Who We Are

Meet the people behind the Mission to conserve, promote, and protect the open spaces and green places of ecological, cultural, or scenic significance in the six counties of the Mississippi Coastal Plain.

Board

Jason Favre was born in New Orleans on April 26, 1982. His parents raised him along with his brother and sister in Bay St. Louis. He attended North Bay on Dunbar Avenue, Bay Middle School on Ulman Avenue and St. Stanislaus College Prep from which he graduated in 2000. After graduation, he went to work at Coast Electric Power Association. During his time at Coast Electric, he was in various roles including Apprentice Lineman, Lineman, Lead Lineman, Serviceman, and Crew Foreman. He left Coast Electric in 2013 to join the Southern Company family, starting his career there at Georgia Power Company where he was fortunate to work in various roles including Methods & Training Specialist, Distribution Supervisor, Construction Supervisor, and Utility Services Construction Manager. He is currently the Area Manager on the Coast for Mississippi Power Company supporting economic development, community affairs and operations. Jason holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Southern New Hampshire University. He is married to Ashley (Necaise) Farve and they have four children; Hayden (12), Harlen (9), Hatcher (7), and Hadley (5). They stay very busy chasing their young ones around the baseball fields, karate, dancing, and junior rodeo (roping).  

Jill High is a happily married, proud mom of two grown daughters, and a devout Christian. Her passion is enjoying birds and helping others learn more about them! She obtained a master’s degree in Biological Sciences, with a focus in Ornithology, from the University of Southern Mississippi. Jill discovered birding when taking a random elective; an ornithology class onsite at Dauphin Island Sea Lab as she was finishing her undergraduate degree at University of Alabama at Birmingham. Frank Moore was gracious enough to allow her to join his research lab at USM to study sleep in migratory birds. Jill and her husband Craig have small consulting business which allows her to work with companies needing environmental or surveying services. She was invited to join the Board of the Land Trust in late 2020 and hopes her love of birds and ecology will be advantageous to this reputable organization.

Kenneth Jones provides land acquisition, site layout and design, budgeting and entitlement approvals for Gulf Coast Development and Design. Kenneth attended Louisiana State University and graduated in 2005 with a BA in Business Administration. After graduation, Kenneth entered commercial real estate. During this time, he had the highest sales volume four consecutive years in commercial real estate for the Mississippi Gulf Coast Association of Realtors and has received numerous awards from Coldwell Banker Commercial International.

Kenneth joined Elliott Homes in 2017 as the Vice President of Land. From 2017 to 2021, he was responsible for all acquisitions, entitlements, approvals, and development for the Company. During his time with Elliott Homes, Kenneth delivered hundreds of lots for the company and brought new innovations to developments in South Mississippi including Low Impact Development & Natural Playgrounds.

Art Kennard

Amy Lumm was born in Mississippi but grew up in Erie, PA. In 2009, she decided to move away from the cold and snow and come back to Mississippi where it is warmer! Her husband Jon was in the Marine Corps for 9 years, and now works with Mississippi Power. They have 4 children, two grown with families of their own, and two still at home'; one in in Elementary School and the other in High School. Amy has been in Real Estate since 2012 and is a Licensed Realtor with NextHome Simplicity in Long Beach, MS. She enjoys meeting new people and making lasting connections with her clients that doesn’t end after they buy or sell their home! If she’s not out showing properties, you will find her hanging out with her family and enjoying everything the MS Gulf Coast has to offer!

Stephanie Mathis is a native Mississippian with over 25 years of nonprofit management and workforce development experience. She is the Director of Gulf Operations for The Corps Network. The Corps Network is the National Association of Service and Conservation Corps. They support Corps through advocacy, providing access to funding and projects, and offering expertise in Corps operations and crew member professional development. Gulf Operations focuses these efforts within the states that border the Gulf of Mexico.

Prior to working at the Corps Network, Stephanie was the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of a local community development organization (CDC) specializing in human development programs including workforce training for opportunity and at-risk youth. Over the course of her 20-year career, Stephanie has worked with nonprofit organizational management, project development and the implementation of over 135 million dollars of federal funding. Besides the workforce training institute, her project implementation experience has included prevention of child abuse, micro-enterprise, social enterprise, juvenile justice programs, housing and homeless programs, and disaster response/recovery. Stephanie is very involved in her community serving on a variety of local Boards of Directors and committees. She completed Leadership Gulf Coast, Class of 2014 and is a graduate of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business program. Stephanie and her husband Bruce, have three children and one granddaughter. Her favorite pastimes are gardening, painting, and being involved with her local church.

Janell Nolan serves as the Director of Community Development for Coast Electric Power Association. During her 30+ year tenure at Coast Electric, Janell’s areas of responsibility have included communications, member services, marketing, residential and commercial energy management, public relations and environmental stewardship. Besides her duties at Coast Electric, Janell is active in her community. She is currently on the Board of directors of the Gulf Coast Symphony Orchestra, Hancock County Food Pantry, Land Trust of the MS Coastal Plain, Hancock Chamber and The Arts Hancock County Advisory Board. She also serves on the national Touchstone Energy Business Advisory Council.

Janell is a past president of the Exchange Club of Hancock County, past President of the Rotary Club Central Hancock County, past President of the Diamondhead Business and Professionals Association, a 2006 graduate of Leadership Hancock County and a 2017 graduate of Leadership Gulf Coast. For the past 10 years, she has chaired the Leadership Hancock County program, an initiative of the Hancock Chamber of Commerce. The Hancock Chamber also recognized Janell as one of its “Top 10 Outstanding Citizens.” Janell was recognized as the “National Brand Champion” by Touchstone Energy of the National Rural Electric Cooperatives Association. Janell is a graduate of William Carey College with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. At the age of 9, Janell’s family moved “home” to the MS Gulf Coast from Iowa. Growing up in Bay St. Louis and now living in Diamondhead, she cannot imagine any other place or community to raise her three (now adult) children. An avid tennis player and community volunteer, she enjoys biking, kayaking, puzzles, travel, theatre and cooking (and eating!).

Jackie Parker, President is originally from England. She has lived and worked across the USA but fell in love with the Gulf Coast in 2012 and became a US citizen so she could stay in Mississippi! She loves being on the water and roaming in the woods. Jackie's background is in business and computer technology and not conservation or land management, but she has always had a passion for being outside in nature. In 2019, Jackie joined the Board and became the Treasurer so she could contribute her time and business skills to the mission of the Land Trust. She lives in Ocean Springs and runs a software business from home. When not pounding on the keyboard, Jackie is outside working on landscaping projects. Jackie has a degree in Computer Science from Brunel University, London, and a Master’s in Business Administration from Henley Management College, Oxfordshire, UK.

Drew Puffer is married and has two adult children. Now retired, he has lived on the Mississippi Gulf coast since 1990. Prior to retirement Mr. Puffer was employed with the US EPA for over 30 years. During his time with EPA, he initially worked in the fields of the Superfund and other hazardous waste programs, specializing in groundwater contamination and site remediation. In 1990 he joined EPA’s Gulf of Mexico Program at Stennis Space Center in coastal Mississippi. The program’s focus is on the health, productivity and restoration of the Gulf of Mexico. During his time with the Gulf Program, Drew was involved in such issue areas as Public Health, Coastal and Shoreline Erosion, Freshwater Inflow and Habitat Loss and Restoration. While involved with habitat loss and restoration, Drew was the Gulf Program’s lead on a Gulfwide Coastal Preserves Program, a state driven program that has protected, restored and preserved thousands of areas of valuable and unique Gulf habitat. Drew is an active volunteer in Canine Search and has certification in several canine search disciplines. Mr. Puffer has also been active in community theater and has served as a coach and assistant coach in youth recreational soccer.