Our People

Little Known Facts
AKA Beau and Huck’s mom
Makes a mean chocolate phosphate
Loves puzzles
Played the cymbals in high school marching band

Spirit vegetable
Turnip

Volunteer Involvement
The Evolved Network, Board Member
Grayslake School District 127

About Karen
Karen grew up in South Bend, IN and worked at her first educational farm during two college summers in Cincinnati, OH at Gorman Heritage Farm. It was there, teaching kids to make yarn from sheep’s wool that she discovered the fun and possibilities that hands-on learning provides. That experience set her on a path toward environmental and place-based education that grew at Hidden Villa, an educational farm and wilderness in Los Altos Hills, CA. Over her journey there, spanning nearly two decades, she learned that deep and sustainable impact is founded on relationships and partnerships across the public, private, and nonprofit sector. Karen joined the team at Liberty Prairie in May of 2022, and is excited to help realize the vast potential for community health and resilience that land management and experiential education provides.

Little Known Facts
Early tech adopter (and loves to 3D print Christmas gifts!)
Richard Serra is a favorite sculptor
Only drinks locally brewed beer
Competitive puzzler (favorites: Wordle, Connections and NYT crosswords)

Spirit vegetable
Carrot

Board/Volunteer Involvement
Future Farmers of America
Collaborative Regional Alliance of Farmer Training (CRAFT)
Farmer Masterminds Cohort
Grayslake School District 127

About Jeff
Growing up in St. Charles, Illinois, Jeff was an artist at heart with equal parts engineer, creative thinker, and activist. When an opportunity arose to work on an organic farm while at Beloit College, Jeff tapped into his experiences from golf course greens tending days to bring a sense of passion, accuracy, and curiosity to growing food. After college, Jeff received his masters degree in landscape architecture but wanted to find a more tangible way to make a difference. Always taking the road less traveled, Jeff changed career paths to become an apprentice to early organic pioneer farmers from the Midwest. Over the next 18 years of farming and growing, Jeff and wife Jen evolved their skills from a small market farm into large-scale farm business owners, with hundreds of community members by their side. Jeff and Jen serve as the land managers for the 94-acre Prairie Crossing Conservation Farm. Jeff leads the development of the agricultural education pathway for Grayslake High School District 127 after a 30-year hiatus of teaching local students about agriculture.

Little Known Facts
Drinks mango kombucha as a guilty pleasure
Loves being outside (walker, trail and road runner)
Worked in online marketing for 10+ years
Love sunset campfires and being a boys mom

Spirit vegetable
Kohlrabi

Volunteer Involvement
Grayslake Central High School

About Jen
Jen grew up in Madison, Wisconsin, the daughter of a state government official and small business owner. She spent her young days running, volunteering for environmental organizations and working as a waitress. At Beloit College, she studied politics, economics and international relations and met her to-be husband, Jeff. While Jeff attended graduate school, she traveled with the Wharton School of Business to plan and facilitate educational experiences throughout the world for global business leaders. Once reunited, Jen and Jeff bought a home, had a baby and realized they wanted to work together to make a meaningful contribution to the world on a local level. Together, they changed careers, started their first farm business and most importantly, raised their two kind, intelligent and creative sons. Jen’s life lesson imparted to our boys: think global and act local!

Little Known Facts
Loves the book Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
Prefers standard time over daylight savings
Makes a killer veggie stir fry
Plays double bass in the Peoria Symphony Orchestra

Spirit vegetable
Soybean

Volunteer Involvement
Prairie Crossing Native Ecosystem Management Working Group
Prairie Crossing Environmental Stewardship Committee

About Patrick
Patrick spent years training to be a professional musician before pivoting to focus on conservation and ecology. He nurtures a longstanding affinity for rivers, lakes, wetlands, and woods born of childhood summers spent in northern Minnesota near the Mississippi River headwaters. (You’ll have a hard time convincing him there’s any better playground than a partially submerged wooden sailboat intentionally marooned by your grandfather in the bulrushes.) These days, Patrick is most enthusiastic about the restoration of native prairies, savannas, and forests in the Great Lakes region. He is an avid bird watcher, a middling vegetable gardener, and a reluctant runner.

Little Known Facts
Obsessed with raccoons
Former “techie” in the theatre world
Self-identifies as a mermaid
Favorite wetland ecosystem: bog

Spirit Vegetable
Rhubarb

Volunteer Experience
UIC Students For Animal Liberation
UIC Heritage Garden
McHenry County Conservation District 

About Penny
Penny is a Lake County native with a passion for people, plants, and the planet. She lived in Chicago for four years where she studied Earth and Environmental Sciences & Biology at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). Penny’s time at UIC was defined by the connections made to people–via running a student organization, participating in a community gardening internship, and getting involved in various organizing initiatives. She has worked in several plant conservation/horticulture jobs, including those at Lake County Forest Preserves, McHenry County Conservation District, UIC Plant Research Laboratory, and Red Buffalo Nursery. Penny is enthusiastic about science communication and education, and has held this enthusiasm through formal and informal roles.Through reflection, she came to the realization that the highlight of all of her past roles was the interaction with volunteers. A love for the land, plants, food, and animals has been at the core of her being from an early age, but today, Penny celebrates the perfect symphony of passions she exercises through her role at Liberty Prairie. Born into a matriarchy of gardeners and foodies, she is zealous in her exploration of plant-based cooking and cultural cuisines, and she considers herself an amateur forager and herbalist. She loves spending time outdoors–whether that’s gardening, hiking, botanizing, running, swimming, or whatever the day brings!

Little Known Facts
Grew up in a family of 8 children
Has 5 grandchildren
Has a masters degree in Library Science
Favorite band is the Rolling Stones

Spirit vegetable
Nothing cooked!  Raw veggies only!  Cucumber!

Board/Volunteer Involvement
Docent at the Volo Bog
Prepare reports and take notes for the Liberty Prairie Board

About Nancy
Nancy grew up in Waukegan, Illinois.  She worked for Abbott Laboratories for 22 years in many financial roles.  Also, worked in a library for ten years - first part-time, then full time for a few years.  Nancy and her husband take long motorcycle trips every year - the longest was a 3 week trip out to the California coast and up into Washington.  She is semi-retired and very happy to be a part of Liberty Prairie.

Little Known Facts
Lived on a farm as a child that is now an Audubon Society Wildlife Sanctuary
Has visited Old World Wisconsin dozens of times
Loves live music
Owns a miter saw

Spirit Vegetable
Rhubarb

Board/Volunteer Involvement
Liberty Prairie/Prairie Crossing History Project
Lake County IL Genealogical Society Treasurer and Librarian
Prairie Crossing Environmental Stewardship Committee
Prairie Crossing Native Ecosystems Management Working Group
Bluebird Nesting Box Monitor

About Karen
Karen spent a few glorious weeks every summer as a child at her aunt and uncle’s farm. This and living in small towns with a father who grew up on a dairy farm led to her appreciation for farmers and a love of gardening. She began college with the intent to become a middle school math teacher, but ended up with a degree in mathematics instead. This led to work in the insurance industry and then computer software design. She has spent many hours enjoying home diy and design projects, genealogy research, scrapbooking, and gradually removing all of the turf in her yard. Karen came out of retirement to work at the Liberty Prairie Farm Store because of her belief in the vision for the store. She’s very excited to be a part of the Liberty Prairie team. 

Little Known Facts
Attended culinary school
Has seen live performances of 32 of Shakepeare’s 38 plays
Taps maple trees to make syrup
Loves to read children's books 

Spirit Vegetable
Parsnip

Board/Volunteer Involvement
Docent at Volo Bog
Ice Age Trail construction crew

About Margie
Margie grew up in the middle of what is now the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge in Michigan. After getting a master's in ecology from the University of Minnesota, she worked at jobs ranging from U.S. EPA law enforcement specialist to college science textbook editor to children's library associate. The common threads running through all of these positions were her love of writing and the natural world. She spends as much time as possible hiking the Ice Age Trail in Wisconsin.

Little Known Facts
Youngest of three siblings
Hold the record for the largest pomegranate grown in Mexico, weighing 3.5 lb
Enjoys driving agricultural equipment
A photographer

Spirit Vegetable:
Corn

Board/Volunteer Involvement
Greenbelt Farm, College of Lake County

About
I grew up in a small town in Guanajuato, Mexico. My family owns a farm where we produce pomegranates, limes, pecans, and corn. I hold a Bachelor's degree in Communication Science and a Master's degree in Digital Media. For twelve years, I managed the family farm, focusing on organic production and permaculture. Seeking to expand my knowledge of plants, I attended the College of Lake County, where I pursued an A.A.S. in Horticulture and graduated in 2024 with a certification in Horticulture Production. While attending college, I worked in the Horticulture department and was honored to receive the CLC Values Award of Excellence. After graduating, I volunteered at Greenbelt Farm in Waukegan.

Little Known Facts
Enjoys crafting, embroidery, and baking
Will listen to Christmas music any time of year
Backpacks in a new National Park each summer
Hobbyist collector of rocks and minerals

Spirit vegetable
Sweet Potato

Volunteer Involvement
Girl Scout of 12 years
Served with AmeriCorps

About Ashley
Ashley hails from the East Coast and recently relocated from South Carolina to Illinois. She earned her BS in Geology from the College of Charleston, where she researched soil contamination and had the opportunity to study abroad in India and the Galapagos Islands. Ashley also worked with NASA South Carolina Space Grant and interned with the National Park Service in Atlanta, GA. She later joined the US Geological Survey as a full-time Hydrologic Technician. Most recently, Ashley worked as a field scientist for a Southeast-based non-profit focused on stream and wetland restoration while also managing their digital engagement efforts. She joined the Liberty Prairie team in January 2025 and is excited to support the continued development of community programs, educational initiatives, and the Farm Store.

Occupation
Urban Farm Center Director, College of Lake County

Little Known Facts
Played club women’s ice hockey on a team at Lake Forest College with Ann Maine, Lake County Commissioner
Grew up in Mt. Horeb, Wisconsin…famous for being the former home of the Mustard Museum and forever troll capital of the world!
Speak Spanish but am shy about my skills…so if you speak Spanish I love to practice!
Live with my husband, 2 teenagers and a dog (I am his emotional support animal) in Chicago.

Spirit vegetable
Sweet potato…a bit grubby on the outside and very versatile!

Board/Volunteer Involvement
Recently served on the committee to raise funds to build a new net-zero home for the Montessori school my mom started when I was 1 month old in my hometown. 

Why Liberty Prairie?
I have been a fan of Liberty Prairie since I moved to Lake County as a college student and Prairie Crossing was just getting started.  I get really excited by the idea of plants, animals and people thriving together and Liberty Prairie NFP brings this to life!!  Thinking about Lake County as a place where resilient food systems can promote health, the environment and the economy is also very inspiring to me.

Occupation
President, Center for Humans & Nature

Little Known Facts
Momma of two girls
Lover of gardening
Avid sailor
Owned by our family dog, Ellie

Spirit Vegetable
Lemon Balm

BoardVolunteer Involvement
Liberty Prairie NFP!

Why Liberty Prairie? 
Closed loop systems. Need I say more?

Occupation
Lawyer

Little Known Facts
From the St. Louis area and a die-hard Cardinals fan
An only child but my wife has 5 brothers and 2 sisters
Have an unhealthy addiction to Sour Patch Kids and Mike & Ike’s
First generation college/law school graduate and will soon (hopefully) also have a Master’s in Public Affairs with a Policy concentration from the University of Missouri

Spirit Vegetable
Brussel Sprouts (preferably maple glazed with bacon from Fresh Market)

Board/Volunteer Involvement
Lake County Partners (Board Member)
Japan America Society of Chicago (Executive Vice President, Program Committee Chair, Board Member)
Liberty Prairie

Why Liberty Prairie? 
Targeted preservation of natural and historical landscapes is an important goal across the United States. The United States is a beautiful place and we need to preserve certain areas for current and future generations to enjoy. Liberty Prairie Reserve, along with others across the Chicago area, does just that right here in Lake County. Additionally, the work that Liberty Prairie does with local educational systems cannot be overstated. Whether its farming, the environment, STEM related fields, or sports, kids should be exposed at an early age to gauge interests and set them up for success in the future. Through things like classroom trips, summer camps, after school adventures, and educational partnerships, Liberty Prairie is investing in the future of Lake County on a daily basis.

Occupation
Founder, Drip and Culture Socially Minded Coffee
Founder, Drip and Culture Run Club
Doer of Things at Supermercado Gonzalez 

Little Known Facts
Oldest of 6
Cooking, not coffee, was my first love
Once worked as a living history Civil War Reenactment soldier while in high school
Before we opened Drip and Culture, my wife and I started a bakery and tamale business

Spirit Vegetable
Purslane 

Board/Volunteer Involvement
Board of PADS Lake County
Board Committee Healthcare Foundation of Northern Lake County
Board Mano a Mano Family Resource Center

Why Liberty Prairie?
I'm excited to add a lens to the organization's thinking that expands its vision. Liberty Prairie represents a transformative approach to land stewardship, and the ability to help the organization grow its reach and impact on surrounding communities is one of the main reasons I joined the board.

Occupation
Retired from Medline Industries 

Little Known Facts
Have multiple hydroponic gardens at my house
Love being a father of 2 daughters
Played trumpet in the Michigan State Marching Band
Ran the Chicago Marathon 4 times

Spirit Vegetable
Carrot 

Board/Volunteer Involvement
Make A Wish, College of Lake County
Citizens for Conservation
PADS
District 95 business incubator program

Why Liberty Prairie?
The opportunity to get involved with a new board and refocus on Liberty Prairie’s mission while making the necessary changes to ensure its future is very exciting to me.  I have always been passionate about gardening and the outdoors. Liberty Prairie offers both while providing the opportunity to educate students and the community on sustainability programs and the impact they have on society.

Occupation
President Emeritus, Openlands

Little Known Facts
As a boy, raised bantum chickens and had a pet crow
Worked on conservation and historic preservation projects in Yunnan, China, and Myanmar, as a volunteer since early 1990s
Had a pre-doctoral fellowship at Smithsonian Institution (National Museum Of American Art)
Am a six-generation resident of Lockport on both sides of my family

Spirit Vegetable
Potato

Board/Volunteer Involvement
Liberty Prairie NFP

Why Liberty Prairie?
Liberty Prairie is helping define a sustainable future for agriculture in the 21st century.

Occupation
Founder, Executive Director, and Chef: The Evolved Network, NFP

Little Known Facts
Former amateur MMA fighter
Never had candy
Have Cuban ancestry
Scared of possums

Spirit Vegetable
Scallion

Board/Volunteer Involvement
Liberty Prairie NFP

Why Liberty Prairie?
I'm excited about the opportunity to show how we as beings can live harmoniously with the land in an experiential and meaningfully connected way.

Occupation
Retired from Marketing/Sales

Little Known Facts
Founding Board Member
Grew up in Pittsburgh
Swim 4X a week
Worked on a Dairy Farm 

Spirit Vegetable
Delicata Squash 

Board/Volunteer Involvement
Lake County Audubon Society
Quest Book Club
Lake County Health Department Steering Committee
Waukegan CAG 

Why Liberty Prairie?
I'm excited because the focus is young adults’ education, anchored to the farm's outdoor classrooms. Student learning solving real time problems guided by trained in-the-field teachers.