Wendy was raised in the Fox River Valley, west of Chicago, Illinois. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Ecology from the University of Illinois before heading to warmer climates to gain hands-on experience in natural resource management. Drawn to coastal landscapes, Wendy spent time in the forests and along the beaches of South Florida and North Carolina before putting down roots in the Florida Panhandle. She worked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, focusing on GIS mapping while getting outdoors as often as possible to survey shorebirds, sea turtles, Gulf sturgeon, mussels, plants, and many other rare species. Wendy then spent six years as the Wildlife Biologist at Tyndall Air Force Base, caring for barrier islands, estuaries, wetlands, and forests. In 2015, she made the cross-country move to Oregon, where she worked with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to protect important habitats, rare species, and cultural and Tribal resources in the Willamette Valley. Wendy enjoys building partnerships and learning how people connect to the land. She is excited to collaborate with landowners, Tribes, and other partners to protect the places that make this region special.