Who We Are

Jessica Renley

Executive Director

Jessica became the Executive Director of Riverland Conservancy in 2017.  Before joining Riverland, she worked for Wisconsin DNR, where she spent 7 years leading a crew engaged in restoration activities on State Natural Areas in southern Wisconsin.  Prior to that, Jessica worked for Wisconsin DNR out of Menomonie, WI and the Conservation Corps of Minnesota and Iowa out of Rochester, MN and Ames, IA.  Jessica has a strong background in land management and ecological restoration and a passion for land protection.  She grew up along the Mississippi River in Lansing, IA and received a degree in Environmental Science from the University of Iowa.  She has truly enjoyed getting to know and take care of Riverland Conservancy’s beautiful preserves.  Jessica lives in Madison, WI with her husband Nate and son Forest.  In her free time, she enjoys spending time outdoors hiking, canoeing, and camping, spending time with family and friends, live music, good food, and travel.

Rob Fisk

Land Management Technician

Rob joined Riverland Conservancy as the Land Management Technician in 2025.  Growing up in Wisconsin, Rob’s love for the outdoors was sparked at a young age through hunting, fishing, and camping with his family. He developed his interest in land restoration through his time volunteering with the Ice Age Trail Alliance.  As a volunteer with the Alliance, Rob has worked as a crew leader on large scale projects to expand and maintain the Ice Age Trail and currently serves as the Trail Maintenance Coordinator for the Baraboo Hills/Heritage Chapter. In his free time, he enjoys listening to Brewers games, hiking, hunting, and relaxing at his family cabin with his wife Kelsey and dog Banjo.

Cody Bunch

Prairie Partners Intern

Cody graduated from the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater with a degree in Environmental Sciences. While pursuing his college degree, he was a team member on an undergraduate research project involving water quality at Cravath Lake in Whitewater. While working on the research, he was inspired to pursue a career in habitat restoration. In his free time, Cody enjoys hunting, fishing, hiking, and spending time outdoors.

Taryn Endres

Prairie Partners Intern

Taryn is a recent graduate from the University of Wisconsin – Oshkosh with a degree in Environmental Science and an Indigenous Studies certificate. She worked last summer with Glacierland RC&D and Stantec doing invasive treatments on phragmites, so being able to continue this type of work while learning about more of the species here is something she is looking forward to doing. She has lived in Windsor, WI, just north of Madison, all her life, and is excited to be able to work on sites close to home.

Breyden Noble

Prairie Partners Intern

Breyden is an upcoming junior at University of Wisconsin – Madison, where he plans to get his bachelor’s degree in Conservation Biology. He worked with the Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance last summer, which was his introduction to ecological restoration practices at Faville Grove Sanctuary. The efforts to conserve and maintain the biodiversity of our southern Wisconsin landscapes instilled a passion now turned vocation. Outside of this work, Breyden enjoys rigorous hikes full of birding and botanizing, wrestling and playing fetch with his two dogs (Ferdie & Atticus), and investing his time in local community events.

Emily Udomtanapon

Prairie Partners Intern

Emily is a recent graduate from University of Wisconsin – Madison receiving a degree in Conservation Biology. During her time in undergrad, she spent summers in prairies and oak savannas as a field technician for labs in landscape ecology and plant ecology, which ultimately shaped her love of Wisconsin grasslands.  Moving forward, she wishes to continue her education and practice of land stewardship and is excited to experience the work that this internship provides. In her free time, she enjoys slowly meandering trails to take in the plants and insects, reading, and songwriting.

Eliza Volz

Prairie Partners Intern

Eliza recently completed her sophomore year at University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, where she is studying Freshwater Science with a focus on Wetland Restoration. During the academic year, Eliza studies phytoplankton at the Milwaukee School of Freshwater Sciences and conducts field research out on Lake Michigan. Her passion for the environment began at a young age as her family went on annual backpacking and hiking adventures across Wisconsin’s parks. In her free time, Eliza enjoys running, reading, scuba diving, and visiting local coffee shops.

Brad Crary joined the Riverland Conservancy Board in 2019 bringing with him a passion for the outdoors. As a long time Ice Age Trail volunteer and employee with the Ice Age Trail Alliance, Brad brings a wide range of experiences in outdoor conservation and building relationships with volunteers and conservation groups in Wisconsin. Currently, Brad is employed as a Project Manager with Whole Trees Structures in Madison sourcing trees for a wide array of projects across the country. He has served as Secretary and Treasurer for the board and is currently the President, serving in his third term.

Nic Jelinski is an Associate Professor of soil science in the Department of Soil, Water and Climate at the University of Minnesota. His teaching responsibilities include Basic Soil Science, Field Study of Soils and Soil Judging. He has worked in soils and land management for state (Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources) and federal agencies (Department of Defense, National Park Service) as well as the private sector (Alliant Energy). Nic is an Iraq veteran and the former commander of a medical detachment in the U.S. Army Reserves. He received his B.S. and M.S. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota.  Nic worked at the Merrimac Preserve as an intern which strongly influenced his professional and personal passion for conservation.

Toby Grabs is an avid outdoors person and feels more at home outside than in. Some of his passions are backpacking, paddling, and hiking. He has degrees in biology and environmental education and currently works as the director of operations for Holy Wisdom Monastery, a spiritual center in Middleton with a dedication to caring for the earth. He loves living in Sauk County because of amazing outdoor recreation opportunities, like paddling the Wisconsin River and hiking at Riverland Conservancy.

Jen Stewart joined the Riverland Conservancy board in 2018. She has served as Treasurer and Vice President and is the current President.  She holds undergraduate degrees in Mathematics and Biology and a Master’s degree in Conservation Planning.  After two decades in the natural resource management field including several years for Alliant Energy managing the properties that are now Riverland Conservancy preserves, Jen is now a fundraising professional.  She worked for many years at a nonprofit conservation organization and now serves at a small private college.

Attorney Johanna J. Allex is a partner in the Madison office of Stafford Rosenbaum LLP where she helps families and individuals to plan for and manage life’s expected and unexpected transitions. Johanna’s law practice covers all aspects of estate planning and estate administration, marital property law, business succession planning, and tax-exempt organization planning and operations. Johanna is a Certified Public Accountant and serves on the firm’s board of directors. When she is not working or volunteering, Johanna enjoys bicycling, hiking Wisconsin’s beautiful parks and other natural resource areas, knitting and quilting.

Brad Hutnik is a forest ecologist / silviculturist with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Since 2012, Brad has served as a member of the WDNR Silviculture​​ Team. As such, Brad currently works statewide on forest ecology and silviculture issues and has been involved with prescribed fire as a management tool throughout his career. Brad previously served as the Lower Wisconsin State Riverway forester (2002-2012) and worked as a staff forester at Clark Forestry, Inc. (1997-2002). Brad received a bachelor’s degree in forest management at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point in 1997. He is a Certified Silviculturist (USDA-FS) and co-host of UWSP’s SilviCast podcast.​​