STAFF BIOGRAPHIES

Heather Bacher
Executive Director

Heather Bacher has been the Executive Director of the Central Indiana Land Trust since 2003.  As the Executive Director of the Land Trust, Heather provides leadership and support to the Board of Directors and is responsible for administering and implementing all programs, policies, and goals of the Land Trust.  She oversees the day-to-day activities of the organization and the management of the staff, office and properties.  She is active in the community and serves on the board of directors of both the Upper White River Watershed Alliance and Midwest Invasive Plant Network. 

Heather has worked in conservation for 16 years in both the government and nonprofit sectors. At the international Gulf Coast Bird Observatory, she worked to promote the conservation of birds in the Gulf Coast region in North and Central America and the Caribbean. Heather has also worked for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and The Nature Conservancy in both Texas and Indiana.  She has a master’s degree in environmental resource management and cultural ecology from The University of Texas at Austin. She lives in Johnson County with her husband and daughter and two dogs.

Stacy Cachules
Community Programs Manager

Stacy Cachules joined the Land Trust in Spring of 2011.  She recently moved back to Indiana from Seattle, Washington, where she was managing the volunteer and outreach programs for the Cascade Land Conservancy, a conservation organization serving five counties in Washington State.  She has eight years of experience in nonprofit program management and environmental policy. Stacy holds a degree in Environmental Policy from Indiana University.  Among several project areas, Stacy will be focusing much of her time at the Land Trust working to expand the volunteer and community engagement programs.  Stacy and her husband, Matt, live near Butler University in Indianapolis with their dog, Charlie.

Cliff Chapman
Conservation Director

Moving back to Indianapolis in 2008 for the position of Conservation Director with the Central Indiana Land Trust was a true homecoming. Cliff grew up in Indianapolis and explored every chunk of urban green space within a reasonable bike ride from home. After college he worked for the IDNR Division of Nature Preserves as a Regional Ecologist in southeast Indiana. While pursuing more effective and efficient methods of ecological restoration, Cliff also discovered dozens of occurrences of rare or endangered plant and animal species, and helped protect nearly 5,000 acres of forests, wetlands, and barrens in southern Indiana from 1999 to 2006.

In 2006 Cliff moved to Washington and worked for The Nature Conservancy helping restore prairies in the Puget Sound area as well as improve spawning habitat for several endangered salmon species. This work focused on controlling invasive species as well as research to find more “green” alternatives to traditional best management practices in rare species recovery and habitat restoration.

Rachel Cline Eble
Development Director

Rachel Eble joined the Land Trust staff in April 2010.  Her role with the Land Trust will focus on securing necessary resources to sustain the organization and preserve the best possible slice of Central Indiana.  As an Indiana native, Rachel feels particularly motivated to ensure that the creeks and woods she was fortunate to explore as a child will be there for the next generation. 

She has worked in non-profit fundraising for over nine years.  Prior to joining the Land Trust, Rachel was the Director of Annual Fund & Donor Relations at Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School.  Rachel graduated from the University of Colorado, Boulder in 2000.  Rachel and her husband, Nick, live in the Meridian Kessler area with their one-year-old son, Lance, and their two very large dogs.

Rachel Snell
Administrative Assistant

Rachel Snell joined the Land Trust in the fall of 2011 after relocating to downtown Indianapolis from Muncie, Indiana for graduate school through the Indiana University School of Medicine. 

She is currently pursuing a Master of Public Health with a concentration in Environmental Health.  She is excited to learn more about the connection between land protection and preservation and human health through her experiences at the Land Trust. 

Hannah Vargason                                                                                                                                                    
Conservation Associate

After relocating to Indiana, Hannah Vargason joined the team in September as Conservation Associate, rounding out the conservation program at the Land Trust. Hannah’s work will focus on continuing success with the Greening the Crossroads Initiative and supporting land protections efforts.

Hannah is a Maryland native, but comes to us from Virginia where she recently obtained a Masters in Public Policy from the College of William and Mary. She has a background in Economics, as well as experience in nonprofit organizations and environmental policy. Back east, Hannah enjoyed hiking the Blue Ridge Mountains and kayaking in the Potomac River, and now looks forward to exploring the natural areas of Indiana.