Meet The Cardinal Team
The Staff
Our small, professional staff are passionate about conservation in Southwest Ohio.
Andy Dickerson
Executive Director
Andy has a long history of conservation work that includes being the Director of Science for the Ohio Chapter of the Nature Conservancy and a founding member of the Valley View Foundation. He has worked with farmers to capitalize on the conservation benefits of the farm bill, is a prescribed fire burn boss as well as a bird and prairie enthusiast. As a trained facilitator and conservation business planner, Andy hopes to win friends and influence partners as he works to protect land at home in SW Ohio.
Lauren Stanula
Director of Philanthropy
Lauren’s background is in environmental studies and she received her undergraduate degree from the University of Cincinnati. After finishing her master’s degree in conservation biology at Miami University, she spent some time working as an arborist before becoming the development manager for Cardinal Land Conservancy. A lifelong Cincinnati resident, avid hiker, and self proclaimed “nature nerd” with an affinity for anything outdoors, she is thrilled to be part of
the Cardinal team.
Jack Stenger
Director of Conservation
Jack is a biologist with a background in natural areas management, a wide variety of environmental survey work, and outdoor education. He has a B.A. in Zoology from Ohio Wesleyan University and completed graduate work in Biology at the University of Cincinnati. He has worked in the private, non-profit, and public sectors of conservation, most recently as a Conservation Biologist at Great Parks of Hamilton County. Jack serves on the Board of Directors for another local land trust -Oxbow, Inc. Jack is a bird expert and a naturalist fascinated by all aspects of our region’s natural history. He hopes to bring this passion to Cardinal’s mission to protect land in southwest Ohio.
Susan Sprigg
Director of Operations
Susan brings extensive experience in operational oversight in diverse settings and a passion to apply those skills to the Cardinal Land Conservancy mission. She has spent many years working toward healthy and sustainable communities, most recently in senior healthcare roles. Susan has always been committed to the concept that human well-being needs to have roots in a healthy planet and ecosystem and is excited to shift her focus to that foundational work. Susan’s past experience includes public health, clinical care, community engagement, community supported agriculture, policy and research, and advocacy for children and families. She is excited to join the Cardinal team and lend her hands to the work.
Drew Goebel
Conservation Program Manager
Drew has been studying our local habitats and working in conservation for over a decade, working in various roles at different organizations along the way. He holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Cincinnati, and prior to joining Cardinal, he led efforts at Cincinnati Parks to develop land management plans and volunteer training. Drew hopes to use his experience to make Cardinal’s properties stand out as locations for preservation, restoration and further connection to wildlife. Drew also is using his passed experience in volunteer organization to improve Cardinal's volunteer program.
Owen Hunter-Linville
Land Manager
Born and raised in Cincinnati, Owen is a lifelong student of our local habitats. Before joining this amazing team, Owen had worked for local non-profit organization Groundwork ORV, as Crew Leader for their “Green Corps” young-adult workforce development program. He also spent time working at Cincinnati Parks, with their dedicated Conservation & Land Management team. Through these opportunities Owen has been blessed with a wide variety of work in volunteer engagement, light construction, urban agriculture, youth nature education, trail building, and ecological restoration. Getting to apply the skills he's developed along the way for Cardinal is a "dream come true".
Katie Nolan
Urban Conservation Manager
A Cincinnati native, Katie completed her undergraduate degree at Ohio University, where she studied environmental policy. After graduation, she moved back to Cincy and received her Master of Public Administration and Social Justice from the University of Cincinnati. She has experience working in the federal government, public sector, and community engagement spaces during her studies. As Cardinal's Urban Conservation Manager, Katie will lead Cardinal's community-centered conservation projects.
Pat Hill
Facilities Manager - Cardinal HQ
Pat Hill brings 60+ years of history to Cardinal Headquarters' as Facility Manager. Lifetime neighbor, fieldworker, fence builder, dairy herdsman, livestock owner and manager doing property maintenance back to the 1960's. His 50 years of experience as a self employed underground utility contractor providing water, sewer, and energy to buildings has been a good fit as Cardinal's new headquarters needs all utilities restored. His love and experience in sustainable agriculture and deep respect for the beauty and power of nature make Cardinal's mission align with his desire to preserve and share this unique property.
Nick Hartley
Facilities Manager - Bahr Farm
Nick Hartley grew up in Rhode Island but has lived the last 20 years in the Cincinnati area. He is passionate about wildlife conservation and native gardening, graduating from Cincinnati State with a degree in sustainable horticulture. Nick brings 24 years of project and retail management experience to the position of facilities manager of Bahr Farms. Nick is enthusiastic about sharing this unique urban farm with the community.
Jenna Kim
Philanthropy Coordinator
Jenna has an undergraduate degree in Environmental Studies and Geographic Information Technology and a graduate degree in Geography. Her focus was remote sensing and coral reef health assessment. She spontaneously moved across the world and spent 8 years living and working eclectic jobs in Asia to then be brought full circle back into the environmental field through fundraising and philanthropic work. In her free time, Jenna reads books, wanders the outdoors, and would talk anybody’s ear off about cats. Cardinal is the dream job Jenna has been waiting for and she is thrilled to be a part of such an incredible team!
Mark Besserman
Stewardship
Mark has always had an interest in nature and conservation, starting with many outdoor adventures and camping trips growing up in Northern Illinois. In 2019, Mark retired after a 32-year career at Proctor and Gamble. He now enjoys a lot of time outdoors volunteering for Great Parks of Hamilton County and Mill Creek Alliance leading hikes and conducting stream sampling. He joined the Cardinal staff in 2019 to oversee easement monitoring and stewardship of Cardinal’s nature preserves.
Greta Koszarek
Land Steward
Greta grew up playing in the woods in Dearborn County, Indiana before moving to Northern Kentucky. She has always been passionate about caring for environment and people. Greta is proud to be a product of Groundwork ORV, local non-profit organization where she was involved with Green Team as a student and a youth leader. After interning with Cardinal in 2024, she is excited to be joining the staff full-time. Greta loves improving the land that Cardinal preserves and talking to landowners about their property.
Emani Aikens
Land Steward
Emani Aikens is a Florida native with a deep-rooted passion for environmental sustainability. A graduate of Florida International University with a Bachelor's in Sustainability and the Environment, Emani is committed to creating a healthier planet for future generations. She is also dedicated to making outdoor spaces more accessible for marginalized communities, combining her love for nature with a passion for equity and impact. Her work is also driven by the belief that caring for the land today shapes a better tomorrow for her children.
Madeline Banks
Land Steward
Madeline is a Cincy native and outdoors enthusiast with experience in natural resources management, horticulture, animal husbandry, and environmental education. She holds a B.A. in Botany and Environmental Science from Miami University, and is a Certified Interpretive Guide. She applied her education through her work at world-renowned cultural institutions in the Greater Philadelphia area for the past several years, and is happy to be home again. Madeline is passionate about plants, critters of all kinds, restoring natural ecosystems, and telling the stories of our shared landscape.
Brian Wintz
Land Steward
Although originally from Cincinnati, Brian got his foundations in the environmental field while working at San Diego Canyonlands, a non-profit focused on protecting and restoring canyons and creeks throughout Southern California. There, he gained a deep appreciation for nature, leading a crew to rehabilitate coastal sage scrub and chaparral ecosystems. Additionally, Brian loves seeing the intersection of community and the outdoors, and is excited to continue restoring habitats and improving public access to open spaces in his role as a land steward.
Alicia Stanula
Office Manager
Alicia, originally from Illinois, has been a Milford resident for the past 32 years. Before joining Cardinal, she spent 20 plus years working as a preschool administrator also teaching "Discovery Friday", a science enrichment class for two and three year-olds, along the way. A lifelong nature enthusiast and birdwatcher (particularly bluebirds!), she is dedicated to preserving our greenspaces and protecting flora and fauna for future generations.
Alison Barjaktarovich
Administrative Assistant
