Staff

Eunice Youmans

Executive Director

Eunice has held leadership roles in conservation for over a decade. She began her work on a global scale, working with scientists to identify the land management strategies that had environmental, financial and climate benefits. Much of this work involved balancing the equally important and competing land demands of development, jobs, agriculture, habitat, conservation and recreation. Eunice managed a Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard conservation portfolio which included thirty miles of recreational beach front, endless miles of dune, forest, and marshland trails and a 300-acre farm with 90 head of cattle, forty sheep and an everchanging menagerie of ducks, chickens, turkeys, goats and pigs. She also helped build a financially successful food waste collection, and a compost production facility which enriched the island soils to generate more local produce. That work attracted international investment to scale up.

Angela Morris

Associate Director

Angela grew up as a member of a ranching family where the outdoors was a way of life.  She developed a lifelong reverence and curiosity for nature by exploring the scablands and Palouse River in Eastern Washington.  After completing degrees in English and Library Science, she worked in public libraries in Wenatchee for many years where she was a leader in developing collaborative projects promoting literacy and community-building.

Angela is passionate about the important role the outdoors plays for promoting healthy individuals, families, and communities.  Being a part of CDLT means that every day there are new opportunities to connect people to nature!  She loves being active outdoors hiking, biking, and Nordic skiing; in quieter moments, reading, yoga and dog-walking are favorite pastimes.
 

Mickey Fleming

Lands Program Manager

Mickey has practiced law since 1979, representing landowners in Ohio on issues relating to real property in administrative and litigation forums. Before going to law school, she received a bachelor’s degree in Agriculture from Purdue University. Friends and the beauty of the Northwest brought Mickey and her husband Dirk Horton to Wenatchee to use their talents in new ways and to enjoy its recreational opportunities. She is a Chelan County Master Gardener and the mother of two sons.

Hanne Beener

Trails Program Manager

Hanne comes from rural northeastern Washington, but has called the Wenatchee Valley home since 2007. She graduated with a BA in Spanish and International Studies from the University of Idaho, but found herself drawn to managing and protecting our wildlands. Hanne worked for the U.S. Forest Service for 8 years, and also for the conservation organization, Conservation Northwest. She lives in Leavenworth, and enjoys backcountry skiing, mountain bike touring, and showing her pup all the great trail runs in the area.

Kathy Peven

Communications & Development Manager

Kathy grew up in the Chicago area and after visiting Washington State on a camping trip, fell in love with the Pacific Northwest and relocated here. She earned her BS in Visual Communication from Western Washington University. Kathy's background ranges in experience from whitewater rafting guide to graphic designer. Since joining the Chelan-Douglas Land Trust staff in 2007, she has held positions in bookkeeping and office administration, outreach, and communications. Kathy and her husband Chuck are the parents of 2 grown children and have lived in Wenatchee since 1988.

Rebecca Frank

Stewardship Assistant

Rebecca is a long-time Wenatchee resident. She earned her ATS degree in Natural Resources from Wenatchee Valley College in 2012, joining the Land Trust as a seasonal staff member later that year. You may recognize Rebecca from the Wenatchee Foothills trails, battling weeds, picking up trash and monitoring trail conditions. She enjoys spending time with her parrots, cat, and husband in her free time.

Hailey Moreno

Administrative Assistant

Susan Ballinger

Conservation Fellow

As a biologist, naturalist, and educator, Susan Ballinger is respected for her depth of knowledge and ability to inspire. Raised in Montana, Susan developed a love of the outdoors that led to Masters degrees in Biology and Education and a career-long commitment to making science understandable to the non-scientist. Her passion for experiential learning is evidenced by her decade of work, developing science field experiences for Wenatchee School District. She has served on the boards of the Washington Native Plant Society and Chelan-Douglas Land Trust, and is a citizen science volunteer for botany and bird projects. Susan designed and teaches the Wenatchee Naturalist course offered by Wenatchee Valley College with CDLT serving as the program sponsor.  When not researching, writing and teaching, you’ll find Susan in the foothills she loves, often joined by her husband Paul. 

Molly Jennings

GIS & Data Manager

Molly grew up in Northern Idaho where she developed a love for the local rivers, mountains, and grasslands. She graduated from the University of Puget Sound with a B.S. in Biology and Environmental Policy and Decision Making. Through her work as an ecologist and outdoor educator, she developed a strong appreciation for maps and those who use maps to tell stories about natural spaces. Molly lives in Wenatchee with her partner Ethan and their cat Tash. When not at work, she can be found skiing, whitewater kayaking, running, and backpacking throughout Washington.

Elisa Lopez

Administrative Coordinator

Elisa Lopez’s passion for the outdoors started at a young age, collecting lady bugs on Stemilt Hill in Wenatchee. In the past few years, Elisa has been learning about the plants, animals, land, and waters in NCW and looks forward to a lifetime of learning about our home. In 2017, she earned a Bachelor of Science in Zoology from WSU. In addition to her new job at CDLT, Elisa also works to create spaces where Hispanic/Latinx community can gather, learn about nature bilingually, and gain the outdoor knowledge to return independently.

Tiffany Theden

Stewardship Assistant

Tiffany grew up in Southern California but has lived all over the US for the past 20 years. She decided a career change was in order and went back to school to help protect the natural spaces we are lucky enough to live and play in. She received her BA in Environmental Studies/Biology, with a focus on Conservation, from the University of California, Santa Cruz in 2021. She has spent years in California doing volunteer native plant restoration and is delighted to be able to continue this work here in the foothills.
Tiffany moved to Leavenworth in the summer of 2021 after finishing her degree and is fascinated by the high level of biodiversity and variety of landscapes found in the Wenatchee valley, as well as the multitude of trails available to explore. She's thrilled to help steward these places we all love and enjoy. 

In her free time, you can find her wandering through the forests and foothills searching for interesting fungi, lichen, and native plants to photograph and post on iNaturalist. She's also frequently seen on walks with her 2 cats around the neighborhood. Her hobbies include splitboarding, trail running, snorkeling rivers, and other adventures with her amazing husband.

Joe Veverka

Trails Field Coordinator

Joe grew up in Iowa where he gained an appreciation of nature exploring vacant fields and walking fence lines. He received a BS in Biology and Wildlife from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point taking a special interest in conservation and restoration. Joe has worked on several field projects ranging from the Midwest, Florida, West Coast, Southwest, Alaska, and Borneo. He worked most recently for the National Park Service at Organ Pipe National Monument in southern Arizona as a field biologist. Central Washington became Joe’s desired region to settle in after hiking through the area in 2013. In 2017 his family had the great fortune to move to the Wenatchee Valley where they plan to stay for a very long time. Joe spends most of his free time birding, backpacking, hiking, hunting, and gardening.