Our People
Photo Credit: Roya Ann Miller, Unsplash
Staff
Kelley Beamer Executive Director
(she/her)
Kelley Beamer serves as the Executive Director at the Coalition of Oregon Land Trusts, and has more than 15 years experience developing strategic advocacy campaigns to advance land conservation. Prior to joining the Coalition of Oregon Land Trusts, Kelley served as the Advocacy and Outreach Manager for the Cascadia Green Building Council, where she implemented stated wide public awareness and advocacy campaigns, and managed a branch network in Portland, Bend, Klamath Falls, and Eugene. Kelley began her conservation work in Oregon in 2006 as the Conservation Organizer for Friends of Columbia Gorge, where she organized public support for protecting the unique values of the Gorge and advocated for Land and Water Conservation funds to support the US Forest Service land acquisition program in the Gorge.
Kelley’s extensive experience forging partnerships with diverse communities earned her recognition as one of Oregon’s “35 Innovators Under 35” by 1,000 Friends of Oregon. Prior to coming to Oregon, Kelley worked as a Policy Assistant for the Wildlife Refuge Program of the Wilderness Society in Washington, D.C. where she helped secure more funding for the national wildlife refuge system. Kelley has an effective history of working on local and national conservation campaigns and a lifelong passion for place-based advocacy. In her free time, you will find Kelley fly fishing or hiking with her husband Paul and their dog Lucy.
Kelley holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Notre Dame and a Masters of Arts in Environmental Policy from American University, School for International Service.
NANCY Duhnkrack Pro Bono Program Manager/Volunteer
(she/her)
Nancy Duhnkrack is a long-term volunteer at COLT, managing our pro bono program. She's a 1985 graduate of Northwestern School of Law, Lewis and Clark College.
She retired in 2014 as Staff Attorney/Law Clerk for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit after 20 years at the Court. She was an Adjunct Professor at the law school from 1990-2010 and is a frequent speaker on conservation easement design and enforcement. Nancy coordinates our pro bono program and provides pro bono
legal advice to COLT and our members.
Karsyn Kendrick Conservation Program Manager
(she/her)
Karsyn Kendrick is COLT’s Conservation Program Manager, and recently moved to Portland from Washington, D.C.
Although she is new to the land trust world, she has over 6 years’ experience in federal policy analysis and advocacy.
Karsyn worked previously with the BlueGreen Alliance on policy issues focused on climate resilience, natural infrastructure, public lands, and mine reclamation. In this position, she helped to increase the organization’s focus on community capacity-building and resilience to the impacts of climate change.
Karsyn is originally from Augusta, GA, and has a B.A. in International Affairs from University of Georgia. She recently received her M.S. from George Mason University’s Environmental Science and Policy program, and is passionate about community involvement in conservation decision-making.
In her free time, you can find her exploring her new state, going climbing, fly fishing, and hanging with her two cats.
kelsey kuhnhausen Communications Manager
(she/her)
Kelsey Kuhnhausen is COLT's Communications Manager, and brings with her 8 years of experience helping nonprofits tell their story.
Her work in conservation began at Portland Audubon, where she served as Communications and Design Coordinator for three years. In this role, she helped shape the organization’s digital strategy, storytelling, and design initiatives to bring people together to protect the natural world - which in turn cultivated her own love for birds and Oregon’s wild places.
In addition to Portland Audubon, she has worked in communications and marketing roles with several well-loved nonprofits, including Explore Washington Park, Boys & Girls Clubs of Portland, and Girl Scouts of Silver Sage.
Kelsey is originally from Idaho, and has a B.A. in Communications & Media Production from Boise State University. She is passionate about the intersection of nature, people, and design and is always looking for ways to build connections with others and the world around us. Outside of work you can find her looking for birds, reading, riding her bike, and spending time outside with her dog pal Hazel and the people she loves.
MICHELLE SMITH Water Project Manager
(she/her)
Anna-Liza Victory Oregon Land Justice Project Coordinator
(she/her)
Staff photos taken by Emilie Chen.
Board of Directors
Max Beeken Board Member
(he/him)
Max has worked as the Conservation Director of the Wild Rivers Land Trust since 2018. The Wild Rivers Land Trust serves a 2.3 million acre service area on the southern Oregon coast which includes several Wild and Scenic Rivers.
Max first moved to the south coast to study at the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology and has worked in the area as a wildlife biologist, fisheries biologist and forester ever since. He enjoys surfing, backpacking and playing music.
Dan Bell Board President
(he/him)
Dan Bell lives and works out of Hood River, OR as the Land Trust Director for Friends of the Columbia Gorge—the only conservation organization entirely dedicated to protecting, preserving, and stewarding the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. In this capacity he oversees the acquisition and management of lands held by the Land Trust, and also works to advance public land stewardship and recreational enhancement projects.
Dan’s experience includes more than a decade with the Nature Conservancy in both Oregon and North Carolina. He has extensive experience in partnership development, and a deep background with land trusts. Dan grew up outside Denver, has an affinity for southern hound dogs, and holds a B.S. in Forest Sciences from Colorado State University and a J.D. from North Carolina Central University.
Natasha Bellis Board Member
(she/her)
Natasha works as the Conservation Director for the Deschutes Land Trust, based in Bend, OR where she leads the organization’s land protection efforts. Growing up in Wyoming and Utah, Natasha gained an early appreciation for open spaces which inspired her to pursue a career in environmental studies. She has a strong background in collaborative conservation and has spent the last 15 years working with diverse stakeholders to resolve complex natural resource issues.
Prior to joining the land trust community, Natasha worked with the Deschutes River Conservancy and The Freshwater Trust restoring streamflow to Oregon’s rivers and creeks through instream water right transactions. Natasha holds an MS in Environmental Studies from the University of Montana and a JD from Lewis and Clark Law School with a certificate in Environmental and Natural Resource Law.
She feels grateful every day to live in the wonderland that is Oregon and loves exploring the state’s diverse landscapes by foot, bike, skis and boat with her family and friends.
Joe Buttafuoco Board Secretary
(he/him)
Joe Buttafuoco works with The Nature Conservancy in Oregon as their Western Oregon Stewardship Manager. Joe has worked and partnered with land trusts throughout his career and is passionate about the work of COLT and land trusts in Oregon. He began his career in Oregon serving as an AmeriCorps volunteer with Columbia Land Trust in 2001. That experience inspired and motivated him to keep working in land conservation. Over the years, he has held numerous jobs in upstate NY and Oregon related to land stewardship, restoration and monitoring. At TNC, he spent his first 7 years managing preserves and riparian, oak and prairie restoration projects. Presently, Joe leads a team of amazing land stewards who manage TNC’s conservation properties throughout the western half of the state. Joe has also helped lead TNC Oregon’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion team and is committed to changing both himself and the land trust movement to be more inclusive and find ways to center equity in conservation work. Joe received his B.S. in Natural Resources from Cornell University in 1999. In his free time, Joe likes to garden and explore the Pacific Northwest by foot, bike, and surfboard.
Claire Fiegener Board Member
(she/her)
Originally from Washington DC, Claire Fiegener has lived in western Oregon for the past 19 years and currently resides in Corvallis, Oregon. She has supported COLT since its origins and has served on COLT’s Board of Directors since 2018. Claire has worked in the conservation and farming community for the last 25 years, and currently is delighted in her position as Conservation Director at Greenbelt Land Trust. Among many passions, she is focused on advancing inclusive access to nature that improves the health outcomes of our communities, increasing funding for conservation in Oregon, and landscape-scale conservation measures protecting habitats, recreation lands, waters, and working lands. Travel adventures have shaped who she is including working on farms in California, Virginia, New Zealand, and Italy. But more than anything, she loves getting muddy with her twin boys and husband out on our Oregon trails.
Kristin Kovalik Board Member
(she/her)
Kristin has worked at The Trust for Public Land for over 20 years. During this time she has worked with communities in Oregon, Washington, Montana and Idaho completing forest and farmland conservation projects, working on conservation finance measures and most recently assisting with a green schoolyard project. Previously she spent time living in Belize working for the Turneffe Atoll Trust. Kristin holds a B.S. from Pennsylvania State University, a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from University of Oregon and Certificate in Sustainable Management from Duke University. She lives in central Oregon and enjoys being in nature fly fishing, hiking with her dog, and gardening.
Amanda Martino Board Vice President
(she/her)
Alejandro Orizola Board Member
(he/him)
Alejandro is a lawyer and project manager with training and experience in environmental law in both Chile and the United States. He has a law degree from the Universidad de Chile and an LLM in Environmental and Natural Resources Law from the University of Oregon.
He lives and works in Portland, Oregon, where he serves as the Conservation Director of the Forest Park Conservancy, an urban land trust. Alejandro worked previously as an Acquisition Specialist for the State of Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, where he managed natural areas real estate transactions.
Prior to moving to the US, Alejandro served as the Development and Land Manager and Legal Advisor at Patagonia Sur, LLC, a for-profit conservation real estate company. At Patagonia Sur, Alejandro led the land acquisition program and provided legal services, including the creation of the Servidumbre de Conservación private lands conservation agreement in Valle California, Palena. He has also played a major role in creating the template for the Derecho Real de Conservación agreement, Chile’s legal equivalent to conservation easements.
Dan Roix Board Member
(he/him)
As Columbia Land Trust’s Conservation Director, Dan Roix works in both Oregon and Washington conserving important places for nature and people. Dan has worked for Columbia Land Trust since 2008, and has served in his current role of Conservation Director since 2016. Dan leads the Land Trust’s land protection program as it works to protect high-priority natural areas, support urban residents in renaturing their yards, and find new ways to connect people to nature and conservation. Dan currently serves as Board President of the Coalition of Oregon Land Trusts and views a collaborative approach to conservation as key to caring for the nature of the Northwest.
Prior to moving to the Northwest, Dan spent time in the Central Valley of California working on an almond farm and began his professional career in conservation with the Sierra Foothill Conservancy in Mariposa, CA. When he isn’t at work he loves taking his border collie on hikes and sitting around a campfire playing music with friends.
Katie Ryan Board Member
(she/her)
Katie Ryan has spent her entire career working with environmentally focused non-profits throughout the Pacific Northwest. Preserving and stewarding our wild places is a key value for her, and she builds programs that work to engage people with our natural landscapes and support resilient communities.
Katie holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology, and completed a Master of Business Administration at Oregon State University in June of 2020. Prior to joining The Wetlands Conservancy, Katie served as Executive Director of Opal Creek Ancient Forest Center for ten years, and as Program Director, overseeing coordination and instruction of all natural science programs for Opal Creek and the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. When not working on behalf of our incredible landscape, Katie can be found outside rafting, skiing, hiking, and hanging out in the sunshine.
Kevin Talbert Board Treasurer
(he/him)
Kevin Talbert’s love of the outdoors fuels his passionate about conservation. He enjoys hiking, rafting, and exploring beautiful Oregon. He is currently on the board of the Southern Oregon Land Conservancy and an active volunteer with The Nature Conservancy and the Crater Lake Natural History Association. Kevin served briefly as an Oregon state senator and has been involved in community college governance as President of the Oregon Community College Association and as a long-time board member and board chair for Rogue Community College.
During his 26 year career at Southern Oregon University, he managed summer session, continuing education and other nontraditional programs and was instrumental in developing distance learning programs, university youth programs, and programs for learning in retirement. Later he was the Chief Information Office. He taught graduate management courses for many years for SOU and the University of Oregon and is currently an advisor to Oregon State University for their statewide programs. Earlier, he served in the US army in Ethiopia and the Peace Corps in Nigeria.
A celebration of lands and communities! Explore the first-ever map of Oregon places you can visit thanks to land trusts!
Partners
If our name wasn’t evidence enough, we’re big believers in the power of partnership.
The work of conservation in Oregon could not be done without a greater community of passionate individuals and organizations who care deeply about our natural world, our culture, our history and our future.
Sincere thank you to these core partner organizations for all you do to help people and nature thrive.
- Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians of Oregon
- Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs
- Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde
- Natural Resources Conservation Service
- Oregon Department of Agriculture
- Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
- Oregon Department of Forestry
- Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board
- USDA US Forest Service