News From the Board of Directors

The Board of Directors has elected a new slate of officers for 2010.

We welcome the following new members, who began service on the Board of Directors in January 2010.

• Sarah Tunis is a branch manager for JPMorgan Chase Bank. She has a degree in corporate recreation management and has considerable experience as a volunteer and board member for local non-profit organizations. Sarah lives in Porter.
• Lance Werner is controller/treasurer of the Chicago South Shore & South Bend Railroad. He is active with Junior Achievement, Leadership LaPorte County, and the Rotary, and he serves on the advisory boards of Purdue North Central and the Sinai Forum. Lance lives in LaPorte.
• Margaret Williford is an attorney with the law firm of Burke Costanza & Cuppy in Valparaiso. She has been active as a volunteer in the areas of education and children’s advocacy. Margaret lives in Beverly Shores.

We say farewell to the following members, who have completed their terms on the board.

• Naida Lehmann served a three-year term on the board. She was on the Education & Outreach and Stewardship Committees.
• Ed Noonan served a three-year term on the board. He was on the Land Strategy and Board Development Committees. Ed has joined the Advisory Council.

Board of Directors

• Dale Engquist (President) retired recently after 42 years with the National Park Service, the last 28 as Superintendent of Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.
• Dan Plath (Vice President) is the Water Program Leader for the Environmental, Health, and Safety Department of NiSource and a former employee of the Indiana Department of Environmental Management.
• Tim Griffin (Treasurer) is a retired high school teacher and former Director of Benefits Administration for the FMC Corporation in Chicago.
• Kathy Dennis (Secretary) has served as Director of Development for the Omaha Symphony Orchestra and for Kaleidoscope, a Chicago-based non-profit focusing on children's welfare issues.
• Marty Balogh is Director of the Meetings and Travel Department of the American Bar Association.
• Steve Barker is a Restoration Ecologist at JFNew, an ecological restoration firm, and environmental liaison for the Coffee Creek Watershed Conservancy.
• Steven Cohen is retired from a career in local government with the Chicago Transit Authority and the City of Chicago's Aviation Department.
• Sara Leonard is a retired public relations and fundraising consultant, who ran her own business in Chicago.
• Ralph Lerner, a retired educator, is Benjamin Franklin Professor Emeritus in the College of the University of Chicago and Professor Emeritus on the Committee of Social Thought.
• Craig Menne is a partner in the Michigan City-based General Insurance Services, Inc., working out of its Valparaiso office.
• Rachel Saxon is the Senior Trust Officer at Horizon Trust & Investment Management. Rachel is a member of the Michigan City Lion’s Club.
• Ed Noonan is Chairman of Chicago Associates Planners and Architects and co-developer, along with his wife Eve, of Tryon Farm, an eco-friendly community that has received significant national attention.
• Ellen Szarleta is a natural resource economist and attorney who is currently Assistant Professor in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University Northwest.
• Ray Szarmach is an attorney whose practice is predominantly in Lake County.
• Sarah Tunis is a branch manager for JPMorgan Chase Bank. She has a degree in corporate recreation management and has considerable experience as a volunteer and board member for local non-profit organizations. Sarah lives in Porter.
• Anne Walsh is a former special education teacher who served for many years on the school board in Palos Park, Illinois, and as chair of the school district foundation.
• Lance Werner is controller/treasurer of the Chicago South Shore & South Bend Railroad. He is active with Junior Achievement, Leadership LaPorte County, and the Rotary, and he serves on the advisory boards of Purdue North Central and the Sinai Forum. Lance lives in LaPorte.
• Margaret Williford is an attorney with the law firm of Burke Costanza & Cuppy in Valparaiso. She has been active as a volunteer in the areas of education and children’s advocacy. Margaret lives in Beverly Shores.

Life Board Members

• Judith Gaskell is the Librarian of the Supreme Court of the United States.
• Irene Herlocker-Meyer is a longtime environmentalist whose activism helped establish the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore and save Hoosier Prairie.
• Myrna Newgent, the longest serving member of the Board of Directors, was President for 13 years.
• Dr. Barbara Plampin, a retired English professor, is a skilled botanist and writer.

Advisory Council

• John Bacone is Director of the Division of Nature Preserves for the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.
• Robert Boklund is a board member of LaPorte County Conservation Trust and a member of the Indiana Heritage Trust Project Committee.
• Lee Botts is a renowned environmentalist who founded the Alliance for the Great Lakes and the Indiana Dunes Environmental Learning Center.
• Walt Breitinger is a leading local environmental activist, serving with many regional, state and national conservation organizations.
• Mark Chamberlain is the President and CEO of Lakeside Wealth Management Group.
• Howard Cohen is Chancellor of Purdue University Calumet.
• Meg Haller is an Assistant Professor of Public Administration at the University of Illinois at Chicago and Executive Director of the Quality of Life Council.
• J. Ronald Engel is Professor Emeritus at Meadville Lombard Theological School and Senior Research Consultant for The Center for Humans and Nature.
• Paul Kohlhoff is an Assistant Professor at Valparaiso University School of Law and a past SHLT Executive Director.
• Patrick Lee is President of the Lee Companies, a construction services firm based in Gary.
• Ed Noonan is an architect and chairman of Chicago Associates Planners and Architects. He and his wife Eve are co-developers of Tryon Farm, an eco-friendly community that has received significant national attention.
• Len Pryweller is President of the Miller Citizens Corporation and the Gary Citywide Development Corporation.
• Jean Rudd is a consultant on various aspects of management and planning for non-profit organizations and former President of the Woods Fund of Chicago.
• Debra Shore is a Commissioner of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago and former editor of Chicago Wilderness Magazine.
• Ronald Trigg is a retired United States Foreign Service Officer and a past SHLT Executive Director.
• Robert Wolfe is Vice President of Technical Services at JFNew.
• Kathleen Zelkowitz is Executive Director of Integrated Marketing and Communications at Valparaiso University.

Committee Structure

• Land Strategy – Dale Engquist, Chair
  Responsible for all decisions regarding land acquisition, whether by purchase, donation, tax sale or conservation easement.
• Stewardship – Steve Barker, Chair
  Responsible for developing and implementing plans and programs for the restoration, care, and maintenance of properties owned by Shirley Heinze Land Trust.
• Education and Outreach – Dan Plath, Chair
  Responsible for developing programs and activities to fulfill the education mission, including hikes, books, public outreach and student programs. Also responsible for planning programs and activities that generate public relations exposure.
• Budget and Finance – Tim Griffin, Chair
  Responsible for preparing the annual budget and overseeing the expenditure of funds and management of the investment portfolio.
• Fundraising – Steven Cohen, Chair
  Responsible for all fundraising activities, including the annual campaign, grant proposals, capital campaigns, corporate solicitation, and planned giving programs.
• Board Development – Marty Balogh, Chair
  Responsible for identifying and recommending candidates for the Board of Directors and Advisory Council.

Staff

• Kristopher Krouse, Executive Director, earned a B.S. in Biology and Geology from Saint Joseph’s College and an M.B.A. from Indiana University. Kris is a member of the Michigan City Rotary and the Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce. He currently serves on the Indiana Lake Michigan Coastal Advisory Board, the Executive Council for Chicago Wilderness, the Environmental Management Policy Committee of the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission, and the Citizens for Remediation of the Environment (CARE) Committee. Kris has been the Executive Director since March 2005.
• Paul Quinlan, Stewardship Program Manager, earned an M.S. degree in Environmental and Forest Biology from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry. He previously worked for the Kentucky State Nature Preserves Commission. Paul has been the Stewardship Program Manager since December 2002.
• Shandra Niswander, Development Coordinator, earned a B.A. in Sociology from Miami University of Ohio and an M.A. from the University of Toledo. She has over eight years of experience in non-profit fundraising and development. She is Vice President of Education/Programs and founding member of the newly formed Association of Fundraising Professionals Northwest Indiana Chapter. Shandra has been the Development Coordinator since April 2007.
• Jim Erdelac, Stewardship Assistant, earned a B.A. in Liberal Studies from Purdue University North Central. He worked previously for the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Jim has been Stewardship Assistant since March 2007.
• Janet Kaminski, Administrative Assistant, graduated from Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College. She was an executive secretary at Gary Works, USX Corporation, for 30 years, retiring in 1991. Janet has been Administrative Assistant since December 1995.
• Peg Mohar, Property Assistant, has served the organization in numerous capacities, including Executive Director, Board Vice President, and Board Secretary. She was SHLT’s first paid employee, when she became part-time Executive Director in August 1994.