Kurt joined the Land Trust in November 2022 to serve as the Conservation Director. In this position Kurt manages the organization’s land protection program. This work includes acquiring priority lands and waters, securing grants and other funding for land protection, and leading a gifted team of professionals.
Kurt has over 20 years’ experience in the conservation field. Most recently Kurt worked for The Nature Conservancy in Wisconsin where he protected important natural areas to benefit biodiversity, natural communities, and climate resiliency. As part of his work, Kurt also led a team tasked with developing strategies that would help increase the pace and scale of TNC’s land conservation work within Wisconsin. Kurt earned a B.S. in Environmental Policy from the University of Michigan and a Master’s in Ecosystem Management from Duke University. His master’s work involved leading a study on the effectiveness of sheep grazing as a restoration tool within the native coastal sandplain grasslands of Nantucket.
Kurt and his wife Megan met in Seattle back in 2014 and after a return to their Midwest roots in 2016, decided that the Pacific Northwest was home. They look forward to reacquainting themselves with this area that they love so much and sharing that life with their daughter Hazel and dog Ebey.