MaryKay grew up camping all over the U.S. in a pop-up trailer with her parents and six siblings and, when not camping, she spent time exploring the sand dunes of Lake Michigan with her grandmother. This instilled in her a love of nature and a passion for the outdoors.

Today she helps land trusts grow stronger through organizational development, training, mentoring, peer learning, and professional development for leaders at all levels. After 18 years working in land conservation, she joined the Alliance in 2007 and recently co-authored Open to All: A Disability Inclusion Guide for Land Trusts. Her other passions include baking, tandem bike riding, reading happy books, visiting major league baseball parks and enjoying all northern Michigan has to offer with her husband and sons.