Meet the Board of Directors
Shannon Brines, Vice-Chair
|
Shannon Brines grew up in SE Michigan on a small diversified farm that included woody perennial crops. He officially established Brines Farm in 2004 and began selling year-round at farmers markets and offered one of Michigan’s first fresh produce winter CSA share programs. Shannon was selected as a member of the US delegation to participate in Terra Madre 2008 in Turin, Italy, a world slow food meeting focused on increasing small-scale, traditional and sustainable food production.
Shannon is an applied geographer at the University of Michigan interested in land use, agriculture, food systems, public health and sustainable design. Shannon currently serves as the chair of Slow Food Huron Valley Board, vice-chair of the Washtenaw county Food Policy Council, a member of the University of Michigan Sustainable Food Program Advisory Board. Shannon and his wife, Erin Mittendorf, live on (and steward!) over 80 acres of farmland in northern Washtenaw County where they have been undertaking restoration agriculture techniques since 2012. With ever expanding interests in biodiversity, agroecology, and perennials, Brines Farm has planted tens of thousands of trees and perennial plants. Brines Farm LLC is a State of Michigan licensed and inspected tree and shrub nursery grower and is USDA Certified Organic. |
|
Howard Sias is a lifelong resident of Lima township. He has been a crop farmer and grown corn, soybeans, wheat, rye, hay and also managed livestock. Howard’s family farm has been in the family for over 100 years. Howard serves on many local boards and committees including: 9 years on the Washtenaw Farm Service Agency County Committee, 21 years on the Lima Township Planning Commission and has been on the board of directors for the Washtenaw Conservation District for almost 20 years.
|
|
Howard Sias, Director
|
Matt Nolan, Treasurer
|
Matt grew up in a Midwestern family that spent the bulk of their free time hiking, biking, camping, fishing, and enjoying the fruits of conserved land. This led him to pursue degrees in Conservation Biology and Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin (go Badgers), and to spend his early professional life working at a conservancy that promoted and monitored easements throughout the state. He ultimately found his calling as a teacher, and has spent most of the past 15 years working in that field as a naturalist, outdoor educator, garden educator, and classroom teacher in Washington, California, Nevada, Wisconsin, Portugal, and Michigan.
He has primarily sought to use gardening and other direct experiences and service projects (e.g. raising and releasing salmon via the Michigan DNR) to build appreciation for and knowledge of the natural world in young people, and to “plant the seeds” of conservation in their lives. He was honored to accept the Tree Conservationist of the Year Award in 2019 on behalf of Emerson School for the work they have done there to establish a Food Forest and Permaculture-style garden on a previously degraded corner of the property. Matt is excited to work to use the results of the 2021 Resource Assessment to support and promote conservation in the county. When not teaching or learning the ropes at WCCD, he is likely to be found working hard with his wife Jyl and 3 young boys (Finnegan, River, and Aldo) on their blossoming food forest and garden in Dexter Township, or out enjoying the many beautiful natural areas that Washtenaw County has to offer. |
Hannah Weber, Secretary
|
Hannah Rose Weber serves Board Secretary. She is a co-founder of the Green Things Farm Collective, a small-scale community farm with a deep commitment to organic no-till and other conservation practices, located on conserved land in Ann Arbor Township. With an upbringing deeply tied to the woods and farms of Northern Michigan, and a background in photography and writing, Hannah found her way to a career in small-scale farming through her love of food and art making.
She cut her teeth by way of intensive training in organic farm management through Michigan State’s Student Organic Farm, and after running The Land Loom as a sole proprietor for five years, joined forces with Green Things Farm and Ann Arbor Seed Co. Hannah currently serves on ALPAC and is excited to be serving as an Associate Director of WCCD in order to share her perspective as a first generation farmer and to have a greater impact on land and natural resource conservation in Washtenaw County . |
Associate Directors
Maegen Gabriel, Associate Director
|
Maegen Gabriel is the owner of Wild Cherry Farm, a native plant nursery that is focused on pollinator preservation in Western Washtenaw County. She is also a partner at Agricole Farm Stop in Chelsea, where the mission is ‘to encourage and improve small farm viability, to increase community access to fresh, locally grown food, and to educate the public about local diversified farming as a community resource.
She was introduced to the conservation district by obtaining MAEAP certification and through various volunteer opportunities that the district offers. She brings with her a background in the biological sciences and a Master’s in Public Administration. She is excited to see how the areas of conservation, habitat restoration, and pollinator preservation can work hand in hand for the benefit of farmers and the environment. |
|
Tom Shanahan, Associate Director
|
Tom is a fifth generation farmer and currently resides on this families centennial farm in Lyndon Township. He raises sheep and Black Angus cattle. He also crop farms hay, corn, oats.
He has served on the Washtenaw County Farm Bureau board and Lyndon Township board. Tom is looking forward to participating on the Soil Conservation District board. |
Support Conservation in Washtenaw: Serve as a WCCD Board Director!
A five-member board of directors governs the Washtenaw County Conservation District. Members are elected by residents of the District at its annual meeting. Directors serve four-year terms, are non-salaried, and receive a meeting allowance and reimbursement for mileage and actual expenses.
The Board is responsible for the development and implementation of all District programs, financial management, organizational oversight and directs long-term strategic planning. The Board meets monthly to hear reports from staff, plan programs and activities, approve bills and financial plans.
The Board of Directors is currently seeking candidates to to run for the next election, scheduled for Thursday, January 18, 2024.
To be eligible to run for the next election, a nomination petition signed by 5 Washtenaw residents must be submitted by Friday, November 17th by 4:30 p.m. to megan@washtenawcd.org or 705 N. Zeeb Rd, Suite 201, Ann Arbor, MI 48103. Interested candidates should review the following:
A five-member board of directors governs the Washtenaw County Conservation District. Members are elected by residents of the District at its annual meeting. Directors serve four-year terms, are non-salaried, and receive a meeting allowance and reimbursement for mileage and actual expenses.
The Board is responsible for the development and implementation of all District programs, financial management, organizational oversight and directs long-term strategic planning. The Board meets monthly to hear reports from staff, plan programs and activities, approve bills and financial plans.
The Board of Directors is currently seeking candidates to to run for the next election, scheduled for Thursday, January 18, 2024.
To be eligible to run for the next election, a nomination petition signed by 5 Washtenaw residents must be submitted by Friday, November 17th by 4:30 p.m. to megan@washtenawcd.org or 705 N. Zeeb Rd, Suite 201, Ann Arbor, MI 48103. Interested candidates should review the following:
The WCCD is always seeking volunteers interested in serving as Associate Directors. Associate Directors are non-voting members of the WCCD leadership team and are appointed by the Board of Directors. To learn more, check out the link below:
Previous Directors
Matt Koenn Board Director from 2004-2021 
Jill Dohner Board Director 2013-2023 |
Matt's family has been farming for many years. Matt's grandfather, Herman, started out farming south of Ann Arbor, and rented land on Jerusalem Road in the 1950’s. In 1959, the family purchased its current farm in Sylvan Township. The family raised a small herd of dairy cattle up until 1995 as well as a rotation of corn, soy and wheat.
The Koenn family has been a large part of the leadership with the Conservation District for many years. Charlie Koenn, Matt’s father, was a board director in the 1980s. Matt was elected to the Conservation District’s Board of Directors in 2003 and has been the board Chairman since 2015. Matt raises Angus cattle, mainly on grass. Matt has a longstanding commitment to conservation practices on the farm, including almost exclusively no-till practices. The Herman L. Koenn Preserve was created through the Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation Commission and sits adjacent to the DNR managed Goose Lake Recreation Area. The Koenn’s farm property is also protected in a conservation easement adjacent to the nature preserve. When he’s not farming or helping out at the district, Matt’s enjoys snowmobiles, golfing, hunting and fishing. His son, Ryan, is a nurse at the University of Michigan Health System and his wife, Kim, works at the St. Joseph Mercy Health System in Chelsea. Jill has been serving on the WCCD board for over 8 years. Jill owns Rustic Roots Farm where she tends honeybees, laying chickens, a fruit orchard and garden, and does woodworking. Jill has lived in the county for over 20 years and has worked with other conservation groups including tree planting organizations and brings a background of forestry, agriculture, and background working with a diversity of farmers. Jill is excited to start her third term as a board director as the WCCD heads into a greater future with the passing of the millage and expanded programming and outreach expertise.
Jill has assisted the Conservation District with growing over these past years, re-invigorating beginning and existing farmers to implement conservation practices. She is excited for what the WCCD can accomplish in Washtenaw County through expanding tree and native plant offerings, encouraging planting of school gardens, offering a wide variety of workshops geared to those with a ¼ acre of land to 100 acres of land, and much more. |
