MEET THE TEAM

We have eleven staff members in our Madison office. Still, the entire organization includes the Executive Committee, Board of Directors, eight committees & area associations, advisors, and many volunteers who all collaborate together to progress toward our mission.

Matt Krueger, Executive Director

Matt Krueger has led WI Land+Water since 2018, and considers it a privilege to do so. He lives in Madison with his wife, daughter, and dog. He spends as much time as possible fishing, hunting, paddling, birding, and hiking in the woods and waters of the great state of Wisconsin. He is a proud Badger twice over, holding a B.S. in Communications and a M.S. in Water Resources Management, both from UW-Madison.

matt [at] wisconsinlandwater [dot] org, ext 401

Christina Anderson, Associate Director

Christina Anderson helps navigate emerging conservation challenges, assists staff with training and events, and advocates for county needs in various stakeholder working groups. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from UW – Eau Claire in Geology and a Master’s degree from UW – Madison in Water Resources Management. In her free time, Christina enjoys traveling, camping, paddling, and hiking with her husband, two kids, and dog.

christina [at] wisconsinlandwater [dot] org, ext 402

Michael Hook, Statewide Training Coordinator

Michael coordinates and supports the delivery of high-quality training for conservation professionals in Wisconsin via the State Interagency Training Committee (SITCOM). Before joining the team at WI Land+Water, Michael was a public school teacher in Wisconsin for 10 years. He has coached youth soccer for almost as long and was a Grassroots Coaching Instructor with the Wisconsin Youth Soccer Association. He recently completed his Master’s degree in Education Instruction from UW-Superior, with a focus on adult learning and brain-based instructional design. In his free time, Michael enjoys playing board games with friends, crafting hobbies, and movie nights with his wife, cat, and dog.

michael [at] wisconsinlandwater [dot] org, ext 408

Kelli Myers, Conservation Training and Membership Services Manager

Kelli manages our membership services, collaborates with state area associations, maintains a statewide directory of county staff and land conservation committees, and coordinates training for conservation staff and officials. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Biology and Environmental Studies from Ripon College. Born and raised in eastern Iowa, she fell in love with the landscape of Wisconsin while in college and has made the state her home in the years since. In her free time, Kelli enjoys traveling, backpacking, hiking, kayaking, scuba diving, and cheering on the Buffalo Bills. She lives in Ripon with her husband and 4 cats.

kelli [at] wisconsinlandwater [dot] org, ext 409

Peyton Mueller, Outreach Assistant

Peyton first joined the team in fall 2021 as an intern. After completing her BS in Life Sciences Communication and Community/Environmental Sociology, she was accepted into the Master of Public Health Program at UW-Madison. She enjoys connecting with the outdoors through hiking, especially when visiting her sister in Colorado. Peyton is also a huge animal lover, and takes any chance to play with either her dog or friends' pets.

peyton [at] wisconsinlandwater [dot] org

Jenny Pethan, Climate Program Manager

Jenny has a B.S. in Nutritional Sciences from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and completed her M.S. in Agriculture, Food, and Environment from Tufts University. She has a strong passion for the impact our food systems have on human and planetary health and concentrated her graduate work on climate-resilient agriculture and public health. Prior to joining WI Land+Water, her most recent experiences were in beginner farmer resource development with New Entry Sustainable Farming Project and climate-smart agriculture research with Zero Foodprint. She’s excited to apply her experience to advance climate efforts in her home state of Wisconsin! When she’s not reading one of the many books she owns on food and farming, she enjoys spending time outdoors with her husband and dog, visiting farmers markets, cooking, yoga, and knitting.

jenny [at] wisconsinlandwater [dot] org, ext 406

Chris Schlutt, Training & Events Manager

Chris has been with the association since 2000 and assists in the development and implementation of its training program, which includes planning and executing the annual conference and working with the Statewide Interagency Training Committee. She holds a Bachelor's degree from Western Michigan University and a Master's of Arts degree in Environmental Planning from the University of Toledo. Chris enjoys spending her time reading, biking, home food preserving, volunteering at Heartland Farm Sanctuary, and spending time outdoors with her husband and dog.

chris [at] wisconsinlandwater [dot] org, ext 405

Jonathan Taylor, Accountant/Office Manager

Jonathan has a BBA and MBA from UW-Whitewater. He has worked for the last 7 years in various non-profit accounting roles from payroll to receivables and everything in between. He comes to us from the Diocese of Madison where he was working with their centralized accounting team for Madison-area parishes. He has a genuine passion for excel and would be delighted to discuss spreadsheets at length, though he won't be upset if you justifiably don't find the topic interesting. When Jonathan isn't buried in accounting he likes jogging, playing hide-and-go-seek with his four year-old daughter, and babbling nonsensically back and forth with his one year-old daughter. He's very excited to bring his passion and non-profit accounting experience to the team.

jonathan [at] wisconsinlandwater [dot] org

Kristin Teston, Communications Director

Kristin leads our communications and outreach efforts. She completed doctoral work at the University of Mississippi, where she studied how local storytelling influences our response to natural disasters and extreme weather events. Her expertise lies in bridging the gap between complex environmental issues and effective communication strategies, ensuring that our organization's message resonates with our audiences. Hailing from rural Mississippi, she enjoys exploring the Wisconsin's natural areas to hike and kayak with her husband and dog. She also has three cats who prefer to take in the outdoors from the comfort of a windowsill.

kristin [at] wisconsinlandwater [dot] org, ext 407

Kim Warkentin, Youth Education Director

Kim directs the Youth & Education Committee focusing on programs geared toward educating youth on conservation through the Wisconsin Envirothon, Conservation Poster & Speaking contest, and Youth Conservation Camps. Kim has a diverse background in managing issue advocacy campaigns working on issues such as parks, schools, and the Tillamook Rainforest to name a few and has managed numerous non-profit organizations, grassroots coalitions, and campaigns. She has a degree in Journalism from the University of Iowa. Kim has served on the Fitchburg Resource Conservation Commission since 2015 where she focuses on conservation, sustainably and recycling issues for the City of Fitchburg. Outside of the office, Kim enjoys organic gardening, canning, and making organic skin care products. She enjoys spending time attending her son's many sporting events, exploring parks, hiking and canoeing with her husband, son, and dog.

kim [at] wisconsinlandwater [dot] org, ext 403

Carl Wepking, Standards Oversight Council Program Manager

Prior taking on this role, Carl spent a handful of years as the Program Manager for the Grassland 2.0 and Grassland 2.0 Academy projects based out of UW-Madison, and a term as the Executive Director of the Global Soil Biodiversity Initiative based out of Colorado State University. Carl received his Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from Virginia Tech University, his M.S. and B.S. degrees in Environmental Sciences from Washington State University and St. Norbert College respectively. In his free time, Carl loves spending time with his family and enjoying the outdoors

carl [at] wisconsinlandwater [dot] org, ext 404