Our staff work in land protection and stewardship, collaborate with our devoted volunteers, and coordinate our news and events. They also love to explore our many nature preserves across the region.

Photo: Jeff Katris

Please see our contact page to get in touch. You can also see our Board of Directors and learn more about the Finger Lakes Land Trust.

Andy has worked in the land conservation field for more than 25 years. After graduate education at Cornell University, he worked with local conservationists to establish the Finger Lakes Land Trust. Andy has also worked for The Nature Conservancy’s Central & Western NY Program, first as Director of Land Protection and then as Associate Director, and as Vice President for Programs for the Land Trust Alliance. He returned to the Finger Lakes Land Trust in 2003 to serve as its Executive Director. Zepp serves on New York State’s Regional Open Space Committee as well as the NY Advisory Board for the Land Trust Alliance. He also serves on Tompkins County’s Planning Advisory Board and Strategic Tourism Planning Board as well as the board of the SUNY-ESF Foundation.

Favorite outdoor activity
A morning hike, an afternoon paddle, and a glass of Finger Lakes wine at sunset

My favorite nature preserve
It’s impossible to choose just one!

Having worked with both for- and not-for-profit organizations over the last 20 years, Meghann has vast experience with the health and well-being of both the fiscal and personnel side of operations. She understands that the internal health of any organization directly impacts its mission. Meghann recently moved to the Finger Lakes region from the upper Catskills with her family and looks forward to learning about all of the wonderful treasures due to the amazing work the Land Trust has been able to accomplish.

Favorite outdoor activity in the Finger Lakes region
Exploration!

My favorite nature preserve
Houghton Land Preserve

Conservation quote
“The Earth is what we all have in common.” — Wendell Berry

Dawn Cornell

Director of Development and Communications

As the Director of Development and Communications, Dawn oversees the organization’s fundraising efforts and effective communication strategies to raise awareness about the importance of preserving the Finger Lakes region’s natural resources. With a diverse professional background ranging from hospitality management to higher education and healthcare fundraising, Dawn brings over 20 years of experience to the Land Trust team. Dawn holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Cornell University in Industrial and Labor Relations and is originally from Syracuse, NY. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, gardening, and exploring new places.

Favorite outdoor activity in the Finger Lakes region
I love the water! In the summer you can find me swimming, wading, kayaking, or simply enjoying a glass of wine with a lake in view.

My favorite nature preserve
Hinchcliff Family Preserve

Conservation quote 
“To love a place is not enough. We must find ways to heal it.” – Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass

Jason oversees the management and maintenance of the Land Trust’s nature preserves. He holds a B.S. in Conservation Biology from SUNY Cortland, and first got involved with the Land Trust as a volunteer. While growing up in Rochester, and frequenting a family cottage on Keuka Lake, Jason developed a deep connection to the Finger Lakes. Working with volunteers, clearing trails, and seeing the countless scenic treasures of the region are just a few of the many fulfilling aspects of his job.

Favorite outdoor activity in the Finger Lakes region
Birdwatching, fishing, hiking

My favorite nature preserve
Wesley Hill Nature Preserve

Conservation quote
“Find your place on the planet. Dig in, and take responsibility from there.” – Gary Snyder

Max works to acquire new properties and easements throughout the region while also partnering on conservation projects that incorporate both long-term protection and present-day restoration. He grew to love the Finger Lakes during his childhood when visiting his grandparents in Covert on the west side of Cayuga Lake. When not focusing on conservation, Max enjoys outdoor recreation, college sports, and puttering around his backyard with its goats and chickens. He holds degrees in Natural Resources from the University of Illinois and the University of Michigan.

Favorite outdoor activity in the Finger Lakes region
Paddling on Cayuga Lake and exploring the many gorges and creeks in the region

My favorite nature preserve
Bock-Harvey Forest Preserve

Conservation quote
“We come and go, but the land is always here. And the people who love it and understand it are the people who own it — for a little while.” – Willa Cather

Edie Jodz

Associate Director of Communications 

Edie manages the Land Trust’s private and community foundation grant proposals, digital and print communications, brand management, and outreach efforts. She has called the Finger Lakes her home since 1996, and is dedicated to engaging local communities in the Land Trust’s conservation mission. When she is not working, she enjoys spending time outside hiking, biking, paddleboarding, and skiing with her family.

Favorite outdoor activity in the Finger Lakes region
Hiking

My favorite nature preserve
Wesley Hill Nature Preserve

Conservation quote

“The care of the Earth is our most ancient and most worthy, and after all our most pleasing responsibility. To cherish what remains of it and to foster its renewal is our only hope.”
― Wendell Berry

Kait comes to the Land Trust after several years of traveling the country working for numerous federal, state, and local governments as well as not-for-profit organizations. She has served as a Team Leader for AmeriCorps and served on several AmeriCorps and federal deployments to help assist communities affected by natural disasters. Her background in operations and finance give her the experience and knowledge to help support the Operations Team. Kait recently moved to the Finger Lakes region from Long Island after a camping trip in the local area made her fall in love with the region. She loves being able to help support the lands and communities that she now calls home.

Favorite outdoor activity in the Finger Lakes region
Camping, gardening, snowshoeing, and lakeside picnics

Favorite nature preserve
Canandaigua Vista Nature Preserve

Conservation quote
“Let us… permit nature to take her own way; she better understands her own affairs than we.”  – Michel de Montaigne

Having grown up in the wilds of Danby, just south of Ithaca, Eric is innately familiar with the Finger Lakes region he continues to call home. Eric has spent many years working with the public—from teaching a wide array of technical outdoor skills with Cornell Outdoor Education to facilitating teambuilding programs with the Cornell Team and Leadership Center and GST BOCES, to managing outdoor programs at Greek Peak—he has been able to share his deep passion for the outdoors with thousands of people. Eric has degrees in Natural Resource Conservation and Outdoor Adventure Leadership. His role with the FLLT stewardship team is to manage and maintain all preserves for ecological integrity and the enjoyment and safety of all our visitors. When not working, Eric loves spending time outside with his family and sharing his knowledge of the outdoors with his young son.

Favorite outdoor activity in the Finger Lakes region
Fly fishing, free-heel skiing, gardening, and interpreting nature

Favorite preserve
Lindsay-Parsons Biodiversity Preserve

Conservation quote
“Everything is flowing—going somewhere, animals and so-called lifeless rocks as well as water. Thus the snow flows fast or slow in grand beauty, making glaciers and avalanches; the air in majestic floods carrying minerals, plant leaves, seeds, spores, with streams of music and fragrance; water streams carrying rocks…While the stars go streaming through space pulsed on and on forever like blood…in Nature’s warm heart.” — John Muir

Hailey attended Ithaca College where she received her degree in environmental studies. After graduating, she returned to her home state of New Hampshire to work as the Stewardship Coordinator for the Piscataquog Land Conservancy. Hailey has interned with The Nature Conservancy in New Hampshire, Tompkins County Planning Department, and was an intern for FLLT in the fall of 2018. Hailey is excited to be back in Ithaca and eager to meet with landowners and monitor their conservation easements.

Favorite outdoor activity in the Finger Lakes region
Running, hiking, & kayaking

My favorite nature preserve
Owasco Bluffs Preserve

Conservation quote:
“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”― Jane Goodall

Amy Olney

Conservation Projects Manager

Amy works as part of the land protection team to help landowners navigate through the potential conservation options for their property. She has enjoyed focusing her career on conserving the important farm and forestland of New York State through her work with land trusts in the Hudson Valley, Catskill Mountains, and most recently in Central New York. Originally from the Midwest, Amy is excited to be focusing on projects in the Finger Lakes area which she has called home since 2008. When not working on conservation projects, Amy enjoys exploring the gorges, trails, and local foods that the region has to offer with her family.

Favorite outdoor activity in the Finger Lakes region

Early morning trail runs with my dog and afternoon creek walks with my kids

My favorite nature preserve

Stevenson Forest Preserve

Conservation quote

“The environment is where we all meet; where all have a mutual interest; it is the one thing all of us share.” – Lady Bird Johnson

Chris hails from East Bloomfield, in the northwest area of the Finger Lakes region, and spent many hours of his youth building forts and swinging from vines in the woods, fishing in farm ponds, hiking, canoeing, deer hunting, and stacking hay bales. After obtaining a Bachelor’s degree in biology and environmental studies (1995), and a Master’s degree in geography (1997), both from the University of Buffalo, Chris began his career in natural resources and land conservation in the Hudson Valley and Catskill Mountains. In 2008 he embraced the opportunity to return to the Finger Lakes to raise a family near relatives and contribute to the protection of the beautiful landscape he cherishes.

Favorite outdoor activity in the Finger Lakes region
Hunting and fishing; camping with my kids

My favorite nature preserve
Roy H. Park Preserve

Conservation quote
“I am in love with this world… I have tilled its soil, I have gathered its harvest, I have waited upon its seasons, and always have I reaped what I have sown. I have climbed its mountains, roamed its forests, sailed its waters, crossed its deserts, felt the sting of its frosts, the oppression of its heats, the drench of its rains, the fury of its winds, and always have beauty and joy waited upon my goings and comings.” – John Burroughs

Danaka Olsen

Development Assistant

Born and raised in the mountains of New Hampshire, Danaka has a passion for public land access, experiential education, and a love for wild places. In the office, she processes gifts and assists with communications and outreach. Danaka holds a bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Family Studies from the University of New Hampshire and over ten years of experience working all over the country as an outdoor educator and guide.

Favorite outdoor activity in the Finger Lakes region
Hiking, camping, and frolicking

My favorite nature preserve
Sweedler and Thayer Preserves

Conservation quote
“Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt.” – John Muir

Morgan Priore

Development Associate

She/her

Morgan joined the Land Trust staff in 2023 after working in the natural foods industry for two decades. She is passionate about food justice and local food systems and is excited to approach that commitment through the lens of conservation. Having witnessed the coal industry’s devastating effect on her former home in southeastern Kentucky, Morgan is dedicated to helping preserve the lands and water sources of the Finger Lakes region through development and fundraising efforts.

Favorite outdoor activity in the Finger Lakes region
Knitting outdoors in a sunny spot!

My favorite nature preserve
Dorothy McIlroy Bird Sanctuary

Conservation quote
“Whether we and our politicians know it or not, Nature is party to all our deals and decisions, and she has more votes, a longer memory, and a sterner sense of justice than we do.”
― Wendell Berry

Chris Ray

GIS Program Manager

He/Him

Chris performs geographic analysis for land protection projects and creates maps for planning, outreach, and reports. He enjoys making map products that are communicative and visually engaging, and believes that geographic knowledge brings us together and enhances the conservation message. Chris is an upstate New York native and has been applying spatial methods in environmental conservation for the past 15 years in New York and the American southwest. He holds a B.S. from SUNY ESF and M.S. from Northern Arizona University.

Favorite outdoor activity in the Finger Lakes region
Photo hikes and mountain bike rides

My favorite nature preserve
Roy H. Park Preserve

Conservation quote
“This is the most beautiful place on Earth. There are many such places. Every man, every woman, carries in heart and mind the image of the ideal place, the right place, the one true home, known or unknown, actual or visionary.” – Edward Abbey

Kate comes to the Finger Lakes Land Trust with a background in international development and soil conservation. She has recently earned her Masters of Professional Studies at Cornell University in Natural Resource Management. Although she is originally from nearby Rochester, she considers herself lucky to have the opportunity to explore the Finger Lakes after being away for so long!

Favorite outdoor activity in the Finger Lakes region

Hiking with my dog

My favorite nature preserve

Steege Hill Nature Preserve

Conservation quote

“The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second best time is now.” – Chinese proverb

Margaret Royall

Conservation Easement Steward

She/Her

Margaret monitors conservation easement properties to ensure the protection of the land, plants, and creatures in our region. She brings with her a passion for nature combined with over 15 years of professional and volunteer experience with GIS, surveying, ecology, conservation biology, and plant identification. Originally hailing from North Carolina, Margaret has called the Finger Lakes home for over 10 years now and continues to be in awe of our region’s beauty every day.

Favorite outdoor activity in the Finger Lakes region
Hiking to see plants and bugs

My favorite nature preserve
Roy H. Park Preserve

Conservation Quote
“If we want a safe environment for our children and grandchildren, we must clean up our act, no matter how hard a task it might be.” – Hazel M. Johnson

Gretchen Salm

Land Conservation Systems Specialist

Gretchen works as a bridge between the Protection and Stewardship teams by ensuring accreditation compliance and managing the lands database. Fascinated by wild lands and creatures since she was a wee thing, Gretchen holds a B.S. in Natural Resources from Cornell University and rejoices in exploring the Finger Lakes whenever she can.

Favorite outdoor activity in the Finger Lakes region
Birding, hiking the Finger Lakes Trail

My favorite nature preserve
Dorothy McIlroy Bird Sanctuary

Conservation quote
“The world’s three greatest physicians – Nature, Patience, and Time” – Chinese fortune cookie