Jess Slade

Jess grew up in Lexington and then spent nearly two decades living in the northeast before returning home to the Bluegrass in 2019. She has a professional background in horticulture and natural areas management and has worked at arboreta and public gardens in New York, Philadelphia, and Kentucky. In her current role with Kentucky Natural Lands Trust, she works to conserve wildlands across the state through the stewardship and acquisition of preserves for forever-wild protection. Jess obtained her master’s degree in Natural Resource Management from the University of Pennsylvania and is an ISA certified arborist. When she’s not actively engaged in stewardship, Jess loves to travel, hike, swim, and bird watch in wild places.