Ryan Owens: Executive Director/Conservation Project Manager
Ryan Owens first discovered the woods at age 11, attending summer wilderness camp in the northern Adirondack Mountains. Since then, his travels through the conservation landscape have followed a sinuous path, ranging across three continents (Zimbabwe, Costa Rica, and New Hampshire) and multiple disciplines - including policy, fundraising, and ecological research.
(Photo courtesy Keene Sentinel/Steve Hooper)
Ryan comes to the Monadnock Conservancy with a Master's Degree from the Field Naturalist Program at UVM, where he studied natural resource inventory and interpretation with an eye to applying science to land conservation challenges. Prior to that, he worked in non-profit development with The Wilderness Society in Boston. He holds an undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College, where he studied ecology and environmental studies.
When not working, Ryan can be found identifying plants, pondering overgrown cellar holes, and baking sourdough bread. Ryan and his wife Amy live in Stoddard.
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Dee Robbins: Conservation Associate
Donna “Dee” Robbins joins the Conservancy staff as Conservation Associate; in this new position, she will work on a wide range of land protection and stewardship projects. Dee comes to the Conservancy with a Bachelors degree in Human Biology from Stanford University, graduate studies in ecology and in dispute resolution, and a Masters degree in Resource Management and Administration from Antioch New England University. Dee brings to the Conservancy several years experience studying primate behavior and ecology, and subsequently working as a Program Director for Earthwatch Institute, Maynard, Massachusetts
In the s ummer of 2006, Dee interviewed conservation leaders from all 35 towns served by the Conservancy, assessing the land protection status and needs of local governments in the Monadnock Region. This research helped shape early thinking for an exciting new local conservation initiative.
Hearing New Hampshire’s call to protect the rural character of its towns, Dee is looking forward to a new career “supporting the conservation objectives of landowners and communities in the Monadnock Region.” Dee currently lives in Gilsum
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Emily Hague: Stewardship Manager
Emily Hague came to love the natural world exploring Moose Brook and the Lake Horace Marsh near her family’s home in Weare, New Hampshire. Emily spent summers in college working for the USGS assessing water quality all over New England and developed a strong interest in environmental issues. After living briefly in Ireland, Australia, and Ohio, she has returned to her native state and hopes to make the Monadnock Region home.
At both Oberlin College in Ohio and subsequently Antioch New England Graduate School in Keene, New Hampshire, Emily pursued her interests in the natural sciences and environmental studies, supplementing school with work in the fields of recycling, organic agriculture, water resource management, and land preservation. Off the clock, Emily can be found hiking, wading, taking photographs, or playing music.
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Pete Throop: Project Director, Community Conservation Partnership
Pete’s connection to the land formed at an early age, exploring the woods in a nature preserve abutting his childhood home in Connecticut and spending summers on his grandparent’s sheep farm in North Hebron, New York.
Most recently working as a City Planner in Keene, New Hampshire, Pete gained extensive experience supporting the efforts s of community groups: facilitating planning efforts, critically analyzing proposed development projects, and drafting a variety of natural resource protection ordinances. Pete also served as an Associate Core Faculty member in the Resource Management and Conservation Program at Antioch New England University Graduate School, where he taught course work in land use planning, land protection and stewardship, and community and organizational sustainability.
Prior to his planning and teaching work, Pete spent 18 years in the business world as a management consultant, specializing in strategic planning and organizational development. He has an MBA from New York University and a Masters in Environmental Conservation from Antioch.
When not pursuing his passion for protecting the integrity of the landscape, Pete can be found puttering around the family’s farm, working in his garden at his home in Keene, or exploring the region's natural areas with his wife Michele and daughter Emily.
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Roberta Bell: Communications and Development Manager
Having grown up in Montana, Roberta Bell learned early on to love wide open spaces. She has brought that concern for the disappearance of special places to New Hampshire, where she has lived for the past 24 years.
Roberta received undergraduate degrees in mathematics (Montana Tech) and engineering (Purdue at Indianapolis) and began a career in technical publishing. After completing a Master’s program in Technical Communication from Montana Tech, she joined the Conservancy to support its mission to protect significant resources in the Monadnock Region.
