Steve was born in Schenectady, New York. He graduated from Dartmouth College where he received a BA, BE, and an MBA. He spent 37 years in corporate management with many companies including General Electric, GTE, AT&T, and AVEX Electronics. Steve retired to Lakeside, Michigan, in 1998, but remains busy as the chairman of the Advisory Board for Dartmouth College of Engineering, board member and past president of Chikaming Country Club, chairman of Chikaming Township Public Safety Commission, and a member of Chikaming Township’s Master Planning team. Steve likes to hike, fish, and golf in his free time.

Greg grew up in Three Oaks, Michigan, and studied civil engineering at Ferris State University. He worked for the Chicago South Shore and South Bend Railroad before starting his own business, Dunes Development, a company specializing in custom single family/residential construction. “It’s important to balance development and preservation,” says Greg. He appreciates the way some communities have been able to grow while preserving the natural character. This explains his interest in Chikaming Open Lands and why he became a director in 2002.

George is a lifetime resident of Chikaming Township who has a deep appreciation for the rural characteristics of the area. George is  a real estate broker with REMAX Harbor Country in Union Pier and has also held management positions with ConAgra, Jewel Companies, and Caravali Coffees. He holds a BS in Business Administration from Valparaiso University, is a past President of Chikaming Country Club, and is a former vice-president and director of Santa Claus Anonymous charity in Chicago. George is the Vice President of the Lakeside Association and also serves on the Board of Directors of the Southwest Michigan Association of Realtors. George resides in Harbert.

Paul is a relative newcomer to Lakeside, but in the 11 years he and his wife have lived here, he has developed a passion for the land and what it grows. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, he is a graduate of Boston Public Latin School, Yale, and Harvard Law School. After a few years in the Army JAG, he moved to Chicago where he practices law in the firm of Sonnenschein, Nath & Rosenthal. Paul specialized in corporate and securities law and has a wide range of experience in those fields, including extensive experience in advising corporate boards and management. He served as a trustee of The Latin School of Chicago from 1985-1991 and is currently a member of the Board of Trustees of Chicago’s Newberry Library.

President and CEO of New Buffalo Savings Bank, Ron has served on various banking boards and is confident that these experiences will prove to be an asset to COL. His prior board experience includes New Buffalo Savings Bank from 1982 – present, Michigan League of Community Banks from 1997-2003, and Michigan Banker’s Association from 2003-2004. “In addition to my career as a community banker, I want to influence the direction of development that promotes the protection of environmentally sensitive lands without inhibiting economic growth. If I can help provide a better quality of life to future generations, I would consider my participation with COL and the community successful.”

Terry is a woodworker from New Troy in Weesaw Township Michigan. Although his work involves cutting down trees, he also has great interest in preserving green space. Terry graduated from Western Michigan University with a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Arts. Before devoting his life to woodworking, he taught for three years. Right now, Terry is chairperson of the recreation committee of Weesaw Township and serves as President for the Friends of New Troy. His past-times influenced his interests in these organizations including: backpacking, hiking, tennis, and bird watching. Recently, Terry has become involved with Chikaming Open Lands because of the important efforts being done by COL to preserve green space and create filtering strips for the water. For Terry, this is an important legacy to leave for future generations.

Don grew up with an appreciation of nature, born in the Bluegrass area of Kentucky and raised in the desert of Arizona. While enjoying the cultural resources of Chicago, Don particularly appreciates and enjoys sharing the rich natural landscape of southwest Michigan. A lifetime learner, Don graduated from Stanford and has law degrees from Columbia and Harvard. He has Master’s degrees in art history and liberal arts from the School of the Art Institute and the University of Chicago respectively and a doctorate in Philosophy from Northwestern. Don is avid collector of art and books and has been threatened with eviction due to his vast collections. He travels extensively – from the Inca trail, to Pagan in Burma, the monasteries of Tibet. He has been active in Chicago cultural and public affairs, serving on a number of boards of art, educational, and healthcare institutions. He has a joint appointment in Law and Philosophy as a Professor at DePaul University.

Mike Jasper of Sawyer, Michigan, is a farmer in the area who recently conserved portions of his property. He served for 8 years on the Lake Township and the Galien River Sanitary District boards and feels the experience he gained with these boards helped him to bring people together and build consensus on important issues. With Mike’s connection to the farming community, COL hopes to further preserve precious farmland.

Jon is a seven-year resident in southwest Michigan and even in that short time has observed a great deal of development and change in the landscape. He feels an obligation to future generations to preserve this area’s natural beauty and resources and wants to involve as much of the community as possible in these efforts. Jon was a board member of Chicago Recording for the Blind from 2000-2006, on the host committee of the Lambda Legal Defense Fund from 2003-present, and the chairman of the Merill-Lynch Summer Intern Program in Chicago from 1999-2001. An investment banker by trade, Jon is committed to the vision of COL and looks forward to working with its members and the community in general.

For 25 years, Kip has served as Chief Naturalist for the Berrien County Parks Commission and is responsible for operation and programming at Love Creek County Park and Nature Center near Berrien Springs. His nearly 30 years as an interpretive naturalist and his work with COL on its project review committee will complement expertise already present on the board. He has served on a number of conservation related committees including the Mud Lake Bog Citizen’s Committee, the 1993 and 1995 Midwest Birding Symposium Planning Committees and the Berrien Birding Club Advisory Committee. He believes COL will play an increasingly important role in preserving natural areas and wants to more actively play a role in these efforts.

Jean was born in Chicago and spent many childhood summers in Lakeside. She graduated from Skidmore College with a degree in History. She married Steve Smith and, after twelve corporate moves around the country, settled in Lakeside, Michigan, which was her family’s summer home since she was a child. Jean is a civically minded person and has been involved in various organizations including the Junior League; the Board of Trustees for Pine Manor College; the Visiting Nurse Association Board; Chaparral High School site management program in Scottsdale; the YWCA Board of Phoenix; the Community Foundation of Phoenix; and Rainbow Days Board in Dallas. Additionally, she founded the first SIDS Chapter in Erie, PA, and served on the National SIDS Board. Closer to home, she is a member of the Berrien Community Foundation, and of the Lakeside Association. Jean loves this area and is committed to preserving it for future generations.

Peter Van Nice led the effort to create Chikaming Open Lands in 1999 and served as the first President. He has a BA from Northwestern University and an MBA from the University of Chicago. Peter spent his business career in marketing and corporate finance with the International Harvester Company and later, as a US Government bond trader at the Chicago Board of Trade. He chaired the Chikaming Township Master Plan Committee and has consulted with the Township Planning Commission. Peter is an avid amateur horticulturalist and landscape architect.

Randy Rood comes to COL by way of the Berrien County Department of Parks and Recreation, a post he held for 31 years, the last 24 years as its Director with responsibility for overseeing all departmental functions. This included an annual operating budget of $900,000, many full-time and part-time employees and six county park properties. During his tenure with Berrien County, he orchestrated $9.6 million in grant funding for parkland acquisition and development. He was instrumental to the growth and development of the county’s natural resource based park system including the nationally acclaimed Silver Beach County Park (St. Joseph), Madeline Bertrand County Park (Niles), Love Creek County Park and Nature Center (Berrien Township), and the Galien River County Park Preserve (New Buffalo Township). His education started with a Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Science from Grand Valley State University and was followed by a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Western Michigan University.

Elizabeth Nellums is your point person if you are interested in learning more about the conservation process. She recently moved to Lakeside from Ann Arbor, where she graduated from the University of Michigan with a Masters in Environmental Planning. Her previous work included jobs with the National Wildlife Federation and the Huron River Watershed Council. Elizabeth also has a bachelor’s degree in Ecology from Miami of Ohio University. Elizabeth grew up in the suburbs of Detroit, where she experienced firsthand the effects of sprawl and commercial development on former farmland. Now she works to protect natural areas in Michigan and maintain working farms in our communities.

Johanna Humbert left a career in arts development and management in Chicago for the calm country life in 2004. She currently occupies herself as a business manager at local businesses and doing the work of her Busy Solitude Farm.

Beth Denton has lived in southwest Michigan with her family since 2002. She enjoys teaching her children, gardening, farming, and working with various community-based organizations. She likes COL for its simple goal of preserving natural space and considers herself fortunate to work with others to this end.