Staff

Daniel Koenemann, District Manager

Daniel (Dan) Koenemann completed a BA in Biology from the University of Vermont in 2010, followed by an MS in Botany from California Botanic Garden (Claremont Graduate University) in 2011. He completed his PhD in Biology at Howard University in 2021, studying trees in the Polygonaceae (buckwheat) family. He stayed in the Washington, DC area after completing his dissertation serving simultaneously as a post-doctoral research associate at Howard and as a Smithsonian Fellow. In 2022 Dan moved to South Carolina to serve as an assistant professor in the biology department at Claflin University. At the same time, Dan joined the faculty at Catholic International University. 

Dan joined the Winooski NRCD as District Manager in June of 2024. Dan is a native of Central Vermont and excited to be part of the ongoing process of keeping Vermont green for the next generation. Dan enjoys reading, running, and spending time with his wife and family. 

Dan is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the District, ensuring adequate progress towards project objectives, and the goals and objectives of our 5 year strategic plan. He provides oversight, mentorship, and support to the other District staff, and implements projects and initiatives to advance our mission. Dan is happy to hear from you about ideas for projects and collaborations that you might have. He can be contacted at: Daniel@WinooskiNRCD.org or at our general email info@WinooskiNRCD.org.

Kathleen Lewis, Agriculture Conservation Specialist

Kathleen (Kat) Lewis joined Winooski NRCD in August 2021 as the Agriculture Conservation Specialist. Kat grew up in Massachusetts and moved to Vermont for her undergraduate degree. Kat graduated from The University of Vermont with a B.S. in environmental science and minor in ecological agriculture in May of 2019.

After graduating, Kat completed two terms of ECO AmeriCorps within Vermont. She first spent 11 months serving with The Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). Kat helped run the LaRosa Volunteer Stream Monitoring Program as well as assisted in the yearly stream sampling conducted by DEC to analyze the biological integrity of Vermont’s waterways. Kat spent her second year of AmeriCorps serving with the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets in the Water Quality Division. At the Agency of Agriculture, she assisted with programs for farmers and landowners to help improve water quality on their fields and across the Vermont landscape.

When Kat isn’t working, she can be found hammocking in the woods, playing with her cat, skiing, or cross country skiing.

Email: Kathleen@winooskinrcd.org