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René Wiesner Brown
President
René Wiesner Brown is the Program
Manager for Pasco County’s new Environmental Lands Acquisition
and Management Program (ELAMP). René is responsible for land
acquisition, management, and restoration, developing policies
and procedures for the ELAMP, and locating partnership and
grant funding. Prior to her work in Pasco County, René was
an Environmental Specialist III for Hillsborough County's
Environmental Lands Acquisition and Protection Program (ELAPP),
where she was the primary grant writer and Restoration Coordinator.
René was a member of the prescribed burning team and participated
in land management and restoration efforts on 40,000 acres
of protected land. She previously served as coordinator for
the County-wide Invasive Species Task Force.
Prior to her work with Hillsborough
County, Rene worked in Washington, DC, at the Land Trust Alliance,
the national umbrella organization for land trusts. Rene served
as Information Services Manager, providing information and
assistance to land conservation professionals across the country
and conducting research on land conservation and nonprofit
management issues. Rene has a Master's of Environmental Management
from Duke University, and a bachelor's of science in biology
from Moravian College. Rene is a founding member of the Tampa
Bay Conservancy.
Robert G. Heath Jr.
Vice President
Land and Project Selection Chairman
Mr. Heath received his MS in Environmental Biology from Tulane
University in 1977, and moved to Florida in 1978. From 1978-81,
he worked as a park ranger for the Florida Park Service, before
being hired by Hillsborough County to develop environmental
education displays and programs for new regional parks. Mr.
Heath served as the County Naturalist for the Parks and Recreation
Department throughout the 80’s, training park rangers
to give guided walks and nature programs, developing natural
history interpretive literature and displays, and operating
an award winning summer nature program for school-aged children.
From 1988 through early 2002, Mr. Heath played an important
role in the Hillsborough County Environmental Lands Acquisition
and Protection Program (ELAPP), a voter approved local land
preservation program. Duties included environmental site assessments,
and supervision of County staff responsible for management of
the natural lands acquired through ELAPP.
In February of 2002, Mr. Heath retired from Hillsborough County
in order to start the Wildlife Fellowship, Inc., a non-profit
organization dedicated to environmental stewardship, with the
mission of providing support for the protection and management
of publicly-owned natural preservation lands through public
education, volunteer coordination, environmental activism, and
fundraising.
Sally Thompson
Treasurer
Prior to her retirement from the City of Tampa in 2000, Sally
Thompson spent five years as Grants Coordinator developing a
citywide grants program; this followed twenty years in the human
resources management field. She also is one of the founders
of the Hillsborough County Grants Collaborative.
Ms Thompson served on the Governing Board of the Southwest Florida
Water Management District for over ten years until March 2001,
and was very involved in the District’s various funding
programs, with special interest in land acquisition and management.
She is currently chairing the City of Tampa’s Greenways
& Trails Citizens Advisory Committee, and previously served
as Chair of the Florida Greenways and Trails Council. She is
also on the Board of the Florida Aquarium. Her interests and
expertise are in the areas of funding opportunities relating
to conservation programs.
Ms. Thompson received her BA in English from Hollins University
in Virginia, and holds a Master of Public Administration Degree
from the University of South Florida. She recently taught Environmental
Management as an Adjunct Instructor at USF.
Dick M. Eckenrod
Secretary
As Executive Director of the Tampa Bay Estuary Program (TBEP),
Mr. Eckenrod oversees a unique federal, state and local partnership
dedicated to the preservation and restoration of Florida's
largest open-water estuary.
Since joining TBEP in December 1990,
Mr. Eckenrod has directed the development of an innovative
management approach for Tampa Bay that seeks to balance economic
and environmental concerns. Mr. Eckenrod manages TBEP's varied
technical and public outreach efforts, and serves as the chief
liaison between the Program and the elected officials, scientists,
regulators and citizens that serve on its various committees.
Before joining the Estuary Program,
Dick played a pivotal role in the preparation of a surface
water management plan for Tampa Bay as part of an interdisciplinary
team of scientists and engineers employed by the Southwest
Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD), where he worked
from 1987 until his appointment at TBEP.
From 1984 to 1987, he advised the
Manatee County Commission on natural resource issues as director
of the Department of Land and Natural Resources. His responsibilities
included mining regulation and management of county-owned
conservation areas. He served the county as phosphate mining
coordinator from 1980 to 1984.
Becky Clayton
Board of Directors
Michael F. Kelley
Board of Directors
Michael F. Kelley is a West Point graduate and licensed civil
& environmental engineer in the State of Florida. He is
a member in good standing of numerous environmental professional
associations; including National Association of State Land
Reclamationists, Environmental Assessment Association, Florida
Institute for Phosphate Research Environmental Technical Advisory
Committee, Florida Lakewatch, and others. He has 26 years
experience as a practicing engineer. He has managed reclamation
projects featuring: the transformation of over 4,000 acres
of, mined out land into forested wildlife habitat, the planting
of over 3 million trees, the creation of over 650 acres of
man-made wetlands, and the restoration of over 43 billion
cubic feet per annum of previously interrupted natural stream
flow.
Karen Kress
Board of Directors
Karen Kress, a native of
Ohio, has been active in the Tampa Bay Chapter of Sierra Club
for the past 5 years, recently holding the positions of Chairperson
and Volunteer Coordinator for the Inner City Outings Program.
Her leadership resulted in the groups' Black Bear award in
2001 and 2003.
Ms. Kress is the Director of Transportation
and Planning at the Tampa Downtown Partnership. In that position
she advocates for good land- use planning, a pedestrian friendly
environment and the promotion of commute options to lessen
congestion in the core. She also has a background in marketing
and event planning.
In her spare time, she is out hiking,
camping or canoeing with her husband and 2 young boys. Karen
earned her B.A. in Political Science from Ohio University
and Professional Certifications from USF in non- profit management
and public relations.
Stu Marvin
Board of Directors
Stu
Marvin served as staff for the Hillsborough County Planning
Commission. He has also served in various community leadership
roles including, former chair of the Hillsborough River Greenways
Task Force (HRGTF) Board of Directors, and former chair of
the Coach Roach Bay Aquatic Preserve Management Advisory Committee
(CAPMAC). He is currently on the Community Advisory Committee
for the Tampa Bay Estuary Program (TBEP). Stu is also a founder
of the Tampa Bay Conservancy.
Heidi McCree
Board of Directors
Heidi
B. McCree of Tampa is an attorney and former executive director
of the Hillsborough River Greenways Task Force. She was appointed
to the Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing
Board in September 2000 and elected Secretary at the April
2002 Board meeting.
McCree
received a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Vanderbilt
University in 1986 and a juris doctor from George Mason University
School of Law in 1992. She is a member of the Maryland Bar.
She received professional certification from the Florida Conflict
Resolution Consortium in 1996 for negotiating and resolving
public disputes.
McCree
served for four years as the executive director of the Hillsborough
River Greenways Task Force. Her prior experience includes
working for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection,
and for two governors of Maryland in their Chesapeake Bay
and Save Our Streams programs. She is a member of the Hillsborough
County Bar Association's Environmental Law Section, Hillsborough
Association of Women Lawyers, Hillsborough County League of
Women Voters, Tampa Bay Estuary Program Citizens Advisory
Committee, and the Water Issues Coalition. She is active in
the Junior League of Tampa and Vanderbilt University Alumni
Association.
McCree
is a member of the Southwest Florida Water Management District's
Governing Board Planning Committee, and chair of the Resource
Management and Development Committee. She is the chair ex
officio of the Hillsborough River Basin Board. She is also
a founder of the Tampa Bay Conservancy.
Jeff Steinsnyder
Board of Directors
William Lorenzen
Executive Director
William Lorenzen has eleven years
of experience in the pharmaceutical industry as a sales executive
and trainer on the local and national level. Mr. Lorenzen
is a founder, and past president of the Riverview Civic Association.
He has also been involved in a variety of environmental conservation
efforts and was recognized by the Sierra Club, Tampa Bay Group
in 2001 as a recipient of the club's Outstanding Service and
Contributions Award.
Nicole
Kibert
Pro Bono Attorney
Carlton Fields Attorneys at Law
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