Allison Johnson
Directora de Participación Comunitaria

Allison Johnson se enamoró de Austin cuando llegó aquí para obtener su MBA en la Universidad de Texas y se comprometió con la comunidad sin ánimo de lucro durante los siguientes 10 años mientras trabajaba en marketing y comunicaciones en Generation SERVE. Allison está encantada de ayudar a los miembros de nuestra comunidad a conectarse con la naturaleza, aquí mismo, en medio de la ciudad, de todas las formas que nos mantienen sanos y conectados: a través del juego, la reflexión, el voluntariado y el aprendizaje.

Correo electrónico: allison@peasepark.org

Amy Corbett
Director of Finance

Amy moved to Austin in 2000. Over her career, she moved from public accounting into the non profit space through volunteering and serving on community nonprofit Boards.   In her prior role, she served as Finance Director at a local workforce development nonprofit.   She is thrilled to join the team at Pease Park Conservancy.  She hopes to advance its mission and dedication to public green space conservation and community programming.  She enjoys biking, hiking, pickle ball and being outside with her family and dogs. 

Bret Kiester
Director de Operaciones del Parque

Bret llega a Pease Park Conservancy con 20 años de experiencia en operaciones en el sector sin ánimo de lucro. Antes de unirse a la conservación Bret pasó los últimos 12 años sirviendo como Ejecutivo del Centro de la YMCA de Austin en el Condado de Hays. Además, Bret ha servido a su comunidad como Presidente de la Junta de la Cámara de Comercio del Área de Buda, miembro del Consejo Asesor de Salud Estudiantil de Hays CISD y ha formado parte de varias comisiones de la ciudad de Buda. Bret es voluntario como educador del Proyecto WILD para Texas Parks and Wildlife y ama nuestros parques estatales. Bret se graduó en Administración Pública en la Universidad del Norte de Texas, está casado y tiene dos hijos.

Cheyenne Moore
Director of Development

Cheyenne is a born-and-raised New Yorker who relocated to Austin in 2016 and quickly found a sense of home in its green spaces, especially Pease Park. Driven by a lifelong passion for community impact, she has built a career in nonprofit fundraising, with professional experience at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Travis Audubon, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Cheyenne holds a dual B.A. in Classics and Archaeology from The George Washington University and an M.A. in Museum Anthropology from Columbia University. Outside of work, she can be found chasing after her three young children, exploring new films, and cooking dishes inspired by her Honduran, Irish, and Italian roots.

Dalton Smith
Park Operations Manager

Born in Round Rock and raised in what was a small town of Liberty Hill, Dalton, with his family, volunteered in Pease Park and throughout Austin which gave him a greater appreciation for the outdoors as well as his community. Dalton prefers the physical aspects of the work to that of a typical desk job, and takes immense pride and joy in his ability to maintain, facilitate and regulate aspects of Pease Park. Dalton is certified in Basic Life Support for Healthcare Providers and first aid through the American Heart Association. He is a Licensed Irrigation Technician and a Certified Pool and Spa Operator (CPO) through the Pool & Hot Tub Alliance. He has completed the Landscape Water Budgeting course through the Texas A&M School of Irrigation and holds a certificate in Turfgrass Management through the University of Georgia Center for Continuing Education. On his off days you will find him hiking the trails in Austin or soaking up the sun in one of the many local swimming holes.

Della Orr-Harter
Development Manager

Della, an eighth-generation Texan, has always had a love for community and the outdoors. She grew up outside of Fort Worth and saw the world through the eyes of her roadtripping and antiquing family. After an inspirational Oceanography class during her social change coursework at UT, she knew that combatting climate change would be her career. She moved to Southern California for an AmeriCorps year of service and loved living only a block from the beach. She got plugged in with Surfrider there and found a similar community in the Texas Master Naturalist program in Austin. Della currently is loving her newlywed life with her husband, Landon. They can be found walking the trails, swimming at Barton Springs, catching a movie at Alamo Drafthouse, or hosting their family and friends in their apartment.

George Rojano
Horticulture Coordinator

George was born and raised in Austin. Growing up in South Austin, he didn’t encounter Pease Park until early adulthood, but immediately fell in love. Before joining the Conservancy, George’s nonprofit experience came from his time as a student, intern, and volunteer for both Breakthrough Central Texas and Urban Roots. Growing up in such a green city, George quickly fell in love with nature, went on to study Earth Systems at Stanford, and returned home to be a full-time farmer with Urban Roots. He’s ecstatic to be a part of the Conservancy and takes great pride in putting love into the plants and landscape at the park. Outside of work, you’ll find George attending his brother’s soccer games, enjoying one of Austin’s many swim spots, or cuddling his cats at home.

Jovani Escobedo
Operations Intern

Luis Ortiz-Colon
Park Programming Manager

Luis is originally from the west coast of Puerto Rico, but has spent the vast majority of his life in the Austin area. As an undergrad at UT Austin, Luis earned degrees in Geography and Sustainability Studies and developed a passion for human-environmental dynamics and environmental justice. While studying, Luis served as a Texas Environmental Policy and Advocacy Intern at the Public Citizen Texas Offices, then as the Communications Intern for Pease Park Conservancy. In October of 2022, Luis joined the Pease Park Conservancy team as the full-time Park Programming Coordinator and has greatly enjoyed being part of the Community Engagement Team. His favorite thing about working at the Conservancy has been the partnerships formed with individuals and local organizations, and helping create community in a cherished public space. In his free time, he enjoys leisurely walks, swimming at Barton Springs, biking around town, collecting magazines, thrifting, and cooking new recipes.

Marrisa Bandera
Park Operations Tech

Marrisa Bandera grew up in Austin, Texas. She is excited to be part of the Conservancy, where she can spend time working outdoors and learning about plants, trees, animals, and other wildlife. Her favorite season is spring. She finds hard work rewarding both personally and visually. Marrisa is CPR and First Aid certified. She holds a certificate from the Texas Nursery & Landscape Association as a certified Landscape Associate.

Nicole Netherton
Directora General

Nicole is a Houstonian who found her spiritual home in Austin during her time at The University of Texas at Austin, but she also lived in (and loved) New York City in the early 2000s. Nicole entered the nonprofit world in 2016 after being inspired by a life-changing trip to Antarctica: seeing the fragile ecosystem 7,000 miles from home sparked a shift toward environmental work. Before that, she had a 15 year career in marketing for a book publisher, and her professional background is in development, marketing, and management. Her professional passions include protecting wildlife and native ecosystems in Central Texas, increasing equitable access to nature, and mentoring women toward conservation careers. She is excited to be a steward of a place that is so important to Austin’s past, present, and future, both for people and for nature.

PAX
Mascota de Pease Park Conservancy

PAX es nuestra simpática ardilla vecina y residente de Pease Park. Pax valora la sostenibilidad, el cuidado del medio ambiente y es una embajadora de la accesibilidad al aire libre. Como ardilla gris oriental, PAX disfruta de las densas copas de los árboles de Pease Park e incluso se la puede ver haciendo acto de presencia en algunos de nuestros eventos comunitarios.