Board of Directors

Seventy-five of Pennsylvania’s most active conservation organizations count themselves as dues-paying members of WeConservePA. These organizations elect the individuals who serve on WeConservePA’s board of directors.

For 2026-2027, Renee’ Carey chairs the board, Gail Farmer serves as vice chair, and Tom Saunders as secretary. (Non-board officers include treasurer John Conner and chief executive officer Andy Loza.)

Reneé Carey, Executive Director, Northcentral Pennsylvania Conservancy | Board Chair

Reneé has been with the Northcentral Pennsylvania Conservancy since 1994, becoming Executive Director in 1998. She has served on numerous WeConservePA committees and held many roles in her time with the organization over the years. Additionally, Reneé sits on the Pennsylvania Forestry Association Board and serves on the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Forest Stewardship Committee.

Gail Farmer, Executive Director, Wissahickon Trails | Vice Chair

Gail brings 20 years of experience in the environmental nonprofit sector. When asked to summarize her role in a single word, she said “relationships.” She spends her time in partnership with staff, board, donors, and other community leaders to ensure that Wissahickon Trails is able to effectively fulfill its mission today, tomorrow, and for many years to come. Gail currently serves on the Montgomery County Planning Commission’s Open Space Board, Philadelphia Water’s Green City, Clean Waters Steering Committee, the Water Quality Advisory Committee of the Delaware River Basin Commission, and is an advisor to the Wissahickon Clean Water Partnership.  She is a Senior Fellow of the Environmental Leadership Program and a Community Scholars Fellow of the University of Pennsylvania. In 2018, she received PennFuture’s Woman of Community Engagement and Environmental Education Leadership Award. Gail earned her M.Sc. in Ecology from S.U.N.Y ESF in Syracuse.

Thomas D. Saunders, President & CEO, Western Pennsylvania Conservancy | Secretary

Tom Saunders came to the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy from Florida where he was community development director for the City of Gainesville. In that role, Tom directed planning, growth management, redevelopment, housing, historic preservation, and neighborhood planning. Prior to that, Tom was director of the Maryland Environmental Trust, a statewide land trust that protects open space and supports the conservation work and capacity growth of 40 local land trusts across the state. As one of the largest conservation and voluntary preservation easement-holding organizations in the country, the Maryland Environmental Trust works with property owners across the state on permanent land protection. Tom was also a land use, historic preservation, and redevelopment attorney with Arent/Fox and Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue. Tom holds an undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University, a masters in public affairs and urban and regional planning from Princeton, and a J.D. from Stanford.

Grant DeCosta, Director, Brandywine Conservancy

Grant has over 16 years’ experience in conservation and environmental policy work in the non-profit, private, and public sectors. Mr. DeCosta specializes in land use planning, conservation, and implementation of land restoration projects for water quality improvement. In his role at the Conservancy, Grant works with landowners, municipalities, regulators and policy makers to provide a holistic approach to natural resource conservation and protection. He holds a B.S. in Forestry and Wildlife Science from Virginia Tech.

Carrie Gilbert, President & CEO, Allegheny Land Trust

Carrie began serving as Allegheny Land Trust’s President and CEO in 2025. She is a recognized conservation leader with over two decades of experience delivering meaningful outcomes in collaboration with local communities, governments, tribes, partners, and staff.

Prior to starting with ALT, Carrie served with the U.S. Forest Service. As Forest Supervisor, she directed the conservation and protection of resources on the Wayne National Forest and emphasized community engagement and shared leadership to enhance public land benefits in Appalachian Ohio. She also served as the first Director of the Eastern Planning Service Group where she built a team from the ground up to create forest plans for the National Forests and Grasslands in the eastern U.S. Earlier in her career, Carrie also worked as a Forest Resource Planning Chief at DCNR in Harrisburg and was the Deputy Forest Supervisor at Allegheny National Forest in northwest Pennsylvania.

Local land leadership is where Carrie’s heart sings, and she’s honored to be a part of the community’s endeavors to conserve and care for land in the Pittsburgh region. She grew up in central Pennsylvania and holds a bachelor’s and master’s in forest science from Penn State University. In her free time, Carrie enjoys exploring local trails with her dog Otis, supporting local arts and culture, and creating pottery as a hobby ceramicist.

Bill Gladden, Executive Director, French & Pickering Creeks Conservation Trust

Bill has over 30 years of public and private sector experience in land use and preservation. He was born and raised in western Pennsylvania and holds a master’s degree in urban and environmental planning from the University of Virginia. Bill began the Chester County chapter of his career in 1994 and was asked to establish the county’s department of open space preservation in 2004. The department is responsible for monitoring land preserved through County programs as well as the administration of grant programs that represent an investment of over $200 million and have helped finance the preservation of over 55,000 acres of farms, forests, parks and preserves. In 2018, Bill was named executive director of French & Pickering Creeks Conservation Trust.

Sean P. Kenny, Executive Director, Farm and Natural Lands Trust of York County

Sean has been with Farm & Natural Lands Trust of York County since 2008. FNLT has more than 10,000 acres under conservation easements on over 130 properties property of agricultural and environmental importance. Prior to joining FNLT, Sean was employed with the York County Chamber of Commerce following graduation from York College of Pennsylvania. Sean lives on a FNLT preserved farm, which is bisected by the Heritage Rail Trail, with his wife and two young children. Sean has or had leadership positions with local arts, young professional and culture organizations, as well as sitting on the York County Planning Commission.

Christopher M. Kocher, President, Wildlands Conservancy

No stranger to the Lehigh Valley or Wildlands, president Christopher Kocher’s more than 15-year tenure began when he joined the organization as an environmental scientist in 1995. Throughout his career, he’s raised community awareness about the region’s specific conservation needs, and has notably developed several key, broad-based partnerships that continue to be vital to fulfilling our land protection, environmental stewardship and education mission.

His conservation work has been recognized statewide by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, the Pennsylvania Environmental Council, and other like-minded organizations.

Fritz Schroeder, President & CEO, Lancaster Conservancy

Fritz joined the Lancaster Conservancy in 2012 as the Director of Urban Greening and was responsible for developing residential and institutional greening programs.  He has an extensive background in landscaping and tree management, and has overseen the design and installation of various stormwater capture and infiltration techniques from rain gardens to green roofs.  In 2017 with the help of many community partners Fritz helped launch Lancaster Water Week an effort to connect more people with the amazing natural resources, streams and rivers of Lancaster County.  In 2018 he accepted a new role at the Conservancy as Senior Vice President of Community Impact leading the marketing, development and engagement efforts as the Conservancy expanded rapidly.  In 2023 Fritz was promoted to President & CEO.

Tami J. Shimp, President, Berks Nature

Tami joined the Berks Nature staff in February 1997 as Environmental Project Manager. Since that time, she has held the positions of Land Protection Specialist, Director of Land & Cultural Resources, Senior Conservation Specialist and Director of Development.  She holds a degree in Environmental Resource Management from Pennsylvania State University.

Born and raised in Berks County, Tami’s passion has always been focused on protecting the natural resources that make our community so special. She enjoys sharing her experience in both conservation efforts and fundraising with others in our community.

Jeff Swinehart, President & CEO, Lancaster Farmland Trust

Jeff Swinehart is the President and CEO of Lancaster Farmland Trust beginning in 2022. Prior to this role, he served as the organization’s Chief Operating Officer for 3 years and Deputy Director for 13 years. With 24 years of land trust experience, Jeff is responsible for carrying out the strategic plans and policies of the Board of Trustees. He provides direction and leadership toward the achievement of the organization’s vision, mission, and values as established by the Board of Trustees.

During his tenure, Jeff and his team have built Lancaster Farmland Trust’s easement portfolio to more than 619 easements and 38,319 acres – the largest easement portfolio in Pennsylvania. In addition to being a member of the WeConservePA Board and Policy Committee, Jeff serves as Chairman of the Manheim Township Planning Commission and is the Chair of the Lancaster Clean Water Partners.

Jeff graduated with a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Pennsylvania State University and has a Bachelor of Science degree in Geography, plus minors in Geology and Regional Planning from Mansfield University. As a lifelong resident of Lancaster County, Jeff spent his childhood in the southern end of the county enjoying the rural way of life and working on a family-owned dairy farm.

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