Hillary is excited to return home to NW Illinois and to join the important work of JDCF. She graduated from Morrison High School before attending the University of Illinois at Chicago to receive her Bachelors in Biology, and going on to receive her Masters in Zoology...

Coming from northern Wisconsin, Shawn moved to the Jo Daviess County area and fell in love with the driftless region. After working as a paraprofessional at Scales Mound school for two years, he was inspired to further his ability to be a mentor for students by going...

Jean Matthiessen joined JDCF in July of 2022 after working for the Galena Historical Society for three and a half-years as an Administrative Assistant to the Executive Director. In her new position as Administrative Assistant for Development, Jean works with Director...

Ben joined the JDCF staff in 2019. With his education in natural resources, love of the outdoors, and extensive property management experience, he was the perfect person to take on the position of Site Steward at JDCF’s Valley of Eden Bird Sanctuary. Since then, Ben...

Austin Wachter joined JDCF as a Reserve Manager for Big Sky Nature Reserve in January of 2023. He graduated from River Ridge High School and later went on to graduate from the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point with a Bachelor’s Degree in Forestry...