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 Wild Ones and the Mid-Michigan Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area.

First Vice-President: Dave Putt
Dave has been on the board since 2020. He holds a 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

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.

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.

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 propagates 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.

Michelle Serreyn
Michelle is new to the Board but not to WAM, having previously led several teacher workshops on introducing native plants into the school curriculum. She is currently an educator for the Department of Natural Resources and has been working in the environmental education field for over 20 years. Michelle is also a member of the Yardeners of St. Clair Shores and the Wayne County chapter of Wild Ones.