The Foothills Land Conservancy Team
We’ve spent nearly four decades’ connecting people and resources to preserve land.
OUR STAFF
Mark Stevans
Executive Director
Professional Collaborator
Mark brings a strong record of leadership in regional development, communications and public service to this role. Before joining FLC, he served as Deputy Director of the First Tennessee Development District, overseeing regional initiatives that advanced economic development, disaster recovery, and tourism promotion across eight counties. Mark is deeply invested in strengthening the cultural and economic fabric of the Appalachian region through collaboration and conservation.
Elise Eustace
Outreach Director
Intrepid Smoky Mountains Explorer
Elise Eustace joined the FLC team in 2009 and is our resident strategist, fundraiser, event planner, and communications expert. She’s a graduate of Southwestern University in Georgetown, TX.
As outreach director, Elise connects FLC to local and regional communities, raising the visibility of our mission and programs through strategic partnerships, engagement events, and philanthropic initiatives. She has also served on the City of Maryville’s Tree Board, the Smoky Mountain Planned Giving Council Board, and the Great Smoky Mountains Hiking Club Board of Directors.
A graduate of the Experience Your Smokies leadership program, Elise enjoys visiting the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and discovering other unique natural areas across the region.
Shelby Lyn Sanders
Director of Natural Resources
Unabashed NASCAR Fan
As director of natural resources, Shelby Lyn Sanders oversees all aspects of FLC land management in the office and in the field.
An Oklahoma native, Shelby earned a wildlife and fisheries science degree from UT Knoxville with a focus on management. Her background includes studying the ecology of grassland birds for UT’s Center for Native Grassland Management, and she also spent a year working for the Southern Research Station of the USDA Forest Service, helping collect data on upland hardwoods.
Shelby is a wholehearted native plant enthusiast and works to increase awareness about the value of native plants in the landscape. In her free time, Shelby enjoys birding, botanizing, hiking, and watching any kind of racing, especially NASCAR.
Bailey Daining
GIS Analyst/Field Biologist
Outdoors Enthusiast
Bailey is a Blount County native and University of Tennessee graduate with a degree in wildlife and fisheries management. She brings hands-on experience in habitat restoration, conservation planning, and wildlife management and biology to FLC. Bailey fell in love with wildlife and land management during her college internships at Kyker Bottoms Refuge and Foothills Wildlife Management Area – coincidentally, areas acquired and protected by FLC. When she’s not in the field or creating maps, you’ll find her spending time with family, training for an ultramarathon, hiking the Smokies, camping, snowboarding, or enjoying live music.
OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Our Board of Directors are dedicated volunteers who work to advance our work and mission. Responsibilities include fundraising, policy making, long range planning, land protection, and a range of specialized volunteer activities. Individual members may serve two consecutive, three year terms.
Charlie
Barnett
Jim
Campbell
Outreach Committee Chair
Madge
Cleveland
Kevin
Ironside
Craig
Jarvis
Dr. Sharon
Jean-Philippe
Mark
Jendrek
FLC Board Secretary & FLC Properties Foundation Secretary
David
Long
Chad
Love
Billy
Minser
Robert 'Bob'
Morris
Treasurer/Finance Committee Chair
Mike
Parish
FLC Board President & FLC Properties Foundation Board Member
Beth
Pearson
FLC Vice-President
Mike
Suttles
Tom
Taylor
Mike
Twardy
Lynn
Waters
FLC PROPERTIES FOUNDATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The FLC Properties Foundation, a separate but supporting organization for the Foothills Land Conservancy, accepts gifts of land, cash, or other assets to establish a fund to benefit land preservation efforts through land conservation, land acquisition, and land stewardship programs. The FLC Properties Foundation is designated as a 509(a)(3) supporting organization for the Conservancy.
Dan
Barnett
FLC Properties Foundation President
Mark
Jendrek
FLC Board Secretary & FLC Properties Foundation Secretary
Mark
King
FLC Properties Foundation Treasurer
Robert 'Bob'
Morris
Mike
Parish
FLC Board President & FLC Properties Foundation Board Member
