People
Staff
Susan Lackey — Executive Director
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Susan joined the Conservancy in 2005, and she has a background in public affairs with an emphasis in planning. She grew up in west Michigan in a small farming community where her family still lives. She now lives west of Chelsea near the Waterloo Recreation Area with her husband Steve and their dog Chili, both of whom are excellent companions on the Discovery Center’s Bog Trail.
Suzie Heiney — Development & Communications Director
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Suzie joined the Conservancy in 2003 after an early career as a management consultant, because she believes nature is worth protecting. She is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. She lives in historic downtown Ypsilanti with her husband Bob and two adorable cats, in a home strategically chosen for its proximity to four fantastic independent coffeehouses.
Kyra VandeBunte — Communications and Development Intern
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Kyra is the Land Trust’s student intern. She is a junior at the University of Michigan, concentrating in Organizational Studies and Communications. Kyra has previously interned for the American Cancer Society and currently serves as the treasurer for the College Democrats at the University of Michigan. A native of the west side of the state, what constitutes “a lot of snow” here in Ann Arbor and Jackson is nothing to her.
Erika Taylor — Operations Manager
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Erika came to Michigan from the San Francisco bay area in 2001, where she worked in nonprofit management for 15 years. Erika has an undergraduate degree in natural resource management and an MBA in finance and accounting. Kayaking, mountain biking, disc golf, and gardening are her passions. She lives in Ann Arbor near the river with her husband, two kids, and a cat named Joe.
Dana Wright — Stewardship Coordinator
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Dana has spent the last seven years doing conservation and volunteer coordination with the City of Ann Arbor’s Natural Area Preservation. She has joined the conservancy to broaden her skills, and is very excited to work with a new group of volunteers! She lives in Ann Arbor with her husband and two children. Her current hobby/craze is edible landscaping and backyard farming.
Board
The Conservancy is proud to have an active Board of Trustees which provides expertise in areas of law, financial planning, fundraising, farming and natural resources. Our Board meets six times a year, with additional committee meetings as necessary.
We welcome inquiries from potential new board members. Interested in becoming a board member? Contact us!
Robert Tetens – President
Bob is the Director of the Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation Commission, where his duties include management of the County’s Natural Areas Preservation Program. His prior experience includes serving as Executive Director of the Urban Area Transportation Study; and with the Washtenaw County Planning Department and Administrators Office. He is a resident of Dexter Township, where he was appointed and subsequently elected twice to serve as Dexter Township Supervisor. He has also served as a member and Chair of the Township’s Planning Commission, Zoning Board of Review, and Purchase of Development Rights Committee. Bob attended the University of Michigan and Eastern Michigan University.
Phil Surratt – Vice President
Phil was president of American Title Company of Washtenaw from 1969 until his retirement in 1991. Since that time he has been active in various business development and charitable endeavors in the community. He holds undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Michigan. He has a continuing interest in land preservation and environmental issues and served on the board of trustees of the Washtenaw Land Conservancy, which later became the Legacy Land Conservancy. He and his wife, Ann, have lived in Scio Township since 1969.
James W. Govert – Executive Secretary
Jim is senior counsel at the law firm Miller, Canfield, Paddock & Stone, PLC in Ann Arbor , where he specializes in commercial real estate and capital markets lending law. He has also worked at firms in Philadelphia and San Francisco. Jim’s professional activities include membership in the State Bar of Michigan and its Real Estate Section, the American Bar Association, and the Washtenaw County Bar Association. He serves on a variety of nonprofit boards, including Michigan Ability Partners and the Ann Arbor Book Festival.
Janet Crone – Treasurer
A former tax accountant, Janet operates a personal gardening service and has long been interested in the preservation of local farming land. She earned a BA from Denison University (Granville, Ohio) and an MBA from the University of Michigan. Other volunteer activities include the Ann Arbor Thrift Shop and select gardening projects for local organizations. Recent returnees to Washtenaw County from years of living in both east and west lower Michigan, Janet and her husband, Charlie, now live in Scio Township.
James C. Adams
Jim is a partner with the law firm Butzel Long. He is the former President of the Old Mission Conservancy (Traverse City) as well as one of the members of the steering committee that organized the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy. He holds an undergraduate degree from Michigan State University and a law degree from the University of Michigan. He resides in Ann Arbor with his wife, Naz Edwards.
Robert Aldrich
Rob is the President of MAVDevelopment Company, where he guides the firm’s acquisition and development activities. His background is in real estate finance, and he has taught real estate finance courses at the University of Michigan. His past and current service includes the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority, the Ann Arbor YMCA, and the Ann Arbor Area Chamber of Commerce. Rob is a licensed real estate broker and member of Ann Arbor Board of Realtors. Rob earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Rosanne Bloomer
Rosanne is a Senior Financial Service Officer for GreenStone Farm Credit Services, an agricultural cooperative which provides credit and financial services to rural Michigan and Wisconsin. She is also co-owner of Bur Oaks Farm LLC, a family farm operation in Ann Arbor which processes and markets dry roasted soybeans and gourmet popcorn. Rosanne has a bachelor’s degree and post graduate work in business administration from Michigan State University. Rosanne also serves on the Washtenaw County Ag Advisory Committee, Washtenaw County Extension Advisory Committee, and FSEP – Food System Economic Partnership.
Margaret Engle
Margaret Engle has (mostly) enjoyed a long career in communications as a writer, editor, translator, and strategist. Margaret was a founding editor and the executive director of AlterNet, the first online news service for the alternative and independent press. She has also served as communications director at the Center for Responsive Politics, and as a communications consultant for groups as wide-ranging as Public Campaign, which promotes public financing of elections, and Youth Venture, which encourages teenage entrepreneurship. Margaret studied anthropology at Virginia Commonwealth in Richmond, and German at the Rhenish Friedrich-Wilhelm University in Bonn, where she also worked as an editor and translator. While Margaret grew up in Hawaii and the Washington area, she has deep Michigan roots and as a child spent many happy summers in Petoskey. She and husband Gavin Clabaugh live in Scio Township, where she works as a freelance writer and tries to put her master gardener training to use fending off herds of marauding deer.
Rob Ewing
Entrepreneurial since pre-school days raising calves, Rob works with Charles Reinhart Company Realtors and is a certified EcoBroker, emphasizing green homes and energy efficiency. Since childhood Rob has worked with his family expanding YMCA Storer Camps from 250 to 1200 acres and developing its conservation, agriculture, and recreation programs. Rob successfully owned/managed retail, wholesale, and manufacturing businesses related to outdoor clothing and equipment before entering the real estate business, where he has been involved in residential developments and conservation properties. Rob has lived in Dexter with his family for 25 years. A charter member of the Dexter Rotary Club, he has also served as a trustee of the Educational Foundation of Dexter.
Paul Glendon
Paul is an attorney who works primarily as a labor arbitrator. A two-time graduate of The University of Michigan (AB 1964, JD 1969), he and his wife Anne have lived in Ann Arbor since 1966. An active volunteer with local nonprofit organizations, he has served as a board member and chair for the Ann Arbor YMCA and president of the Rotary Club of Ann Arbor, and currently is a board member and Secretary of Leslie Science & Nature Center and president of the Northbury Condominium Association. In connection with a second life on Lake Michigan’s Beaver Island, Paul also serves as board member and president of the Beaver Island Association, an organization dedicated to the environmental and economic sustainability of the island, and is a long-time supporter and Beaver Island advisory council member of the Little Traverse Conservancy.
Carol Peacock
Carol is a retired CPA, having practiced public accounting at Icerman, Johnson & Hoffman and Touche Ross & Co. in Ann Arbor. She holds degrees from Indiana University, the University of Michigan, and Eastern Michigan University. After leaving accounting, she served as Bridgewater Township Treasurer and as Bridgewater Township Supervisor. Currently she serves on the Bridgewater Township Farmland Preservation Board and is the Treasurer of Unity on Campus, a campus ministry in Ann Arbor. In 2000, Carol and her husband Wade donated a conservation agreement to the Conservancy on their 40-acre farm in Bridgewater Township, where they live with their cats and three Percheron draft horses.
Heather Price
Heather is Executive Director and co-owner of her family’s winery, Sandhill Crane Vineyards. She is currently President of the Michigan Museums Association and was appointed by the governor last year to the Michigan Grape & Wine Industry Council, where she serves as chair of the Promotions and Consumer Education Committee. She also serves on the board of the Jackson County Convention and Visitors Bureau. Other nonprofit experience includes 10 years with the Ella Sharp Museum, and past board service with The Dahlem Conservancy, Arts Alliance of Jackson County, and the PR & Marketing SPC of the American Association of Museums. She and her husband, Bob have lived in Jackson County for nearly 30 years. Their son Tommy is currently a student at Washtenaw Community College.
Scott K. Simonds
Scott is Professor Emeritus at the University of Michigan School of Public Health where, in addition to his teaching and research, he held several administrative posts between 1966 and 1994. These included Director of the Non-Residential Program in Public Health Policy and Administration, Assistant Dean for Curriculum, Director of the Program in Health Education, and management of the accreditation process for the School of Public Health. He has been President of the Board of the Epilepsy Center (now Michigan Epilepsy Foundation), served on the Governor’s Environmental Education Task Force, and has served on the Board of the Friends of the U-M Matthaei Botanical Gardens and as chair of its membership committee.
Adam Smith
Adam is an attorney specializing in various aspects of business, commercial and employment litigation. He holds business and law degrees from the University of Michigan and previously worked in commercial lending before attending law school. Because of their love for all types of outdoor activities, he and his wife, Theresa, moved to Washtenaw County in 2001. In his free time, Adam enjoys taking advantage of the many biking, canoeing and hiking opportunities available in southern Michigan.
Charity W. Steere
Charity earned a BA in education from the University of Michigan and is a former branch librarian for the Jackson District Library. A resident of the Waterloo area for over 30 years, she led the successful campaign for the first miles of Natural Beauty Roads in Jackson County and is active in preservation efforts in the Waterloo area. She volunteers with Sitting Tall, a 4-H riding program for the disabled, has chaired the Waterloo Hunter/Jumper Horse shows, is a member of the board of directors of the Waterloo Hunt Club, and serves on the Jackson County Agricultural Preservation Committee.
Robert M. Ward
A specialist in rural planning, Rocky has published academic articles in geography, environment, and planning journals for more than thirty years. A professor at Eastern Michigan University since the late 1960s, he initiated the university’s undergraduate and graduate degree program in Urban & Regional Planning. He retired in 2003 and remains an adjunct faculty. He holds a doctorate degree in geography from the University of Michigan, as well as degrees from Earlham College (Indiana) and Indiana University in Bloomington, IN. Currently, he enjoys retirement in Sharon Township while pursuing hobbies in antiques, international travel, and hiking.
