Northeastern Minnesotans for Wilderness (NMW)*
P.O. Box 625
Ely, MN 55731
218-365-7808
*NMW is the fiscal sponsor for Campaign to Save the Boundary Waters and Sustainable Ely
General inquiries: info@savetheboundarywaters.org
You can update your contact information or recurring gifts on our supporter portal page.
NORTHEASTERN MINNESOTANS FOR WILDERNESS BOARD
Dodd Cosgrove, Secretary
Matt Entenza
Adam Fetcher
Lawson Gerdes
Hunt Greene
Ellen Hawkins
Diane Hofstede
Bill Hohengarten
Ann McNally
Heather Meier
David Miller, Treasurer
Jon Nelson, Co-chair
Jen Pearson
Steve Piragis
Becky Rom, Vice-chair
Paul Schurke
Stephen Snyder
Jeff Soderstrom, Co-Chair
Kris Wegerson
Jason Zabokrtsky
Read Board Bios
CAMPAIGN STAFF
Tom Landwehr
Executive Director
As a preschooler, Tom spent hours in a wood and canvas canoe as "bow ballast" for his canoe-racing father who trained on the St. Croix River. He became a lifelong user and champion for the Boundary Waters Wilderness after working near the Gunflint Trail in the early 1970s. In his professional conservation career he most recently served as the Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources for 8 years during Governor Mark Dayton's administration. Prior to that, he worked for 30-years conserving wild places for the Nature Conservancy, Ducks Unlimited and DNR. Tom is an adjunct faculty member at the University of Minnesota where he taught wetland ecology and conservation. He served on the Shoreview City Council and numerous civic and watershed boards. He has Bachelor's and Master’s Degrees in Wildlife Management and an MBA from the Carlson School of Business. He spends as much time as possible in the wilderness with his family and friends!
Alex Falconer
Director of Government Relations
A born and raised (and will never leave for any reason) Minnesotan, Alex has been in the outdoors, Northwoods, Northshore, Boundary Waters and beyond since before he could walk. He has the extreme pleasure of now introducing his children to the Boundary Waters and watching them dip their paddles, drink from a lake, and listen to the loons and wolves. Alex has worked on electoral, grassroots and issue advocacy campaigns for the past decade and looks forward to dedicating all his time and attention outside of his family to preserving the Boundary Waters for generations to come. Alex studied biology at St. Olaf College.
Samantha Chadwick
Deputy Campaign Manager
Sam inherited her love of the Boundary Waters from her family -- her grandpa took multiple canoe trips for many summers and passed on that tradition. Prior to joining the Campaign to Save the Boundary Waters in 2014, Sam worked on grassroots efforts to advance environmental conservation and social justice in Minnesota for many years, including leading the nonprofit organization Environment Minnesota. She studied biology and botany at Gustavus Adolphus College. Sam loves spending time outdoors with her young kids!
Matt Norton
Policy Director
Before joining the Campaign, Matt worked as campaign director with Minnesota Environmental Partnership, and as forestry and wildlife advocate and staff attorney for the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy. Matt is an avid wilderness hiker, paddler, hunter and angler, and enjoys few things more than introducing people to the BWCA.
Sydney Jordan
State Director
Sydney is experienced in political campaigns and is excited to do everything possible to save the Boundary Waters. She has worked with campaigns on every level from school board to the president but most recently helped lead the successful Jacob Frey for Mayor campaign. She is a graduate of the University of Minnesota, where she got her start as an organizer for MPIRG. She lives in Northeast Minneapolis and when not trying to save the world she likes to explore from the seat of a bike or in the chapters of a good book.
Lauren Eggert
Marketing Director
Being in love with words and wilderness her whole life, Lauren joined the Campaign to Save the Boundary Waters after a decade-long creative career in advertising. Wanting to match her storytelling professionalism with her passion for wild things, Lauren is excited to pair her creative skill set with political activism to save the most rad place on Earth.
Jeremy Drucker
Senior Advisor
Jeremy is a born and raised Minnesotan, who first experienced the power of the natural world canoeing Canada’s Bloodvein River before falling in love with the Boundary Waters. Jeremy has worked in strategic communications in New York City and Minnesota. Prior to joining the Campaign to Save the Boundary Waters he served in Governor Mark Dayton’s administration in multiple capacities.
Ingrid Lyons
Development Director
Before re-joining the Campaign to lead the expanding fundraising program, Ingrid attended the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota and previously worked for the Campaign to Save the Boundary Waters as the Arrowhead Regional Organizer from 2015 to 2017. The Boundary Waters has played an integral role in fostering her love of wild places. Ingrid is also an enthusiastic hiker, sleeper, and dog mom.
Megan Wind
Communications Specialist
Megan was born and raised in Minnesota and took many trips to the North throughout her life. This fueled her love for the outdoors and passion for paddling, hiking, camping, rock climbing and snowboarding. She graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2016 with a B.A. in Strategic Communications with a minor in Design. Megan is passionate about storytelling, protecting the environment and planning adventures in the Wilderness.
Levi Lexvold
Regional Organizer & Ely Office Manager
Levi was introduced to the Boundary Waters in 2009 when he moved to Ely, Minnesota to study Wilderness Management at Vermilion Community College. While attending Vermilion Levi lived on the shore of Fall Lake -- just a short paddle from the Wilderness boundary -- where he developed his passion for canoeing and the BWCAW. In the summer of 2013 Levi was part of a canoe expedition that began on Birch Lake (just downstream from proposed mining projects) and ended at Churchill, MB on Hudson Bay. The trip took 63 days and covered just over 1000 miles. Levi has also studied Natural Resource Conservation at the University of Idaho and worked as a wilderness ranger and wilderness guide. He runs the Campaign’s national headquarters at Sustainable Ely and outreach efforts in Northern Minnesota.
Courtney Otto
Outreach & Volunteer Specialist
A Minnesota transplant by way of Buffalo, New York, Courtney grew up camping and exploring the beautiful woods, lakes and mountains of the Northeast. Initially wary about moving to the Midwest, all worries disappeared on her honeymoon into the Boundary Waters. Prior to joining the Campaign, Courtney graduated from Harvard with a degree in psychology and a focus on Public Policy. She has since been a research assistant at the Harvard Kennedy School's Criminal Justice Policy & Management program, worked on various campaigns and canvassed for the labor unions. While Courtney has loved social policy advocacy, she couldn't be more excited to expand her horizons and join the realm of environmental advocacy!
Science and Policy Associate
Development Officer
Carter is a Southerner by birth and a Minnesotan at heart. Growing up in Little Rock, Arkansas he heard frequent stories from his grandfather and mom about their outdoor adventures to the Boundary Waters going back to the 1970s. Fate eventually brought Carter to Minnesota in 2011 and he joined the generations before him in his love for the BWCA. For the last decade Carter has worked in faith communities to develop engagement in local and international relief work. He is excited to bring his experience of community engagement and development to preserve a place that has been an important part of his family for three generations.
Digital Organizer
Growing up swimming in the lakes of Minneapolis and Northern MN, Libby fell in love with the natural beauty of our region. Before joining the campaign, she led fundraising and digital strategy at a local food advocacy nonprofit, and ran an organic farming education nonprofit where she focused on community engagement and communications. She studied Art and Sustainability at the University of Minnesota and is currently in a graduate program at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs.
