Staff
Catherine Rawson
Executive Director Catherine Rawson is the executive director of Northwest Connecticut Land Conservancy, board member of the Connecticut Land Conservation Council, commissioner of the Land Trust Accreditation Commission, and a steering committee member for the Working Lands Alliance. A graduate of Bates College and Vermont Law School, where she studied environmental law, Catherine also has a master’s degree in environmental management from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. Prior to joining Northwest Connecticut Land Conservancy, she served as an assistant attorney general for the State of Connecticut. She is also a former member of the Land Trust Alliance Conservation Defense Advisory Council and Housatonic Valley Association Litchfield Hills Greenprint Collaborative Steering Committee. Read More
Amanda Branson
Director of Operations and Finance Amanda Branson is the director of operations and finance at Northwest Connecticut Land Conservancy where she oversees business operations and planning, as well as the partnership program of NCLC. Amanda was formerly the executive director of Naromi Land Trust in Sherman, CT. As Naromi’s first executive director, Amanda led the organization through accreditation in 2018 and 2020 merger with Weantinoge Heritage Land Trust. Amanda also led all of Naromi’s numerous stewardship initiatives and all acquisition projects completed between 2016 and 2019. Amanda is co-chair of Connecticut Land Conservation Council’s Accredited Land Trusts working group and chair of the governance sub-committee; co-chair of SALT (Small Area Land Trusts); and a member of the CLCC Conference planning committee. Read More
Katy Kinsolving
Director of Philanthropy Katy Kinsolving is director of philanthropy for Northwest Connecticut Land Conservancy. Formerly, she was the capital campaign manager at Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, New York. A Vassar College graduate, Katy is a member of the Sharon Energy and Environment Commission and a vice-chair of the Conservation Committee of the Garden Club of America. She has served as a trustee of the Watershed Institute in central New Jersey and has worked for a variety of organizations including the Brooklyn Museum, the Big Apple Circus and the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. Katy is a co-founder of C-Change Conversations, a non-partisan climate change education organization with national reach. Read More
Maria Grace
Director of Stewardship Maria Grace is the director of stewardship. Maria is the former executive director of the Sharon Land Trust, a local land trust partner. Maria has also worked for NCLC partner, Housatonic Valley Association as the New York Watershed Program Manager, building partnerships and running conservation programs within the Ten Mile River watershed. Maria is a member of the Inland Wetlands and Watercourse Commission in the Town of Salisbury and is the chair of the Town of Salisbury Conservation Commission. Read More
Zach Adams
Public Lands Manager Zach is the public lands manager for Northwest Connecticut Land Conservancy. Zach graduated from Juniata College with a BS in environmental science and studied the relationship between birds and invasive berry-producing plants. After Juniata he went on to work for National Audubon Society in Sharon, CT where he was an environmental educator working with live birds and reptiles. Zach most recently worked for Mass Audubon as a teacher naturalist where he brought nature education to the classroom, outdoors, and to thousands of nature students of any age. He also served as president of the Lenox Land Trust, an all-volunteer land trust in Lenox, MA. Zach has spent much of his professional career within the Housatonic River watershed where he is dedicated to connecting people with the rich landscape around them. Read More
Mary Walsh
Stewardship Specialist Mary Walsh is the stewardship specialist for the Northwest Connecticut Land Conservancy. Mary is a graduate of the State University of New York at New Paltz where she received a BS in geology with a concentration in environmental geoscience. After graduating, Mary worked in science education and enrichment, teaching students throughout Fairfield and New Haven Counties. She then worked as the land steward for Westchester Land Trust. There, she managed a portfolio of over 200 conservation easements and assisted in stewardship efforts on the land trust’s preserves. Mary recently relocated to Connecticut from California, where she spent her time raising her two young children while exploring the natural splendors of the west coast. She is excited to be back in the northeast, protecting the land she holds dear. Read More
Jennifer Benner
Communications Manager Jennifer Benner is the communications manager for Northwest Connecticut Land Conservancy. Jennifer has a BS in agriculture with an emphasis in horticulture from The Ohio State University. She has extensive communications experience as an editor for Fine Gardening magazine. Jennifer’s passion for conservation also led her to work for the Connecticut Forest & Park Association on trails promotion and engagement and then as a communications contractor for the state offices of Audubon Connecticut and New York. If Jennifer is not out getting her hands dirty in the garden or pulling an invasive, she is out sharing information to help others become better gardeners and stewards. In her free time, Jennifer enjoys exploring the beauty of nature with her son and black lab, Otis.
Elizabeth Schrang
Membership Engagement Manager Elizabeth Schrang is the membership engagement manager at Northwest Connecticut Land Conservancy. Elizabeth has a BS in environmental science from Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Studying environmental science sparked an interest in the connection between water quality and land use, as well as science writing. After graduating, Elizabeth interned at America Farmland Trust’s Farmland Information Center and then worked as a production editor for Wolters Kluwer Heath, Inc., a publisher of medical journals, in Baltimore, Maryland. Elizabeth has also worked on stream geomorphic surveys in Vermont. Elizabeth returned to school to study the connection between surface water and groundwater and has an MS in hydrogeology from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Read More
Shelley Rose
Agricultural Program Manager Shelley Rose is the agricultural program manager for the Northwest Connecticut Land Conservancy. Shelley graduated from Marist College with a BS in political science, and a focus in environmental studies. While there, she volunteered at a nonprofit farm, helping with a variety of field tasks and preparing harvests for CSA distribution. Shelley also worked as a paralegal for several years. Afterwards, she completed a research and writing internship with Food Tank, in which she published various articles on sustainable farming and agricultural policy. Most recently, Shelley worked with the CT Council on Soil and Water Conservation to coordinate and develop a healthy soils action plan for the state. She will earn her Master of Food and Agriculture Law and Policy degree from Vermont Law and Graduate School in the fall of 2023. Read More
Heather Perrault
Program Administrator Heather Perrault is the program administrator at Northwest Connecticut Land Conservancy. Heather has a BS in business and finance from Charter Oak State College and is a CT DEEP certified master wildlife conservationist. She has a passion for nature and has volunteer at White Memorial Conservation Center in Litchfield for over a decade, including serving on their Education and Activity Committee. Over the years, Heather has also served as a board member and program chairperson with Litchfield Hills Audubon Society and Secretary of the Friends of Sessions Woods Board in Burlington. She is committed to connecting people with nature and protecting our natural environment. Read More
Dawn Burdick
Bookkeeper Dawn Burdick is the bookkeeper at Northwest Connecticut Land Conservancy. Dawn brings a depth of bookkeeping experience for a wide spectrum of corporate, individual, small business, and non-profit entities to our financial stewardship. Dawn’s personal connection to land preservation and protection is evidenced in part by her 14 years of service as director-administrator at the Bridgewater Land Trust, where she assisted in fundraising and events. Dawn lives with her family in Bridgewater. Read More