| Dick Ristine
Honorary Chairman
email: rristine@webtv.com
Dick Ristine lives in Leland with his wife, Lou, and ended a nine-year tenure on the Conservancy's board in November, 2003. He most recently served as Chairman of the Board. In November, 2004, he was named Honorary Chairman. Dick replaced Gordon Robertson, who passed away in September. “For the last nine years, Dick has shown just an absolute commitment to our organization,” says Craig Miller, Conservancy President. “The depth and breadth of his leadership and his tireless efforts in fundraising have been invaluable.” Background: AB, Wabash College; LLB, Columbia University; Practiced law; State Senator & Lt. Governor of Indiana; President Elston Bank & Trust Co.; V.P. L.S. Ayres & Co.; Exec V.P. Lilly Endowment, Inc.; Director of External Affairs, Wabash College; Chairman for 18 years, Federal Home Loan Bank for Indiana and Michigan. Craig Miller
Chairman
email: cantm@earthlink.net
Craig and his wife, Nancy, live near Leland (Birchwood Shores) year round. Craig is very active in fund development, in addition to the other duties he performs as President. Background: BA, University of Michigan; JD, Wayne State University; Retired member; Law Firm of Miller, Johnson, Snell and Cummiskey, Grand Rapids/Kalamazoo; Director, Keystone Community Bank; Former Chair of American Bar Association Committee on Employment Law; Director of Kellogg Foundation Committee on Charitable Organization Regional Cooperation (Sherman Lake YMCA/National YMCA); Former President/Director of several other Charitable Organizations. Tom Dunfee
President
email: dunfee@centurytel.net
In addition to serving on our Board, Tom leads many hikes at our Natural Areas as a volunteer docent. He also works with our Volunteer Stewardship Network, which does everything from building and maintaining trails to working with our Stewardship Director to restore native species. Tom is a retired M.D. who lives on Little Traverse Lake. Background: AB Indiana University, MD Indiana University, Professor of Medicine Indiana University 1972-1999; Chief of Nephrology and Hypertension, Henry Ford Hospital 1999-2000; Visiting Professor, Moi University Faculty of Health Sciences, Eldoret Kenya, East Africa 1998, 1999, 2002; Volunteer Physician, Community Health Clinic, Traverse City, MI 2001-present. Jeffry Corbin
Vice President
email: jeffrycorbin@mac.com
Jeff lives in Suttons Bay with his wife, Sue. He joined our board in 2003. Although not a Northern Michigan native, Jeff’s family vacationed in the area regularly during his childhood. So, it was with knowledge of the area that Jeff returned to Traverse City in 1976 after 13 years in Houston, Texas. He and Sue moved to Leelanau County in 1998. Jeff has served on the board of the City Opera House Heritage Committee since he helped found it in 1978; the group is dedicated to the restoration of the historic community auditorium in Downtown Traverse City. He has also served on the boards of the Traverse City Area Chamber of Commerce, TC Air (dedicated to improving commercial jet air service to the region), as well as serving on the Suttons Bay Township Planning Commission. Jeff serves on our Outreach Committee, using his skills in graphic design to help us hone our message, designing and maintaining our web site and providing much of the photography used on it. Educated as an architect (Rice University), he founded his firm, Corbin Design, in 1976. Although Jeff has retired, his firm continues, providing services to clients nationwide, designing wayfinding and signage systems to help people navigate through complex environments. John Erb
Vice President
email: erbyarby@att.net
John Erb and his wife, Gina, live on Gills Pier. John attended the University of Detroit and also holds a JD from IIT/Chicago-Kent College of Law. He retired from private practice in Chicago where he specialized in civil litigation. He serves as Chairman of the Board of Trustees for Leelanau Memorial Health Center and is also a member of the Board of Trustees of Munson Medical Center. John is also currently Chairman pro-tem for the Leelanau Corporate Members of Munson Healthcare. He is also a former member of the Board of Trustees of Chicago-Kent College of Law and St. Ignatius College Prep in Chicago. "John’s involvement at all levels in the community is extensive," says Price. "He and Gina have been valuable volunteers for the Conservancy, and often attend our educational and social events. John will help provide guidance and leadership in the challenging issues facing Leelanau County and the Conservancy." Mary Lyons
Secretary
email: maryl4@localnet.com
Mary Lyons lives on Gills Pier. She regularly shares her love of the outdoors with others by leading hikes at our Natural Areas as a Docent for the Conservancy. She also serves on our Outreach and Stewardship Committees. She describes herself as an "almost indiscriminate student and volunteer, and a champion of monarch butterflies." Other info: BA, Vassar College; A few years of research in Latin American Division of OSS followed by a long learning experience as mother of six children and wife of a busy physician. Currently member of County Issues Discussion Group and of the General Plan Steering Committee, a sub-committee of the County Planning Department working to update the Leelanau General Plan. David Cassard
Treasurer
email: dcassard@umich.edu
David Cassard grew to love Leelanau County through his wife, Cara, who had grown up summering on Glen Lake. Today, the couple continues to come to Glen Lake from Grand Rapids whenever time permits. Dave has served on our Finance Committee and has been instrumental in fund development. Other info: BBA, University of MI; MBA, Michigan State University; started career as a CPA for Touche Ross and Co. Left in 1979 to join family real estate investment and management company, the Waters Corporation, and has served as President since 1985. Has served on a number of boards and committees including the Grand Rapids Downtown Development Authority, The Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation, First Michigan Bank Corp., Mercantile Bank Corp., and Butterworth Hospital. Board Members: Richard Brant
email: rbrant@baukind.com
Dick Brant and his family spent 30 summers renting a cottage on Crystal Lake. It was forever a dream to own land up north, and when the National Park went in, they decided they would rather be north of it. He and wife Helen spent 10 winters looking for land in Leelanau County. “You can see the land better in the winter and Realtors have time for you then,” says Dick. The Brants’ criteria; deep woods in back and Lake Michigan out front. They found their dream lot in 1985 on Good Harbor Bay; soon after Dick retired from AT&T in Chicago and built a home that Dick says is a magnet for his children and grandchildren, assuring multiple visits. Dick holds a BA from DePauw University and an MBA from U of M. He is president of Suttons Bay Rotary, a charter member of the Leelanau Farmland Preservation Board and serves on three Conservancy committees. “Our interest in maintaining the beauty of the area comes from the fact that we fully appreciate it not having it until late in our life,” says Dick. Other info President, BAI; Member of Institute of Electrical & Electronic Engineers, AMA, Delta Tau Delta, AT&T Passageway, Captain USAF Reserves, holds 3 U.S. Patents with Bell Laboratories. John Bull
email: jayne-johnbull@chartermi.net
John Bull lives in Traverse City with his wife, Jayne, and has been very active with our Volunteer Stewardship Network, building trails and keeping our Natural Areas safe for visitors. Other info: BS Albion College; MD University of Michigan; Fellow American College of Surgeons (FACS), Assistant Medical Director King Faisal Medical Center-Rihyad, Saudi Arabia, President Channel Island Urological Group 30 yrs. (retired); Suttons Bay/Leelanau Rotary Club, Board member Inland Seas Education Assoc., Board member Community Blood Centers. Jack Burton
email: info@theconservancy.com
Jack lives with his wife, Nina, in Suttons Bay. Jack serves on our Land Protection Committee and is a faithful volunteer who has done everything from waiting tables for us at events to setting up tables and chairs every year at our Annual Picnic. He is a graduate of Michigan State University in Recreational & Municipal Forestry. He is also a former USAF pilot; has served on the Suttons Bay Cemetery Board; is a member of the Suttons Bay Library Board and a former County Road Commissioner. Dr. Kyle Carr
email: kcarr@mhc.net
Dr. Kyle Carr has joined our board after many years of active service on our Stewardship Committee and Volunteer Stewardship Network. He tells us that getting out into the woods to plant trees or restore native species is where he loves to be. It speaks to his roots as an undergraduate major in biology at Indiana’s Wabash College. Kyle later earned his medical degree at Indiana University Medical School and received post-graduate training at University of Michigan Hospitals. Kyle took a position as a pathologist at Munson Medical Center in 1996. He and his wife, Betsy, live near Suttons Bay. Susan Green
email:greens@indiana.edu Susan fell in love with Leelanau twenty five years ago in the three minutes it took her to walk to the end of the dock of the rented cottage. She told her husband, Jeff, "This is where I want to be for the rest of my life." These were startling words since Susan was Executive Director of Development and Alumni Programming for the College of Arts and Sciences, Indiana University, and she and Jeff had spend most of their adult life in Bloomington, Indiana (with extended leaves In Washington, D.C., and The Wharton School in Philadelphia). But three years later they bought their cottage, eight north of the original rental. From that point on, they continued to enjoy their careers and professional lives in Bloomington but considered Leelanau home. Susan volunteered in the Leland Library where it was "too quiet," and after three weeks Dan Jamieson sent her to the Historical Society where she found her niche selling merchandise in the gift shop and offering advice when asked for their fundraising program. She worked for the Conservancy stuffing envelopes and as a community member of the Fund Development Committee, and made phone calls, organized handouts, and stuffed envelopes for the Farmland Conservation Initiative. Jeff retired from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana so the Greens now spend more than six months in Leelanau, golfing, hiking, birding, bicycling, canoeing, collecting beach and blue stones, breathing the clear blue air, and drinking the cold, pure water (and wine). Molly Harrison
email: info@theconservancy.com
Molly Harrison (Mrs. Charles Learner Harrison, III), lives on Northport Point year round and has spent time there since she was a child. Molly serves on our Outreach Committee and has helped us to launch events such as our Sustainer gatherings and annual Picnic and Silent Auction. She has brought us many new members and donors through her efforts on behalf of the Conservancy. Other info: Wellesley College; Founding member of Southern Ohio Senior Services Inc., Board member and officer of Maple Knoll Village; Board member and officer of Junior League of Cincinnati Garden Club, Cincinnati Town and Country Garden Club; Garden Club of America Flower Show Judge Emeritus; Vestry, St. Thomas Church, Terrace Park Ohio; E.M.T. Crew Chief and Fireman first class, retired; Mother of five, grandmother of 15, NOT retired. Larry Mawby
email: larry@lmawby.com
Larry Mawby has lived most of his life in Leelanau County, and spent his entire working life here, growing wine grapes in Bingham Township. He feels that this part of the world is a special place for agriculture. In addition to serving on the Conservancy Board, he is currently on the county Farmland Preservation Board [ex-chair], and is President of the Village of Suttons Bay. Larry serves on both our Land Protection Committee and Outreach Committee. His creativity spawned our Conservancy Wine Program, and his winery was the first to participate in this program that helps to support farmland preservation. He also is very active in growing our membership. Larry lives in Suttons Bay with his wife, Lois Bahle. Other info: BA, Michigan State University; owner and operator of L. Mawby Vineyards; past board member of Michigan Agricultural Stewardship Association; past Chairman of Bingham Township Planning Commission and Board of Appeals; past Chairman, Leelanau County Farmland Preservation Board; member, Board of Advisors, Suttons Bay & Bingham Fund. Barbara Nelson-Jameson
email: barbara_nelson-jameson@nps.gov
Barbara Nelson-Jameson is a graduate of U of M and works for the National Park Service Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance program. This unique branch within the NPS provides guidance and assistance to a great many community groups who are engaged in open space preservation, greenways and parks planning, and trail ways. Barbara travels throughout the Midwest working with conservation and community groups, some of them very similar to the Leelanau Conservancy. "Given her experience and professional connections, we are fortunate indeed to have Barbara serving on our Board of Directors," says Price. She and Lee live in Suttons Bay with their daughter. Jim Nugent
email: nugent@msu.edu Retired as District Horticultural Agent, MSU Extension and Coordinator, NW Michigan Horticultural Research Station, Jim has served as a leader in statewide cherry programming. Has co-authored many publications and articles, the most recent being, Early 21st Century Cherry Varieties for the Great Lakes & Eastern North America. He serves as Board Chairman, Graceland Fruit Company; is co-owner of Sunblossom Orchards, Suttons Bay; and serves on the Board of Directors of the Leelanau Community Choir. His wife, Toddy Rieger is a fruit grower and they have three grown children. Kathy Ricord
email:kathyricord@hotmail.com Kathy, her husband Lou, and their daughter, have been vacationing in Leelanau County for 14 years. One week trips in the summer quickly evolved to multiple trips during all four seasons, and more extended stays. In 1999, they purchased property outside of Empire and built their home. In 2006, Kathy retired as Chief Marketing Officer for Nationwide Insurance and Financial Services, headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. Lou retired as a professor at The Ohio State University. They moved permanently to Empire, and Bonnie attends Glen Lake High School. They continue to enjoy many outdoor activities, and the scenic beauty and character of the area. Kathy is a graduate of Denison University in Granville, Ohio, and has an MBA from the Ohio State University. She is a past board member of the YMCA of Central Ohio, and is past president of the Columbus Chapter of the American Marketing Association. Jack Seaman
email: jseaman@gray-law.net.
Jack lives in Cedar with his wife, Susan, and practices law in Traverse City. Jack has been on our board practically since the organization's inception, and is a past President of the Conservancy. His legal expertise has helped to guide us through many transactions, chief among them the Crystal River deal. Jack also serves on our Land Protection and Nominating Committees. Other info: BA, Communications, Michigan State; JD, University of Detroit, partner in Gray, Seaman and McKay, P.C., Traverse City; Member Solon Township Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals; past president and director of the Inland Seas Education Association. Mary Taylor
email: imagearts1@aol.com
Mary Taylor lives on Lake Leelanau with her husband, Pete, and works together with him at their Traverse City business, Image Arts where she is general manager. Mary has been very active with the Lake Leelanau Lake Association as a past president and has been instrumental in helping us to protect Lake Leelanau in terms of fundraising and public education. Other info: BS, Central Michigan University; Former Chair. Board of Directors, Grand Traverse Bay Watershed Initiative; President, Little Garden Club. Warren Watkins
email: watkinswh@hotmail.com
Warren Watkins grew up spending summers and off-season weekends in Leland. After graduating from U of M in business administration he entered the information-consulting field. He was a partner at Accenture where he worked for 26 years before retiring in 2003. He and his wife, Ann, live in the Detroit area and spend as much time as possible at their home north of Leland. They have two adult children, Megan and Andrew. "Many of Warren’s family members live in Leelanau County, and all maintain strong ties to the area," says Executive Director Brian Price. "He brings a long-term perspective to the conservation issues we deal with on a daily basis, as well as wealth of business experience to our board." Sally Viskochil
email: tamarack@charterinternet.com
Sally Viskochil is a longtime supporter who lives in Omena and is the owner of the Tamarack Craftsman Gallery there. She was born and raised in Traverse City. After graduating from the University of Michigan with a B.A. in Sciences and Fine Arts, Sally and her late husband David spent three years in the Peace Corps in Thailand before moving north and opening their gallery in 1972. Sally has served as a Parent Aid with the Department of Social Services, been active in the Northport school system and is the president of a civic women’s group, Club 21. She has one daughter, Sarah (pictured here), who teaches in Williamsburg, Virginia Harvey Warburton
email: harvey@warburtons.us Harvey Warburton joined our board in November, 2006. He and his wife, Marilyn, have visited the area since the early 70s and moved to Empire permanently in 1997. Harvey is a graduate of Hiram College, where he majored in Mathematics, and also holds an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania in Industrial Management. That led to a long-term career in the auto industry, working for both Ford and Chrysler before moving north. In addition to his work with the Leelanau Conservancy, Harvey also presently serves on the Economic Club of Traverse City Board of Directors and is a SCORE Member. He is a past board director of Traverse City YMCA and Goodwill Industries. Harvey is active on our Land Protection and Finance and Investment Committees. | | |
