GHF Board Members
Sara Abeita, Lawrence
Helen Alexander, Lawrence
Lisa Ball, Lawrence
Reb Bryant, Lawrence
Mike Campbell, Eudora - President
Steve Case, Overland Park
Lisa Castle, Lawrence
Steve Holcomb, Olathe - Treasurer
Sue Holcomb, Olathe
Laird Ingham, Lawrence - Secretary
Mary Kowalski, Kansas City, MO
Daphne Mayes, Emporia
Roxie McGee, Lawrence - Vice President
Brent Mortensen, Atchison
Andrea Repinsky, Lawrence
Sandy Sanders, Lawrence
Orley "Chip" Taylor, Berryton
Megan Withiam, Lawrence
Past Board Members
Thank you for your service to tallgrass prairie conservation!
Ted Abel
Angie Babbit
Amy Carlson
Glen Fell
Craig Freeman
Brad Guess
Ruth Ann Guess
Tom Hammer
Jeff Hansen
John Leahy
William Jensen
Doug Martin
Courtney Masterson
Frank Norman
Rex Powell
Randy Rasa
Ann Simpson
Gary Tegtmeier
Carol Williamson
GHF Staff
Chris Pool
Preserve Manager
I was born and raised in south-central Nebraska. Grew up on the family farm where I spent most of my childhood in the great outdoors. I love the wide-open feeling of a grassland and being able to see for miles, but enjoy just about any great view in the outdoors. I attended the University of Nebraska where I got my undergraduate degree in wildlife biology/management. I spent the first 25 years of my "professional" career working for the NE Game and Parks Commission in various positions and USDA as a Wildlife Damage Specialist. I enjoy learning, I am always researching and learning about things that make me curious. I love sharing that knowledge with others. For the last 10 years I have been self-employed; my wife and I currently operate a large Christmas tree farm close to Meriden, KS and I also have a fruit tree nursery business which specializes in antique/heirloom varieties of apples. I am blessed with a good-sized family, most of whom live within a few hours of home. Looking forward to beginning to explore the world with my grandkids, most who are just learning to walk at this point! In my free time I enjoy improving the wildlife habitat on my own farm (restoring it back to native prairie and oak/hickory savanna), archery hunting, spending time with my family, and traveling with my wife.
Kathy Denning
Program Director
My fascination for all things prairie-related began as an undergraduate at Creighton University, when I took a trip to the Nebraska Sandhills as part of Dr. Mary Ann Vinton's ecology class. I subsequently worked in the Plant Conservation Laboratory at Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo, and then pursued a M.S. in biology at the University of Nebraska, followed by a Ph.D. in ecology & evolutionary biology at the University of Kansas. I was first introduced to GHF and Snyder Prairie while working on my dissertation research, which focused on the effects of tallgrass prairie reconstruction on insect pollinator communities. I served on the GHF Board of Governors for 4 years prior to taking on the Program Director role. For the record, my favorite prairie wildflower is blue-eyed grass, and my favorite prairie grass is blue grama.