river 2 blog post Jan 2024
Blue Bluff Nature Preserve
Celebrating our Board Members, Outgoing and New
Written By: Shawndra Miller
Date Published: January 16, 2024
Shawndra Miller
Like many nonprofits, we rely on a volunteer board to guide our work. These are individuals who care about the natural world and are happy to share their time and expertise to protect it. This month brings changes as several board members’ terms have come to an end. With four board members rolling off and four new ones joining, it’s a good time to express our gratitude to these committed individuals.
We celebrate the contributions of these outgoing board members, who have given many hours of service over the past years.
Curt DeVoe, former board chair, helped us navigate the pandemic, economic uncertainty, and other shifts. He recently retired as a partner at Plews Shadley Racher & Braun LLP. As an environmental attorney, he comes to conservation work with a long history of exploring the woods, streams, and reservoirs of Central Indiana. Along with his wife, Lynn, he looks for a “nature moment” each day that kindles appreciation of the natural world.
Realtor Priscilla Johnson served on our board for nearly a decade. As vice chair of advancement, she helped our organization step up our outreach to new supporters. She is passionate about conserving the best places in Central Indiana and sharing appreciation for nature that was first passed down from her father, Dr. Russell Lamb. In 2015, Priscilla, along with husband TJ and brother Randy Lamb, helped our organization acquire the family property that would become Betley Woods at Glacier’s End—taking a bargain price in the sale. She and TJ also express their generosity and commitment by regularly donating in honor of friends.
Lori Kaplan was an early champion of our “JEDI” (Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) commitment. She came on the board in 2013 with a strong background in environmental concerns. Before retiring, she served as Executive Director of Central Indiana Regional Transportation Authority. She previously worked for the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, and JFNew (now known as Cardno). She enjoys bringing friends along on our public hikes. She also likes to volunteer with our stewardship crew, helping beat back invasives at many of our preserves.
Tom Maurath steered us through the shifting economic landscape, serving as both our treasurer and finance committee chair. He joined the board in 2014. As a Senior Portfolio Manager at Goelzer Investment Management, he was well-equipped to advise our organization on best practices in the financial arena. He enjoys golf, biking, racquetball, and hiking, and rarely misses a chance to take a Black Friday hike with us.
We are also welcoming these new board members whose contributions we eagerly anticipate.
Josh Christie previously served on our board, including a term as board chair. He is a partner in Ice Miller’s Business Group where he primarily focuses on mergers and acquisitions, corporate transactions, joint ventures, commercial agreements, and general corporate matters. Josh earned his Bachelor of Arts in anthropology from Colby College in Waterville, Maine, in 2003, with a minor in philosophy, and his law degree from Indiana University Maurer School of Law in 2006. Josh lives in Indianapolis with his wife, Erica, and daughter, Alice, and spends his time away from the office exploring the woods around Central Indiana and watching Alice dance and act.
David Franklin is the Chief Investment Officer at The National Bank of Indianapolis and manager of their investment division, Diamond Capital Management. In this capacity, he coordinates the investment philosophy, strategy, tactics, and implementations employed by the Bank in managing approximately $2 billion in assets. He is a lifelong nature enthusiast who grew up in southern Indiana, with many adventures camping and boating. A father of two boys, he has enjoyed raising them with the same passion for being outdoors and enjoying nature.
Doug Gray is a nationally recognized birdwatcher who was introduced to the world of birds by his grandfather while growing up on the family farm in near Clarksville, Tennessee. A longtime birding guide at major festivals across the country, Doug has served on the boards of the Amos Butler Audubon Society in Indiana and the Black Swamp Bird Observatory in Ohio. He previously spent over 10 years in active military service in the United States Army. He retired in 2017 after almost 30 years working for Eli Lilly and Company, with most of those years in Parenteral Engineering. Doug is also a pastor, a chaplain, President of the Johnson County Ministerial Association, and Lecturer of Religion at Franklin College.
Ellen Jacquart was one of our organization’s founders. She spent her career managing natural areas in Indiana, working for the Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Forest Service, and The Nature Conservancy of Indiana before retiring in 2016. A major focus of her work was to address the threat of invasive plants to forests, prairies, and wetlands. When the Indiana Invasive Species Council created the Invasive Plant Advisory Committee in 2010, she led it until she retired in 2016. She now chairs Monroe County – Identify and Reduce Invasive Species (MC-IRIS), which works to reduce the impact of invasive plants in Monroe County. She was president of the Indiana Native Plant Society from 2018 to 2022. She is the winner of the 2022 Carl N. Becker Stewardship Award from the Natural Areas Association.
Please join us in thanking these outgoing and incoming board members for their commitment to saving nature! For more information, see our full board and staff listing.
Ben Valentine
Guest Blogger
Ben Valentine is a founding member of the Friends of Marott Woods Nature Preserve and is active in several other conservation organizations. He leads a series of NUVO interviews with Indiana's environmental leaders, and he cherishes showing his son all the wonders of nature he grew up loving.
DJ Connors
Guest Blogger
DJ Connors, a Central Indiana native and late-to-life hunter, combines a lifelong appreciation for wildlife and the outdoors with a deep passion for exploring the natural beauty of the area he has called home for most of his life. As a husband and father of three, he is committed to ensuring his children have the same opportunities to connect with nature and appreciate the outdoors in their community. DJ’s unique journey into hunting emphasizes sustainability, responsible stewardship, and the importance of preserving these experiences for future generations.
Bridget Walls
Guest Blogger
Bridget is our first ever Communications and Outreach Intern. She is a graduate of Marian University, where she combined English, studio art, and environmental sciences in her degree studies. As treasurer for Just Earth, the university's environmental club, she helped plan events encouraging a responsible relationship between people, nature, and animals.
Jordan England
Guest Blogger
Jordan England is a lifelong Shelby County resident who graduated from Waldron Jr. Sr. High School (just a few miles from Meltzer Woods!). After earning her B.S. degree in Retail Management from Purdue University, she returned to Waldron to start a family with her husband, Brian. Together they have 3 young children and enjoy sharing with them their love of the community. Jordan is the Grants and Nonprofit Relations Director at Blue River Community Foundation, managing BRCF’s grant program, providing support to local nonprofits, and promoting catalytic philanthropy in Shelby County.
Cliff Chapman
President and CEO
As CILTI’s President and CEO, Cliff keeps CILTI’s focus on good science and stewardship. He’s mindful that the natural places you love took thousands of years to evolve and could be destroyed in a single day, and that knowledge drives his dedication to their protection.
Stacy Cachules
Chief Operating Officer
Among her many key duties as Assistant Director, Stacy has the critical task of tracking our budget, making sure we channel donations for maximum efficiency. When her workday’s done, Stacy loves to spend time with her two young boys—and when not traveling, she’s likely planning the next travel adventure.
Ryan Fuhrmann
Vice Chair
Ryan C. Fuhrmann, CFA, is President and founder of Fuhrmann Capital LLC, an Indiana-based investment management firm focused on portfolio management. Ryan’s interest in land conservation centers around a desire to help preserve natural habitats for wildlife and the subsequent benefits it brings to people and the environment.
Joanna Nixon
Board Member
Joanna Nixon is the owner of Nixon Consulting, an Indianapolis-based strategy and project management firm focused on the nonprofit sector. She currently serves as the Philanthropic Advisor for the Efroymson Family Fund. Prior to opening her consulting practice in 2000, Joanna was vice-president for grantmaking at Central Indiana Community Foundation (CICF). Joanna has more than 25 years of experience in the nonprofit and arts and culture sector. She is passionate about the environment and loves bringing big ideas to life and creating high-quality arts and culture programs and experiences. Joanna enjoys outdoor adventures, including competing in fitness obstacle course races and hiking with her high energy Australian Cattle Dog, Jackson.
Karen Wade
Board Member
Before retiring, CILTI board member Karen Wade worked for Eli Lilly & Co. In retirement she volunteers for a number of organizations, including the Indiana Master Naturalist program, Johnson County Native Plant Partnership CISMA, Meadowstone Therapeutic Riding Center, and Leadership Johnson County.
David Barickman
Development Systems Manager
Born and raised in Central Illinois, David spent many days as a child wandering around the river, forest and lakes there. He works behind the scenes as a key member of our fundraising team. When not working, David loves to be outdoors hiking, fly fishing, kayaking or woodworking.
Jamison Hutchins
Stewardship Director
Jamison leads our stewardship team in caring for the land that is so important to you. He comes to our team after eight years as Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator for the city of Indianapolis, where his work had a positive impact from both health and environmental perspectives.
Jen Schmits Thomas
Media Relations
An award-winning communicator and recognized leader in Central Indiana’s public relations community, Jen helps us tell our story in the media. She is the founder of JTPR, which she and her husband John Thomas own together. She is accredited in public relations (APR) from the Public Relations Society of America, and loves to camp and hike in perfect weather conditions.
Shawndra Miller
Communications Director
Shawndra’s earliest writing projects centered around the natural world, starting when a bird inspired her to write her first “book” in elementary school. Now she is in charge of sharing our story and connecting you to our work. Through our print and online materials, she hopes to inspire your participation in protecting special places for future generations.
Phillip Weldy
Stewardship Specialist
Phillip enjoys nature’s wonders from an up-close-and-personal perspective as he works to restore the natural places you love. As an AmeriCorps member in Asheville, NC, he had his first full immersion in relatively undisturbed land while reconstructing wilderness trails in National Parks and National Forests.
July 2, 2018
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 2, 2018 Native bees could help crop pollination Watch video footage from WRTV-6. Amid a decline in pollinators nationwide, a species of bee never before seen in Indiana has been discovered at 20-year-old nature preserve not far from busy Rockville Road in Avon. Burnett Woods [...]
Burnett Woods,Newsroom,Properties
January 2, 2018
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Dec. 29, 2017 Conservation easement ensures land won’t be developed More than 250 acres in Vermillion County that are home to two endangered species will be protected forever as a result of a donation to the Central Indiana Land Trust (CILTI).
Conservation Easements,Newsroom,Properties
December 4, 2017
The Central Indiana Land Trust (CILTI) will conduct a controlled burn on approximately 28 acres of the Nonie Werbe Krauss Nature Preserve on Dec. 6, weather permitting. The preserve is located at the southwest corner of 116th Street and Eller Road in Fishers.
Newsroom,Nonie Krauss Nature Preserve,Properties
