Mark works for General Electric Healthcare in Waukesha, Wisconsin and specializes in regulatory affairs. Prior to joining GE, he practiced law in Milwaukee, Wisconsin where he focused on issues relating to the environment, real estate, businesses and non-profits. Mark is active in environmental education, serving as president of the board of directors for a public environmental charter school in Milwaukee that he helped found, and serves on the Leadership Committee of the Wisconsin Environmental Education Board. Mark has also been active in the Sierra Club, previously serving as the Conservation Chair of Wisconsin's John Muir Chapter. In addition to a law degree, Mark holds degrees in political science and business. In a former life Mark was a non-commissioned officer in the United States Marine Corps.
Vice President and Board Member: Kristi Minahan
Kristi is a water quality specialist at the Wisconsin Department
of Natural Resources. Her areas of emphasis are protecting both
degraded and pristine water resources, runoff management, and low
impact development including storm water reduction and green space.
She has a Masters Degree in Conservation Ecology and Sustainable
Development from the University of Georgia at Athens.
Secretary and Board Member: Nicole LaBissoniere
Nicole is a co-founder of The Natural Burial Project in Minnesota. She holds an Environmental Design degree from the University of Minnesota’s Landscape Architecture department. Nicole is interested in many aspects of sustainable living, including natural burial, ecosystem restoration, and organic agriculture, which she studied in Iceland and Germany. Her major writing about conservation cemeteries is a feasibility study entitled “Earth to Earth, Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Formaldehyde.” Along with serving on TNL’s Board of Directors, she also serves as Vice President for TNL’s Minnesota Chapter. Nicole takes advantage of Minnesota’s short summers by kayaking, jogging, and camping; she spends the other eight months on the slopes.
Board Member: Dave Drapac
Dave
is the Administrative Assistant and Volunteer Coordinator
at the Madison Audubon Society. He has a Bachelors
Degree in Computer Science from the Rose-Hulman Institute
of Technology and brings both enthusiasm for environmental
issues and a wide range of skills. He worked in Norway
in 2002-03 on website and database development for
the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) and
is currently an active volunteer in Sustain Dane.
He is excited about his new role as President of
TNL and the opportunity to help put all the pieces
together to make this unique effort succeed and to
further the cause of nature conservation.
Board Member: Math Heinzel
Math has a broad history working with many natural resource related issues. He has a Masters Degree in Land Resources from the UW-Madison and a Bachelor's in Forestry. He has worked in many capacities: as a GIS professional, on research farms, at the UW-Arboretum, and as an assistant land manager overseeing 35 square miles of woods and fields. He has worked on projects involving land use planning, watershed management, citizen involvement, landscape visualization, and permaculture. Math also brings experience in non-profit management, having helped create non-profit educational groups, served on the board of non-profits, written grant proposals, and managed volunteers.
Board Member: Don Jones
Don has a special interest in promoting and supporting land trusts and in sustainable intentional communities and their integration and involvement in land trust stewardship. In 2001 Don was inspired by the land trust movement and attended the Southwest Land Trust Conference. He recently completed a Permaculture Design Certification and Teacher Training program and is researching how he might become involved in renewable energy projects. He brings 25 years of experience in developing computer and internet software, as well as a background in landscape design, environmental studies, and a lifelong love of wilderness, backpacking, and gardening.
