Team Member Group: Staff

While growing up in a suburb of Chicago, Lauren spent many summers camping with her family and fell in love with being in nature. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in photography from Columbia College Chicago, where she incorporated the outdoors in many of her projects. After graduating, Lauren did graphic design work but then decided to switch gears and hiked 800 miles of the Appalachian Trail. After completing that hike she decided she wanted to more directly give back to nature. In 2016 Lauren joined the Utah Conservation Corps, where she worked along the Escalante River eradicating the invasive Russian Olive tree. After her term with UCC, Lauren moved to Asheville, North Carolina where she worked as a corps member with the American Conservation Experience (ACE). While working with ACE she did many projects such as trail building, historic preservation, invasive species removal, and more. After her time as a corps member, Lauren moved on to be the Logistics Coordinator for ACE. She is very excited to be working with EcoForesters, where her love for nature as well as photography and design can both be utilized. In her free time Lauren also enjoys teaching and making pottery, and spending time outdoors near water with her dog.

Joey moved to the mountain region in 1998, obtained an associate degree in biology, became certified in permaculture design, in herbal studies, and as a plant professional, eventually becoming the proprietor of a landscape design and construction company that focused on using native plants and regional resources. Joey enrolled at Western Carolina after observing the impact of restoration and remediation projects he participated in, both as a volunteer and as a professional. His desire to contribute to the health of the forests in this region motivated him to graduate Summa Cum Laude with a bachelor’s degree in natural resource conservation management and a minor in biology with an ecology focus. He gained valuable experience in forest assessment and management while working with Forest Stewards as the head intern for three seasons. After which he dedicated his effort toward ensuring the continued presence of native hemlock trees in our forests through assisting with the hemlock woolly adelgid resistance breeding program established by the Forest Restoration Alliance, a non-profit run through North Carolina State University. Joey’s experience has provided him with keen insight in appropriate forest management that balances the needs of land-holders with the greater ecological considerations that shape our legacy. Whenever there’s time, Joey can be found crouched over some woodland forbs or peering into the overstory while hiking or camping with his wife and three children. They also enjoy boating, fishing, and snorkeling in area rivers and streams.

Growing up in Northeastern Wisconsin Krishun spent her time building forts, catching frogs, and camping in the woods and waters of the Midwest. It’s where she fell in love with the outdoors.  She earned her B.S. in natural resources management, majoring in wildlife ecology from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. After graduating she spent time working on both coasts, in South Carolina teaching the public about low-country ecology and in San Francisco as a restoration technician working on National Park Service lands. Eventually she heard the Blue Ridge mountains calling and moved to Asheville. She spent 5 years working for a non-profit conservation corps, leading crews of young adults and managing ecological restoration projects throughout the Eastern U.S.  Krishun loves to teach others about the ecological, economic, and social values of natural resources and our lands, especially the unique forests of the Southern Appalachians, which is why she is so thrilled to be working for EcoForesters.  In her free time, she loves to travel, play soccer, fly fish, hike while botanizing, and pack in as much snowboarding as she can when the weather allows.”

At an early age Jon gained an appreciation for the outdoors and forested ecosystems through exploring the woods around his home, canoeing and fishing along the Potomac River, and enjoying family camping trips in the Maryland and Virginia mountains. To pursue his goals of forest stewardship and conservation, he obtained a master’s of forestry from the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University. Since that time, Jon has worked extensively in the southern Appalachian region for more than six years, providing consulting forestry services to private landowners and municipalities, as well as being involved in prescribed fire research on state and federal lands. He has comprehensive experience in forest stewardship planning, forest inventory design and implementation, timber sale planning and administration, forest growth modeling, controlled burning, and geospatial analysis. Jon has also become one of a small handful of experts capable of quantifying and verifying carbon offsets from Appalachian forestlands. In addition to starting our New England EcoForestry branch, Jon’s work includes verifying Forest Carbon Offset projects under the California Air Resources Board protocol. Jon recently moved to New Hampshire where he enjoys working in and exploring New England’s forests, fishing, cross country skiing, gardening, hunting, and backpacking and canoeing with his wife and Labrador retriever.

Gabby spent her early life hiking and camping with her family and gained a fond appreciation for the joys of the woods and what it provides. At Western Carolina University, she earned a bachelor’s degree in Natural Resource Conservation and Management and a minor in Biology. Immediately after graduation in 2014 she joined Forest Stewards as an intern and later stayed at Forest Stewards as an AmeriCorps Project Conserve volunteer. Gabby joined EcoForesters in 2016 and continues to enjoy her time here as the GIS and Forestry Associate. In her spare time, she loves reading, traveling, learning new things, and spending time with family and friends.

Lang’s business background and sustainability mindset bring a different lens to our mission of helping private landowners keep their forests healthy. A passionate advocate for forest stewardship, Lang can be found collaborating with partners and seeking opportunities that will help forests be more resilient in the future. He likes to spend his free time with family and friends outside and can usually be found listening to music or watching the Red Sox.