Eliza joined ANS as Director of Conservation in 2016. She is an avid canoer and kayaker and believes that healthy streams mean healthy communities. Prior to joining ANS, Eliza spent five years at Defenders of Wildlife, analyzing federal projects and policies that touched upon a broad range of renewable energy, land management, and wildlife conservation issues. Before working  in environmental policy, Eliza was an environmental and outdoor educator in Maryland, Massachusetts, Tennessee, and Oregon. Eliza received a B.A. in Environmental Education from Swarthmore College and a Master of Environmental Science from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, and is a Senior Fellow in the Environmental Leadership Program’s Chesapeake Regional Network.