Kristin DeBoer has served as Kestrel’s Executive Director since 2006. After receiving her Masters of Science from Antioch University New England in 1995, she worked as an environmental educator and advocate with a variety of non-profit groups. She lives in Pelham, MA with her two small children, husband, and 100lb German Shepherd.

Kari Blood served as Kestrel’s Regional Conservationist through the volunteer AmeriCorps MassLIFT Program from 2010 through 2011. During this time, she coordinated the Forever Farmland Initiative, organized landowner outreach events in Belchertown and Northampton, and assisted the Pelham Conservation Commission with educational campaigns, among other projects. In the Fall of 2011, she began full-time work with Kestrel to coordinate special programs and community engagement projects.

Ben has been conserving land in Massachusetts since 2004. He has worked with a number of conservation organizations, including Harwich Conservation Trust and the Compact for Cape Cod Conservation Trusts, to enhance land and water resource management, preserve land, and build organizational and stewardship capacity. Ben holds a B.S. in Ecology from the University of Kansas and a Masters in Environmental Science and Policy from Clark University in Worcester, MA. Originally from the Midwest, Ben’s family has a 360-acre farm in Missouri.

Julie Shively comes in one-day a week to do Kestrel’s finances. In addition to her bookkeeping expertise, Julie is a Selectboard member in Leverett and serves on the board of Rattlesnake Gutter Trust.