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Rachel’s roots in conservation began with collecting seeds and foraging with her dad on the Army bases where she grew up. Rachel attended Eastern Michigan University where she obtained degrees in communication. She worked with schools and businesses in the Detroit suburbs and Capital Region to promote conservation efforts. Rachel loves organizing the community around conservation so she was delighted to join the ECD team as Environmental Outreach Coordinator in the spring of 2022. Rachel was promoted to Executive Director in the fall of 2022. Rachel lives in Delta Township with her family, where she plants as many varieties of native edibles as she can get her hands on. ​

Contact Rachel: rachel.murray@macd.org

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Natalie grew up in Potterville Michigan, where she spent most of her childhood playing outside and being in nature. Natalie attended Grand Valley State University where she obtained her B.S. in Environmental Sustainability Studies and Natural Resource Management. She spent her summers during college working at Blandford Nature Center as a Land Steward. She is also a member of the U.S. Army Reserves, where she serves as a Military Police Officer.

Natalie spends her days coordinating local, state, and federal agencies to help farmers and land owners reduce environmental risks. In her free time, she enjoys trail running, reading, and playing with her two dogs.

Contact Natalie: natalie.halsey@macd.org

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Val was born in Pennsylvania, where she learned to love nature while growing up on her grandparents’ dairy farm. She graduated as salutatorian from Connellsville HS and went on to attend the University of Notre Dame, where she earned her B.S. in biological sciences. Val spent her summers during college working with animals in different jobs across the country.

She worked in a veterinarian’s office, as a wildlife educator in New York, and in the country’s largest reptile store in East Bay, CA. Val went on to study biochemistry and molecular biology at Michigan State University, where she earned her master’s degree. During graduate school, Val taught a lab on cell and molecular biology and worked in a research lab studying Smith-Magenis Syndrome, a chromosomal disorder that causes developmental delay and physical abnormalities.

Val worked as the Head Technician for Transfer Biology at Lansing Community College, coordinating the preparation of lab supplies for LCC’s biology courses, and as a research technician at Michigan State, studying the physical and molecular characteristics of Arabidopsis, a plant in the mustard family.

​ Val moved to Charlotte in 2010 and became involved in the community through volunteering in the schools, as a Cub Scout den leader, and as a member of GFWC-Charlotte. Val currently serves as the treasurer of Troop 45, the webmaster of the Lakewood Area Choral Society, a member of the Charlotte Area Recreation Cooperative, and the secretary and choral director of GFWC-Charlotte. Val is passionate about conservation, sustainability, and permaculture and hopes to fulfill her dream of planting a food forest in the community. She lives in Charlotte with her husband, Corigan, and her sons, Baron and Oliver.

Contact Val: val.reisen@macd.org

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Matthew grew up on a beef farm in Lapeer County raising Angus, Simmental, and Charolais cattle for show. He was a member of 4-H and also participated in FFA, representing the state of Michigan in the Nursery/Landscape Career Development Event competition at the FFA National Convention in Louisville, Kentucky.

Matthew earned a B.S. in Environmental Science and Planning from the University of Michigan – Flint and established himself with the Lapeer Conservation District. He moved on to a position assisting NRCS in Area 4 with outreach, technical assistance, and enrolling producers and landowners into Farm Bill Programs within Lapeer, Oakland, Genesee, Ingham, and Livingston counties. Matthew worked for Lapeer and Genesee Conservation Districts and as a soil conservationist at the Mason field office.

Inspired by the many amazing people he has met during his career, Matthew's passion for conservation has led him to become the NRCS District Conservationist at the Charlotte Field Office. ​

Contact Matthew: matthew.swain@usda.gov

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Shawn moved to Michigan with his wife Danielle Zoellner in the summer of 2012. He studied Natural Resource Management and Forest Ecology at Clemson University, South Carolina, and proceeded to work with the U.S. Forest Service Southern Research Station conducting prescribed burns and fire research in the Southern Appalachians.

​Passionate about conservation, the move to the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service in 2014 was a natural fit for Shawn, enabling him to apply his knowledge of natural systems to help private landowners better understand, manage, and conserve their natural resources. Shawn spends his days developing conservation prescriptions for landowners and agricultural producers, and educating the public on the benefits of conservation. In his free time, Shawn enjoys working on his property and farm with his lovely wife and daughter, trail running, and listening to live music.

Contact Shawn: shawn.kelly@usda.gov