Who We Are

The Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy is governed by a board of directors, representative of the nine county region we serve. 

Board of Directors

2012

Dave Coleman, President

George E. Burgoyne, Jr.,  Vice Preseident

Bruce C. Snook, Treasurer

Susan Houseman, Secretary

Jim Birkes

Brian Bosgraaf

Larry Case

Donna Perry Keller

Suzanne Klein

Philip Micklin

Cindy Mills

Bob O'Boyle

Betty Lee Ongley

Todd Sanford

Richard H. Shaw

Bruce C. Snook

Janice Varney

SWMLC Staff

Executive Director - Peter D. Ter Louw, terlouw@swmlc.org
Peter D. Ter Louw has a B.S. in Biology and a minor in Chemistry from Hope College in Holland, Michigan. He received a Master’s of Landscape Architecture from the University of Michigan School of Natural Resources, with an emphasis on ecological design and restoration. After graduate school, Peter returned to his home in New Jersey and worked with the Passaic River Coalition initiating and creating the land  conservation and acquisition program. Under his leadership as project manager and later as assistant executive director, this nonprofit watershed association secured over $2.5 million in government and foundation land acquisition grants. Pete also worked with county and municipal governments to develop collaborative regional land protection and funding programs to protect fragile natural resources and open space. Peter took over as Executive Director of the Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy in March 2002. With the help of staff, a board of directors and volunteers, he implements land conservation strategies in the nine counties of Southwest Michigan. Since coming on board in 2002, the Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy has protected over 8,000 acres through conservation easements and acquisitions that include wetlands, marshlands, prairies, agriculture and dense landscapes.

  Land Protection Director - Emily Wilke, ewilke@swmlc.org
Emily is a Michigan native; she grew up on Grosse Ile. Emily developed a passion for conservation while at Calvin College in Grand Rapids and through courses at AuSable Institute; she majored in biology with an environmental studies minor. She worked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service(FWS) in both Colorado and Michigan.  While working with the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge, a project of the FWS, she pursued a graduate degree from the University of Michigan’s School of Natural Resources and Environment that focused on ecosystem management with an emphasis in conservation. In August, 2006, she received her Master’s degree.  She and her husband, Brook, reside on a small farm in Barry County. Brook has a PhD in agroecology and works through Michigan State University when he is not running their family farm or taking care of their two boys, Wendell and Charlie. 

 Land Protection Specialist - Geoffrey Cripe, GCripe@SWMLC.org
Geoffrey grew up in Goshen, Indiana and is a 2004 graduate of Indiana University. He holds a Bachelors of Science in Public Management from IU's School of Public and Environmental Affairs. Geoffrey worked in the Tidewater region of Virginia for three years as a land use planner but found his true calling while serving on a committee that administered a municipal agricultural and forestal preservation program.  His interest in this program and other permanent open space and agricultural conservation easement programs in Virginia, prompted his decision to change careers and return to the Midwest to be closer to family.  After initially volunteering for a short time with SWMLC, he was hired full-time in 2008.

Geoffrey loves to compose music on his keyboard (all genres), and he is a diehard IU men's basketball fan.  He serves on the Friends of the St. Joe River Board of Directors and on the City of Kalamazoo Planning Commission and currently resides in Kalamazoo with his wife Sarah who teaches at Greenwood Elementary. 
 

 Conservation and Stewardship Director - Nate Fuller, fuller@swmlc.org
Nate joined SWMLC as its first Stewardship Specialist in the summer of 2001. He works with volunteers and seasonal staff to protect and enhance the diversity, stability, and beauty of SWMLC's preserves and other important natural areas in southwest Michigan.  Nate received his B.S. in Biology from Northland College, an environmental liberal arts college in Ashland, Wisconsin.  He worked for several years as a naturalist and volunteer coordinator for Sarett Nature Center in Benton Harbor.  He has also worked in Chicago as an education program coordinator for The Nature Conservancy and as a volunteer for the North Branch Restoration Project.  Nate is a former Board Member of the Stewardship Network and current Board Member of the Natural Areas Association, Stewards of Kleinstuck, and Long Haul Productions.  He lives in Kalamazoo with his wife Erin and son Theo. They can often be found birding and botanizing at nearby natural areas.

 Assistant Land Steward - Randy Counterman, counterman@swmlc.org
Prior to joining SWMLC in 2008, Randy held a variety of jobs - from an IT professional at Pfizer to a self-employed construction worker. He believes this background has helped in his current dream job of doing whatever it takes to conserve rare ecosystems and their inhabitants. He enjoys being outdoors in all types of weather and learning from nature. He has an AAS degree in Fisheries and Natural Resources from Kalamazoo Valley Community College, a BS degree in Fisheries and Wildlife from and Michigan State, and is completing a MS degree in Natural Resources Management from Grand Valley State. His MS project work involving assessment of ecological restoration activities and the effects on wildlife has meshed well with a SWMLC goal of monitoring preserves for changes in the occurrence and distribution of rare species. He resides in Texas Township with his wife, Terri, and their two junior environmentalists, Wyatt and Joey.

Communications Director - Pamela Larson, PWLarson@swmlc.org
Born and raised in the Midwest, Pam lived in New Orleans after receiving her teaching degree in secondary education from Western Michigan University (French major, linguistics minor). While she didn't pursue teaching in New Orleans, Pam put her writing, editing, and language skills to work editing abstracts, theses, and dissertations for scientific publications. She also worked in advertising, marketing, and public relations, as well as in TV and radio. After 14 years in the Deep South, Pam returned to Kalamazoo and was hired in April 1997 as SWMLC's second full-time employee. Pam is the newsletter editor, works with members, and assists with communications and fund-raising efforts. Pam and her husband, Lee, are founding members of the Kalamazoo Chapter of Wild Ones--Natural Landscapers, Ltd and are active in many area nature/environmental organizations. They maintain a Certified Backyard Wildlife Habitat and are restoring their four acres to native plants. Pam is an Advanced Master Gardener through Michigan State University Extension. She writes for national publications and is a classically trained musician.

Administrative Assistant - Wynn Jones, wynnjones@swmlc.org
Wynn Jones is a native Texan who comes to SW Michigan by way of many states. A few years after college, she drove across country to Colorado where she got her MA in Journalism at CU Boulder. She also fell in love with hiking and skiing. At the same time, she discovered community radio where she worked for over 10 years. In 1999, she moved to Telluride, CO where she worked in media relations and administration for the many music and film festivals the town has to offer. She also married her husband and gave birth to their two boys.   In 2004, the family relocated to Virginia so her husband, Jeffrey, could obtain his PhD in Education. After landing a job at Western Michigan University, they moved to Kalamazoo in 2008. She says, “I love this area, lots of snow, close to Lake Michigan and great local food.” When Wynn isn’t working, she can be found spending time out of doors with her family camping, fishing, hiking, and skiing in southwest Michigan.