Staff:

Marie Nelson, Executive Assistant

Member of Conservation Minnesota staff since:  January 2010
 
Duties: Executive Assistant to Paul Austin     
 
Education: B.A. in Spanish from Hamline University
 
Previous Experience: Operations Assistant and Human Resources Assistant, The Nature Conservancy; Intern, Center for the Working Child, Quito, Ecuador. 
 
Place of Birth: Minneapolis, MN   
 
Favorite Quote: And in the end, it is not the years in your life that count.  It’s the life in your years.  – Abraham Lincoln.
 
Hobbies:  Travel, camping, kettlebells, dancing, film, acting, reading.
 
Favorite literature: I just finished Angel’s Rest, which I recommend.  Some of my all time favorites include Memoirs of a Geisha and Life of Pi.
 
Favorite music/bands: I like oldies such as Johnny Cash, Frank Sinatra, and The Beatles.  Some of my favorite new artists/bands include: Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros.
 
Favorite location in Minnesota: Red Wing and Stillwater are favorites.
 
Why I Work for Conservation Minnesota: I have felt connected to nature since childhood and want to be a part of preserving what I love.
 
Favorite way to spend a day: Start the day off with a hike and then hit the lakes for a swim and a picnic lunch with friends/family.  A perfect way to end the day is outdoor music and ice cream.
 
Last big vacations: NYC, Coeur D’Alene, Miami, Ecuador/Peru.
 
Heroes:  My mom
 
Family:  An inspirational mother and cool younger brother.