Board of Directors

Board President

Steve Adair

Steve is a retired Vice President of Nestle Purina Pet Care. He and his family have been co-owners of Romance Diamond Company in Fayetteville since 2003. He was raised in NWA and has witnessed much of the growth our region has experienced.  Raised in NWA, Steve deeply values the area's natural beauty and is committed to fostering prosperity while preserving its unique character.   In his free time, he enjoys an active lifestyle, including tennis, cycling through the scenic backroads of NWA and beyond, and embracing all that the outdoors offers.

Board Vice President

Regina Buono

Regina is a Senior Attorney at the Environmental Law Institute, a non-partisan research and education center working to strengthen environmental protection by improving law and governance worldwide.  Regina's work is focused on water governance, community resilience, and climate change adaptation. She organizes and hosts the Fayetteville chapter of CreativeMornings, which is dedicated to building community and inclusivity around creativity in the NWA region. Regina grew up in Fayetteville and is delighted to have returned after many years in Austin.

Jenny Burbidge

Jenny Burbidge is a talented landscape architect and the Vice President of Prism Design Studio. Originally from Fort Smith, she moved to Northwest Arkansas to attend the University of Arkansas, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design. With over 14 years of experience in landscape architecture and project management, Jenny has worked on a variety of projects including multi-family housing, commercial developments, urban design, park design, and master planning. She is passionate about designing community and urban spaces that enhance the quality of life for residents.  Jenny is also actively involved in her community, serving as the past president of the Board of Directors for the Northwest Arkansas Land Trust (NWALT), and is also a member of the Illinois River Watershed Partnership (IRWP) Recreation Advisory and Stormwater subcommittees. She has previously served as the President of the Arkansas Chapter of Landscape Architects (ASLA) and is a licensed landscape architect in Arkansas, Missouri, Mississippi, and Louisiana. Outside of work, Jenny enjoys spending time outdoors with her family, attending soccer games, and exploring new adventures. She and her husband own Ozark Adventure and Recreation (OAR), which offers kayak rentals and a campground on War Eagle Creek.

Board Secretary/Treasurer

Eileen Jennings

Eileen Jennings is a prominent figure at Arvest Bank, currently serving as the Senior Vice President and Area Loan Manager in Fayetteville, Arkansas. She has been with Arvest Bank for over 19 years, starting her career as a credit analyst in Bentonville in 2004. Jennings holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a focus on International Economics and Finance from the University of Arkansas. She also spent time studying in Quebec and France, enhancing her international business acumen. Throughout her career, Jennings has been deeply involved in commercial lending and has a strong passion for supporting small businesses. She has been recognized for her contributions, including being named the 2016 Commercial Banker of the Year by the Central Arkansas Chapter of the Risk Management Association. In addition to her professional achievements, Jennings is actively involved in the community, serving on the board of the Northwest Arkansas Land Trust and being a former president of the Junior League of Northwest Arkansas.

Director

Alison Jumper

Alison Jumper is the Director of Parks, Natural Resources, and Cultural Affairs for the City of Fayetteville, Arkansas. She is a licensed landscape architect with a bachelor's degree in landscape architecture from the University of Arkansas Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design. Before her current role, Jumper worked at the City of Fayetteville as a park planner and later as a park planning superintendent. She also led the completion of Osage Park and Coler Mountain Bike Preserve in Bentonville, Arkansas, during her time with Runway Group. In her current position, Jumper oversees parks planning, recreational services, natural resource and open space stewardship, cultural arts planning and implementation, special events, and attractions within Fayetteville's parks system. She is passionate about expanding programs that celebrate and promote Fayetteville's culture and natural resources.

Hobbs State Park

Mark Clippinger

Mark is currently serving as Park Superintendent for Hobbs State Park – Conservation Area with Arkansas State Parks. 

Director of ESG Strategy and Engagement

Bernie Baskin

Bernie brings over 15 years of expertise in partnership development, sustainability, international business, and marketing. He pursued his legal studies at Washington University in St. Louis, specializing in international development and corporate law. In 2009, Bernie was recruited to Singapore, where he practiced with Kelvin Chia Partnership in both Singapore and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, advising international companies on their inward investments to Southeast Asia. He later founded Gatehouse Publishing, a boutique strategic marketing and publishing firm based between Singapore and London. After relocating to Washington, DC in 2017, Bernie served as a Senior Director with the US-ASEAN Business Council, advising nearly 200 multinationals on sustainability initiatives across Southeast Asia. In 2022 he joined Walmart, where he currently serves as Director of ESG Strategy and Engagement, leading initiatives to advance environmental strategy across the company.

University of Arkansas

Katy Nelson-Ginder

Katy is a Fayetteville native and has a B.A. and M.A. in Communications from the University of Arkansas. Katy joined the University of Arkansas in 2007. She serves as the National Director of Philanthropy assigned to the Western Region of the U.S. She is responsible for collaborating with university leadership, deans, faculty, and campus development teams to develop fundraising and donor cultivation strategies to secure private gift support for university priorities. Prior to joining the university, Katy worked at The University of Texas at Austin for 14 years. As director of corporate relations at the McCombs School of Business, she managed corporate strategies that contributed to the success of a $1.6B capital campaign.  While at UT, Katy received the College of Natural Sciences Advising Excellence Award, the McCombs School Staff Excellence Award, and the Supply Chain Management Consortium Outstanding Excellence Award.

University of Arkansas

JAMI LOCKHART

Jami (Ph.D. Arkansas) is Archeologist (emeritus) at the Arkansas Archeological Survey where he directed geophysical remote sensing and geographic information systems (GIS) research.  He has served as research faculty in the UA Department of Anthropology and cooperating faculty for the Environmental Dynamics Ph.D. program.  His work integrates geophysical remote sensing, high-accuracy mapping, aerial photo interpretation, image processing, LiDAR analysis, and GIS data development for archeological research and cultural landscape studies through time.

Pack Rat Outdoor Center

Rick Spicer

Rick Spicer is a part owner of the Pack Rat Outdoor Center. In addition to working at Pack Rat for over 20 years he has been a climbing instructor and for the last several years has focused on teaching bushcraft and wilderness skills. He is the Public Waters Chair for Arkansas Backcountry Hunters and Anglers and enjoys spending time outdoors with his family.

Colliers and Associates

Matt Dickhut

Matt has lived in Northwest Arkansas for over 40 years and is happy to call Rogers, Fayetteville and Goshen Arkansas his hometowns! He is a 8+ year veteran real estate Broker with Collier and Associates providing his services community based real estate. Before his career in real estate, he worked in customer service as a Sales Consultant and General Sales Manager at Adventure Subaru in Fayetteville for over 7 years.  Matt got his degree in Environmental, Soil and Water Science at the University of Arkansas and continues to enjoy the majority of his time outdoors in the Natural State.  Matt worked at Ozark Natural Science Center as an educator after college before beginning a youth recreation-based summer camp he ran for 3 summers in the Ozarks called Arkansas Youth Adventures.  Matt is passionate about preserving the natural spaces within the greater Ozarks region so that we can continue to have a wonderful place we can all be proud to call our home!

Connor Cockrell

Connor is an NWA native and has a passion for the outdoors and this area. He holds a BS in Sports Management and Outdoor Leadership from the University of Arkansas and an MBA in Outdoor Industry from Western Colorado University. He started his career as a Wilderness Ranger for the USFS stationed near Kings Canyon/Sequoia National Parks. His career then sharply turned towards the business sector. With over 10 years of marketing and advertising experience, he is currently the Associate Director of Digital Strategy at Publicis Groupe agency, Saatchi & Saatchi X working with clients such as Procter & Gamble and Samsung. He continues to maintain a close connection to environmental and conservation interests. He currently sits on the board of Publicis Groupe’s sustainability and environment-focused BRG, Écologique; and he serves as a business mentor for the University of Arkansas’s Greenhouse Outdoor Recreation Program. In his free time, you can find Connor fly fishing, mountain biking, hiking with his family or taking photos for outdoor companies.

Jessica Nohl

Jessica Walker Nohl brings an extensive background in non-profit governance and fundraising, having actively contributed to numerous 501(c)(3) organizations dedicated to fostering positive change within the community. Jessica built her professional knowledge working for a large commercial real estate developer. Her community involvement includes serving as a CASA, FPS parent/teacher groups, and being an active member in several local civic organizations. A proud Arkansan and UA alumna, Jessica is an enthusiastic supporter of Razorback athletics and enjoys live events, traveling, spending time with her family, and running. Jessica is honored to serve NWALT as it continues its mission to preserve and protect the natural landscapes of Northwest Arkansas for future generations.