Created in 2014, the Conservation and Policy Council advises on specific steps to implement the Next Century Conservation Plan’s vision of a vibrant, ecologically healthy and welcoming forest preserves system.
On this page:
Plans & Recommendations
The Conservation and Policy Council advises the President, Board of Commissioners and General Superintendent, as well as develops and annually updates a strategic plan to operationalize the Next Century Conservation Plan. Additionally, the Council is responsible for reviewing and making recommendations for the annual budget, conservation policies, practices and long-term strategic issues.
- Conservation & Policy Council 2023-2024 Annual Report & 2025 Budget Recommendation (PDF)
- Conservation & Policy Council 2022 Annual Report & 2023 Budget Recommendation (PDF)
- Five-Year Implementation Strategy for the Next Century Conservation Plan – 2022 Update (PDF)
Position Papers
Each of these position papers outlines a set of principles and recommendations about a key issue that faces the Forest Preserves today and in the foreseeable future. It is our intention that these papers will set clear guidelines for the actions and direction of the Forest Preserves staff, its Board of Commissioners, and its partners and supporters.
- Moving Towards Racial Equity in the Forest Preserves of Cook County (PDF) – July 2020
- Acquisition and Disposition of Land by the Forest Preserves of Cook County (PDF) – October 2020
- Nature-Compatible Recreation in the Forest Preserves of Cook County (PDF) – January 2021
- Scaling Up Volunteers in the Forest Preserves of Cook County (PDF) – February 2021
- Amplifying Diversity and Inclusion in the Forest Preserves of Cook County (PDF) – October 2022
Meetings
Conservation and Policy Council meetings are open to the public.
- Thursday, January 30, 2025, at 9 am (Dan Ryan Woods Pavillion)
- Wednesday, April 16, 2025, at 9 am (Chicago Botanic Garden)
- Friday, June 27, 2025, at 9 am (Little Red Schoolhouse Nature Center)
- Thursday, September 4, 2025, at 9 am (Swallow Cliff Pavillion)
Members
Megan Bang, Ph.D.
- Professor of the Learning Sciences and Director of the Center for Native American and Indigenous Research at Northwestern University
- Expertise: Ecology, Education/Interpretation, REDI, Sustainability
Dr. Megan Bang (Ojibwe and Italian descent) is a Professor of the Learning Sciences and Psychology at Northwestern University and is currently serving as the Senior Vice President at the Spencer Foundation. Dr. Bang studies dynamics of culture, learning, and development broadly with a specific focus on the complexities of navigating multiple-meaning systems in creating and implementing more effective and just learning environments in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics education. She focuses on reasoning and decision-making about complex socio-ecological systems in ways that intersect with culture, power, and historicity. Central to this work are dimensions of identity, equity and community engagement. She conducts research in both schools and informal settings across the life course. She has taught in and conducted research in teacher education as well as leadership preparation programs. Dr. Bang currently serves on the Board of Science Education at the National Academy of Sciences. She also serves as an executive editor of Cognition and Instruction and is on the editorial boards of several other top-tiered journals in the field.
Alan M. Bell
- Partner, Charity & Associates, P.C.
- Expertise: Government, Finance, Nature-oriented Development
Alan M. Bell is a partner at the law firm of Charity & Associates, P.C., focusing on municipal finance and real estate finance. He is also the founder and president of The Elements Group, which focuses on nature-oriented development projects. Alan serves on the boards of Openlands, the Land Trust Alliance, the Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance and the Black Ensemble Theater, and is a member of the National Association of Bond Lawyers. He enjoys bike riding along Chicago’s lakefront and hiking trails throughout the Forest Preserves.
Daisy Feidt (Council Secretary)
- Executive Vice President, Access Living
- Expertise: Management, Business; Policy and Planning; Racial Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
Daisy Feidt is Executive Vice President of Access Living, Chicago’s Center for Independent Living. She has worked at Access Living for 24 years and has held a wide variety of management positions during that time. In her tenure at Access Living, Daisy has led the organization through multiple organizational restructures, and served as interim President and CEO after the passing of Access Living’s founding President and CEO, Marca Bristo. Daisy has extensive management experience in fundraising, evaluation and program implementation.
Daisy is an alumna of Leadership Greater Chicago, a prestigious and competitive program that provides community awareness and networking opportunities for leaders in the Chicago community. Daisy has held a variety of board positions during her career. She is currently on the Executive Committee of Openlands, an organization that protects the natural and open spaces of Northeastern Illinois and the surrounding area. Daisy is also a Director on the Board of the Illinois Network of Centers for Independent Living, the state association of centers for independent living.
Josina Morita (Ex-officio member)
- Commissioner, Cook County Board and Forest Preserves of Cook County Board
Josina Morita is the first Asian American woman to serve on the board of Cook County and the Forest Preserves of Cook County. Josina dedicated her career as an urban planner and non-profit leader to addressing inequities and advancing sustainable solutions. She has been fighting for racial justice for the past 20 years and authored Illinois’ first-ever legislative report card in racial equity. Inspired by pioneering women leaders like Judge Sandra Otaka and Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, Josina has made history herself. Elected to the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District in 2016, Josina is the first Asian American elected to a countywide board in Cook County. As Commissioner of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District since 2016, Josina has protected our homes from flooding, promoted equity, and increased transparency. Josina is the founding chair of the Asian American Caucus and the country’s first Mamas Caucus. She sits on the National Blue Ribbon Commission for On-Site Non-Potable Water Systems and the bi-national Great Lakes Commission.
Ryen Nagle, Ed.D.
- Vice President of Academic Affairs, Moraine Valley Community College
- Expertise: Education/Interpretation
Dr. Ryen Nagle is Vice President of Academic Affairs at Moraine Valley Community College. He has served in a variety of teaching and administrative roles in Illinois community colleges during the past twenty years. His work has been recognized with leadership awards from the Illinois Council of Community College Administrators, the College of Education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and the League for Innovation in the Community College. He has previously served as a member of the Peer Review Corps of the Higher Learning Commission and as a board advisory committee member for Orland School District 135.
Laurel Ross
- Retired Director of Urban Conservation, Field Museum
- Expertise: Conservation, Ecological Restoration, Volunteer Management, Cultural Resources
Laurel Ross has served in numerous leadership positions within the conservation community of Chicago, demonstrating a tremendous commitment to conserving the native environment of Illinois. Laurel was the Director of Urban Conservation for the Field Museum from 2004 to 2014. In this role, she developed and oversaw programs that connected people to nature through environmental education, habitat restoration and collaboration among environmental and cultural organizations. She has also served as Chair of Chicago Wilderness, Director of Conservation Programs for the Illinois Chapter of The Nature Conservancy and Director of the North Park Village Nature Center. Laurel has many years of experience as a committed volunteer and leader in environmental stewardship through the Volunteer Stewardship Network of Illinois.
Kim Ruffin, Ph.D.
- Associate Professor and Program Director of English at Roosevelt University
- Expertise: Education, Health & Wellness, Racial Equity/Diversity & Inclusion
Kim Ruffin is an Associate Professor and Program Director of English at Roosevelt University. Her scholarly monograph, Black on Earth: African-American Ecoliterary Traditions, put African-American writers on the map of U.S. nature writing. She is also a certified nature and forest therapy guide and a creative writer. Her audio-guided forest therapy walks (hosted by Emergence Magazine, the Denver Museum of Art, and the Forest Preserves of Cook County) have been enjoyed by thousands of local, national, and global listeners. Her current book project has been supported by a Kalliopeia Foundation grant, an Aldo and Estella Leopold Writing Program Residency, and a nonfiction workshop at the Bread Loaf Environmental Writers’ Conference. In this forthcoming book, she recovers overlooked environmental testimony of the formerly enslaved from a federal archive. This project will offer a ceremony of environmental homecoming that both returns African-American voices to the American nature story and illuminates a pathway forward in our time of ecological upheaval. Kim Ruffin’s range of work supports her efforts to celebrate the opportunities and tackle the challenges of living on Earth.
Jacqueline Samuel, Ph.D.
- Program Director of the Master of Public Administration at National Louis University
- Expertise: Urban Management, Community Development, Policymaking, Project Management, Community Psychology
Jacqueline Samuel is the Program Director of the Master of Public Administration at National Louis University. Previously, Dr. Samuel served as the Project Manager for the Housing Authority of Cook County, South Suburban Safe and Thriving Communities Program. She also facilitated and developed quality-of-life programs for 10 years in the South Chicago Area. She has served on the Health and Healing Committee/ Mayor’s Commission for a Safer Chicago, the Mayor’s Kitchen Cabinet Commercial Development Advisory, Advocate Trinity Hospital Community Health Council, the Community Advisory Review Council for the Institute for Translational Medicine (CARC) and the Illinois ACE’s Response Collaborative. Her most recent awards include the National Louis University REACH Award, the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital Courage Award and the Chicago Police Department CAPS Award for the 4th District. Jackie was born and raised in Chicago. She has a love for the arts and has performed in numerous plays and films based in Chicago.
Henrietta “Hank” Saunders, CFA (Council Vice Chair)
- U of I Master Naturalist, Openlands TreeKeeper #1787
- Expertise: Ecology, Education/interpretation, Management/business, Finance, Volunteer Management
Henrietta “Hank” Saunders is a long-time volunteer with environmental and other civic organizations. She currently serves on the board of Community Organizing and Family Issues (“COFI”). She previously has served on local, state and national boards of the League of Women Voters as well as the Delta Institute, Faith in Place and Family Promise Chicago North Shore. She worked in commercial banking, in a small family business, at the UFCW Midwest Health and Benefits Fund and in various nonprofits before retiring. Hank has a BA from Brown University, an MBA in Finance from University of Chicago, an MS in Learning Sciences from Northwestern, and is fluent in Spanish. Her honors include:
- Spirit of the River Award, Friends of the Chicago River, 2015
- Peggy Montes Unsung Heroine, Cook County Board of Commissioners, 2016
- Freshwater Hero Award, Freshwater Future, 2017
- 20th Anniversary Transformative Leader Award, Faith in Place, 2019
- Chicago River Blue Award, Friends of the Chicago River, 2024
- Urban Forest Innovator of the Year, CRTI, 2024
Mark N. Templeton (Council Chair)
- Clinical Professor of Law and Director, Abrams Environmental Law Clinic, at the University of Chicago
- Expertise: Conservation, Finance, Management/Business, Policy & Planning; High-Level Government Experience
Mark N. Templeton has an extensive background in government, finance and strategic planning with a demonstrated focus on environmental and energy issues. He currently serves as Clinical Professor of Law and Director of the Abrams Environmental Law Clinic at the University of Chicago. Prior to this role, Templeton was Executive Director of the Office of Independent Trustees for the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Trust, where he helped ensure that the $20 billion pledged by BP was available to address claims of affected individuals. He also served in the cabinet of Missouri Governor Jay Nixon as Director of the Department of Natural Resources, where he managed approximately 1,750 employees, supervised an approximately $300 million annual budget, and oversaw Missouri State Parks. Templeton was Associate Dean and COO at Yale Law School, developed strategies for environmental sustainability at McKinsey & Company and was a senior adviser to the U.S. Delegation to the U.N. Commission on Human Rights. He is also a board member of the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation and the Environmental Law Institute, among other volunteer positions in the community and legal profession.
Alaka Wali
- Curator emerita of North American Anthropology for the Field Museum
- Expertise: Conservation, Cultural Resources, Racial Equity/Diversity & Inclusion, Sustainability
Alaka Wali is curator emerita of North American Anthropology in the Science and Education Division of the Field Museum. Alaka was born in India and came to the United States as a child. Curious about issues of cultural identity, she studied anthropology at Harvard and Columbia, focusing on the challenges facing Indigenous peoples and their efforts to maintain cultural practices and worldviews. As the founding director of the Center for Cultural Understanding and Change at The Field Museum from 1995- 2010, she pioneered the development of participatory social science research and community engagement processes based in museum science. Since 2000, she has worked closely with ecologists and museum educators to develop innovative community engagement strategies for people living in and around biodiverse regions of the Western Amazon and urban Chicago to expand inclusion of their voices in environmental conservation efforts.
Her research focuses on the relationship between art and the capacity for social resilience. She has authored several books and also published monographs and over 50 articles on a wide range of topics, including museum practice, political ecology, racialized health disparities and urban anthropology. She has curated numerous exhibitions, pioneering co-curated exhibitions with Native American contemporary artists. She led the curation of the of the new exhibition—Native Truths: Our Voices, Our Stories which opened in May 2022, which broke new ground for the Field Museum with a deeply collaborative approach that privileges the perspectives of Native American scholars, artists and community members. A companion edited volume will be available in 2024 from BAR Publishing.
From 2016-2024, Alaka served on the Board of the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation which focuses on land conservation and artistic vitality in Chicago and the Low Country of South Carolina. She has also served on other Chicago region Boards including the Chicago Cultural Alliance and the Latin School of Chicago.