NLI Board of Trustees and Affiliations

Mark was raised in Chicago and had an interest in animals. He planned to be a veterinarian until he went to the U. of Ill. where he discovered ecology and wildlife biology. After completing his Ph.D. at S.I.U. in Carbondale, Mark was hired as the Refuge Biologist for 140,000 acres of Everglades. While in Florida Mark was one of the principal members of a team of federal scientists and lawyers that sued the state of Florida over pollution entering the Everglades. Mark moved back to Rockford in 1995 to help run the family business, Androck Hardware and continued to consult on a variety of issues for the National Park Service and the Department of Justice. Mark became a board member in 2000, served as President from 2002 to 2005 and from 2016 through the present. Being involved with NLI gives Mark a way to channel his passion for maintaining a healthy earth, while giving NLI his invaluable expertise.

Rick describes himself as an “addict”, referring to his passion about the outdoors and nature. He grew up in Peoria and Macomb where he played in nature as a child. In 1967 his family moved to Rockford and while he was doing an Eagle Scout project at Hononegah Forest Preserve he became aware of invasive species. Since 1973 he has been selling people on outdoor recreation for various recreational businesses. He has had many explorations in nature and has always been interested in nature and education. He took a U of I Master Naturalist class in 2010 where he met Trip Thienemann and Judy Barnard, who were both on the board at that time. Judy invited him to be on the board and has since become involved at many levels. He currently serves as chair of the Board Development Committee and  is a member of the Education Committee.

Ellwyn was introduced to NLI around 2010 by Judy Barnard through serendipitous circumstances. He doesn’t have much nature background, but did grow up playing in nature. When he went to college he considered studying something related to nature, but instead got an engineering degree, based on his father’s recommendation to get a degree he knew would allow him to earn money. Nature became a hobby and is now taking more of a front and center position.  He has enjoyed his time on the NLI board and thinks it’s a great organization.  It’s a good idea to be on many committees, especially land conservation, to gain an understanding of what NLI does.  A presentation at his Rotary Club about the Kishwaukee River Ecosystem Partnership’s Green Infrastructure Plan about runoff impact really impressed upon him the critical nature of the need for protecting natural resources.

Ruth’s father was born in a sod hut in the prairies of Saskatchawan (Canada) and grew up on a Menonite preserve. She spent her youth in the prairies on the east coast of the U.S. What she learned about prairies made her feel more connected to her dad. After moving to Rockford she met Jerry Paulson (former NLI Executive Director) on a Christmas Bird Count and eventually became involved with bird banding and Natural Land Institute. Ruth loves to continue learning. She learns something new every day. Ruth was the Executive Director of the Girl Scouts of Northern Illinois for several years.

Tom has been attracted to natural areas all his life. He grew up in Beloit near Turtle Creek and loved exploring outdoor areas around the creek.  Tom likes to support the underdog and thinks animals and plants need someone to root for them so he thinks being involved with Natural Land Institute is a great way to do this.

Paul is a lifelong resident of Rockford. Although the home he has always lived in is inside Rockford’s city limits, it is located on a four acre lot that includes a two acre prairie. Quietly sitting in that prairie, gazing at the birds and sky, and just thinking was a summer joy. As a youth, Paul’s family was friends with Owen Gromme (renowned wildlife painter from Baraboo, WI). Mr. Gromme and his daughter helped the entire family learn to rehabilitate orphaned and injured birds. Family vacations were, typically, road trips to national parks. Paul’s parents and siblings are long-time supporters of many environmental organizations, particularly the Nature Conservancy, which later motivated family members to become committed supporters of the Natural Land Institute. When retirement from the engineering career and the end of another significant volunteer commitment ended, the transition to NLI was a natural fit. He is on NLI’s Land Conservation, Finance, and Science committees. Paul knows that it is imperative that we protect unblemished natural areas and the creatures that depend on those areas for their survival.

Jon is a native of and currently lives in St. Charles, Illinois. He describes himself as a botanist and has held a life-long interest in horticulture that was inherited from his family. During his high school years he was introduced to the Morton Arboretum and had a mentor who took him to visit natural areas in the area where he grew up. This was in the 1950s, prior to the wave of habitat restoration and ecology and before the first Earth Day. He attended Koch College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and received his Master’s degree from NIU in 1967. Jon was the original staff biologist at Waubonsee Community College and set up the biology program there where he taught for five years. After this he bought a greenhouse and garden center in Oswego and ran it for 16 years. Jon was hired as a landscape designer and planner for Kane County Forest Preserve District and eventually became the Director. He retired from there 2004. In later years Jon developed an interest in birding and has gone on several worldwide birding expeditions. Through his birding interests he met Dan Williams (NLI Trustee) several years ago.

Ed was born and raised in Rockford but now resides in Genoa, IL (DeKalb County).  He grew up in the city but always migrated to the country and, in particular, the family cabin along the Kishwaukee River. Ed is following in the footsteps of his father, Gordon G. Eggers, who was a previous NLI president during the Nygren Wetland cquisition.  A love of international travel and the outdoors led Ed on a 30+ year career in the agricultural seed business.  He directed international seed activities for DEKALB Genetics and ultimately owned, with his wife, Sunfield Seeds, Inc based in the Sacramento Valley of California which primarily produces hybrid sunflower seed and utilized up to 60,000 bee hives per season. They now own several Colorado food operations which focus on natural and gluten free and are run by family members. Being involved with NLI gives Ed a nice conduit to transition from a successful business career to a non-profit alternative for the benefit of future generations. Ed is an avid sportsman who enjoys hiking, skiing, canoeing, sailing and many other outdoor activities. He has a BS from Colorado State University in Ag Business with a minor in Agronomy and an MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School.

Jay and his wife, Jane, are passionate about conservation and environmental issues and being involved with Natural Land Institute is a good outlet for him. Jane is very much an activist, which has rubbed off on Jay. They have both been NLI supporters for many years. One of Jay’s goals is to ensure this organization is around for a long time. This is why he has been an advocate of NLI’s Endowment Fund. NLI is one of the few strong long-term organizations in our area and Jay is proud to be a part of his land trust.

Ray was born and raised on a farm and played out in the open when he was a child. He realized the most beautiful land for animals especially, was that which was being destroyed by development or used for recreation. He has always felt a desire to keep land as a safe place for animals and this has motivated him to support and be actively involved in an organization like Natural Land Institute that protects natural land to provide wildlife habitat. He likes the mission of NLI to preserve and protect natural areas so animals will have places they need to live.

Adam has been a Broker with Dickerson & Nieman Realtors for 11 years and is a 4 year member of their President’s Club which is an award to the top tier of sales agents for the company. He was born and raised in Rockford, graduating Guilford High School in 2001. He attended the University of Wyoming achieving his Bachelor’s in Advertising and Marketing. Throughout the years he has been a member of Pheasants Forever, Ducks Unlimited, and the United Sportsmen’s Youth Foundation whose mission is “Teaching Kids about Conservation”. He grew up a hunter and is a conservationist and steward of his land for his children, son Mason (4) and daughter Ellie (18 months). He is familiar with land values and contracts and willing to volunteer for projects and causes he believes in. Adam has a passion for the outdoors and land in general and wants to leave something for his children and grandchildren to enjoy.

Dan currently serves as President of Loescher & Associates, Ltd., a Rockford based CPA Firm, specializing in individual, estate and gift and non-for-profit taxation, servicing the needs of closely held businesses and their owners.  Dan has been active in the community, serving on a number of charitable,   association and for-profit Boards of Directors and committees.  Currently, Dan serves as Chair of Illinois Bank & Trust Company, Treasurer of Anderson Japanese Gardens and as a Trustee of several private foundations.  Dan is a graduate of Highland Community College in Freeport, NIU and DePaul University.  Dan is married to Amy Loescher and resides in Belvidere.

Linda Miller grew up in a small city which had a park one block from her house and woods just a few more blocks away. Her favorite times as a child at home were spent in these spaces. In the summers, she spent time staying with two grandmothers. One lived on a large, traditional farm. The other had moved from her farm to a small, city house with a large garden. Linda inherited her love of gardening, plants, and the outdoors from these two women. She and her husband, Keith, have had a garden every year wherever they have lived, and its produce is a significant portion of their diet throughout the year. Linda holds a Masters in Library and Information Science from the University of Illinois. She serves on the boards of several organizations, including a statewide social services organization. She is concerned with the changing climate and the impact that it is having on all living things. Locally, she is a member of the Environmental Issues Committee of the League of Women Voters. Linda believes in the work of NLI and the powerful, positive effect that it has on our community and our world. She and Keith gladly support the Natural Land Institute.

Alan has a B.S. in zoology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, an M.S. in zoology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and an M.S. Ed. in bacteriology, Southern Illinois University. He has an interest and understanding that natural areas are needed for human beings to be healthy. He grew up mostly outside where he felt the most aware, awake and fun.  Alan is a biologist, but stumbled on to courses through friends at the UW Madison about wildlife ecology and field ornithology. Alan has learned how natural areas affect humans and society. He is a longtime volunteer for Northwest Illinois Audubon Society and the Jane Adamsland organization.  He has a desire to work with organizations like Natural Land Institute that have a broader impact on the community. Alan serves on the NLI Resource Development Committee.

Ashley is an urban planner with Gary W. Anderson Architects where she works to revitalize downtowns, redevelop historic buildings, and build community. She is also involved with many community initiatives including Transform Rockford, I Bike Rockford, IGNITE Young Professionals, and is also on the board for Jeremiah Development. She grew up in a small town near Rockford so is familiar with both rural and urban contexts for the built and natural environment. In her free time you could expect her to be biking or hiking with her husband, Jason, and dog, Kevin.

Troy is relatively new to the Rockford area. He moved here from Pennsylvania a few years ago. His academic degrees are as follows:  Bachelor of Science at University of Wisconsin – Madison, Ph.D.  in Medical Sciences at Texas A&M University College of Medicine,  and completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship at Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute in Oakland, CA.  Currently he holds positions as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Sciences at Rockford University and Adjunct Instructor at University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford.  Some of his research interests for the past six years have involved analyzing antibiotic resistance among bacterial populations residing within local rivers and lakes and their contaminating sources, as well as determining if they might be harmful to humans. Troy is the Education Committee Chair.

Dan Swift lives in Rockford and is married to Susan L. Swift and has four children and nine grandchildren. He is a retired physician who practiced Urology and is co-founder of Rockford Urological Associates. Dan attended Depauw University and Emory University School of Medicine. He says, “I have always enjoyed an interest in nature and the natural world since my earliest memories. I have always supported a number of nature conservation organizations and now that I am retired I would like to take a more active role. I believe my thinking and goals coincide nicely with the Natural Land Institute. For approximately seven years I have owned and managed a 35 acre farm in southern Wisconsin with the intent of converting it into a natural preserve. I now know and understand the significant difficulties involved in trying to do this. Preserving and restoring natural land is an extremely important task and I look forward to contributing to the Natural Land Institute. At the same time I look forward to learning more and educating myself about the land and species of Northern Illinois.

Like all of NLI’s volunteers, Trip shares a life-long passion for all things related to nature and the great outdoors.  A college philosophy course he took at Tulane University called “Humanity’s Place in Nature” awakened his sense of man’s duty as protectors and stewards of our planet.  Although he has spent the majority of his life in Rockford, Trip did not become familiar with NLI until he found himself in competition with the organization for ad space in the Rockford Symphony Orchestra’s annual program.  Once he learned about the entity he was up against, he gladly gave up the front-inside cover to NLI, and asked how he could be involved in helping with NLI’s mission.  Trip is an avid birder and shutter-bug, and he spends much of his spare time exploring the natural areas of this region while toting both his binoculars and his camera.  Trip has completed the educational component of the Illinois Master Naturalist program, and hopes someday to complete the remaining requirements to become certified.  He has been on the Board of Trustees of the Natural Land Institute since 2009, and he currently serves as chair of the Land Conservation Committee.

Rob Young was born and raised in the country at Everbold Farm in Kirkland, Illinois and has had a curiosity and passion for the natural world from a young age. An avid outdoor adventurer, Rob has sought out natural beauty in places such as New Zealand, California, Utah, Arizona, Georgia and Virginia, but when he is home you can find him and his dog Finn hiking along a Northern Illinois trail. Professionally, Rob is the owner and President of Midwest Packaging and Container, a tennis teaching pro at Forest City Tennis Center, and the assistant editor of FutureSox.com.  Rob is a 2015-2016 alumni of the Rockford Chamber of Commerce Leadership Rockford Program, a member of Next Rockford, and Vice President of the Rockford Young Professionals Meetup group.

Carrie is a Certified Global Business Professional with extensive experience in business development and account management including foreign direct investment, market analysis, and strategic planning. She is multilingual in Mandarin Chinese and French and focuses in her work on relationship management for building impactful coalitions across diverse sectors.  She currently works for the State of Illinois Department of Commerce as their Northern Stateline Region Manager and previously worked as Executive Director of Trade and Investment for the Rockford Area Economic Development Council.  She currently also serves on the Board of Directors for the Mid-America Economic Development Council and the Rockford Area Economic Development Council