MEET THE TEAM
WiWiC is a state-wide collaborative effort led by the Michael Fields Agricultural Institute in partnership with Renewing the Countryside and Marbleseed. Regional Coordinators facilitate programming, assisted by Conservation Coaches who open their farms and offer support to women in their region or their field of expertise. Reach us here and we'll connect you to a nearby network.
ESTHER S. DURAIRAJ
PROGRAM DIRECTOR
"Women are nurturers ...of their families, of their land, of the earth. Women are also change makers and transformers. By bringing conservation to the doorsteps of women of today, imagine the changes we can bring about in conserving the natural resources for our future generations."
Dr. Esther Shekinah is a Research Agronomist at Michael Fields Agricultural Institute with more than 20 years of sustainable agriculture research experience in both India and the US. In addition to leading the WiWiC team, she is researching cover crops and industrial hemp with the goal of developing production practices that encourage diversity in organic cropping systems.
CHRISTINE JOHNSON
SOUTH CENTRAL and SOUTH EAST
REGION COORDINATOR
Dane, Jefferson, Rock, Milwaukee,
Racine, and Walworth Counties
"Women have a long history of pairing land stewardship and community care. Working with women through WiWiC has deepened my inherent trust and belief that together we can create something beautiful for us all to share and celebrate."
Christine (she/her) is a first-generation farmer who co-owns and operates Wild Trillium Farm, a diversified veggie, cut-flower and grain operation. She is committed to ensuring that all small farms have an opportunity to thrive. She is the Farmer Education Coordinator at Michael Fields Agricultural Institute, serving a range of emerging farmers, landowners and agriculturalists. Christine is a Steering Committee member of Upper Midwest CRAFT at Farmers Rising, and a Leadership, Equity, and Action for our Food System (LEAFS) 2024-25 Fellow. She loves connecting folks to the vibrant agricultural communities and delicious food grown in the region.
KRISS MARION
DESIGN, MEDIA, AND COMMUNICATIONS
"Conservation is contagious. It's addictive! You can't walk on a prairie in summer and not want to have one. I'm persuaded that if we can create more content and experiences that put women in touch with other women who are practicing good stewardship, we can transform the landscape and heal our overburdened waters."
Kriss Marion is an urban journalist turned small scale farmer. She practices managed grazing with sheep and cattle on a small wetland that's returning to sedge meadow through conservation practices. She runs Circle M Market Farm BnB with her husband Shannon and is the Advancement Director for Michael Fields Agricultural Institute.
REBECCA CHRISTOFFEL
PROJECT EVALUATOR
"Working on this project is important to me because Wisconsin women landowners are so important as stewards of the land they own or co-own. This project will build capacity in these women to develop confidence and make well-informed decisions regarding their land’s management, benefitting Wisconsin’s natural resources."
Rebecca Christoffel is an E Resources Group team member. She holds B.S. and M.S. degrees from UW-Madison in Wildlife Ecology and a Ph.D. from Michigan State University in Fisheries and Wildlife. Her work focuses on the human dimensions of natural resources management. Prior to her work at E Resources Group, Dr. Christoffel was the State Wildlife Extension Biologist and a faculty member at Iowa State University.
UNA VAN DUVALL
MILWAUKEE URBAN AG ORGANIZER
Una Van Duvall has deep roots in both Los Angeles and Milwaukee as a city official, community organizer, non-profit manager, and strategic planning consultant. Her skills and connections in the cities are endless. She serves on the Board of Directors of several community organizations including the Michael Fields Agricultural Institute.
Ms. Van Duvall also has a uniquely powerful history as a Kansas farm girl with deep roots and co-manages still active farmlands in the settlement of Nicodemus - a frontier community established by African Americans at the end of the Civil War. Una and her relatives continue to organize and host the famous Nicodemus Homecoming annually. In 2028, the town will host their 150th Emancipation Celebration.
"I'm so happy to be a connector for this important project and a community liaison to the many robust urban farm organizations in and around the city. Agriculture is in my blood and my heart."
ALANNA KOSHOLLEK
WEST CENTRAL and SOUTH WEST
REGIONAL COORDINATOR
"It's so inspiring and energizing to be working with women landowners who are bringing their creativity, energy and love to shape the way we care for land. Conservation needs more of this energy to face the environmental and social challenges that lie ahead of us."
Alanna works with Renewing the Countryside and as a doula and free-lance consultant hosting DIY nature-based workshops. She grew up on dairy farm in Central Wisconsin and holds a B.S. and M.S. in Forestry and Human Dimensions of Natural Resource Management from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. She has also worked for nearly two decades at the Aldo Leopold Foundation. She and her husband and daughter raise grass-fed beef, and Alanna has experience with many land-care practices, including prairie restoration, prescribed burns, and timber stand improvement and harvest.