Board of Trustees
Who We Are
First and foremost, we’re all Cincinnatians, and most of us are West Side residents. We’re focused on our home turf, working to improve our own favorite neck of the woods along the Ohio River between Cincinnati and the Indiana border. The leadership team at Western Wildlife Corridor is a diverse, dedicated, and talented group, and because of that we’re able to do the vast majority of our administrative work, and a good deal of our restoration work with our own internal resources and volunteers. And, that means that we’re able to dedicate more of your generous donations directly to protecting, preserving and restoring natural habitat.
Our Board
Jeffrey Ginter, President
Jeff has been an employee of one of the largest software companies in the world for more than 25 years. He is a people manager and has managed teams and projects of many sizes. Jeff developed an appreciation of nature as a kid when playing in the woods of Price Hill, and as an adult he has been a supporter of environmental groups for more than 30 years.
He first learned of WWC during a 2008 hike at Bender Mountain Nature Preserve with his daughter’s Girl Scout troop, and has been a WWC member ever since. Jeff joined the Board of Trustees in 2017. Among his current contributions to WWC, he oversees HR and payroll topics and is a member of the Executive, Nominating and Land Stewardship committees. Jeff also spends a great deal of time off hours hiking and working at Bender Mountain, and enjoys talking with other hikers about the Bender Preserve and the work of WWC. Jeff previously chaired the Events
Committee and was the WWC Secretary for about four years, and served as Vice President before becoming President in 2021.
Jessee J. Smith, Vice President
Jessee J. Smith grew up in Colerain and graduated from Mount St. Joseph University, where she majored in natural science with a concentration in entomology and fine art with a focus on sculpture. She began a professional career in metalsmithing and jewelry design in 2003 and is the sole proprietor of Silverspot Studio & Metalworks, an Etsy-based business. She has also served as the copyeditor of American Entomologist magazine for nearly 17 years, and as an editor and layout designer for the Ohio Biological Survey (OBS). Jessee recently completed the layout and design of the OBS field guide A Naturalist’s Guide to the Fishes of Ohio and is currently working on field guides for Ohio’s crayfish and Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies). An avid naturalist, hiker, reader, and traveler, Jessee has worked with the WWC for over eight years and particularly enjoys honeysuckle removal and habitat restoration.
Mary Jo Bazeley, Secretary
Price Hill resident for the past 35 years.
I joke that I’m a professional volunteer.
Many of my activities are on an as-needed basis, but the long-term favorites are:
- Cincinnati Zoo (retired after 40 years),
- Cincinnati Parks (35+years),
- West Price Hill Community Council (since I moved here),
- Carson School
- Price Hill Garden Club
- the Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Joe Von Allmen, Treasurer
Joe Von Allmen is a Volunteer Engagement Specialist for Great Parks of Hamilton County, primarily coordinating volunteer projects for community and corporate groups. Joe is a graduate of Northern Kentucky University with a degree in Organizational Leadership. He has worked with various environmental nonprofits in the past, including Cincinnati Parks and Cincinnati Nature Center. Joe is an alumnus of the AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps. His time working with various environmental nonprofits on the West Coast inspired him to pursue a career in the public sector, specifically working with volunteers. Throughout this pursuit, Joe has worked in many different fields and has gained an eclectic collection of experiences before returning to the organization he interned with many years ago. Joe is very excited to be part of the CAVA board and make more connections within the nonprofit network of the Cincinnati area.
Lessa Miller
I am a life-long learner and graphic designer based out of Cincinnati Ohio. I often volunteer for organizations that improve the lives of others or help preserve our natural resources. Some of my favorite volunteer time is spent camping and doing trail work with The Colorado Trail Crew and Red River Gorge Trail Crew, as well as land stewardship activities closer to home with Great Parks of Hamilton County.
The projects I find most rewarding involve team collaboration plus individual creativity. I enjoy the process of research, brainstorming and developing a direction. Especially important to me are projects that have a positive social effect or benefit the natural environment. In my personal time, I am likely to be found photographing wildflowers and creating images with unique perspectives in nature. I prefer being outdoors as much as possible and hiking is my number one favorite thing to do. Other personal pursuits are bike riding, personal fitness, kayaking, live music and learning to play banjo.
Roger Auer
For many years, the Western Wildlife Corridor has inspired my admiration. Only recently have I had the time to dedicate my energy to its continued success. I am proud to be the newest member of the board of The Western Wildlife Corridor. I retired from Elder High School after a delightful 37-year career. Being in charge of Community Service at Elder, I have had a long relationship with WWC over the years and have watched numerous students increase their respect for nature because of their involvement with the organization. I know something about board membership after having been board chairman of Over-the-Rhine Community Housing for almost 40 years. It still breaks my heart to see a homeless man or woman on the side of the road, knowing they need far more than a few dollars for their next meal. OTRCH addresses the multiple reasons for why a person becomes homeless. For the same reason, I became a member of WWC. By myself, I could pick up some litter and kill a few honeysuckle bushes. Being a member of WWC enables me to be part of a team that confronts wildlife degradation on numerous levels. I am thankful to be part of both organizations.
I am lucky to have Mary, my wife for 37 years, 3 lovely daughters, and 5 grandchildren who all live out of town, except of course for Mary. I love to do all sorts of outdoor stuff and play my guitar when it’s bad out.
Bob Bergstein
Bob grew up in the Cincinnati suburb Wyoming. He attended Lake Forest College, later received a Master’s degree in Mathematics at the University of Cincinnati, and then worked in his family business. He has long been interested in all natural history (plants, birds, fossils) and outdoor activities. He has been involved in the Cincinnati Wild Flower Preservation Society (founded 1917) for almost 30 years, serving 6 years as President. This group provides public lectures and hikes, as well as doing invasive plant removals. Other groups he is currently involved in are as a board member of the Dry Dredgers (our local Paleontology Society), the Burnet Woods Advisory Council, and the Avon Woods Advisory Council.
Sarah Kent
Sarah Kent is the current outreach manager for Great Parks Nature Center at The Summit, located in Roselawn. She has worked as a nature interpreter since 2008 in the form of the nature center director in Colorado for the Boy Scouts, a high ropes course facilitator and garden manager on Orcas Island, Washington, and leader of insect tours at a butterfly garden in Costa Rica. She is the recipient of Cincinnati’s 30 Under 30 award, the National Recreation and Park Association’s 30 Under 30 award, National Association of Interpretation Outstanding New Interpreter Award (both national and regional), and has won awards for the creation of various programs in the city. She was officially published in 2022 for her cicada research. Sarah is also an artist (@keepitwildcreations), avid gardener, and forager, and enjoys Cincinnati’s music and food scene
John Klein
John is a west-side native of Cincinnati, spending most of his life in Sayler Park and now residing in North Bend. He attributes his early love of nature to the many fishing trips with his father and brother. He met his wife Paige while working together at LaBoiteaux Woods in College Hill as Naturalists where “one nature hike led to another”. They have two adventurous daughters: Brooke, a Friesian horse trainer in Oregon and Brittany, a local aerialist and medical massage therapist. John’s education includes a certificate in Resource Conservation from Great Oaks Vocational School and a Natural Sciences Degree from U.C. He retired as Land Manager of the Hamilton County Park District in 2010 and is proud of the many restoration projects that he helped create there. He currently provides nature programs and hikes to local groups and as a sub-contractor at the Fernald Nature Preserve. He loves sharing his knowledge of nature with others and enjoys working with the many dedicated volunteers at WWC. John is also involved as the former president of the Ohio Chapter of The Society of Ecological Restoration, is a board member and Land Manager at Oxbow, Inc, and is a member of the Fernbank Garden Club in Sayler Park with his wife Paige.
Debbie Lutkenhoff
Debbie is from Louisville originally and has lived here for 40 years. She is now retired, but did social work for 18 years and worked in Cincinnati public schools doing various things but mainly counseling at risk students. Her interests include recycling, worm composting, native gardening and being a grandmother to her granddaughter. She is a master gardener, a member of the Wild Ones and have co-chaired the native plant booth at the Civic Garden Center’s annual plant sale for the past decade. She enjoys devoting her time volunteering with Western Wildlife Corridor.
Mary Perkins
A native Cincinnatian, I grew up camping, hiking, gardening, and having many outdoor adventures. After graduating from the University of Cincinnati, I was a research scientist and then a communication expert for the Chief Technology officer at P&G. After retiring, I became very interested in preserving and protecting woodlands and joined WWC and served on the board. I started a project with WWC to create a Nature Playscape where children can play, learn, and appreciate nature. I am so happy to be asked to be back on the board.
Joyce Richter SC
Joyce is a member of the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati and is a native Cincinnatian. Her career has primarily been in education—teaching mathematics to grade and high school students, serving in High School administration and teaching computer application classes at the Mount. She received an undergraduate degree from Mount St. Joseph University and a masters from the University of Detroit. S. Joyce has always loved being outdoors, walking in the woods, and exploring nature. She has participated in eight Flying Pig half-marathons. Her memberships include the Sierra Club, the Mount’s Sustainability Committee and the Sisters of Charity Grounds and Environment Committee. She has participated in almost all of Western Wildlife Corridor’s flower-a-thons. She sincerely believes in the mission of WWC and is impressed with their unyielding efforts in land restoration in the western part of Cincinnati.
Tim Sisson
Tim grew up in the Western Wildlife Corridor, living in Addyston where the forested slopes of the Ohio River valley were his playground. He took an early interest in nature and still has the loose leaf binder where he collected leaves from trees for a merit badge on the way to becoming an Eagle Scout. His first choice for a career was as a forest ranger. But, his career took a different path. He attended the University of Cincinnati where he earned Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Mechanical Engineering. Tim had a forty year career as an engineer, mostly working as a consultant. Throughout that time, he never lost his love for the outdoors, and regularly hiked and went on camping and backpacking trips. Once he got acquainted with Western Wildlife Corridor, Tim started going to their activities and eventually joined the Board. It was a perfect fit, since he had grown up in the corridor. As he learned more about WWC’s properties, he could see that they suffered from the same difficulty he had noticed long ago at his home – the aliens were moving in! He put the knowledge he had acquired about removing invasive alien plants to good use organizing WWC volunteers (and working himself) to clear Amur honeysuckle, garlic mustard and other invasive alien plants from the Delshire and Turkey Haven Preserves and eventually all the large properties Western Wildlife Corridor protects. The results have been remarkable. The Delshire, Turkey Haven and Bender Mountain Preserves are mostly free of invasive alien plants and the native plants have rebounded spectacularly. Bender Mountain Preserve is now the best place in Hamilton County to see native wild flowers.
Molly Hunter
Molly grew up in a rural area outside of Pennsylvania spending lots of time hiking and outdoors, generally. She went to college in PA before living in Puerto Rico for four years and Northern New Jersey for 30 years. Outdoor activities, including removal of invasive plants and trail maintenance, were always part of her life. When she moved here to be near family, the hills and great rivers warmed her heart, reminding Molly of her original home. Fortunately, she quickly learned about the Western Wildlife Corridor land trust, and it felt like a great fit with given her interests. It is. Professionally, she was an accountant and, later, an attorney specializing in education law.
She retired late into 2018.
Matt Taylor
Matt is originally from the Washington DC area. Lots of rock hounding, archeology, sports, science fairs, and exploring the woods and mountains in that area in his youth. Matt missed the first moon landing because he was camped on Old Rag Mountain in Shenandoah National Park! He went to several schools, accumulating various animal mascots along the way: Virginia Tech (turkeys), Wisconsin (badgers), and Oregon State (beavers). Matt moved to Cincinnati almost 40 years ago to join P&G where he worked as a food scientist, and an environmental toxicologist. Now retired, living in a kid-free household. Matt absolutely loves being active outside, and now gets plenty of that. Frequently too much, followed by napping. He fell in love with the Kirby Preserve, and has worked many hours removing honeysuckle from Kirby. He expanded his contributions to the WWC, met many nice people, and was put on the board. Matt prefers his self-appointed title, Chief Honeysuckle Killer.
Caity Valley
Caity works for Hamilton County as a Senior Program Manager of Community Development. She is dedicated to fostering collaboration between government, non-profits, and residents to create a more equitable and sustainable future. She is driven toward public service – currently enrolled in Eastern Kentucky University’s Master of Public Administration program with graduation expected in summer 2025.
Get In Touch!
The easiest way to reach our leadership team is to drop us a line through the contact page here. Or, catch us at an event or work session. We hope to hear from you!