Tom was named the Executive Director in June of 2013. He holds a bachelor’s of science degree in Environmental Policy & Behavior from the University of Michigan’s School of Natural Resources and Environment and a Juris Doctor from Florida State University’s College of Law.

A licensed Florida attorney, Tom has worked as a staff attorney for a large not-for-profit healthcare organization and a public housing authority. For seven years, he worked as a litigator in civil, criminal, and real estate matters. He has volunteered on local and national political campaigns and interned in U.S. Senator Bill Nelson’s Tallahassee office during law school. He serves on the Board of Directors as Chair of the Partnership for Gulf Coast Land Conservation, a coalition of more than two dozen local, regional and national conservation organizations that work to increase the pace, quality and permanence of voluntary land and water conservation within the five state Gulf Coast region. He also previously served as the President of the Alliance of Florida Land Trusts, the umbrella organization for the state's 22 land trusts.

Heather has been working with Florida non-profits for more than 13 years and joined the land trust community in 2019. She is a native Floridian and grew up on the Gulf Coast. Heather received her B.A. in English Literature in 2010 from Florida State University and her Juris Doctor with Honors in Environmental and Earth Law in 2013 from The Dwayne O. Andreas Barry School of Law. She is licensed to practice law in Florida.

Heather started her career in springs science and conservation in 2014 with the Howard T. Odum Florida Springs Institute before joining ACT. As Associate Director, Heather works with ACT staff to promote the organization and its programs to donors, community partners, and the public. She also assists with conservation easements and acquisitions. Prior to becoming Associate Director, Heather served as ACT’s Community Outreach Coordinator.

Erica joined ACT in spring of 2019 after spending a year camping across the western U.S. and Canada. Erica has spent her career researching flora and fauna across the state of Florida and earned her master’s in Interdisciplinary Ecology from the H.T. Odum Center for Wetlands at the University of Florida.  From deep interior swamps and estuarine ecosystems to sandhill and rare communities like Florida dry prairie, Erica loves to be neck deep in mud or crawling around saw palmetto looking at Florida’s rich ecological heritage.  Erica has been a public servant for state agencies and public universities for over 20 years, often collaborating on complex projects requiring large stakeholder participation. She has published reports and peer reviewed literature studying wetland restoration and loves analyzing long term data sets to understand how natural communities respond to disturbance and applying these insights to management planning. When not daydreaming about science, Erica can be found foraging for wild fruit or blacksmithing.

Barry comes to Alachua Conservation Trust from 36 years at the Florida Forest Service where he focused on instructing prescribed fire training, working with private landowners and most importantly, actually conducting burns at various state forests and private lands in the north Florida region. His focus is assisting private landowners and helping them get prepared to implement their prescribed burning goals.

Lesa Holder is a life-long resident of Alachua County, and has worked as ACT's Office & Finance Manager since 2007. Her background in administration encompasses work in both the public and private sectors, including program development and delivery at an eco-tourist facility and organic/biodynamic demonstration farm, executive staff support posts in state and local government, and as Assistant Editor with the State of Florida's official administrative law reporter.

Jeffrey Forbes brings a wide range of experience and expertise to the Alachua Conservation Trust (ACT). Jeffrey holds a B.A. in Anthropology from the College of William and Mary in Virginia. Prior to joining ACT, Jeffrey spent 10 years working for the Goodwin Heart Pine Company of Micanopy, Florida. He has quite an affinity for distinct styling and unique architecture, admiring the work of esteemed architects, including his favorite, A. Hays Town.

Jeffrey considers himself an avid student of all southern culture, literature, flora, fauna, architecture and history, and, most especially, food! Jeffrey is also an accomplished musician. He sings and plays guitar, dulcimer, mandolin and banjo (a little).

Jeffrey is a member of the Sweetwater Shapenote Singers and is also the senior warden of the Episcopal Church of the Mediator in Micanopy, Florida. Jeffrey is President of the Friends of Paynes Prairie Inc. (citizen’s support organization).

Leisure activities include reading books by his favorite authors (William Faulkner, Thomas Wolfe, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings and C.S. Lewis), traveling and spending time with his lovely wife, Megan.

Ema is an Alachua County native who joined ACT after completing dual degrees in Environmental and Sustainability Science and Developmental Sociology at Cornell University. She specialized in water resource management, education, and policy. Ema worked as an undergraduate research assistant where she assisted in soil and nutrient studies of restored wetlands in the Upstate New York area. Her favorite part of her work is engaging with the community and is always ready to meet and chat with you at an event. She is passionate about ensuring the natural spaces are conserved, accessible, and equitable to the communities that depend on them today and into the future.

Keara is a life-long nature enthusiast who joined ACT after completing a Master of Science in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation. Her focus is on Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion initiatives (JEDI) and the intersection of JEDI with science communication efforts.

Keara currently serves as the coordinator for the Creekside Environmental Ed for Kids (CrEEK) program, working to foster a future of diverse nature lovers and environmental leaders through hands-on learning and engagement at Little Orange Creek Nature Center. 

Kimberly Tillman joined ACT in September of 2022 as the Partnership Coordinator. She will be coordinating and helping to grow the Local Implementation Team for Longleaf restoration in North Florida as well as assisting with the continued development of the CrEEK Program with local schools.

Kimberly is a wildlife biologist with 17 years of experience in natural resource management, conservation, and education. Kimberly was a Land Management Specialist with the St. Johns River Water Management District where she specialized in habitat management and population recovery of threatened and endangered species like the Red-cockaded woodpecker and Florida Scrub-jay. As a private contractor she has collaborated with federal and state agencies and private landowners focusing on land conservation, habitat management, population management for listed species, and educational program development.

Kimberly worked with the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville Florida to develop a program that brings butterfly gardens to Florida schools and promotes habitat and wildlife conservation with outdoor learning. Most recently, Kimberly coordinated the Ocala to Osceola Wildlife Corridor Program and Partnership. Where 26 organizations have joined together under the mission of protecting and connecting a 100-mile-long wildlife corridor to support plant and animal diversity, room to roam, clean air and water, recreation, military buffers, working lands, and resilience in the northeast portion of the state of Florida.

Kimberly has a Bachelor’s degree in Biology. She is a certified prescribed burn manager, aerial ignition operator, authorized gopher tortoise agent, a trained bander for Red-cockaded woodpecker and Florida Scrub-jays as well. Kimberly and her husband have two young children that love to be outside.

Born in Gainesville Florida, Susan spent most of her life living in and studying North Florida’s natural areas and ecology. Susan joined ACT in late 2021, and works to accelerate land conservation by matching conservation opportunities with conservation minded landowners. Susan’s work history is long and varied, including previous positions with nonprofit organizations (land trusts, The Nature Conservancy), academia and the Federal government (U.S. Forest Service and Natural Resources Conservation Service). Susan has three degrees in various ecological study: a B.S. in Botany from the University of Florida, a M.S. in Plant Biology from Louisiana State University, then later a Ph.D. in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation from UF. Her graduate research focused on floristic diversity of fire-maintained pinelands across Florida, and fostered a deep appreciation for Florida’s natural landscapes. Susan serves on several nonprofit Boards of Directors, including the Florida Native Plant Society and Jacksonville Arboretum and Gardens.

Joanna is an Alachua County native and lifelong nature lover who joined ACT in Fall 2021. She holds a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in Anthropology from the University of Florida and a Juris Doctor and Certificate in Environmental and Land Use Law from the University of Florida Levin College of Law.

Joanna's passion for conservation began as a child exploring cypress domes and paddling waterways all over North Central Florida. She has published book chapters and peer reviewed literature on pesticides and Farm Bill programs, cultural impacts of natural disasters in Florida, and strategies for adapting agricultural systems to climate change. In her current position as ACT’s Springs Project Coordinator, Joanna works to protect Florida’s water quality, rivers and springs, and the Floridan aquifer primarily through engaging with private landowners, preparing and managing grants, assisting with real estate transactions, and working with state and local partners and programs.

Justice was born and raised in Tallahassee, FL. After graduating high school, Justice attended the University of Florida where he earned a Bachelor of Science in agricultural operations management with a concentration in sustainable crop production. During his time as an undergraduate, he worked on a research project that focused on maximizing terpene yields in slash pine. In addition, he worked in the precision agriculture lab and helped develop tools for early detection of citrus greening as well as methods to determine citrus and strawberry yields through the use of machine learning. Justice received his master’s degree in agricultural and biological engineering in the spring of 2019 where he focused on improving irrigation scheduling methods through the use of a smartphone application for evapotranspiration-based irrigation scheduling of field corn.

Justice has experience as a certification reviewer for Florida Organic Growers and as a GIS technician for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. In his free time, Justice enjoys biking, paddling, and camping. 

Michael Bird is a fourth generation Floridian and Alachua County native. After graduating from the University of Florida, Michael lived in Miami and Austin, working in a variety of commercial real estate capacities spanning acquisitions, development, brokerage, and asset management with a focus on adaptive reuse and urban infill projects. Having grown up in and around the conservation world, he is excited about bringing his real estate experience to protecting the environment in his home region. In his free time Michael enjoys playing soccer, collecting vinyl records, and hiking, biking, and paddling across North Central Florida's one-of-a-kind landscapes.

Danny grew up exploring natural areas in and around Alachua County. He attended the University of Florida where he received his bachelor's degree in Natural Resources Recreation Management and his master's degree in Forest Resources and Conservation with a Graduate Certificate in Environmental Education.

After college, Danny spent a year serving in the Florida State Parks Americorps program where he worked and camped in 39 state parks. After a short stint as a certified firefighter and paramedic, Danny spent 6 years with the City of Gainesville, first as a park ranger at Sweetwater Wetlands Park and then as an environmental educator. Danny is interested in how prescribed fire shapes and maintains many of our ecosystems and is looking forward to further help protect our natural areas. He enjoys birdwatching, nature photography, and exploring with his family.

Taylor White is a life-long Alachua County native, with family roots that run deep within Florida. He holds an Associate of Arts in Forestry from Santa Fe College and is currently striving for a Bachelors in Forest Resources and Conservation at the University of Florida. Taylor also holds a Firefighter Type II certification for wildfire response and prescribed burn training. 

Taylor’s love and passion for everything outdoors has to do with spending his life in the Ocala National Forest, taking care of his family property within the forest. In addition, he devoted his pre-college time to interning with the City of Gainesville at Sweetwater Wetlands Park and with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, collecting alligator data. In his free time he enjoys all outdoor extracurricular activities, from yard work to kayaking, fishing, and more.    

Kristen grew up in New Martinsville, WV where she attended Marshall University earning a BS in ecology and evolutionary biology. After undergraduate, Kristen went to Fort Hays State University out in Hays, KS where she earned a MS in biology where her thesis involved flood tolerance within invasive Tamarix Ramossisima (salt cedar). After her MS, she moved back to her home state where she worked with the Forest Service for a summer on an invasive species project that involved understanding growth in timbered and non-timbered areas. Kristen’s next position took her to South Florida where she worked in Stage 4 of the sugarcane breeding program at the USDA-ARS Research Station in Canal Point, FL. Here is where she met and married her husband of 10 years. Kristen worked in the sugarcane industry for a combination of 12 years in the public and private sector as a research technician. She enjoyed her time working on various projects, but felt she needed to get back to her roots.

In her free time, Kristen loves going on adventures with her three kids Marcellus, Sabina, and Xavier and husband. She is also an avid runner and trains for half marathons when she can find time outside of family. Some of her favorite activities to do are hiking, listening to books on tape, trying out new recipes, being on her little farm, and spending time with friends and family.

Cameron joined ACT in December of 2022. He grew up in Land O’ Lakes, Florida where he found a strong interest in the state’s native trees and ecosystems. He graduated from the University of Florida in May of 2022, with a B.S. in Forest Resources and Conservation.

While obtaining his degree, Cameron worked as a Student Assistant at UF’s Austin Cary Forest and as a Tree Improvement Technician for the UF Cooperative Forest Genetics Research Program. He is excited to learn more about conservation land management and to get more hands-on experience with prescribed fire. In his free time, he enjoys exploring Gainesville, playing ping pong, and relaxing indoors with his cats.