Chicago Wilderness Alliance Steering Committee Biographies
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Elizabeth Kessler (Chair), McHenry County Conservation District, has dedicated her 35-plus year career to parks, recreation and conservation, a field she has immersed herself in wholeheartedly with tireless effort, unending enthusiasm, and forward-thinking
leadership. During her tenure in McHenry, she has overseen a successful $73 million, voter-approved referendum, the protection of 5,600 acres of land, the opening of 14 sites with public access and outdoor amenities, the addition of 12
miles of regional trails, the welcoming of over 1 million annual site visitors, and the opening of the Lost Valley Visitor Center, the county's first gold-level LEED-certified public building. She received her B.S. in Recreation and Park
Administration with honors from Illinois State University and her MBA with distinction from Keller Graduate School of Management. Elizabeth has served at the regional, state, and national levels including President of the National Recreation
and Park Association. Currently, she is an advisor to the McHenry County Conservation Foundation, sits on the board of Naturally McHenry County, is a fellow of the American Academy of Park and Recreation Administration and serves as chair
of Chicago Wilderness.
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Victoria Wittig, PhD, (Vice Chair) Northwest Indiana Urban Waters Federal Partnership, has more than 17 years of experience in the environmental field, including roles in academic, science-policy, international development, and nonprofit organizations. She holds a bachelor's
degree in Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences for the University of Illinois and earned a PhD from the University of Illinois Department of Plant Biology. Her doctoral research examined how rising carbon dioxide and ozone levels
affect the growth and productivity of trees. Victoria has a passion for biodiversity preservation and endeavors to connect people to opportunities to protect the incredible diversity of life all around them. |
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Emily Reusswig (Treasurer), Openlands, is the Vice President of Conservation and Policy at Openlands and works with leadership, staff, and board to implement strategies, policies, and projects that conserve land and water across northeastern Illinois and the surrounding region. As a dynamic non-profit professional whose career has focused on the preservation and activation of public spaces, she previously served as Director of Communications at Openlands and as the Executive Director of the Chicago Cultural Alliance, where she led the creation of many successful programs, campaigns, and initiatives that increased awareness of and engagement in regional first-voice cultural heritage institutions. Emily currently serves on the board of the Illinois Environmental Council and the steering committees for the Chicago Wilderness Alliance and the Forest Preserves of Cook County’s Conservation & Policy Council. She is a certified Openlands TreeKeeper, was the 2019 recipient of the Promising Young Leadership Award from the Association of Midwest Museums, and was a 2019 Aspen Ideas Festival Fellow. She is a graduate of DePaul University. |
 | Vincent J. Mosca (Secretary), Hey and Associates, is a Principal Ecologist and has been involved with thousands of wetland and ecological assessment projects over the past 33 years in northeastern Illinois and Wisconsin. Vince also regularly leads regulatory permitting (local, state, and federal) efforts for both public and private sector projects. He has experience dealing with state and federal endangered species issues, and with all aspects of ecological restoration, particularly wetlands and streams. Many of his recent projects relate to green infrastructure planning and design for stormwater quality and quantity management. He has given multiple presentations concerning modern approaches to water quality improvements for point and non-point sources, including discussions about costs related to design, operations and maintenance. Vince graduated from Northland College with a Bachelor of Science in Biophysical Environmental Studies, Minor in Chemistry, as well as MS in Ecosystem Studies from the University of WisconsinGreen Bay. |  | Isaiah Ballinger, Forest Preserves of Cook County, is a creative and transformational leader who is passionate about restoring native habitats, connecting communities to nature, and amplifying the environmental work by groups in the region. Isaiah has fourteen years’ experience in public land management and ecological restoration with an emphasis on community engagement and developing the next wave of environmentalists. Isaiah graduated from UW-Madison with a degree in Wildlife Ecology and Natural Resource Management. He’s worked for the Pointe-A-Pierre Wildfowl Trust, the Field Museum, Audubon Great Lakes, Tallgrass Restoration, Cosley Zoo, Bolingbrook Park District, and the Chicago Park District. In his current role as Deputy Director of Conservation & Experiential Programming at the Forest Preserves of Cook County, he leads and supports a department of talented staff dedicated to connecting people to nature. Isaiah is excited to join the Chicago Wilderness Alliance Steering Committee to learn, grow, and contribute to the Alliance’s initiatives.
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Leslie Dorworth, Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant, is Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant's aquatic ecology specialist and has been with the program since 1996. From her office at Purdue University Calumet, Leslie serves the Chicago metropolitan area, focused on a variety of
water quality issues. The BeachWatch project provided information regarding beach closures in northwest Indiana. The River Restoration: Practices and Concepts workshop series brings together experts in the field. Leslie has also developed
informational pieces on fish consumption and the connection to human health and how land use impacts water quality. Leslie has a B.S. in Biological Science from Lake Superior State University and an M.S. in Oceanography from Old Dominion
University.
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 | Laura Guderyahn, The Field Museum, is originally from the Chicagoland region, and attended Augustana College in Rock Island, IL for her Bachelors in Science and Ball State University in Muncie, IN for a Masters in Conservation. For over 20 years, she has worked as an Ecologist in the Pacific Northwest, first for the City of Gresham, OR and then for Portland Parks and Recreation in Portland, OR. There, she actively worked to restore natural areas throughout the Portland-METRO urban growth boundary, making them as healthy as possible for the wildlife that live there and the people that visit. She specialized in urban wildlife connectivity and represented both Portland and Gresham on a regional and state-wide scale. She also worked closely with volunteer groups of all ages, helping them to steward our lands and learn about the plants and animals that live in our cities. Finally, she is finishing her PhD at Portland State University, studying native turtle conservation issues. She was recently named the new Chicago Program Director at the Keller Science Action Center at the Chicago Field Museum of Natural History. She is excited in this role to expand my knowledge and impact of conservation science into on the ground action, including as a member of the Steering Committee for the Chicago Wilderness Alliance. In her down time, she climbs, hikes, and racks up as many miles backpacking with her husband and their dog, Wizard Fantastic, as possible. Their rescued tortoises, Burger, Addie, Posie,and Little Dude, prefer to stay home.
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Ted Haffner, Climate Change Consultant, is currently the Chair of the Chicago Wilderness Alliance Taking Climate Action initiative. Trained as a landscape architect, Ted focuses his work on the intersections of functional
landscape ecology, community resilience, and climate solutions and strategies. Blending thoughtful approaches to design and strategic thinking, Ted works to analyze and connect the natural world to the built environment through the integration
of innovative and contextually based best management practices, policy, and conservation ideology. A former employee of Openlands, Ted held dual roles as a Landscape Architect and Climate Fellow where he served as the Owner’s Representative
for Openlands construction projects and headed climate change strategy implementation that focused on community resilience and nature-based solutions to mitigate climate change impacts such as heat and flooding. Prior to working at Openlands,
Ted served as Senior Associate and Project Manager with Terry Guen Design Associates, a landscape architecture firm specializing in public and institutional landscape design.
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Phil Nicodemus, Urban Rivers, is the director of research for Urban Rivers and is interested in researching the most effective ways in which urban riparian ecosystems can be revived. He is co-author of publications detailing the ecological impacts of artificial floating wetlands in the Chicago River and has helped build many close relationships between other organizations and institutions to develop and share knowledge about an under-researched area of urban ecology. Phil has worked for the Illinois Natural History Survey, Chicago Botanic Garden, Shedd Aquarium, and has extensive experience with restoration practices and their application in the region. He earned his BS at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and MS at Northeastern Illinois University.
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Nathanael Pilla, Midwest Biological Survey LLC is a botanist. Prior to this he worked for Orbis EC, as the project coordinator for Save the Dunes and a biologist for the Indiana Dunes National Park. He received his Master of
Science in Biology with a focus on plant ecology and evolution from Purdue University Northwest. Nate is well versed in the terrestrial and aquatic flora of the Chicago region bringing his knowledge and charisma with him in and outside
the workplace. He has experience in botanical research and identification, hands-on resource management, project management and plant identification, and his written work has appeared in peer-reviewed journals including Proceedings of
the Indiana Academy of Science. |
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Maggie Soliz, Kane-DuPage Soil and Water Conservation District, AIWSCD, remains an active volunteer but is now retired from careers in commercial real estate, land development, and ecological restoration. Maggie continues to persuade landowners and stakeholders to utilize
green infrastructure when making decisions about their land. By restoring their land to its native, natural state, she demonstrates to landowners how to save money while protecting the environment. A lifelong resident
of Kane County, Maggie is a director for the Kane DuPage Water Conservation District, secretary for the Association of Illinois Soil and Water Conservation Districts, and on the advisory committees for the Fox River
Ecosystem Partnership and the Conservation Foundation.
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Sergio Vargas, Illinois Environmental Council (IEC), develops and maintains partnerships with volunteers, individual supporters, affiliate organizations, partner and ally organizations
to further IEC’s climate and conservation goals in Chicagoland. Prior to coming to IEC, Sergio served as a Community Outreach Worker for the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC), helping students realize their potential and establishing
a plan for success. Prior to ISAC, Sergio was a Policy Intern for the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, helping to advance the green policies and sustainable initiatives necessary to protect one of the largest land management agencies
in the United States. Sergio was also an Urban Public Policy Fellow via the Institute of Policy and Civic Engagement, where he learned from community leaders, advocates, and other experts about organizing, planning, and policy to better
address the issues facing underserved communities. Sergio attended the University of Illinois at Chicago, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy, with specializations in education and environmental policy.
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 | Debra Walker Johnson, Forest Preserve Foundation, as President and Executive Director, Debra Walker Johnson leads efforts to advance conservation and community engagement within the Forest Preserves of Cook County by fostering partnerships and cultivating resources aligned with environmental stewardship. With over 20 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, she has dedicated most of her career to connecting individuals to resources and services that enable them to participate in society fully. Throughout her career, Debra has combined her passion for social equity with her expertise in fund development, advocacy, and program design. She has led initiatives addressing barriers to employment and training, digital literacy, and community development, demonstrating her ability to connect resources with the communities that need them most. A graduate of Roosevelt University with a degree in Business Administration, she brings strategic vision, resourcefulness, and a deep commitment to conservation and equity to the Chicago Wilderness Steering Committee.
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John Wasik, Lake County Forest Preserve District Commissioner and a member of its Planning Committee. Additionally, he chairs the Legislative Committee of the Lake County Board and serve on the boards of the Preservation Foundation of the Lake County Forest Preserves, the Solid Waste Agency of Lake County, and the University of Illinois Extension for Lake and McHenry Counties. He's been a 35-year member of the Woods and Wetlands chapter of the Sierra Club and is an avid restoration volunteer. He's completing his Master Naturalist certification through the University of Illinois Extension. A journalist and author, he has written 19 books and publishes the Substack newsletter "Refinement." |
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Laura Reilly is the Managing Director of the Chicago Wilderness Alliance, where she works together with diverse partner organizations in the region for vibrant nature that improves environmental and human health promotes better quality
of life and benefits our collective home – today and for generations to come. Over the past 30 years she has worked with local, regional and international conservation organizations to help engage the public is ways to get involved to
care about and for nature in their own backyard and beyond. Laura holds an M.A. from the University of Miami and a B.A. from the University of Notre Dame. |
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