>>Current Job and Volunteer opportunities
Board of Directors
Jim Bizal
Megan Bond
Rose Carr
David Chaffin
Megan Dobratz
Bill Kellogg
David C. Hansen
Jeff Hardwig
Karina Hill
Matt Mueller
Carl Numrich
Caroline Pflueger
Juli Ponder
Sam Zimmerman
Directors Emeritus
Lee Barthel (1923-2023)
Douglas Franchot
Michael Frome (1920-2016)
Martin N. Kellogg (1930-2019)
John Roth
Harry Sweatt (1931-2020)
Founders
The founders and early directors of Voyageurs National Park Association included former Minnesota Governor Elmer L. Andersen, Judge Edwin Chapman, Wayne Judy, Lawrence Vaubel, Martin Kellogg, Sigurd F. Olson, Wallace Dayton, and Wheelock Whitney.
Staff
Christina Hausman Rhode, Executive Director
Christina has been the executive director of the Voyageurs Conservancy since 2014. She feels privileged to connect partners, donors, visitors, and volunteers to Minnesota’s Voyageurs National Park. Christina has over 12 years experience working in development and communications in the nonprofit industry and has previously worked for The Nature Conservancy and the Hennepin Health Foundation. She holds a bachelor’s degree in biology and political science, and a minor in journalism from Augustana University in Sioux Falls, SD.
Christina is a graduate of the Institute of Executive Leadership Development at the University of St. Thomas and the National Park Foundation’s National Park’s Friends Leadership Institute. In 2016, she was recognized with a Midwest Region Champion Award from the National Park Service. On her days off, you can find her taking photos, attempting new recipes, enjoying live music, traveling and taking her son Harris on new adventures.
Email: chausman@voyageurs.org
Breanna Trygg, Education and Outreach Director
I grew up in Minnesota, where I spent a lot of time around the woods and waters of Voyageurs National Park at my family cabin. I spent close to 20 years in Washington state, earning a Bachelors from the University of Puget Sound and my Masters in Organizational Leadership from Pinchot University. I've worked with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Pacific Education Institute, and was an organizational and leadership consultant before joining the Voyageurs Conservancy team to build our Voyageurs Classroom Initiative in partnership with Voyageurs National Park. I am passionate about connecting youth to the woods and waters of Voyageurs National Park – sparking the love of this unique place in future stewards of our public lands.
I’m a co-founder and the current board member of Wild Grief, a nonprofit that supports grieving youth and families through peer support and wilderness experiences.
Email: btrygg@voyageurs.org
Jesse Gates, Education Specialist
Jesse was born and raised in New York City, where he has spent the majority of his life. His interest in the outdoors began to flourish through his journey in completing his Bachelor's degree in Geosciences from Humboldt State University. Jesse has worked as a seasonal education technician and interpretive park ranger for the National Park Service for the past four years. He has designed and presented several educational programs, ranging in subjects from cultural history, ecology, geology, music, and wildlife. His favorite type of program involves teaching about and observing the starry night sky. He has participated in several night sky related events and has played an integral role in designing two astronomy festivals. Additionally, he loves hosting nightly telescope sessions, leading hikes during the Full Moon, and guiding constellation tours across the night sky.
At his most recent assignment at Voyageurs National Park, he discovered the Voyageurs Conservancy. As an advocate for science and stewardship of the land, he quickly realized that this organization's mission closely aligned with his own values. In December 2021, Jesse was invited on board as a proud member of the team. He is beyond excited to utilize his skills with the goal of improving accessibility and sharing the beauty of science with everyone.
Email: jgates@voyageurs.org
Kate Fenske, Public Engagement Coordinator
Kate’s childhood summers were a myriad of camping trips and hiking adventures along Minnesota’s North Shore. Her family’s explorations of various National Parks ignited her deep-seated love for the outdoors from an early age. This passion guided her education at the College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University, where she studied the intersection of public health, climate change, and public policy. Post-graduation, Kate channeled her enthusiasm into outreach and communications roles at two nonprofits – one dedicated to alleviating food insecurity and the other focused on environmental education. In 2024, her career path led her to the Voyageurs Conservancy, where she feels fortunate to travel to one of the most beautiful regions of her home state, surrounded by like-minded individuals who share her commitment to environmental conservation.
When she’s not working, Kate enjoys planning her next adventure to a new country or National Park. You might also find her at her family cabin, or enjoying bike rides and runs along the Mississippi River and the Minneapolis Chain of Lakes.
Email: kate@voyageurs.org
Nicole Anderson Davis, Operations & Development Coordinator
Growing up, Nicole experienced the wonders of Rainy Lake at her family cabin on Little Bear Island, NW Ontario. From jumping off houseboats, listening to the cry of the loon, to catching minnows, and avoiding poison ivy (unsuccessfully), these experiences no doubt lit a spark for her love of the outdoors.
In her free time, you’ll find Nicole with family, hitting the trail and camping at her favorite Minnesota State Parks.
Email: ndavis@voyageurs.org
Moss Kupper, Education Coordinator
Moss has always fostered a passionate curiosity about learning and nature. Growing up with Minnesota’s diverse ecosystems, she holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a minor in cognitive science from the University of Minnesota, Duluth. She was a Research Coordinator at a lab studying brain development and has worked across Minnesota as an Outdoor Recreation Instructor and Naturalist. She also participated in the work-exchange program “WorkAway,” learning how people worldwide steward and connect to their land.
Moss earned a Master’s in Environmental Education from the University of Minnesota, Duluth, completing a thesis titled “The Effects of Nature-Based Learning on Elementary Students’ Sustained Attention.” She spent two years as an Education Field Fellow with the Conservancy, piloting the Voyageurs National Park Mobile Classroom. When not working, Moss enjoys jumping in Lake Superior, playing music, and weeding at her community garden.
Email: mkupper@voyageurs.org
Larissa Juip, Project Manager
Larissa began working in natural and cultural interpretation in 2012 with the Minnesota DNR at sites such as Mille Lacs Kathio, Itasca, Lake Bemidji, Big Bog, and Lake Vermilion-Soudan Underground Mine. She has worked in a variety of formal and informal educational settings in K-12 and higher ed since 2015, focused primarily on working with Indigenous communities in Indian Education or through teaching Native Studies courses. Currently, she teaches at an Anishinaabe youth STEM camp (gidakiimanaaniwigamig) in Minnesota, where she has been since 2017. In 2020-21, Larissa worked with the MN DNR and Project Learning Tree to update 6 PLT lessons to reflect Anishinaabe and Dakota lifeways in Minnesota. From 2022-2024, she consulted with the Voyageurs Conservancy on their First Peoples Cultural Curriculum project, aimed at revising current Voyageurs National Park environmental education curriculum to be more culturally responsive and inclusive of past and present Anishinaabe lifeways. She has also served as a member of the PLT Education Operating Committee since 2022.
Larissa is currently completing a PhD in Industrial Heritage and Archaeology at Michigan Technological University. When not working, she can likely be found with her family along Lake Superior’s Keweenaw Peninsula coastline or at a college hockey game.
Email: larissa@voyageurs.org