis called the “Mud Creek Valley”. He has served on MCC’s Board since 2017.

Ben has a B.S. from Purdue University’s Dept. of Forestry and Natural Resources. He spent ten years with the Indiana DNR: Division of Fish & Wildlife, first as a Fisheries Biologist and most recently leading the Healthy Rivers Initiative, one of the state’s largest land protection projects.

Ben is passionate about habitat connectivity, watershed restoration, building partnerships and community, and connecting people to nature.

Ben, his wife Maggie, and young daughter Quinn enjoy spending time in nature locally and traveling abroad. Wherever he goes, he enjoys observing and sharing the beauty of nature and intrigue of wildlife interactions through photography.

Stacy Cachules, Treasurer
Central Indiana Land Trust

Stacy Cachules is the Assistant Director for the Central Indiana Land Trust (CILTI). Stacy brings her passion for protecting nature for future generations into her work on the ILPA board.

Stacy holds a BS in Environmental Affairs from Indiana University and has over 20 years of experience in nonprofit management. Before working at CILTI she worked at the Forterra Land Trust in Seattle, managing their robust volunteer program and previous to that spent time in Washington D.C. at the EPA and the National Wildlife Federation. In addition to the ILPA board she serves as treasurer of the board for Indiana Wildlife Federation. When her workday’s done, Stacy is spending time with her two young boys—and when not exploring the outdoors, she’s likely planning the next travel adventure. Her favorite nature preserve in Indiana is Pine Hills Nature Preserve in Shades State Park.

Emily Biesecker, Director
The Nature Conservancy

Born and raised in Indianapolis, Emily graduated from Yale University and the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies. After a short assignment with the National Park Service, Emily joined the U.S. Forest Service as a National Partnership Coordinator in their Washington, D.C. headquarters. Seeking a new landscape, she transferred to the agency’s Regional Office in Portland, OR, where she oversaw the Region’s Forest Legacy and Forest Stewardship Programs and then managed the Region’s Grants & Agreements portfolio.

Emily recently returned home to Indiana and was thrilled to join The Nature Conservancy as the Indiana Director of Land Strategies. It has been a joy for her to re-discover the natural beauty of Indiana.

Evan Hill, Director
ACRES Land Trust

Evan ensures ACRES land is protected and well cared for. Leading the stewardship team, he deploys resources where they are needed across our 27-county service area. From habitat restoration to non-native invasive species management, Evan designs and implements stewardship plans that allow our natural areas to thrive.

From a very early age Evan was fascinated by the complexity of nature. “I grew up chasing frogs and snakes in my grandparents’ pond and building forts in the neighbor’s woods. I never imagined then that I could have a career doing such similar things.”

Evan’s background in wildlife and habitat management is rooted in a Wildlife degree from Purdue University. Upon graduating he acquired wildlife experience with the Colorado Department of Natural Resources. Evan started his journey at ACRES nearly 8 years ago as a summer intern, then a land steward and now as the stewardship director.

Kris Krouse, Director
Shirley Heinze Land Trust

Kristopher Krouse has served as the Executive Director of Shirley Heinze Land Trust since 2005. Shirley Heinze protects and restores natural areas throughout Northwest Indiana.

Kris earned a B.S. in Environmental Science from Saint Joseph’s College and an M.B.A. from Indiana University Northwest. In addition to serving on ILPA’s Board, Kris serves on the Land Trust Alliance Editorial Board and Leadership Council, the Chicago Wilderness Steering Committee, the Indiana Invasive Species Council, the Indiana Benjamin Harrison Conservation Trust Committee, and the Calumet Collaborative Board.

“ILPA strengthens a land trust’s ability to leverage resources, strategically advances conservation priorities across the state of Indiana, and serves as a network so the full potential of a land trust can be realized.”

Kris makes his home on the Valparaiso Moraine. Like so many of us, he fell in love with nature while growing up, taking camping and hiking adventures in state and national parks with friends.

Pat Larr, Director
George Rogers Clark Land Trust

Pat is a founding member of the George Rogers Clark Land Trust. She owns and operates a 257-acre farm in Scott County where she enjoys raising approximately 100 meat goats as well as other animals. She also enjoys working with crop land, forest, and wildlife on her farm where she applies first-hand the same conservation principles that she spent years helping others to implement as District Conservationist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). She retired in 2009 after 35 years of government service. Currently she serves as a supervisor with the Scott Co Soil and Water Conservation District and was recognized in 2016 as Scott County’s “River Friendly Farmer”.  She is a 1976 graduate of Purdue University.

John Lawrence, Director
Sycamore Land Trust

John joined the ILPA Board in the fall of 2019. He is eager to help ILPA continue to grow.

John is the Executive Director of Sycamore Land Trust, which serves southern Indiana. The group has just protected its 10,000th acre. John started with Sycamore in 2004 as a summer intern, joined the permanent staff in 2006, and became Sycamore’s assistant director in 2008. He has volunteered with Wildcare as a wildlife rehabilitator, and served as president of the Sassafras Audubon Society. He is a Monroe County native, and enjoys birding, plant identification, and walking with his wife Carrie and their three rescue dogs.

Alysa Morley, Director
Ouabache Land Conservancy

Nature is the throughline of Alysa’s life, and the inspiration behind the many years and adventures it took to carve her path into conservation work as a disabled person.

Alysa earned a B.S. in Biology and Chemistry and an M.A. in English studying the nexus of climate change, literature, and the Anthropocene, both from Indiana State University. She works as a project manager for Trust for Public Land, connecting people to the outdoors nationwide. She also works as a writing consultant, wherein she has strong opinions about commas.

Alysa began volunteering with Ouabache Land Conservancy in early 2022. She currently serves as Vice President of Development and wears a few other hats. Alysa loves the Great Lakes, but Lake Ontario will always be her favorite. In her spare time, she can be found in the middle of several books at a time and tending to every whim of her pets.

John Seymour, Director
Oxbow, Inc.

Jon Seymour has been a Board member of Oxbow, Inc and its sister organization Oxbow of Indiana, Inc. since 2000. The two organizations jointly protect 1630 acres of the floodplain of the Great Miami River as it joins the Ohio River
on the Ohio/Indiana border.  The area is a migratory stop for thousands of birds as they make their way between Lake
Erie and the Gulf of Mexico.
Jon received his Ph.D. in Biochemistry with a minor in Wildlife Ecology from the University of Wisconsin, with post-doctoral work in chlorinated hydrocarbon environmental pollutants. He joined P&G and worked for 25 years as a
toxicologist and clinical researcher.
After retiring from P&G he took on the Presidency of Oxbow, Inc. bringing with him his training in biochemistry, business and the principles and understanding passed down at the University of Wisconsin from Aldo Leopold. Jon has previously served on the Boards of ILPA and Green Umbrella.

Amy Silva, Director
Little River Wetlands Project

Amy Silva is the Executive Director of the Little River Wetlands Project, Inc (LRWP). LRWP owns 5 preserves, holds one 140 acre conservation easement, and protects over (1,300 acres). ILPA represents such a strong collaboration of land trusts in Indiana and working together we can advance land protection throughout the state. Amy joined the ILPA board in 2021 and am honored to serve the land trust community.

Amy studied parks and recreation administration and has a degree from Texas A&M University. She spent thirteen years as the Superintendent of the Allen County Parks Department in Fort Wayne. She has been with the Little River Wetlands Project since 2013 serving as its Executive Director. Amy makes her home in Fort Wayne where she grew up and fell in love with nature. She enjoys time with her family and 2 granddaughters Chloe and Kristina; and her Goldendoodle Molly.

Shannon Stanis, Director
NICHES Land Trust

Shannon Stanis serves as the Executive Director of NICHES Land Trust in West Central Indiana. NICHES protects 4,320 acres, has over 40 properties open to the public, and maintains 16.5 miles of trails.  Shannon has a M.S. in Forestry from Purdue and a B.S. in Integrative Biology and Psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. Shannon is especially passionate about the use of prescribed fire for ecosystem restoration and the inspiring power of community. In their free time, Shannon enjoys fermenting vegetables and watching the groundhogs in the backyard.

Carla Striegel-Winner, Director
Indiana Karst Conservancy

Carla has had a passion for natural areas since her childhood roaming the family farm in Indiana’s karst country with her dogs and exploring local public lands with her family. She has served on the executive board of the Indiana Karst Conservancy since 2010 and been a member since 2003. She serves as Outreach and Education Chair and Property Manager for IKC’s Orangeville Rise Preserve. Carla is passionate about IKC’s purpose of managing, protecting and acquiring karst resources, which parallels her enthusiasm for responsible recreation, management and preservation of Indiana’s gorgeous wild places.

As the director of a local government agency in her home of Dubois County, Carla handles everything from supervision to budgeting, outreach and education, and even investigating illegal dumping. In her past work experiences, she has been afforded opportunities to fundraise, plan events, manage land and work collaboratively with other agencies and organizations. Carla is a founding member of Dubois County’s Invasive Species Awareness Coalition and sits on the Patoka Lake Watershed Steering Committee.

When not volunteering, Carla enjoys winter off-trail hiking and exploring, caving, doing America’s state high points with her husband, relaxing with a cup of coffee, being a foodie and spending time with family.