District Manager
Ken has been with the Latah SWCD since 1999. He was originally hired to manage the Latah SWCD’s first water quality grant from the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality. He became the District Manager in 2000 when the Board reorganized in an effort to build more diverse programs. Ken is a forester by training with degrees from the University of Idaho. He worked as the Natural Resources Director for the Suquamish Indian Tribe in Washington State for eight years and was with the Peace Corps in the Dominican Republic. He has truly enjoyed assisting the Board of Supervisors over the last two decades as they focused their energy towards building strong and diverse programs around great staff assisting landowners and managers (private and public) throughout Latah County and the region. When not at his little desk working in the background, he is probably wandering the backroads of the Northwest … trying not to get stuck or lost.
Resource Conservation Planner
Brenda joined the Latah SWCD staff in 2011 and works on Palouse Prairie, riparian, and meadow restoration as well as vegetation monitoring and outreach. Her projects include Spalding’s catchfly recovery efforts, pollinator and Monarch butterfly habitat restoration, and steelhead habitat work. In her spare time, Brenda enjoys skiing, being outside with her family, and walking slowly to look at native plants.
Jen Elliott
Resource Conservation Planner
Jen joined the Latah SWCD in the spring of 2022 after running her own grass-fed beef operation in Troy, Idaho for 16 years. Jen ran the day-to-day operations on the farm including handling livestock, crop management, bookkeeping, marketing, processing and direct sales to local consumers. Jen served on the District Board for two years prior to being hired. She has a background in Environmental Education as well as specializes in native plant restoration and land use planning as a Landscape Architect. She is looking forward to working with landowners and regional partners to further the conservation work of the District. Her interests are in bridging the gap between research and practical application to build soil health on farms in our community, native plant restoration and to address natural resource concerns at the watershed and regional scale. When not engaged in conservation work, Jen enjoys creating art, digging in the garden and spending time outdoors on rivers and trails in the wilderness with family and friends.
Resource Conservation Planner
Andy joined the District staff in 2022. He appreciates working with a passionate group of Supervisors and staff toward a common goal of conservation on the Palouse.
Field Operations Manager
George joined the District in 2013 and currently wears many hats, managing the seasonal field crew, IT infrastructure, and running the Drone program. He enjoys working outside, the flexibility of adaptively managing implementation to develop new methods and techniques, and contributing to the improvement of the watershed’s health. In his free time, he enjoys hunting, fishing, and backpacking North Idaho and the surrounding area.
Assistant Resource Conservation Planner
Holly joined the Latah SWCD crew in 2019 after graduating from the University of Idaho with degrees in sustainable agriculture and nutrition. Now, she currently leads the seasonal field crew who carry out our restoration projects. Holly loves partnering with the community to restore and protect wildlife habitat, plant diversity, and riparian health. In her free time, she enjoys camping with her family, snowshoeing, cooking, and going out to local restaurants.
Assistant Resource Conservation Planner
Leora joined Latah SWCD in the spring of 2018. She was working fulltime with BLM while working on her Master's of Integrated Natural Resources in the University of Idaho's online MNR program. She decided to switch to State level where she could work with and for the community in habitat restoration. She earned her Master's in the fall of 2018. She worked her way up to crew lead in 2020 and was then added to the permanent staff in 2022 as Assistant Resource Conservation Planner. Her current role is to lead the seasonal field crews doing implementation. When not at work she is busy doing a plethora of hobbies such as video games, TikTok voice actress, foraging, fishing, skiing, rock hounding. Her favorite hobbies are the ones that give back to the community such as supplying handmade jewelry at local shops as well as fundraising for Inland Oasis as a drag performer. If her name finally rings a bell, it is because she is the notorious Weretiger that pops up in town every once in a while.
District Staff
