IWC Staff

 Marlene Ehresman, Executive Director

Over the past three decades, Marlene has served many volunteer organizations, supervised a teen center, co-founded two nonprofits, raised a family, finished her undergraduate degree, worked for a leading prairie restorationist and worked for a leading conservation organization.

Most recently, from 1997 until August 2009 she was on staff of the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation where she coordinated special projects that demanded working with vendors, managed a land project database, wrote some magazine articles and authored a publication (see http://www.inhf.org/neotropbook.html), supervised interns, developed landowner relations, and represented INHF on state and regional committees. Marlene completed the Grantsmanship Center's grant-writing training and provided grant-writing assistance to staff. As part of the INHF prescribed fire crew, she acquired her S-130/S-190 certification from the National Wildfire Coordinating Group.

Never quite content to rest on her past accomplishments, Marlene completed the institute for Conservation Leadership's Individual Leadership Program in 1989 to improve her leadership skills and to improve her knowledge of her home community she graduated from Leadership Ames 1999. She has taken nonprofit courses in volunteer management, board development and results-based administration. Marlene is currently enrolled in the Institute for Conservation Leadership's intensive 9-month Executive Director Leadership Program. 
 
Marlene has dual degrees in Fisheries and Wildlife Biology and Environmental Studies from Iowa State. (For more information, see Founders) Photo above: © Bruce Ehresman; Photo right: © Don Poggensee, Wind Rider Images/permission by INHF

Nan Bonfils, Administrative & Program Assistant

Just when IWC needed someone that could help boost the new organization upward and onward quickly, along comes Nan. With solid nonprofit experience at Iowa Arboretum and Practical Farmers of Iowa, Nan brings a passion for the environment, healing, animals and nonprofits to the Iowa Wildlife Center. She brings great skills to the office where she'll be coordinating events, keeping our database current, helping with fundraising and a multitude of other tasks. If you call our office, she'll likely be the voice at the other end of the phone.