Staff & Board

Welcome to the Team, John!

John O‘Donnell has joined the team as the Water Program Manager! John is passionate about water quality and environmental justice. Here at HLC John leads, plans, and manages a variety of water quality, quantity, and green infrastructure programs. He brings a wealth of experience gained in addressing non-point source water pollution through intensive monitoring, outreach, and education, and working on technological solutions. We are excited to have John on our team.

john.odonnell@heartlandsconservancy.org | 618-566-4451 ext. 14

“When we plant trees, we plant the seeds of peace and seeds of hope. We also secure the future for our children.” ― Wangari Maathai

Farewell, Brittany!

This summer we said farewell to Conservation Project Coordinator, Brittany Schweiger. Brittany joined HeartLands Conservancy to work with communities, agencies, residents, and landowners on a variety of conservation projects in our region. During her time at HLC, Brittany helped lead our organization’s volunteer programs, community forestry initiatives, wildlife habitat work, and community conservation projects.

Brittany is moving up to environmental field work for a consulting firm. We look forward to seeing her out in nature.

A giant THANK YOU to outgoing board member and long-time Vice-Chair, Ronda Latina. Ronda has served on the HLC board of directors since 2014. She has served in a variety of roles, including the Treasurer and ViceChair roles. Ronda has been instrumental in supporting Field to Fork, our annual fundraiser, for many years. She also stepped in on many occasions to hack honeysuckle, lead hikes, and evaluate land conservation deals in southwestern Illinois. We are incredibly grateful to her for her eight years of service on the board.