Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation - February 5 - February 9, 2018

Laura is a Certified NRA Shotgun,Rifle, Pistol, Personal protection in the Home, Personal Protection outside the Home, Conceal Carry instructor, and a Certified Volunteer Hunter Safety/Tree stand Instructor for both Illinois DNR and Texas Parks and Wildlife. A Texas Master Naturalist. Besides the shooting sports she enjoys teaching archery, fly fishing, cooking, beekeeping. She is a big and small game hunter, and has traveled extensively to hunt and fish. She is a Certified Master Gardener in Illinois and Florida, a beekeeper and a Nationally Certified Medical Technologist. Was an elected Trustee for the Village of Campton Hills, IL, former instructor at Country Garden Cuisine cooking school. In 2018 She transitioned to Texas. She is a member of Corpus Christi, Texas Pistol and Rifle club, NRA, Mid-Coast Chapter as a Master Naturalist, South Texas Beekeepers,and Sisters on the Fly.

Gordon retired as Chief Wildlife Biologist for the State of New York in 2015 following a 35 year career as a wildlife biologist with New York, and now serves with the Northeast Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies as Executive Secretary. Gordon is also very active on various committees of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. An enthusiastic deer and turkey hunter, Gordon especially enjoys taking novice hunters afield, and teaching about our trapping and hunting heritage during the CLfT workshops.

Kim Bogenschutz is the Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Program Coordinator for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (IDNR). She has developed and directed the IDNR AIS Program since its inception in 2000. Prior to her current position, she worked for the Minnesota DNR, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Iowa Department of Transportation, and IDNR in a variety of capacities including fisheries management, private lands restoration, environmental review and permitting, and nongame wildlife. Kim is vice-chair of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Invasive Species Committee, past chair of the Mississippi River Basin Panel on Aquatic Nuisance Species, and is on the Board of Directors for the Midwest Invasive Plant Network. A native of Minnesota, Kim earned a BA in Biology from Gustavus Adolphus College and an MS in Fisheries Science from South Dakota State University. In addition to CLfT, she shares her love of the outdoors as an instructor for Outdoor Journey for Girls and Becoming an Iowa Outdoors Woman. Kim, her husband, Todd, and their daughter, Veronica Brooke, reside on 50 acres along the bluffs of the Des Moines River in Madrid, Iowa, with their two bird dogs and cat. In addition to fishing, hunting, and boating, she enjoys attending her daughter’s dance events, spending time at the family cabin in Minnesota, and coaching cheer and dance teams.

Scott resides on 12 acres of restored prairie in Oregon, Wisconsin. A native of New Hampshire, he earned an undergraduate degree from the University of New Hampshire and graduate degrees from the University of Wisconsin—Madison. He began hunting by following his father and grandfather around the mountains of northern New England in pursuit of deer and grouse. He has been hunting for more than 40 years for deer, wild turkeys, upland birds and waterfowl. Scott served as state leader of the Wisconsin 4-H Shooting Sports program for 13 years and is a certified instructor for rifle and shotgun. With the help of several colleagues and friends, he launched the Wisconsin Student Hunting Project in 1995, which received national recognition several years later; it is the model on which CLfT was based. Scott has taught many wild game cooking classes and enjoys promoting game utilization. He is very active in The Wildlife Society and belongs to numerous other conservation organizations.

Randy is a Wetland Habitat Biologist within the Wildlife Division of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Randy works with partners to deliver waterbird and wetland conservation in Michigan by securing funding, assisting with research, and co-administering a voluntary wetland restoration program with Michigan's Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy. He is an Indiana native, but considers himself to be a Michigander by default since he spent the majority of his life on the water at his family’s lake cottage in Van Buren County. He was introduced to wildlife conservation by chasing cottontails and whitetails in the fields of the Midwest with his father and uncle. He continues to explore public lands across the United States each year in search of adventure, challenge, and food. Randy received his Bachelor’s degree at Purdue University, completed his Master’s degree at Ohio State University researching northern bobwhite, and obtained his Ph.D. at Michigan State University studying movements and demographics of mute swans. Randy began as an Intern with CLfT in 2009 and has been instructing at workshops since 2010.

Jamie Nack has been a CLfT instructor since 2007. She received a B.S. degree from the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point in Wildlife and Biology and a M.S. degree in Wildlife Ecology from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Jamie considers herself very fortunate to have a father who was always willing to take his daughter hunting. The time spent and lessons learned helped instill a love for the outdoors at an early age, developed a passion for hunting, led to a career in wildlife management and nurtured a conservation mindset. Over the past 25+ years, Jamie has hunted deer, bear, bobcat, turkeys, rabbits, waterfowl, upland birds, fox and coyote. She is a member of numerous conservation organizations, including The Wildlife Society (state, section and national). Jamie resides in Columbus, Wisconsin with her husband, two daughters and three hunting dogs. Family time is often spent outdoors hunting, fishing, training dogs, gardening and exploring.

Keith Norris is the Director of Wildlife Policy & Communications at The Wildlife Society, where he supports policies and advances communication efforts that inspire, empower, and enable wildlife professionals in science-based management and conservation of wildlife and their habitats. He holds a B.S. degree in Wildlife from Purdue University, a M.A. degree in Public Policy & Management from the John Glenn College of Public Affairs, and a M.S. degree in Environment & Natural Resources – Wildlife and Fisheries at The Ohio State University. Keith is certified as an Associate Wildlife Biologist® and is an alumnus of the National Conservation Leadership Institute. His career has included positions in wildlife research, education, policy advocacy, leadership development, and program administration.

I taught at Purdue University in the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources of 35 years, teaching several courses, including Habitat Management and Wildlife Techniques. Research interests were broad, and included white-tailed deer food relationships and avian breeding biology.
I have taught participants at Conservation Leaders for Tomorrow workshops since shortly after its inception, and try to bring my broad background and eclectic interests to the program.

I taught Dendrology, native shrub, and herbaceous I.D. at Purdue University for 30 years in the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources. My classes were taken by sophomores to Graduate students studying Wildlife and Forestry. My goal was always to impress upon students the value of understanding the importance of plant identification in managing habitat.
My role in Conservation Leaders for Tomorrow is to teach and educate our participants to the best of my ability about wildlife conservation in our country. Every single workshop is a treat and I look forward to next season.