Our Team
People with a passion for parks
Our philosophy is simple – form and maintain a positive relationship with every donor, volunteer and partner – and the rest will follow. We consider our supporters family, and as family, we share a common goal to work together for the betterment of Lincoln Park. Our volunteer Board of Directors believe in our responsibility to care for the environment, advocate for open space, and nurture peoples’ connection to our park’s nature and history. All our Board members either live near the park or grew up playing in the park and they spend significant time enjoying the park today with their children, grandchildren or pets.
We believe Lincoln Park is what makes living in the third largest city in the United States livable. It’s the “lungs of our city” giving us all room to breathe and it is important to everyone’s quality of life. So when we hear park visitors say – “It’s my park” – we understand completely.
“There must be the generating force of love behind every effort destined to be successful.”
~ Henry David Thoreau
Our Staff
Doug Widener
Executive Director
Earned a Master of Science in Environmental Studies and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Ohio University. Doug has 25+ years of environmental nonprofit managerial experience including: strategic planning, education program development and management, fundraising, government advocacy, partnership development, staff oversight, and board stewardship and management. Doug’s previous employers include: the Chicago Academy of Sciences/Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), and USGBC Illinois Chapter. He started with the Conservancy in 2018. He enjoys time in nature, physical activity, reading, writing, and spending time with family and friends.
Britt Barbour Uhlenhake
Manager of Marketing & Development
Earned a degree in Psychology from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Britt helps manage fundraising and public messaging campaigns, donor relations and digital communications for the Conservancy. She first became involved with the Conservancy in 2017 as a Lincoln Park Conservatory docent. Britt enjoys travel, exercise, reading and cooking for her family, including 3 hungry kids.
Patrick Mucerino
Manager of Administration
Studied psychology at the University of Chicago. He has experience primarily in community development and event management as well as program/partnership development, non-profit fundraising, and organizational administration. He has worked with local, national, and international non-profits and b-corps across a variety of causes primarily within the LGBTQ+ and POC communities. He started at the Conservancy in 2021 as the Special Events Assistant. Patrick enjoys spending time in nature, cooking large family-style meals with friends, and traveling.
Maeve Musgrave Callaghan
Manager of Park Stewardship
Holds a Graduate Certificate in Advanced Horticulture from the University of Nebraska, a J.D. from Vermont Law School, and a Bachelor’s in Fine Arts from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Maeve has over a decade of experience in horticulture, having worked as a floral designer, organic farmer, and public gardener. She joined the Conservancy in Spring of 2022. In her leisure time, she enjoys camping, reading, and listening to music or public radio.
Amelia Pollock
Manager of Docent Programs
Earned a degree in German and History from Hood College in Frederick, Maryland. Amelia has more than a decade of museum and nonprofit administrative, project, and staff and volunteer management experience, including at the Adler Planetarium, DANK Haus German American Cultural Center, and Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum. She is an accomplished author, poet, and storyteller with a wide-ranging background in informal education, from facilitation and interpretation to presentations and tours, primarily on Chicago’s hidden history. Amelia’s other interests include animal welfare and wildlife conservation, and she is on the board of the Chicago Herpetological Society. Amelia started with the Conservancy in 2022.
Jeffrey Seleb
Manager of Visitor Services
Earned a Master of Business Administration from Lake Forest and a Bachelor of Science in Geography from Northern Illinois University. He has experience in Geographic Information Systems, Business Planning, and Operations Management. He began volunteering with the Lincoln Park Conservancy in 2020 before joining the team as a Visitor Services Associate in the Conservatory. Jeffrey enjoys time in nature, being a dog and plant dad, cooking, and spending time with family and friends.
Board of Directors
Margee Elias
Chair
Former General Counsel and EVP, GoGo Inc.
Melinda Munson
Vice Chair
Civic Leader
Joseph Rumph, CFA
Treasurer
Manager, Absolute Return and Fixed Income, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
Larry Leive
Co-Treasurer
Civic Leader
Andrea Chadwick
Co-Secretary
Civic Leader
Claire Millet
Co-Secretary
Civic Leader
Linda Baker
Director
Civic Leader
Isabel Carpenter
Director
Civic Leader
Danielle Hoeg
Director
Civic Leader
Julie Jahn
Director
Civic Leader
Matthew Prewitt
Director
Schiff Hardin LLP
Norman Raidl
Director
Civic Leader
Kelly Small
Director
Civic Leader
Jamie Shuttleworth
Director
Chief Strategy Officer, mcgarrybowen
Heidi Suprenant
Director
Civic Leader
Cathy Breitenbach
Chicago Park District Representative
Director of Cultural & Natural Resources
Chris O'Neill
Emeritus Director
CEO, Logical Media Group
Nick Woboril
Consulting Member
Landscape Advisor, Scott Byron & Co, Inc.
