Meet Our Staff

Karen Grey, Executive Director
Karen Grey came to the Wildlands Trust in 2007 from the Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences where she served in a variety of leadership positions from 1991 to 2007. She earned her stripes as Manomet’s Chief Administrative Officer, Director of Marketing and Development, and Assistant Director before coming to the Trust. Karen brings a broad base of management, marketing and conservation knowledge and skills to her position. A lifelong resident of the region, she is committed to helping communities grow their conservation assets while at the same time working with her great staff to build a versatile and healthy organization that delivers tangible results and fosters professional growth of its employees. Karen is a graduate of the University of Vermont.

Gabriela Silva, Ph.D., Assistant Director
Gabriela Silva joined the Trust in 2004 bringing with her a variety of wonderful skills and talents--among them, her strong ability to think strategically about land conservation. In three short years, Gabriela has become highly adept at crafting conservation restrictions for land owners and working with the State to usher them through. Gabriela’s primary duties at the Trust include the oversight of our land acquisitions efforts and the administration of our government and private grant activities. She represents the Trust in important regional partnerships and works closely with landowners, and municipalities to further open space protection in the region. Gabriela holds a Ph.D. in Forestry from Penn State University and an MSc in Forestry from Louisiana State University.

Kay Foster, Membership Coordinator
Kay Foster is the friendly voice on the other end of the phone when you call the Trust. As the Trust’s administrative generalist, she wears many important hats, including membership coordination, annual fund oversight and keeping tabs on the rest of the staff. Kay’s commitment to conservation runs deep. She has many years of volunteer experience in the field as founder of the Regional Environmental Council, Inc. in Central Massachusetts, a member of the Duxbury Conservation Commission and author of its original open space plan, a leader in an informal group working to save land in Duxbury, and a director of Duxbury Beach Reservation, Inc. She is an author and co-editor of The Duxbury Beach Book. Kay is a graduate of Wellesley College.

Scott MacFaden, Land Protection Specialist
A native of Southeastern Massachusetts, Scott came to the Trust in 1999 after completing a Masters Degree in environmental studies. Formative for Scott was an experience working as a volunteer at the Ausbon Sargent Land Trust in New Hampshire where he began to recognize the vital niche local and regional land trusts play in the land conservation community. Since then, his professional life has been all about protecting land. He has built an excellent reputation for himself and the Trust over the years having completed dozens of projects with diverse partners from throughout the region. Whether it’s a farmer, a developer, or a 4th generation land owner, Scott is naturally skilled at building nurturing and productive relationships with landowners. Scott holds a graduate degree from Antioch New England.

Jessica Schultz, Director of Stewardship and Operations
Jessica joined the Trust over a decade ago to work first as a botany intern and then later as a membership assistant. But it didn’t take long for her talents to reveal themselves and in 1997 she was moved to her current leadership role in stewardship. Jessica’s work involves the implementation of long-term monitoring and management planning for all Trust properties. It is not a job for the faint of heart as it involves tremendous responsibility for addressing human and natural disturbance on our lands. We appreciate the skills and commitment Jessica brings to her work. Jessica received a B.A. and a B.Ph from Miami University in Ohio and expects to earn a Master’s in Environmental Management from Harvard in the spring of 2009.

Marilyn Levandoski, GIS and Mapping Coordinator
Marilyn joined the Trust in 2005, to assist in Membership and Administration, but soon realized that making maps for conservation was her true passion. She has found her niche in GIS Map-making and works closely with the Trust’s Land Protection and Stewardship programs creating maps for a variety of needs. She has volunteered for numerous non-profit organizations including the South Shore Natural Science Center, Pembroke Council on Aging, and Community Nursery Kindergarten. Marilyn earned her BA from University of Massachusetts.

Jim Dehner, Preserves Manager 
Jim joined the trust in 2008 bringing with him a broad knowledge of land trust operations and stewardship practices. He has worked for land trusts such as the Trustees of Reservations and the Northeast Wilderness Trust and was co-founder of the Ashburnham Conservation Trust. Jim feels that giving the public the best possible experience when visiting conservation lands is a vital aspect of land trust operations and he is delighted to be on-board overseeing the management of the Trust’s Preserves. Jim holds a Bachelors Degree in Environmental Studies from Unity College and a Masters Degree in Resource Management and Administration from Antioch University.

Sue Chamberlain, External Relations
Sue Chamberlain is in a league of her own when it comes to environmental fundraising and there is a simple explanation for this: She is passionate about conservation.

The Trust was (again!) very fortunate this fall when Sue, a 25 year veteran fundraiser, decided it was a time for a change in her professional routine. Having served as the Development Director at the Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences for the past 7 years, Sue opted to bring her skills to help raise funds for local conservation. Sue will be consulting for us 1 day per week (our modest budget being the constraint!)

“I want to give back something to the region I live in. I believe in land trusts and I want to try to help save land in southeastern Mass.”

Sue says she is most impressed with the hard working and dedicated staff at the Trust. “Every time I come here I see an incredible commitment and I am proud to fundraise for all the great conservation work going on at Wildlands.”