Our Staff
Dedicated people are one of our best resources. In addition to our central Institute staff, we have a network of consultants who bring their own unique backgrounds and experiences to assist us in the completion of our shared mission.
Dianne Russell
President
Dianne Russell, President of the Institute for Conservation Leadership (ICL), leads fundraising and financial management, and oversees ICL’s program design and delivery. Dianne blends her knowledge of human systems with a deep understanding of the strategies needed to create healthy natural systems and communities. She specializes in developing networks, leadership, and organizations using the primary tools of planning, coaching, facilitation, and training. She has played the role of process designer, meeting facilitator, backbone staff, evaluator, and foundation advisor with over 45 collaborative efforts across the U.S. and Canada.
Dianne brings decades of experience working with groups across North America on environmental and community-based issues. Her work with ICL has been supported by her training with the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland, VISIONS (multicultural skills), the Gestalt International Study Center (Eyes Wide Open Program), and her academic training (double degree in Religion and Sociology from Wittenberg University).
Questions about baseball, gardening, social change theories, photography, LGBTQ issues, or her home state of Ohio will spark very enthusiastic discussions with her.
Joy Jackson
SENIOR ASSOCIATE
Joy Jackson is a Senior Associate with the Institute for Conservation Leadership. She designs and facilitates collaborative processes to help groups find common ground, establish shared goals, and create plans to achieve them. Joy is passionate about coaching, instruction, and capacity building and enjoys analyzing and synthesizing content from group discussions. Joy excels at creatively designing customized meetings that are relevant and timely, and that seek to find creative and dynamic ways to engage all participants. Her work involves strategic planning for regional organizations, helping bring together emerging collaboratives and coalitions, and designing participatory and thought-provoking training opportunities. In a recent engagement, Joy supported senior public officials in collectively applying for and securing Inflation Reduction Act funding through the federal government.
A dedicated public servant, Joy holds a BA in Political Science from Syracuse University and a Master of Public Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Joy has spent 15 years in senior-level administrator and education-related roles at non-profits and universities. She has extensive experience designing and facilitating workshops, most recently as a career development instructor with The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Programs. Her higher education career has included director-level roles at Virginia Tech and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and capacity building/coaching roles with non-profits such as Local Initiatives Support Corporation.
In her free time, Joy enjoys volunteering with various community groups, travel “hacking,” and spending time with friends and family. She constantly improves her tennis skills through lessons and friendly, competitive playing.
Michael Oberhauser
OPERATIONS COORDINATOR
Dr. Michael Oberhauser is the Operations Coordinator at the Institute for Conservation Leadership. He handles the logistics for many aspects of ICL’s day-to-day operations: interacting with vendors, managing the database, organizing fundraising campaigns, assisting with scheduling and tech operations, and generally supporting staff. He loves collaborating with his colleagues on creative projects as much as he loves putting his head down and solving problems.
Michael has a doctorate in music composition from the University of Maryland, College Park, and the rest of his formal education is also in music. He taught as an adjunct professor at both the University of Maryland and Catholic University for six years. His experience collaborating with other musicians and producing concerts, operas, and conferences helped develop his skills in administrative and operations work. These skills were used in his role as Senior Operations Manager at Arts Laureate, a small recording company, as it grew from 5 employees to 55.
In his free time, Michael loves to do as much with music as he can: attending concerts, composing music, singing in ensembles when he has the opportunity, and listening to all the new releases to give his friends the best recommendations.
Pri Ekanayake
Senior Associate
Pri Ekanayake is a Senior Associate with the Institute for Conservation Leadership. Her work involves engaging with organizations and collaborations to help build their capacity through training, meeting and conference support, and designing strategic plans. Pri’s role also allows creativity to flow through the development of initiatives to support environmental and conservation professionals, most recently with the Delaware River Watershed Professionals of Color Cohort.
Pri brings her experience as an environmental educator and teacher to her role as a facilitator and trainer for ICL. She enjoys work that allows her to use her synthesis and facilitation skills, such as supporting groups in planning a new collaborative effort. Her background in teaching and training is well utilized at ICL, where she develops and runs live public training programs for environmental professionals.
Before joining ICL, Pri worked at the DC Department of Energy and Environment, managing a portfolio of environmental education grants. She has over 10 years of experience as an educator and trainer in academia and nonprofits, where she honed her talent for learner-centered design that emphasizes adult learning principles. Pri has worked as a facilitator, trainer, and coach in various institutions ranging from The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars, Florida Gulf Coast University, Heifer International, Population Education, and multiple public schools. She holds an MS in Natural Resources with a focus in Education from the University of Michigan and a BA in Biology and Anthropology from Rollins College.
Growing up between Sri Lanka and Florida, she developed a deep love for travel. Pri enjoys volunteering in her community garden, cooking, baking, petting every dog (and amenable cat) she sees, and exploring Rock Creek Park.
Sarah Clark
Senior Associate
Sarah Clark is a Senior Associate with the Institute for Conservation Leadership. She is a highly skilled consultant and facilitator who supports the development of effective collaborations, organizations, and leaders. In her work, Sarah specializes in designing and facilitating engaging planning processes, meetings, and large convenings. She supports coalitions, networks, organizations, and teams in all phases of development. Her goal is to help groups clarify their intentions and design plans and strategies that achieve success.
With over 20 years of experience supporting mission-driven organizations and collaborations, Sarah relies on participatory, inclusive practices that help groups consider strategic questions and perspectives to create pathways forward. She loves a good question, and one of her strengths is supporting leaders and groups in tackling complex challenges and getting unstuck. Sarah enjoys being a thought partner and coach, incorporating training based on adult education principles into her work. During her time at ICL, Sarah has worked with various groups, including those focused on trails and greenways and various conservation and environmental issues.
Before joining ICL in 2015, Sarah had extensive experience heading national leadership development, training, and organizational development initiatives in leadership roles with Amnesty International, Habitat for Humanity International, and the American Lung Association. She holds an MS in Organization Development from American University and a BA in Sociology from Miami University and uses knowledge from these degrees to understand how people and groups with divergent backgrounds, interests, and experiences can work together to make systemic change that benefits their community.
Sarah is an avid walker and reader who enjoys spending time with her family and friends. She also volunteers with various groups, including serving on non-profit boards of directors.
Sarah Dietz
PROGRAM AND COMMUNICATIONS manager
Sarah Dietz is the Program and Communications Manager at the Institute for Conservation Leadership. She manages program logistics, development, and implementation to ensure alignment with organizational goals. Sarah creates external communications content, internal policies, and organizational marketing strategies. Her role also includes developing fundraising campaigns, managing ICL’s digital interfaces, and collaborating with the team on projects and programs.
Sarah holds an MA in Food Studies from New York University and a BA in Psychology from the University of Southern Maine. She has a background in food systems, including working on organic and urban farms, managing food education programs for teens, owning a small startup beverage company, designing and coordinating environmental awareness events, and volunteering at numerous non-profits dedicated to food systems and sustainability. In her free time, she is a grant consultant for multiple food systems programs that help enhance opportunities for local food production, farm worker protections, organic markets, and environmental initiatives.
Sarah enjoys hiking, running, camping, visiting new cities and restaurants, and being outdoors as much as possible.