HCC Staff Bios

What I do at Hill Country Conservancy: push the conservation ball uphill 16×7.

What made you get involved in conservation? I was born into conservation. It’s been my life path since I first stepped outside at the old St. David’s Hospital in Austin.

What is your favorite thing about your job at Hill Country Conservancy? The people with whom I’m blessed to effect conservation every day of my life.

What do/did you want to be when you grew up? Astronaut and hippie surfer. Got one of them right.

Describe your favorite weekend in the hill country. Cold, misty, view of the Devil’s Backbone while reading the comics on the front porch. And of course hot coffee and homemade blueberry muffins.

If you could have one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be? Homemade Vanilla Blue Bell – duh!

My life before HCC, in 50 words or less: wandering aimlessly through life with occasional conservation home run at other nonprofits.

The person I admire most is: Lyndon Johnson and Shudde Fath

The issue I’m most passionate about is: family togetherness.

My most memorable moment at HCC is: Storm Ranch press conference at the wildflower center – 2000.

The accomplishment I’m most proud of at HCC is: helping to build the best (board, staff, volunteer) conservation team anywhere!

If I could be anywhere else at the moment, I would be: surfing – again, duh!

What’s the best compliment you’ve ever received? We had set up a pretty sweet campsite and a barely famous TV weather person said to me during cocktail hour, “You’re a gear queer!”

What I do at Hill Country Conservancy: I use GIS to make maps of properties under conservation easements, and help out with the creation of Baseline Documentation Reports. I’m also working with Frank on some strategic conservation planning.

What made you get involved in conservation?
I love spending time outdoors, and have always been fascinated by the beauty and complexity of the natural world. Another major factor is that I’ve lived in many different towns and cities in the US and abroad, which has given me the opportunity to see how planning (or the lack thereof) affects people’s quality of life and sense of community. Incorporating green space improves people’s lives in a fundamental way, and literally supports life, from cleaning the air and water, to providing habitat to the insects that pollinate our food.

What is your favorite thing about your job at Hill Country Conservancy?
It combines a lot of my interests – design (maps), planning, ecology, law, etc. I love having a job I believe in, especially one that lets me hike around on ranches every now and then.

The issue I’m most passionate about is: Probably food.

My most memorable moment at HCC is: Searching for freshwater mussels with chest-high waders on.

What I do at Hill Country Conservancy: I’m the Director of Land Stewardship, which means I work with our partners on conservation easements, helping with restoration projects and spending plenty of time outdoors!

What made you get involved in conservation? I fell in love with the Hill Country and wanted to have a part in helping to preserve its natural character.

What is your favorite thing about your job at Hill Country Conservancy? It’s very exciting and rewarding to know that we are leaving a legacy for future generations.

My life before HCC, in 50 words or less: I like to say that my life really started when I moved from Dallas to Austin 15 years ago.

The issue I’m most passionate about is: It’s cliché, but I really do believe that each of us is responsible for ensuring quality of life in the world we pass on to our children and grandchildren.

If I could be anywhere else at the moment, I would be: I’m happy right where I am.

In my spare time I enjoy: Swimming, hiking, eating out, and dancing with my wife Jenny.

If you were an animal, what would you be and why? Dogs lead a pretty amazing life: sleeping, having all their food served to them, never working, and getting free massages all the time.

What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? I know it’s probably the hardest job in the world, but I have a dream of being a rancher.

What I do at Hill Country Conservancy: I try to keep everything running smoothly.

What made you get involved in conservation? Our leader’s dedication and passion for conservation.

What is your favorite thing about your job at Hill Country Conservancy? Working with creative people and their dedication to our mission.

If you could have one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be? Pasta Bolognese

My life before HCC, in 50 words or less: I have been here 10 years. I don’t remember what I did before HCC.

The person I admire most is: My Mother – she taught me patience.

The accomplishment I’m most proud of at HCC is: Making it through an audit.

If I could be anywhere else at the moment, I would be: In Italy.

What’s the best compliment you’ve ever received? That I “run” the office which, of course, is a myth.

If you were an animal, what would you be and why? Siamese cat – loving, loyal and independent.

What sound or noise do you love? Easy listening jazz.

What sound or noise do you hate? Rock music

What I do at Hill Country Conservancy:
Project Manager for trail planning and construction.

What made you get involved in conservation? I was a Boy Scout and spent my youth in the outdoors.

Describe your favorite weekend in the hill country. Dining in Fredericksburg, and then climbing Enchanted Rock to watch the sun set.

If you could have one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be? Blueberry pancakes with real maple syrup, and a tall glass of milk.

My life before HCC, in 50 words or less: I worked with the Bureau of Land Management in Colorado before becoming the Senior Park Planner for the City of Austin.

The person I admire most is: The Dog Whisperer.

The issue I’m most passionate about is: Saving the iconic landscape of a place and getting people on the land to enjoy it.

The accomplishment I’m most proud of at HCC is: Any progress towards getting a regional trail built for central Texas.

In my spare time I enjoy: Landscape gardening, hiking, camping, kayaking, movies, reading, live music – I just like entertainment of any kind.
What is your favorite word? Adios.

What I do at Hill Country Conservancy: My job is excellent because I get to do a little bit of everything, but most of the time I work on event planning with the Development team and on database maintenance for the office.

What is your favorite thing about your job at Hill Country Conservancy? My favorite thing about working at HCC is the feeling that all my daily activities have a meaningful purpose – everything I do, no matter how small, somehow empowers the organization to keep conserving open space.

My most recent “brush with fame” was: After the HCC Earth Day concert, I drank a beer while sitting next to Andy Langer. He’s famous, right?

My most memorable moment at HCC is: There have already been quite a few memorable moments even though I’ve only been with HCC for a year. One of them was the EPIC peach picking event at Vogel Orchard. Anyone can arrange to pick seasonal fruit from a private orchard, but it was such a unique experience to sit in the family’s yard and have Jamey Vogel talk about everything from the heritage of the land to the biggest worries that ranchers face and what keeps him up at night. It felt candid and intimate, and I really value that experience. Plus, I have never in my life tasted peaches THAT delicious.

If I could be anywhere else at the moment, I would be: In Germany lounging in the mountain grass with cats, or bunnies, or both.

If you could get rid of three things in the world, they would be:
1) Styrofoam
2) Jimmy Buffet’s “Cheeseburger in Paradise”
3) “Jersey Shore” – the TV show, not the actual New Jersey Shore.

What sound or noise do you hate? I very strongly dislike the sound of a mouth smacking its food.

What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? In addition to working for the HCC, I’d like to whip you into shape and become an exercise instructor – Pilates or Jazzercise. Or I’d like to improve my Spanish and become an ESL teacher.

What I do at Hill Country Conservancy: I am the Membership and Outreach Director. I work with our Development Team to engage the community from many aspects whether assisting with events such as EPIC and our Lunch and Learns, to organizing and partnering with organizations to provide volunteer opportunities, to managing and connecting with member, corporations, and all kinds of supporters. The old cliché of it takes a village is very much true for HCC. Financial support is what will truly help HCC to reach our mission of conserving 50,000 acres and beyond. It is truly a pleasure to meet and work with people to make a long term conservation impact.

What made you get involved in conservation? As an only child growing up in the Hill Country my life was playing outside, riding my bike, and getting dirty! Even as a child I could see my favorite scenic hillsides disappearing, the creeks I used to play in silting and polluting, my favorite hill country roads, changing before my eyes, and the critters slowly vanishing. It became apparent by the time I attended the University of Texas that something had to be done. It wasn’t until I took a class about Open Space Conservation that I realized I could pursue a career to make a permanent impact for my children and for future generations.

What do/did you want to be when you grew up? I wanted to be in a Blondie/Debra Harry Cover Band.

Describe your favorite weekend in the hill country. My favorite weekend would be to travel by motorcycle with one night at a bed in breakfast like the “Inn Above Onion Creek”, breakfast with the birds, followed by a hike and swim, and then a road trip to Enchanted Rock, sunset at a hill country vineyard, and an evening camping and playing guitar at Pedernales Falls State Park.

If you could have one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be? Avocado anything

The person I admire most is: My husband for putting up with me!

My most recent “brush with fame” was:
I met Woody Harrelson at the after party for the premier of Surfer Dude with Matthew McConaughey. Yes, I saw Surfer Dude.

The issue I’m most passionate about is:
Our environment, of course!

If I could be anywhere else at the moment, I would be:
My other life is the beach. Give me a margarita and a surf board and I am one happy girl.

My most impressive “cocktail party line” about myself would be:
I can roll my tongue into five little tacos, want to see?!

What I do at Hill Country Conservancy: I’m the Director of Communications and Development. I plan events, I manage communications and public relations, I try to make sure HCC is well represented in the community, I manage our social media interactions, I blog, I play the Texas Fight song every Friday, I make plant art, I’m the office cookie monster, and I attempt at office jokes…not always successfully.

What made you get involved in conservation? I fell in love with the hill country when I was a little girl. My dad had me outdoors, fishing, playing in the water, feeding animals, and driving with him around ranches since day one. I’ve always loved Hill Country Conservancy and its mission and when Andrea and George asked me to come on board, I had no idea what I was getting into, but I couldn’t say yes fast enough.

What is your favorite thing about your job at Hill Country Conservancy? The amazing and positive people I get to be around everyday. I love that we are such a great team working for the same cause. It’s a wonderful thing when you can’t wait to go to work in the morning.

What do/did you want to be when you grew up? Jessica Fletcher

Describe your favorite weekend in the hill country. I’m usually up for anything as long as it’s outside. I love fishing, river time, playing with the dogs, cooking out, and seeing new parts of the hill country. My favorite moments are either sitting outside on a cool morning in London, Texas drinking coffee with my dad or on the South Llano kayaking with my brother. Driving from Junction to Concan and going to the Mason County Rodeo with Andrea last summer were pretty great too.

My most memorable moment at HCC is: Seeing Emma’s kitten dance for the first time.

The issue I’m most passionate about is: Living in the moment, life is short. And George bringing chocolate chip cookies from Royal Blue to work every Thursday.

If I could enact one new law it would be: I would ban cottage cheese.

What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? A forensic scientist, a prosecutor, or a private detective

What I do at Hill Country Conservancy: I’m the Director of Community Relations.

What is your favorite thing about your job at Hill Country Conservancy? This is a tie between the satisfaction of conservation success stories and the amazing staff. I genuinely love working with everyone on the team and the different points of view they bring to the table make our group very dynamic.

What do/did you want to be when you grew up? When I was really little, I wanted to be a tree. I guess I took Shell Silverstein’s book a little too literally.

My most recent “brush with fame” was: I recently danced in the local version of Dancing with the Stars, benefiting the Center for Child Protective Services. Over 900 Austinites witnessed a revised version of Beyonce’s “All the Single Ladies”, performed by myself and 4 other ladies.

My most memorable moment at HCC is: My first day on the job, we went kayaking in Barton Creek during the summer of 2007. Spending a few hours on the water with these passionate folks shaped the way that I felt about my position at HCC and the responsibility we have to the region to make a difference.

The accomplishment I’m most proud of at HCC is: Starting the Emerging Professionals in Conservation (EPIC) program is something I will always be proud of. When we started the program with 8 people, nearly 3 years ago, no one expected that it would grow to 250+ members. We couldn’t have predicted the impact that EPIC would have on HCC’s fundraising ability and increasing our visibility in the community.

My favorite websites are:
www.dailypuglet.com
www.epicurious.com
www.pandora.com

What sound or noise do you hate?
Clipping finger/toe nails. Yuck!!