Growing up in Kansas, Lily did not understand the value of the region. Now, she communicates about the importance of the Great Plains daily and sees it entirely differently.

In her role, Lily uses her love of storytelling to feature and highlight conservation work being done by PLJV and the broader partnership. These stories are featured in the Playa Post, the email newsletter for partners that she organizes and writes, and local media. Along with other communications tasks, she also facilitates communication between PLJV and members of the Playa and Renewable Energy Collaborative.

Lily was originally interested in PLJV because she wanted to work for an organization that would allow her to use her communication skills to help conserve the natural world. She continues to enjoy her work because of the variety — in projects and the region — and the staff’s creativity in developing solutions to conservation challenges. Being able to write stories that help educate and partner with communities is particularly exciting to her. She also appreciates the opportunity to work with staff to translate science and collective knowledge into easily digestible communications.

Before coming to PLJV, she worked in communications for an international nonprofit and also has experience working in a newsroom setting. Lily graduated from the University of Iowa in 2017 where she holds dual degrees in Journalism and International Studies and a minor in Spanish.