Board and Officers

Our Board of Directors and Advisory Board provide strategic direction as we preserve the land and wildlife of west-central Indiana and provide opportunities for outdoor recreation and environmental education.

Alysa Morley

President

Nature has been the throughline of Alysa’s life since her first memory. Alysa earned a B.S. and an M.A. from Indiana State University, which led to her current work as a project manager at Trust for Public Land where she helps protect public land nationwide. She also works as a writing consultant and serves on the board of Indiana Land Protection Alliance. Alysa began volunteering with Ouabache Land Conservancy in March 2022, and received the 2023 Volunteer of the Year award. She loves the Great Lakes, but Lake Ontario will always be her favorite. In her spare time, Alysa can be found in the middle of several books at a time and tending to every whim of her pets.

Thomas Baer

Immediate PAst President

Thomas is a lifelong resident of Vigo County, Indiana. Growing up along the banks of the Wabash River has given him a deep respect for the natural world. Thomas's family owned property in Brown County Indiana where they spent summers camping on 40 acres surrounded by Yellowwood State Forest. There, Thomas and his 8 siblings were allowed to explore the 34,000 acres of forest at will. Thomas has lived on the banks of the Wabash River for 30+ years and has been a member of Ouabache Land Conservancy for 5+ years.

Phil Cox

VP of programs

Phil Cox lives near Coxville in Parke County with his wife Annette and son, Carson. They also have three fledged from the nest, Cameron, Terah, and Kemp. Phil is a graduate of both Purdue University (Forest Engineering) and Indiana State University (MBA). He is currently employed by Purdue University as the Agriculture & Natural Resources Extension Educator for Vermillion County. As such, he has kept local citizens informed about agriculture, horticulture, and natural resources issues/education via any means, including Purdue Master Gardener and Indiana Master Naturalist programs since 2012. Before that, he was the Natural Resources Administrator for "many years" at the US Army's 7,000+ acre Newport Chemical Depot, also in Vermillion County. Traveling and keeping up with Carson's many Scouting and sporting activities are some of his most fun hobbies.

Zoe Newbold

VP of stewardship

Zoe Newbold is OLC’s Vice President of Stewardship. She is a student at Indiana State University (ISU) working towards a bachelor's degree in environmental geoscience. Zoe also works as the Steward of Public Lands at ISU. She has a passion for caring for the environment and is so excited to be working with OLC! 

Lisa Baer

Treasurer

Lisa Baer is a life-long resident of Terre Haute, Indiana, and lives beside the Wabash River. She enjoys nature and is invested in the restoration and conservation of riparian lands. Her hobbies include photography, music, traveling, and writing. She is the wife of a local river enthusiast and owner of the Wabashiki Inc. educational website, Thomas Baer.

Dr. Michelle Marincel Payne

Secretary

Dr. Michelle Marincel Payne is an Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (RHIT). She has been active on the Otter Creek Project Steering Committee and instrumental in completing grant applications for future implementation of the Otter Creek Watershed Management Plan. At RHIT, she specializes in environmental engineering, including biomimetic membranes for desalination, drinking water, wastewater treatment, and environmental remediation. She also has experience in characterizing risk assessment of radioactive material transport. Dr. Marincel Payne also co-taught Rose-Hulman’s first Appropriate Technologies for Developing Communities course, in which students designed novel ways to pump and treat water to reach an off-the-grid village. She is currently leading a student research project investigating the ability of constructed treatment wetlands to remove stormwater pollutants.

Dan Bradley

Director

Daniel Joseph Bradley is a Canadian-American chemist and petroleum engineer, researcher, professor, and administrator. He retired as President of Indiana State University after a 40+ year career in higher education.

Bradley was born in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba and became a US Citizen.  After serving in the United States Army, Bradley entered Michigan State University.  He completed his bachelors’ degree in Biochemistry and a doctorate in Physical Chemistry. He also holds Petroleum Engineering degrees from Montana Tech (BS) and University of Tulsa (MS).  He has lived in Terre Haute, IN since 2008.

After retiring from Indiana State University Bradley remains active in the Terre Haute/Vigo County community through active participation in many organizations with particular emphasis on the health and welfare of the community, its people and the environment in which they live and work. 

Bradley is married to Cheri Bradley. Together they have three sons and four grandchildren.  In his leisure time he enjoys running, bicycling, reading and travel.

Mike Fisher

Director

Mike joined Ouabache Land Conservancy back in 2013.  He joined the Advisory Board in 2021 and Board of Directors in 2023.  Mike and his wife Amy are both retired and love being active outdoors. They enjoy biking, hiking, kayaking, camping and just being out in nature. Mike is also actively involved with the Parke Trails Alliance. This organization is building a biking/walking trail from Rosedale to Rockville in Parke County along the old, abandoned Pennsylvania railway. Mike plans on passing on his love of nature with his grandchildren by sharing his time experiencing the outdoors as much as possible.

Marty Jones

Director

Brendan Kearns

Director

David Kluger

Director

Bill Mitchell

Director

I am an ecologist, recently retired from the Department of Biology at Indiana State University, where I worked for 23 years. My love of the outdoors and nature began as a child in Texas, where I grew up chasing lizards and snakes, collecting fossils, watching birds, and riding my horse. These interests led me to graduate work and a Ph.D., in ecology and evolutionary biology from the University of Arizona studying hummingbird behavior in the spectacular Chiricahua Mountains of Arizona. After graduation, my work took me to the Israel, Arizona, Wisconsin, and eventually Indiana. While in Wisconsin, I also taught weekly lessons in West Coast Swing Dance, which is how I met my wife, Denise Marie Sobieski (also a Board member). Denise and I take great delight in our 20 enchanting acres in beautiful Vigo County, filled with birds and other wildlife. I joined the Board of Directors of OLC in January 2025 and am excited about working for the protection of land, habitat and wildlife in west-central Indiana.

Jim Nardi

Director

Jim Nardi spent his childhood on a farm that has now become part of Atherton Island Natural Area. Its forests, streams, and pastures nurtured his lifelong love for nature. Although his family sold the farm in 1970, he was able to purchase the land after years of neglect and abuse. He set about restoring the land in 1993 after the property had passed through five different owners in 23 years. In 2017, he was delighted to find a forever home for this rugged parcel of Parke County with OLC. Jim continues to learn from nature each day as a research biologist at the University of Illinois and as the author of several natural history books. He and Joy share their Urbana home and garden with three dogs, three cats, and all the countless creatures who are their partners in gardening.

Denise Marie Sobieski

Director

My passion for land preservation has got me back on the OLC board. I grew up on a small Wisconsin farm, spending lots of time outdoors with my parents and five siblings. I remember the many Bobolinks and swallows on the property, where my love of nature was nurtured by my father and the many Golden Field Guides he bought for me. I eventually made my way to Madison, Wisconsin where I met a West Coast Swing dancer and biologist, Bill Mitchell, who is now my husband. I have had a great life with him and our 4 indoor cats on 20 wild acres with good enough bird habitat to have attracted a Limpkin. I love birding, hiking, West Coast Swing dance, and cooking healthy meals for people. My travels have led me to amazing natural areas in places like Belize, Thailand, Maine, Utah, and the Galapagos Islands. My master’s degree in environmental education helped to shape my perspective on engaging the community with land protection. After teaching high school freshman biology for 30 years, I want to continue my positive impact by being an engaged member of OLC.

Curt Stanfield

Director

Since 2018, Curt Stanfield has been dedicated to his professional painting career, fueled by his enthusiasm for landscapes and environmental conservation. His involvement with various environmental organizations and projects has been diverse, ranging from a residency with the National Park Service on Lake Michigan to collaborations with artists to bring awareness to protecting our Indiana waterways. He regularly exhibits at environmentally themed fine art shows around the state and is a signature member of the American Impressionist Society of artists. He is a member of the Brown County Art Guild and is a nationally recognized impressionist painter.

Tom Zeller

Director

Tom Zeller has worked on environmental issues in Indiana for fifty years and was a cofounder of Valley Watch in Evansville, the Sycamore Land Trust in Bloomington, and the statewide Hoosier Environmental Council.  He was named volunteer of the year by Ouabache Land Conservancy in 2022.

Advisory Board

George Bakken, Heather Chenette, Claudia Cozadd, Mary Beth Eberwein, Jeff Fisher, Dan Griggs, Adam Grossman, Ted Harris, Robert Jean, Carissa Lovett, Britton Luther, James O. McDonald, Gerald McGlone, Jeremy Montgomery, Raoul Moore, Jennifer Mueller, Fred Nation, Joe Newport, Marshall Parks, Patrick Ralston, Keith Ruble, Jane Santucci, Peter Scott, Namita Shrestha, Mark Southwick, Jim Speer, Jean Testa, Barbara Weber, John Whitaker