Conservation Foundation

Lee Amos

Land Steward

Lee Amos is Land Steward and staff biologist at Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast. He specializes in plant propagation and conservation and has worked with the Florida Native Plant Society, Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, Sweetbay Nursery, and Florida Native Plants Nursery to encourage the widespread use and enjoyment of Florida's fabulous flora. At Conservation Foundation, Lee is responsible for parks and preserve stewardship, map making and geographic analysis, and assisting with the acquisition of new preserves. Currently, he is restoring and planning public recreation on 230 acres on Pine Island, as well as monitoring and maintaining eight conservation properties from Manatee County to Lee County. Lee earned his BA in Biology from Tennessee Wesleyan College. An avid outdoorsman, Lee enjoys camping, kayaking, hiking and sharing his knowledge of our extraordinary environment.

Pam Brownell

Director of Operations

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I love the permanence of our work. The land we protect today will have an impact on future generations forever.

Pam joined Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast December 2007. Her current role of Conservation Foundation's Director of Operations encompasses oversight of daily organizational operations, human resources, Board Governance, risk management and all capital projects. Pam's extensive understanding of the Land Trust Alliance's Standards and Practices have helped the Foundation ensure compliance and achieve the status of a nationally accredited land trust. Pam graduated from Concordia University, Wisconsin with a BS in Occupational Therapy. She is the leader of her daughter's Girl Scout troop and enjoys the beach, camping, canoeing and exploring the outdoors with friends and family.

Sabrina Cummings

Environmental Programs Coordinator

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When was the last time you stopped to observe and contemplate the shape and color of a flower? When was the last time you really took in the smells and sounds of a pine stand? We should all be entitled to the opportunity to stop and just experience the lives of forests, forever.

Sabrina Cummings joined Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast in April 2018. As the Environmental Programs Coordinator, her role includes programming development, organization and implementation, community partner building, and inspiring new land stewards through hands-on experiences. A Florida native, Sabrina served for two years in the Florida Conservation Corps after completing her BA in Anthropology with a specialization in Archaeology at the University of West Florida. She enjoys good food, exploring the outdoors, playing video games with friends, and expanding her extensive bandana collection

Kerri Deatherage

Development Officer

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The outdoors is my happy place. My husband and I spent years running, photographing, kayaking and biking in nature. Now that we have young children, we get to appreciate wildlife and this beautiful place all over again through a different lens (literally!). There is nothing more exciting than watching your toddler discover caterpillars in the backyard, or see the look in his eyes as dolphins and manatees swim by for the first time. I want to help preserve these precious resources so that my children and generations after them can experience these same amazing moments.

Kerri Deatherage started as a Development Officer in October 2017. Originally from Southern New Hampshire, Kerri moved to Florida in 2004 after working as a Retirement Brokerage Specialist with Fidelity Investments. She spent 10 years at Argosy University, where she was Director of Student Finance for two campuses and more recently spent two years as an office manager for a high-end painting company. Kerri has her bachelor�s degree in Sociology and her master�s degree in Mental Health Counseling and is also a local photographer who specializes in children & family sessions. Kerri is passionate about her community and spends much of her free time volunteering. She has been an active member of The Junior League of Sarasota since 2015, most recently serving on the board as Community VP, and is a board member of Healthy Start Coalition. When Kerri is not busy saving land at Conservation Foundation, you can find her with her camera, watching sunsets at the beach, tending to her backyard garden, or going on adventures with her family

Suzanne Gregory

Director of Programs & Marketing

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I enjoy working for a mission that has so much ripple effect in the community. Saving land forever supports our economy, enables wildlife, gives us spectacular places to enjoy and nourishes the soul. I feel I have returned to a relationship with nature that was missing in my life.

Suzanne Gregory joined Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast as Director of Programs & Marketing in September 2012, following a 14-year tenure at SCOPE and its predecessor organization. Her work at SCOPE, a community engagement and data-focused nonprofit, included facilitating numerous community engagement initiatives, directing and developing communications strategies and successfully managing a three-year fundraising campaign focused on bringing new donors to SCOPE. Suzanne's responsibilities at Conservation Foundation include all aspects of organizational communications, special event management, community education, and relationship development with the public, donors and volunteers. Suzanne graduated magna cum laude from Wheaton College, Massachusetts with a BA in Psychology. She enjoys cooking, kayaking, reading and spending active time with friends and family.

Christine Johnson

President

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I grew up here and am so lucky to have this fulfilling career. I know that the work we do today - saving the beautiful area of my childhood - will last forever!

Christine P. Johnson is a fifth generation Floridian who shares the Foundation's vision of creating an emerald necklace of pocket parks and protected lands along the Gulf Coast. After earning a BS in Business Administration from the College of Charleston and an MBA from the University of Florida, Christine worked in management and consulted with Fortune 500 companies in fields ranging from manufacturing to media. Her Florida roots run deep though and this Manatee County native couldn't stay away for long. Christine has worked in the nonprofit sector in this region since 2004. She successfully completed the Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida's $7M capital campaign to build a regional headquarters and then served as Director of Development for Ringling College of Art and Design overseeing their largest fundraising campaign, leading a team of five to raise over $100M. In October of 2011, she was named President of Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast where she works to save land and ensure public access to natural places. Nature is where Christine's family spends their time together. Her husband, Bill, and their teen-aged children, Grace and Tom, enjoy hiking, camping, backpacking, and being anywhere there is water to swim, fish, sail, or scuba.

Kevin Kenny

Director of Finance

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As a young boy, I distinctly remember being infatuated with the outdoors, the creatures that inhabited it, and the joy of simply exploring the woods. The mission of this foundation, its passionate staff and the impressive sense and desire of the community to preserve our diminishing natural resources is refreshing! I feel extremely fortunate to have been afforded the opportunity to play a small, contributing part of such a wonderful and meaningful cause�. "to give something back while helping to make a difference."

Kevin joined Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast in January, 2018. As Director of Finance, his role focuses on providing accurate and timely financial reporting and support to the organization�s staff as well as its internal and external stakeholders. Most of Kevin�s career was spent in the automotive manufacturing arena where Kevin served in a variety of executive finance management and operational roles. His exposure to both for-profit and not-for-profit organizations provides a diverse and balanced business and financial management perspective. Since moving to Florida in 2013, Kevin has worked for Church of the Palms in Sarasota as Executive Director of Operations, Finance and Human Resources and the Diocese of Venice as Finance and Human Resource Manager in Port Charlotte. After his active duty service in the U.S. Air Force, Kevin graduated from Husson University in Bangor, Maine with a bachelor�s degree in Finance Management.

Debi Osborne

Director of Land Protection

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I'm fortunate to have made my life's passion for protecting nature my profession. Growing up in the suburbs of Los Angeles, my love for nature and the outdoors was instilled in me from an early age through campouts in the Sierra and Appalachian mountains, family vacations to parks and wildlife refuges, exploring rivers by kayak, and a lifetime of walks along the beach. It is rewarding to work for an organization that ensures that future generations will be able to enjoy similar experiences.

Debi Osborne joined Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast as Director of Land Protection in September 2013 and is leading the initiative to save over 10,000 acres along the Myakka River in the next 10 years, as well as working in other land protection priority areas. Previously, Debi was Director for Real Estate for the National Audubon Society, overseeing acquisition of new property interests and management of Audubon's conservation real estate portfolio, including Audubon Centers, sanctuaries and other properties nationwide totaling more than 150,000 acres in thirty states. Prior to joining Audubon in April 2006, Debi worked for the Trust for Public Land for 17 years. After establishing the new TPL office in 1988, she helped conserve over 60,000 acres throughout the mid-Atlantic region during her tenure as project manager and Field Office Director. Debi has assisted communities and public agencies with land conservation visioning, finance and stewardship issues and conducted conservation training workshops at local, regional and national conferences. She has served on the board of both the Maryland and Virginia association of land trusts. Debi currently serves on the Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program's Citizens Advisory Committee and is a 2016 graduate of Leadership Sarasota. Debi holds a Master's degree in City and Regional Planning from Harvard University and undergraduate degrees in Social Ecology and Urban Geography from the University of California, Irvine.

Andria Piekarz

Director of Philanthropy

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It's such an exciting time to be a part of Conservation Foundation. There is such a growing sense throughout our community that this is the time to protect our special places before they are gone forever. Our work will have a long lasting impact and it's really neat to think that we can make a small difference right now.

Andria Piekarz joined the Conservation Foundation in the new role of Director of Philanthropy in September 2014. Andria serves as the chief team strategist for fund development charged with the planning and implementation of a comprehensive development plan raising significant resources to support the mission of Conservation Foundation. An experienced marketing and development executive with a strong track record of growing revenues for global, entrepreneurial organizations, Andria has worked in the nonprofit sector in the local region for the past five years, most recently as VP of Philanthropy for Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Sun Coast. Her experience includes strategic planning, major gift program development, spearheading the cultivation of sustaining corporate partnerships, leading board engagement in fundraising, broad event management, donor cultivation and public relations. Prior to her work in the region, Andria held a number of executive management roles for rapidly growing businesses which provided her with broad exposure to the world and instilled a deep connection to the environment. Andria notes, "Early in my adventures I was inspired by the motto to 'leave this world a little better than you found it'." She believes there's a vital urgency to the work of Conservation Foundation in order to ensure a sustainable future in the region and to preserve the extraordinary environment on Florida's Gulf Coast. Andria holds a Bachelor's Degree from Barnard College and is an alumna of Riverview High School.

Sam Valentin

Events and Rentals Coordinator

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I�ve always loved exploring the great outdoors and spending time in nature � some of my earliest memories are playing pretend in the neighborhood woods and at the beach. To be able to go to work every day at an organization whose mission is to save these natural lands forever is like a dream come true!

Sam Valentin is a native Floridian, born and raised in sunny Sarasota. She is an enthusiastic marketing and events professional with a history in both non-profit and for-profit industries. In April 2018, Sam joined Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast as Events and Rental Coordinator. In this position, she oversees Conservation Foundation events along with all venue rentals for weddings and other special occasions. Prior to joining the team at Conservation Foundation, Sam was Marketing and Communications Manager for Goodwill Manasota where she was responsible for all Goodwill marketing efforts in Sarasota, Manatee, Hardee, and DeSoto counties. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Marketing from the University of South Florida and is an alumna of Riverview High School. In her spare time, Sam loves camping, spending time with her husband (who also happens to be named Sam!) and dogs, reading, exploring nature with friends, and learning more about our incredible planet.