Our Board of Directors works to ensure a strong organizational foundation for the Network and a fundraising plan that ensures we will have the financial stability to carry on our legacy of increasing stewardship capacity.

The Board of Directors meets regularly throughout the year as well as holding an annual retreat.

Who's on our Board of Directors?

David Borneman

David Borneman has worked as the Natural Area Preservation Manager for the city of Ann Arbor, Michigan since 1993. Among other responsibilities, this includes overseeing the ecological restoration of about 1200 acres of city parkland. David also owns a private ecological consulting business specializing in prescribed burning. He holds a B.S. degree in Outdoor Education/Field Biology from Northland College and an M.S. degree in Conservation Biology and Sustainable Development from UW-Madison.  David's areas of expertise are in using fire to manage natural areas in the Midwest and in urban natural area issues.  He serves on the boards of the Natural Areas Association, the Stewardship Network (Vice President) and the Michigan Prescribed Fire Council.  David was born and raised on a farm in Illinois, and has lived his entire life in the Midwest, except for one year spent teaching school in the Monteverde Cloud Forest of Costa Rica.

Lisa Brush

Lisa has worked in the environmental field in Michigan for the last fifteen years. She is currently the Executive Director of the Stewardship Network and has been involved with the Network since its inception more than 10 years ago. She has a wealth of experience helping non-scientific people understand scientific issues. As she has built and coordinated the Stewardship Network, she has emphasized effective and meaningful stakeholder involvement in developing and implementing all aspects of this program. Prior to her work with the Network, Lisa worked with the Huron River Watershed Council on drinking water protection, land use planning, and communication programs. Lisa has also spent years working on the cherry orchards of northern Michigan; working with severely and profoundly handicapped children; planting trees; and running workshops of all kinds. Lisa's life at home, at work, at play, and personally is guided by her desire to help people connect with their environments in a hands-on way. The solutions she seeks to implement through the Stewardship Network are found by listening on a daily basis to the people who actively care for our natural lands, waters, and our communities; discovering the tools and knowledge needed. Lisa has an M.S. in Natural Resources from the University of Michigan and a B.A. (Science in Society) from Wesleyan University.

Ray Fahlsing

Ray Fahlsing earned a Bachelor of Science Degree from Purdue University, where he studied Forestry and Wildlife Management. He received a Master of Science degree in Wildlife Biology from Texas A&M University, studying habitat use by white-tailed deer in relation to land use practices in the Edwards Plateau Region of Texas. He was responsible for the creation of the Michigan State Park Stewardship Program, a program designed to focus much needed management attention on the cultural and natural resource needs of Michigan State Parks. He currently is the Manager of MDNR’s, Parks and Recreation Division’s Stewardship Unit. 

Jim Frey

Jim brings his environment, public policy and business economics background
to the board. His 25 years as CEO and founder of Resource Recycling Systems
- Sustainable Systems for a Waste Free Future - have refined Jim's skills in
strategic planning, goal setting, financial analysis, process facilitation
and organizational development. Jim serves on numerous boards including the
Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise at the U of M Ross School of
Business, the Leslie Science and Nature Center, and the State of Michigan
Solid Waste Advisory Council and has facilitated strategic planning for
non-profit organizations of all types. Jim holds an MBA with High
Distinction from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business and a
BPh from Grand Valley State University.

Bob Grese

Robert Grese grew up in Tennessee and studied landscape architecture at the University of Georgia and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has taught landscape architecture at the University of Michigan since 1986 and currently serves as Director of the University’s Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum. He is the author of Jens Jensen: Maker of Natural Parks and Gardens (1992) and has written widely on the "prairie style” of landscape gardening. He is a long-time advocate of ecologically-based design and the careful stewardship of cultural and natural landscapes.

Andrea Kline

Over the course of her 25-year career as a landscape architect, Andrea has developed the ability to integrate an understanding of environmental processes with knowledge of site planning principles to create projects that meet client needs while maintaining the integrity of natural systems.  She has specific expertise in the design and implementation of a variety of wetland mitigation, stream and shoreline restoration, and landscape restoration projects.   Andrea began her landscape architectural career at JJR, Inc. and she is currently the Ecology and Design Group Manager at Environmental Consulting & Technology, Inc. (ECT), a multi-disciplinary environmental engineering company.  Andrea is responsible for leading a team of landscape ecologists, biologists, GIS specialists and civil engineers to create design solutions for clients ranging from parks departments and municipalities, private developers, and utility and power companies.

Prior to joining ECT, Andrea was the East Michigan Conservation Director for The Nature Conservancy where she managed a team of conservation biologists, land managers and real estate specialists to develop strategies to conserve valuable natural areas in landscapes as diverse as the shorelines of Lakes Huron and Erie, agricultural landscapes of southern Michigan, and the Detroit metropolitan area.   Andrea earned her bachelor's of science in landscape architecture from West Virginia University, and her master's of landscape architecture from the University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and Environment.  She is a registered landscape architect in Michigan.

Kathi Kuehnel

Kathi Kuehnel practices law with her husband, Kurt Meister, including pro-bono legal work to protect the animal habitat of the Huron Manistee National Forests. Kathi is a Vice Chair of the President’s Advisory Council of the National Wildlife Federation and volunteers with NWF and the Michigan League of Conservation Voters. She spent her childhood hiking, rock hunting and horseback riding in Colorado with her geologist father.  She majored in biology and anthropology at Northwestern University, worked as a biologist (genetics) and obtained a JD from Cornell University School of Law. She worked at Ford Motor Company for 20 years in various positions including Senior Attorney, Regional Director of Governmental Affairs and Director of the Chairman’s Office. Throughout these years, she spearheaded many projects promoting environmentally sustainable business practices. Kathi enjoys skiing, hiking and animal watching with her husband and their two daughters.

Paul Muelle

A native of Marquette, Michigan, Paul earned a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture degree from Michigan State University in 1981 and is a licensed landscape architect in Michigan.  He worked at several landscape architectural firms in southeast Michigan before joining the Huron-Clinton Metroparks in 1986 where he was involved with the planning and field implementation of recreational facilities, turf grass management, invasive species control and environmental initiatives.  Paul was promoted to Chief of Natural Resources for the Metroparks in 2000.  His primary responsibility is the management of the natural communities within the Metroparks 24,000 acres including water resources, wildlife, forestry/arborculture, natural areas restoration and management as well as environmental compliance and sustainability initiatives for the park system.

Doug Landis

Doug received his BA in Biology from Goshen College in 1981 and his MS and PhD in Entomology from North Carolina State University in 1984 and 1987. Currently he is a Professor at Michigan State University with research and teaching responsibilities in insect ecology and biological control. His current research projects include biological control of garlic mustard and soybean aphid, use of native plants to enhance biological control, and restoration of fire-dependent ecosystems. He advises state and federal agencies on invasive species management and serves as the current President of Board of Directors of the Stewardship Network.

Megan Thomas
Megan M. Thomas is currently the Executive Director of the Six Rivers Regional Land Conservancy. Before taking this job in late 2009, Megan volunteered for the Stewardship Network as Director of Development and Communications. She worked on a variety of fundraising, marketing, and communication initiatives for the Network. Megan always has had a passion for environmental practices, and started her career as an environmental reporter and editor in Seattle in the early 1990s.

Megan also runs her own consulting practice, which focuses on strategic planning and leadership development for both for-profit and non-profit organizations.

Megan was formerly Group Vice President of MARS Advertising, where she led a 20-member work team and championed a company-wide talent development initiative. She holds an MBA from the University of Michigan and a BA from Northwestern University. Megan has led client relationships with Fortune 100 CPG companies and consulted with national retailers.  She also has taught marketing courses at the college level.

When she is not working, Megan enjoys spending time tending her garden, curled up with a good book, or watching her daughter at the skating rink.