Board of Directors

Board of Directors

Officers

President: Carolyn Miller
Carolyn has been on the board of WAM since 2019 and has spent her career working with plants.  She is currently the Plant Recorder for the WJ Beal Botanical Garden and Campus Arboretum at MSU and is involved with the Michigan Botanical Club, Red Cedar WildOnes and the Mid-Michigan Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area.

First Vice-President: Dave Putt
Dave has been on the board since 2020. He holds  B.S. and M.S. Degrees in Biological Sciences,  is a Conservation Steward for the Michigan Nature Association, board member of the Friends of the St. Clair River, former President of the Macomb County Master Gardener Association and a volunteer with the Lake St. Clair CISMA and the Clinton River Watershed Council.  He is a graduate of the MSUE Conservation Stewards Program and the Lake and Stream Leaders Institute, and a Master Composter and Master Rain Gardener.

Second Vice-President: Craig Elston
Craig has been a member of WAM for over 30 years and served on the board for almost 10 years. Craig is a naturalist for the city of Hudsonville and teaches the public about native plants and habitats. He is also an avid photographer of native plants.

Treasurer: Jane Giblin
Jane grew up on a farm in Ontario but is “well rooted” in Michigan. She has been a WAM member since 2009 and served on the WAM board since 2015. She is an Advanced Master Gardener and is involved in many organizations including WildOnes, Michigan Botanical Club, and the Rochester Garden Club.

Secretary: Jennifer Van Dusen
Jennifer has been on the board of WAM since 2017 and is a lifetime member of WAM. She is an Advanced Master Gardener, a member of the Little Traverse Bay Conservancy, the Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council, and the Rochester Garden Club. She has a degree in Biological Sciences and an MBA from Oakland University.

Members At Large

Jen Howell
Jen has worked for many years as a Stewardship Manager for Pierce Cedar Creek Institute and is now a Land Manger for the Calvin Ecosystem Preserve and Native Gardens.  She has been a member of WAM since 2004 and was a WAM Grant recipeint in 2016.

Kirsten Lyons
Kirsten has been a WAM board member for the past year.  She has a Masters Degree in Natural Resources Stewardship – Ecological Restoration from Colorado State University, and a Masters Degree in Architecture with a concentration in Sustainability from Lawrence Technological University. She is also a Michigan Certified Natural Shoreline Professional, a Michigan Conservation Steward, and an Extension Master Gardener.   Kirsten is currently the Naturalist-Invasive Species Specialist at St. Clair County Parks and Recreation Commission.

Melissa Zelenak
Melissa is currently the Executive Director of the Antrim Conservation District and prior to that she was the Outreach Manager for the Antrim Conservation District.  She is a long-time volunteer on many regional and statewide boards. She has a Master’s Degree in Strategic Communications and a BS in Community Development.

Summer Kennedy
Summer has a BS in Biology with a minor in Conservation and Resource Use. She has held various positions in the environmental field in Southeast Michigan and is currently manager of a Wild Birds Unlimited store. 

Mary Ording
Mary worked for many years as a Pediatric Hospitalist Physician. Since retiring she has devoted herself to restoring her many acres to native habitat. She is a lifetime member of WAM, she propogates and installs native plant species and is a beekeeper, an insect enthusiast and bird watcher.

Diane Gregory
Diane has fully embraced the native plant movement through her volunteering over many years. She is actively transforming her property from Dames Rocket and Buckthorn to a native paradise. She is active with the Oudolf Garden on Belle Isle, the Johnson Nature Center in Bloomfield Hills, the Frank lloyd Wright House in Southfield, Bloomfield Optimist Club, SOCWA, North Oakland Wild Ones, and is a long time WAM member.

Bethany Troy
Bethany is the Botanical Lead and Head Horticulturalist at the Beal Gardens on the MSU Campus and before that she was the Botanical Technologist at the Horticultural Demonstration Gardens at MSU. She has won numerous Community Leadership awards and has a BS in Horticultural Science and Entomology from MSU.