| Staff
Executive Director - Peter D. Ter Louw, terlouw@swmlc.org
Peter D. Ter Louw has a B.S. in Biology and a minor in Chemistry from Hope College in Holland, Michigan. He received a Master’s of Landscape Architecture from the University of Michigan School of Natural Resources, with an emphasis on ecological design and restoration. After graduate school, Peter returned to his home in New Jersey and worked with the Passaic River Coalition initiating and creating the land conservation and acquisition program. Under his leadership as project manager and later as assistant executive director, this nonprofit watershed association secured over $2.5 million in government and foundation land acquisition grants to purchase 800 acres of headwater streams, floodplains, wetlands, and recreational open spaces. Pete also worked with county and municipal governments to develop collaborative regional land protection and funding programs to protect fragile natural resources and open space. Peter took over as Executive Director of the Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy in March 2002. With the help of staff, a board of directors and volunteers, he implements land conservation strategies in nine counties of Southwest Michigan. During the past two years, the Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy has protected over 1,000 acres through conservation easements and acquisitions that include wetland,  marshland, prairie, agriculture and dense landscapes.
Land Protection Specialist - Geoffrey Cripe, gcripe@swmlc.org. Geoff grew up in northern Indiana and is a 2004 graduate of Indiana University. He has a Bachelors of Science in Public Management from IU's School of Public and Environmental Affairs. Geoff worked in the Tidewater region of Virginia for three years as a land use planner, and was inspired to seek a position to combat irresponsible growth. Geoff returned to the Midwest to be close to family (and dog) and volunteered to help SWMLC with our land protection efforts. He was then hired full-time. Geoff loves to compose music on his keyboard (all genres), and he is a diehard IU men's basketball fan. He travels and explores the US any chance he can get. Geoff currently resides in Kalamazoo and has one lawn chair.
Land Protection Specialist - Emily Wilke, ewilke@swmlc.org
Emily
is a Michigan native; she grew up in Grosse Ile. Emily developed a passion for conservation while at Calvin College in Grand Rapids; she majored in biology with an environmental studies minor. She worked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Colorado for a year, and then went to Ann Arbor to pursue a graduate degree from the University of Michigan’s School of Natural Resources and Environment. She received her Master’s degree in August, 2006, focusing on ecosystem management with an emphasis in conservation. Emily is very excited about using her education and experience to enhance the land conservation effort in Southwest Michigan. She and her husband, Brook, reside in Hickory Corners, where Brook is pursuing his Ph.D. in agroecology at the W.K. Kellogg Biological Station, a Michigan State University research station. They have a son, Charlie, and a dog named Poa.
 Conservation and Stewardship Director - Nate Fuller, fuller@swmlc.org
Nate joined SWMLC as its first Stewardship Specialist in the summer of 2001. He works with volunteers and seasonal staff to protect and enhance the diversity, stability, and beauty of SWMLC's preserves and other important natural areas in southwest Michigan. Nate received his B.S. in Biology from Northland College, an environmental liberal arts college in Ashland, Wisconsin. He worked for several years as a naturalist and volunteer coordinator for Sarett Nature Center in Benton Harbor. He has also worked in Chicago as an education program coordinator for The Nature Conservancy and as a volunteer for the North Branch Restoration Project. He currently lives in Kalamazoo with his wife Erin, where they can often be found birding and botanizing at nearby natural areas.
Development Director – George Wise, wise@swmlc.org
George Wise was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, along the Chesapeake Bay, but has lived in southwest Michigan for quite some time. George was executive director of the Leila Arboretum Society of Battle Creek for nine years, where he lead the successful “Making BC Green” campaign. At the arboretum, George also managed construction of the Children’s Garden, the Miss Iva Doty Native Flower Garden, and the Horticulture Training Center. Prior to his work at the Leila Arboretum Society, George was the director of the Memphis Botanic Garden. He also held the position of superintendent of the Shaw Nature Preserve for the Missouri Botanical Garden, where he supervised prairie restoration and managed a 2,400 acre preserve in the eastern Ozarks. George has a Masters degree in Public Horticulture from the Longwood Program at the University of Delaware, and a Masters degree in Entomology from North Carolina State University. His professional interests are in native
plants, garden design and landscape restoration. He and his wife, Susan, have two sons.
Communications Director - Pamela Weaver Larson, PWLarson@swmlc.org
 Born and raised in the Midwest, Pam lived in New Orleans after receiving her teaching degree in secondary education from Western Michigan University (French major, linguistics minor). While she didn't pursue teaching in New Orleans, Pam put her writing, editing, and language skills to work editing abstracts, theses, and dissertations for scientific publications. She also worked in advertising, marketing, and public relations, as well as in TV and radio. After 14 years in the Deep South, Pam returned to Kalamazoo and was hired in April 1997 as SWMLC's second full-time employee. Pam is the newsletter editor, works with members, and assists with communications and fund-raising efforts. Pam and her husband, Lee, are founding members of the Kalamazoo Chapter of Wild Ones--Natural Landscapers, Ltd and are active in many area nature/environmental organizations. They maintain a Certified Backyard Wildlife Habitat and are restoring their four acres to native plants. Pam is an Advanced Master Gardener through Michigan State University Extension. She writes for national publications and is a classically trained musician.
Administrative Assistant - Julie Lewandowski, jlewandowski@swmlc.org
 Julie Lewandowski was born and raised in Detroit and went to Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan. Several years after graduation, Julie moved to North Carolina where she worked in the health care industry as an executive secretary. After moving to Kansas City in 2001 with her husband, Keith, she became an account manager at an insurance brokerage firm and also did work as a release of information specialist. Julie moved to Kalamazoo in October 2002 with Keith and their daughter, Rachel, to be closer to relatives. She started as a volunteer with SWMLC in January 2003, assisting with mailings, photo archiving and other office tasks. In the winter of 2004, she learned that SWMLC would be hiring an administrative assistant, and she offered to take over the position. When she is not involved in her daughter's activities, Julie enjoys birdwatching and gardening with native plants.
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