2006-2007

Mary Jane Slaton, Chair
Director of Stakeholder Relations, City of Fort Wayne Water Utilities

Bill Word, Vice-Chair
Hillsdale County Drain Commissioner

Hillsdale, Michigan

Jerry Hohla, Treasurer
Retired, A & L Great Lakes Laboratory

Fort Wayne, Indiana

Valerie Richardson, Secretary
Community Research Institute, IPFW

Fort Wayne, Indiana

Tom Crowe

Allen County Soil & Water Conservation District

Leo, Indiana

Marvin Dietsch

Williams County Farm Bureau Williams County, Ohio

Joe Draper

The Nature Conservancy

Upper St. Joseph River Project

Angola, Indiana

Martha Ferguson

Master Gardener, Gene Stratton Porter Reserve; Landowner

Fort Wayne, Indiana

Dr. Robert Gillespie

Department of Biological Sciences, IPFW

Fort Wayne, Indiana

Dan Easterday

Dairy Farmer

Camden, Michigan

Bob Koerner
Retired farmer

Williams Co., Ohio

Bryan, Ohio

Rodney Renkenberger

Director, Maumee River Basin Commission

Fort Wayne, Indiana

The St. Joseph River Watershed Initiative is governed by a Partnership Board of Directors, consisting of fifteen to eighteen representatives of firms, organizations, institutions, corporations, agencies, governmental units, plus six at large individuals having committed to the purpose fo the Initaitve and pledged to support it. 

To assure balanced representation of partners as well as geographic areas, the Board of Directors consists of:

 -   3 conservation district representatives, not icluding employees, with one each from Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio

 -  3 local business firms, including farms

 -  3 organizations, with at least one represeting environmental and agriculture

 - 3  institutions (including colleges and undergraduate schools)

 - 3  corporations

 - 3  local governmental units with no more than one like local government unit per state.

  Plus

- 6  at large individuals, two representing each State.

Any private citizen and/or representative of a firm, organiztion,  institution, corporation, agency or until of government may become a non-voting partner in the St. Joseph River Watershed Inititiave by committing to support the Initiaitve. A non-voting partner may attend meetings of the Board and provide input, but cannot vote.

The term for a director is one year, renewable annually at the July annual meeting.

Regular meeting of the Partnership Board of Directors are held the first Monday of February, April, June, October and December.  The Initiative's Annual Meeting is regularly held in late July.