To celebrate Women’s History Month, TennGreen Land Conservancy is admiring some of our wildest women—those whose fearlessness continues to make an indelible mark on our natural world.
Kathleen Williams
Kathleen Williams served as President and Executive Director of TennGreen Land Conservancy, formerly Tennessee Parks & Greenways Foundation, from its inception in 1998 until her retirement in 2015. Her work through TennGreen conserved several thousand acres that have protected Tennessee’s natural treasures across the state. Some crowing achievements during her tenure have been the establishment of Cummins Falls as Tennessee’s 54th State Park, securing the permanent ownership of Virgin Falls SNA by the State, securing lands along the Cumberland Trail, including the mountains that surround Grassy Cove and sacred Devilstep Hollow, protecting wetlands in west Tennessee, and securing lands along the Mississippi River.
For this work, TennGreen has been recognized by many local, state, and national organizations, including the federal Wings Across the Americas Award. In addition, Kathleen received the 2004 Mack S. Prichard Award from the Tennessee Chapter of the Sierra Club, was named the 1996 Land Conservationist of the Year, and received the 2005 Lifetime Achievement Award from Greenways for Nashville. In 2011 Kathleen was named the Conservationist of the Year by the Tennessee Wildlife Federation.
Prior to her work at the Foundation, Kathleen was the Director of the Tennessee Greenways Program for The Conservation Fund from 1995-1998. In this capacity, she initiated greenway projects across the state and developed the Governor’s Bicentennial Greenways. Kathleen served as the Executive Director of the Tennessee Recreation and Parks Association from 1986-1995. In partnership with the lobbyist for the Environmental Action Fund, Kathleen successfully lobbied the “State and Local Parks and Recreation Partnership Act of 1991,” which resulted in more than $15 million per year, for state parks, forests, city and county parks, wetlands, and cleaner water. Because of this funding bill, over 240,000 acres have been set aside in Tennessee for land conservation. In 1994 she also initiated the resolution calling for the establishment of a statewide greenway system. During her tenure at TRPA, Kathleen received the Resource Management Award of Excellence in 1991 and the TRPA Legislative Award in 1991.
Jaqueline Harp
Meet Jacqueline Harp, TennGreen’s newest Board of Directors member!
As a Human Resources Business Partner at outdoor equipment cooperative REI, Jacqueline supports the retail division in the East on people practices, talent development, and the employee learning journey around REI’s racial equity, diversity and inclusion priorities.
Prior to joining REI, Jacqueline studied History at Queens University of Charlotte and Public History at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, focusing on American memorials and social storytelling. Jacqueline is a nature and outdoor enthusiast with a particular passion for the natural history of Southern Appalachia, and also serves as Vice President of the board for the Chattanooga conservation nonprofit Lookout Mountain Conservancy. Jacqueline currently resides in Chattanooga, TN with her husband and two children.
“In the midst of work, family, social unrest, and tension in the world, it can be hard to find peace. I work to conserve the lands and landscapes of Tennessee because the outdoors brings joy, stillness, and a constant source of learning for me and for my family.”
Liane Russell
August 27, 1923 – July 20, 2019
Dr. Liane (Lee) Russell was a remarkable woman. As a world-renowned scientist, pioneer geneticist, and champion conservationist, her contributions to society are numerous—and her greatest depends solely on who you ask.
Working alongside her late husband, Bill, Lee was a renowned geneticist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Her focus was on radiation-induced mutations, studying the genetic effects of chemicals from drugs, fuel, and waste on mice. Her findings, and their implications for humans, have been the benchmark for the study of mutations in mammals and for genetic risk assessment worldwide. In 1986, Lee was elected to the National Academy of Sciences and, in 1993, she received the Enrico Fermi Award—the U.S. Department of Energy’s highest research honor.
Lee’s passion and talents to better our world were not only limited to the sciences. She was a strong advocate for conservation and a founding member of the Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning (TCWP). Working with TCWP, Lee was instrumental in the establishment of the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area and the designation of the Obed River, one of the last free-flowing river systems in the Eastern United States, as a National Wild and Scenic River.
In 1992, she received the National Park Conservation Association’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas Award, which recognizes outstanding efforts by an individual that resulted in the protection of a unit or proposed unit of the National Park System.
Throughout the years, Lee and Bill protected many acres of wild lands and waters through land donations and conservation easements. In 2003, Lee donated a conservation easement on 155 acres of land to TennGreen Land Conservancy. The land is located at Peter’s Bridge at the junction of Clear Fork and Crooked Creek, adjacent to Big South Fork. In 2008, she donated 69 acres in Morgan County to TennGreen. The property, known as “Potter Farm,” included open fields, wooded areas, and a picturesque hemlock-shaded creek that feeds into the Obed River. Potter Farm was placed under a conservation easement held by TennGreen and later sold to a private landowner.
Christie Henderson
Christie Henderson is the Director of Land Conservation and has been with TennGreen Land Conservancy since May 2012. In her role, she shepherds complicated, urgent, and detailed land transactions, often with national partners and governmental agencies, to acquire, restore, and conserve important lands and landscapes throughout Tennessee and beyond.
Christie developed a love of the outdoors while growing up in West Tennessee. She spent many spring and summer nights identifying frog vocalizations with her family as part of the Tennessee Amphibian Monitoring Program. Christie followed her outdoor passion through college and holds an M.S. in Biology from Tennessee Technological University (TTU), where she focused her research on avian diversity and richness in the presence of timber harvesting at Catoosa Wildlife Management Area.
In 2018, Christie was named Tennessee Wildlife Federation’s Land Conservationist of the Year! In 2019, a major land acquisition project that she spearheaded won the U.S. Forestry Department’s “Wings Across the Americas Habitat Conservation Partnership Award.” Prior to working at TennGreen, Christie worked as a research assistant at TTU and an agricultural research assistant at the West TN Research and Education Center.
She and her husband, Bobby, love to travel, hike, and spend time with their daughter, Harper, and two dogs, Mogley and Murphy.
All our TennGreen Board Members!
Anne Davis
Anne Davis is a prominent Nashville-based attorney. She’s practiced civil and criminal litigation with Bass Berry & Sims and Neal & Harwell and previously served as Managing Attorney in the Southern Environmental Law Center’s Nashville office. A long-time champion of the environment, Anne chaired the Metro Nashville task force on environmental sustainability and served on the Green Ribbon Committee. She’s received degrees from Denison University and Vanderbilt School of Law. Anne and her husband, Karl Dean, live in Nashville.
Laurel Graefe
Laurel Graefe is Vice President and Regional Executive at the Nashville Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. As the senior officer leading the Federal Reserve’s team in Nashville, she manages her Branch’s Board of Directors and economic research activities, oversees its economic and financial education programs, and advises on monetary policy. Laurel earned an MBA with honors from Vanderbilt’s Owen Graduate School of Management, where she was selected as one of the business school’s “World Shapers”—alumni highlighted for their work in business and their communities. Laurel holds a bachelor’s degree in economics, summa cum laude, from Agnes Scott College. She is an avid rock climber and enjoys exploring the wonderful rock formations of Tennessee, particularly along the Cumberland Plateau.
“Conserving land protects resources for wildlife and nature lovers, provides a natural buffer to the impacts of climate change, and brings countless social, economic, and health benefits to everyone in our community. One thing I love about land conservation is that you don’t have to be ‘outdoorsy’ to benefit from the existence of protected natural spaces—though if you haven’t tried it out, I highly recommend considering a swim in one of our beautiful waterfalls or even throwing on a harness and working your way up one of our beautiful rock faces!“
Mary Lynn Dobson
Mary Lynn Dobson has long enjoyed the rich biodiversity that abounds in our beautiful state. She attended the University of the South on the Cumberland Plateau, received a Master’s degree in geology from the University of Tennessee, and worked as a seasonal naturalist at Rock Island State Park. Mary Lynn has previously been a board member of the Harvey Broome Group of Sierra Club and the Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning. She’s been a member of TennGreen’s Board for the last 19 years, helping to conserve large tracts of natural areas and unique geological treasures in our state for all to enjoy. Mary Lynn currently lives on 86 acres of oak hardwood forest that are protected by a TennGreen conservation easement.
“I am grateful to be part of TennGreen‘s village that works to conserve the rich biodiversity of our beautiful Tennessee. The wild land we preserve will be enjoyed by people, plants, and wildlife for generations to come. Even more important, it will give back by filtering our air and water and, and for me, experiencing it brings solace to my soul.”
Winnie Forrester
Winnie Forrester is a retired Certified Financial Planner with over 33 years of experience in the financial services industry, formerly with Wells Fargo Advisors and J.C. Bradford & Co. She has a lifelong commitment to social justice issues and the environment, having been born into a family whose dinner table conversations centered upon the importance of diversity, civic engagement, and community service. She is currently vice-president of the Haynes Heights Neighborhood Association and a founding member of the Haynes-Trinity Neighborhood Coalition. Ms. Forrester serves on the Metro-Nashville Industrial Development Board, Nashville Organized for Action and Hope (NOAH)’s Affordable Housing Taskforce, and is past Treasurer and Board member of the League of Women Voters Nashville. She has also served on TennGreen’s Finance & Investment Committee since 2017 and JEDI Committee since 2020.
“I’m passionate about protecting our trees and green spaces especially in under-served communities in urban and rural areas. Every child deserves a relationship with nature growing up with easy access to our parks, forests, and waterways to nurture that foundation.“
Marcya A Carter-Sheats
Marcya A Carter-Sheats is the Market and Customer Development Director for Cummins Inc, a global manufacturing leader. She has lived and worked overseas, has 2 MBAs, and has worked in a variety of roles within Cummins. Marcya has enjoyed her experience at Cummins because of the opportunity to experience a range of positions from Finance, Quality, New Plant start-up, Risk Management to Customer Service and Sales. She has held leadership positions as a certified six sigma black belt or line leader for the last 10 of her almost 19 years with the company. She’s also had the privilege of serving the communities that she’s lived and worked in as a volunteer or board member for various nonprofits that primarily serve children, women, and the arts. She’s a nature enthusiast and is excited to contribute to keeping Tennessee beautiful by partnering with and continuing the strategy execution of TennGreen. Marcya says that the most important and most fulfilling job that she has is being a wife to Jamaal and a mother to their 5-year-old daughter, Juliana (aka. GiGi).
Melinda Welton
Melinda Welton graduated from the University of Connecticut in zoology as an ornithologist. She is a well-known bird biologist whose work provided the science for the preservation of 70,000 acres of biodiverse lands in the Cumberland Mountains. Her work with the Cerulean Warbler, a species of high conservation concern, has taken her across Tennessee and to many remote areas in Central America. Her passion is to enhance our understanding of birds and their biology and to inspire new birdwatchers to appreciate birds and actively conserve their habitats. Melinda serves on TennGreen’s Executive Committee and Chairs the Conservation Committee.
“Birds are my passion and by protecting their habitats we’re protecting all the other components of the environment. I feel a responsibility to help conserve as much land as we can not only for wildlife but for our own spiritual health as well.”