Emily Post

Emily grew up camping with her family all over Wisconsin, which sparked a lifelong love of the outdoors. She moved to La Crosse in 2009 to attend UW-La Crosse and earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology and Environmental Studies. After college, Emily did an SCA AmeriCorps Term with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service at the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife & Fish Refuge. Then, Emily spent two summers working as a ranger for the U.S. National Park Service in Yellowstone and Rocky Mountain National Parks before starting working for WisCorps in 2015.

Kristy Brown

Kristy grew up in Southern WI but spent summers at her grandparents dairy farm in the Driftless Area. She developed a passion for the outdoors, land stewardship and conservation. She attended the UW Madison and moved Sparta. She has a farm and raises llamas and has been installing prairie strips along with woodland management for forest production and wildlife habitat. She enjoys hiking, often with her llamas, and has done sections of the Continental Divide Trail in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and Colorado. She also enjoys hunting and foraging for mushrooms.

Mary Freybler

Mary grew up in central Wisconsin and attended UW-La Crosse earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Recreation Management. Her resume includes: Director of Parks & Recreation, Development Director for the Boy Scouts of America, and Major & Planned Giving Specialist for a medical foundation. These incredible professional experiences have shaped her career in philanthropy and enhanced her desire to build stronger communities.

Matthew Brantner

Bio coming soon.

Paige Manges

After ten+ years in the agency world, Paige hung up her Commercial Production hat to find an outdoors-focused organization that would align with her core values, beliefs, and passion for environmental causes. Her goal has always been to use her creativity, connections, and collaborative energy to raise awareness around important causes and initiatives she believes in.

Maddie Kostka

Maddie grew up in southeastern Wisconsin and spent her summers exploring campgrounds across the state—fishing, biking, swimming, and soaking in everything nature has to offer. She’s currently a senior at the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse, majoring in Marketing with a minor in Business Analytics. Working at The Nature Place allows Maddie to blend her love for the outdoors with her passion for marketing. Outside of work, she enjoys playing pickleball, getting lost in a good book, learning new card games, and spending time in the sun.

Natalie Koestler

Natalie grew up driving through La Crosse to visit her extended family in Minnesota. The beautiful scenery from the river to the bluffs quickly became a drawing point to the area for her. So, as she attends UW-La Crosse for Sociology with a Business Administration minor, working to fundraise for conservation in the area was an easy choice.