I am so excited to be joining the Palouse Land Trust as the Conservation Projects Manager! I cannot wait to get to know the lands, people, and partner organizations that make this area so special and with whom I’ll be working to permanently protect the lands that mean so much to them and the community.
I absolutely fell in love with Moscow when I visited several weeks ago because it reminds me so much of the small town in West Virginia where I grew up. It is clear to me that this a community with a lot of people who care very deeply about enriching the lives of those who live here, and fully embrace the joys of both a good hard day’s work and a good hard hike out in the hills. Both of those things are close to my own heart, so I’m thrilled that my path in life has brought me to a community like this.
My background has not been a straight line to this position, but at each step on my meandering path I have had great experiences that have prepared me well to tackle all the highs, lows, obstacles and successes that I expect this job will bring! I went to college on an Army ROTC scholarship, after which I was commissioned as an Air Defense Artillery Officer. I spent the next four years splitting my time between Fort Bragg, North Carolina and various spots across the Middle East where I lead Soldiers in protecting US and partner forces and installations across the region. While many of the specifics of that job won’t transfer to this one (hopefully) I built a large toolkit that helped me become a great problem solver and empathetic and development minded leader. After four years I felt like I was ready for a change, and left the Army to spend a year with the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC), a Boston headquartered non-profit dedicated to outdoor recreation, education and protection in the Northeast. I then took the opportunity to knock something off my bucket list and left the AMC in April of 2024 to hike the Pacific Crest Trail. It was an incredible five-month adventure, and I would be happy to chat your ear off about it.
Thanks to this great team for bringing me on board, and I’m so excited for all we’re going to accomplish in the years to come.