Board of Directors

Our Board of Directors come from a diverse background and experiences. Each bring their knowledge, unique skill set, and passion toward advancing the mission and vision of the McHenry County Conservation Foundation:

Kevin Ivers - President, Woodstock
Jim Haisler - Vice President, Crystal Lake
Kimberly Becker - Treasurer, Gurnee
Pamela Althoff - McHenry
Carolyn Campbell - Crystal Lake
Martie Gorman - Lake in the Hills
Jack Kaskel - Richmond
Wendy Lauen - McHenry
Elise Livingston - Secretary, Richmond

Lloyd Everard - McHenry County Conservation District Board of Trustees Liaison
Elizabeth Kessler - McHenry County Conservation District Executive Director & Foundation Board Advisor

Get to Know the Conservation Foundation Board of Directors
Kevin Ivers—Foundation President, Sales Representative, The Glenrock Company - Milwaukee, WI.
"The opportunity to make connections between our county's public open spaces and the many ways that they factor into our lives. I am excited to work creatively to explore how we can support and sustain the role of these spaces within our community."

Jim Haisler— Foundation Vice-President, Executive Director at Heartland Realtor Organization
"I am excited to have the opportunity to serve on the McHenry County Conservation Foundation Board, as I think we share a common goal to make McHenry County a better place to live through conservation, which can take many forms,” said Jim. “I like to think conservation is like the story of the person walking along the beach after a storm. They are throwing starfish back in the ocean when someone states, ‘You know there are thousands of stranded starfish, you can’t make a difference,’ to which the person responds, ‘It makes a difference to this one,’ as another starfish is placed into the water. I don’t expect to change the world, but if we all work together, we can change our corner of it.”

Kim Becker—Foundation Treasurer; Senior Vice-President, Division Manager, Treasury Management, Inland Bank
"Given today’s technological environment, which only continues to advance at rapid speed, I feel it’s even more critical for our younger generation to understand the value of nature. I like being a part of helping to preserve an environment where people can unplug and connect …to nurture with nature one’s mind, body and soul."

Martie Gorman, Foundation Director, Former High School Vocational Special Education and Middle School Teacher
"I joined the Foundation board to spread the word about the unique natural environments we are so fortunate to have here in McHenry County. Serving on the Board of Directors gives me the opportunity to do my small part in helping to preserve and sustain them for our community now and in the future."

Carolyn Campbell — Foundation Director, County Board Member (District 2)
"Protecting the environment not only for its own intrinsic value, but for the benefit of future generations is my passion. My five years as trustee for the McHenry County Conservation District underscored the important role the McHenry County Conservation Foundation plays in the preservation and conservation of our natural and cultural resources and the management of our public lands. It is critical that we continue to support the land management agencies that steward these precious resources and I look forward volunteering my time and leadership to an organization that is focused on protecting our natural areas to ensure a sustainable future.”

Pamela Althoff— Foundation Director, County Board Member (District 4)
"When McHenry County voters took action to establish a Conservation District in 1971, they were sending a clear message: Conservation of our land, water, flora, and fauna is crucial in our county, not only for recreation but also to guard the irreplaceable natural services they provide. Now that the land is protected, I believe it’s our responsibility to invest in it so all residents--present and future--benefit. I’m honored to have the opportunity to serve on the McHenry County Conservation Foundation’s Board and to continue advocating for these natural areas that define McHenry County."

Elise Livingston — Foundation Director, Re/Max Real Estate Broker
"I am honored and excited to work with the Foundation supporting our natural land. It has been my focus since childhood to protect and appreciate nature from the tiniest, most beautiful rock, to the funniest group of cedar waxwings passing berries from beak to beak down a branch, to the huge and troublemaking beavers in my own neighborhood lake. I look forward to this position on the board, working to increase awareness, love and support of McHenry County's most valuable spaces.”

Jack Kaskel - Owner and operator of Red Buffalo Nursery in Richmond, IL
Passionate about our native ecosystems being worth restoring or recreating, Kaskel has instilled that ethos into his small business and beyond. He considers it a primary driver for his joining the Foundation board, stating “I am hopeful that by joining the Foundation Board, I will have the opportunity to deepen my impact on preservation efforts and our future generations.”

Wendy Lauen - McHenry County College Grants Director
“It was by circumstance that I first ended up in this county. However, it's by choice that I've remained, and that is at least in part due to the many amazing services and opportunities we have for residents, the McHenry County Conservation District among them. Joining the Foundation board seems like a fantastic way to give back to our community.”

Interested in learning more about volunteering on the McHenry County Conservation Foundation’s Board of Directors?
Contact: Executive Director Shawna Flavell
sflavell@mchenryconservation.org
(815) 338-6223