News

2026 Annual Meeting & Board Elections

Mark your calendars for the 2026 Annual Meeting and Birthday Celebration on June 6 at the Wright Forestry Center in Martell Forest.

You are invited to attend the 2026 Annual Meeting on June 6. Join us at 10:00 am for the presentation of the organization’s annual report and board member election. The meeting will be followed by NICHES’ 31st Birthday Celebration from noon – 1:00 pm featuring a potluck luncheon, cake, and activities. The Wright Forestry Center is located at 1007 N 725 W, West Lafayette, IN 47906.

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2026 Board Nominees & Re-Elections

Current members of NICHES Land Trust are invited to take part in the annual election of board members. If you cannot make the Annual Meeting on June 6, you can vote absentee by returning the ballot that will be mailed to you in late April. (If you did not receive your ballot by May 1, please contact our office at 765-423-1605 to request one.)

This year, we have one board member up for re-election and three members ready to serve their first terms. There is room on the board for all candidates.

New Board Member Candidates

Phil Atkinson is a fourth-generation farmer living and working in Benton County, east of Fowler, on land that has been in the family for 100+ years. “As a youngster my time was spent roaming the fields, creeks and woods around and close to home. I developed a love for the outdoors and the hidden gems of habitat in the wild-for-Indiana places. I greatly appreciate the efforts that Niches expend to assure that all people have the opportunity to explore those gems of nature that still exist.” He recently joined the NICHES Acquisitions Committee.

Susan Brouillette, a graduate of Hanover College and Christian Theological Seminary, is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church USA. She is the Organizing Pastor of A WORK IN PROGRESS Faith Community, a new worshipping community in Lafayette. Susan was the founding Director of the Lafayette Urban Ministry (LUM) Immigration Law Clinic and Director of the Campaign for Hoosier Families, an advocacy arm of LUM.  Retired from the U.S. Senate after 26 years, she was the Assistant State Director for Senator Richard Lugar. There she oversaw Constituent Services, personally specializing in the Departments of Homeland Security, State, and Agriculture. Susan and her husband, Michael, are natives of Benton County and avid supporters of NICHES. She currently serves on NICHES Acquisitions Committee. In her free time, she loves to bike, hike, kayak, and is always up for a pickleball match.

Terry Stevick has served on the NICHES Finance Committee for several years. He and his wife Eileen moved to Lafayette in 2012 when Terry took the position of controller at the Evonik (formerly Lilly) site in Shadeland. He retired in 2020 and joined several nonprofit finance committees, including the one for NICHES. He was born in Northeast Ohio and grew up around Philadelphia and has lived mostly in or near cities—New York, Chicago and Atlanta. However, growing up, his family usually spent weekends in nature, a habit he continued wherever his career and education took him. He is looking forward to getting to know NICHES and the properties beyond the financial statements. 

Board Members for Re-Election

Richard Johnson Sheehan currently serves as NICHES Board Secretary and is also a member of the Development Committee. He is a Professor of English at Purdue University who specializes in Environmental Rhetoric, Medical and Healthcare Rhetoric, Editing and Publishing, and Writing Proposals and Grants. Previously, he was the President of the Albuquerque, New Mexico Chapter of the Sierra Club.

Continuing Board Members

• Mike Bristol
• Jarred Brooke
• Brad Carlson
• John Graveel
• Trent Hanthorn, President
• Jenna Isch
• Krista Johnson
• Mike Murr
• Vanessa Pacheco, Vice President
• Brent Talcott, Treasurer
• Kent Walters

If you have any questions about the Annual Meeting or Birthday Celebration, please contact email niches@nicheslandtrust.org or call 765-423-1605.