Meet Our Staff
Amy Gaddy, RF, CF
Managing Director
Amy Gaddy is the Managing Director of MTM Environmental, LLC. She is located in the Alabama field office. Amy was raised on a dairy farm in Charleston, Tennessee. She graduated from the University of Tennessee School of Forestry in spring of 2006 with a B.S. in Forestry and in fall of 2008 with a M.S. in Forestry. Amy had the opportunity to work with several government agencies and research laboratories while completing her degrees including the Department’s Stand Dynamics Research Lab, the Human Dimensions Research Lab, as well as the USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station’s Forest Inventory and Analysis Unit. She was also able to interact with other agencies including the USFS Cherokee National Forest- Unaka Ranger District, and the Tennessee Division of Forestry- Chuck Swan State Forest. After completing her degrees, she was the Staff Forester for a private company in East Tennessee, managing all forestry activities on their 72,000 acres as well as private forestry consulting for landowners.
Upon moving to Alabama in 2013, Amy worked in the Stewardship Department of the Georgia-Alabama Land Trust (GALT). First serving as the Stewardship Manager and Staff Forester, Amy monitored conservation easement properties and wrote baseline documentation reports. In 2016, she became the Stewardship Director for GALT. As Stewardship Director, Amy restructured the department based upon regions and filled those regional positions with qualified natural resource professionals. She was responsible for supervising the annual monitoring program, stewardship of conservation easements and lands held in fee simple, landowner relationship building, and management of the baseline documentation reports of working conservation easements. Additionally, Amy was responsible for coordinating all staff training related to habitat, wildlife, GIS systems, department/company policies, and safety. In July 2019, Amy joined the staff of Moon River Environmental, LLC (MRE) with the intent to continue her efforts to protect special properties and habitats through conservation easements. As the Director of Stewardship, Amy worked with staff, land trust staff, landowners, foresters, consultants, surveyors, etc. to gather information on new projects in order to conduct fieldwork and write baseline documentation reports (BDR). In February 2021, Amy launched MTM Environmental, LLC, which provides similar services as MRE, specializing in Baseline Documentation Reporting, Current Condition Reports, and Land Management Planning. With her land management skills, she is able to make recommendations to landowners about the best use of their land, which also helps during the negotiation of new easement terms. Having experience with different habitat types, she is well equipped to assist in determining conservation values on new projects, while maximizing the land management opportunities and meeting landowner objectives.
Amy is a Certified Forester® and a Registered Forester in Alabama and Georgia. She is also active in Tree Farm, serving as the Piedmont District Inspector in Alabama and on the Finance Committee of the state’s executive committee. She is also an active member of the Society of American Foresters, having served in different roles for various chapters since joining in 2005.
Amy now resides in Jacksonville, Alabama, with her husband and son on their farm. She enjoys outdoor activities including fishing, kayaking, diving, camping, and hiking.
Lesley McDaniel
Chief Financial Officer
Lesley McDaniel, a Valdosta, GA native, is the Chief Financial Officer for MTM Environmental, LLC. She attended Georgia Southern University where she obtained both her Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting and Master of Accounting degrees. Lesley began her career in public accounting in Savannah, GA, before she and her husband moved to Denver, CO where they lived for 3 years. They knew when they moved back to Georgia, that Savannah would be called home. Growing up on a dairy farm, Lesley has always loved being surrounded by nature and now, being in Savannah, she has gained an admiration of the surrounding low country and marshlands. She is a Certified Public Accountant in the state of Georgia with over 10 years of public accounting experience. She specializes in accounting for high net worth individuals, estates, trusts, and small businesses. Lesley is a member of both the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Georgia Society of Certified Public Accountants. Lesley and her husband live on Wilmington Island with their three young children.
Katheryn Albrecht, CWB
Certified Wildlife Biologist/Ornithologist
Katheryn Albrecht, Certified Wildlife Biologist (“CWB”), is the Wildlife Biologist/Ornithologist for MTM Environmental, LLC. She is in the Tennessee field office. Katheryn Albrecht was born and raised in Harrison County, West Virginia. Love for the outdoors and animals was instilled in her at a young age. She enjoyed exploring the woods and creek behind her house looking for wildlife. This interest led her to obtaining a B.S. in Wildlife and Fisheries Science, with a minor in Forestry, from the University of Tennessee in 2008; and a M.S. in Environmental Science from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga in 2015. While obtaining her degrees, Katheryn worked various seasonal positions conducting shorebird and waterbird surveys in New York, Texas, and Alabama. Upon graduating with her M.S., she worked two years with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, in Lakeland, as the state’s first regional shorebird biologist working with partners and stakeholders on various shorebird conservation issues, habitat management projects, breeding and nesting surveys, and public education.
During 2019 and 2020, Katheryn worked as a Contractual Conservation Biologist for Moon River Environmental, LLC, where her duties included fieldwork and baseline reporting for conservation easement properties. She was involved in projects in North Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky, and Georgia. Katheryn began working for MTM Environmental, LLC as a Contractual Conservation Biologist upon its conception until becoming a Wildlife Biologist/Ornithologist in 2022. Her experience as Wildlife Biologist/Ornithologist for MTM Environmental, LLC involves data analysis, fieldwork, mapping, and baseline reporting for conservation projects. Requirements for completion of these projects include knowledge of flora and fauna, listed species, habitats, and conservation values.
Katheryn is an active member of The Wildlife Society and the Tennessee Ornithological Society. She currently lives in East Tennessee with her husband, two daughters, two dogs, and two cats on approximately 4 acres of land close to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. In her spare time, Katheryn enjoys spending time outdoors with her family, birding, hiking, gardening, and photography.
Brooke Jennings
Conservation Biologist
Brooke Jennings is a Conservation Biologist for MTM Environmental, LLC. She is located in the Georgia field office. Brooke was born and raised in the beautiful and historic city of Savannah, Georgia. At a young age she explored and wandered through the Georgia low country and marshlands, learning about the diverse ecosystems she encountered there. Her upbringing also placed a strong emphasis on the value of resource conservation. She graduated from Georgia College & State University in 2015 with a Bachelor’s in Biology and a Minor in Environmental Science. After graduating with her B.S., she continued with her studies as a Graduate Assistant teaching Biodiversity classes and graduated in 2017 with a Master’s in Biology. She also had the opportunity to work at a veterinary office while attending graduate school where her love for animals expanded into an even greater love for the environment and the wildlife that resides there. Brooke’s undergraduate and graduate work focused on conservation techniques that can be applied to populations of various species. This research and her studies in environmental science led to her interest in conservation and establishing ecological baselines to assist with conserving ecosystems.
In May 2019, Brooke joined the staff of Moon River Environmental, LLC (MRE) as a Conservation Biologist, with the intent to protect special lands and habitats through conservation easements. While with MRE, Brooke worked with land trust staff, landowners, and other conservation professionals to develop baseline documentation reports. She also managed ongoing stewardship of company properties, including development and implementation of land management plans, annual monitoring, and compliance. In February 2021, Brooke joined MTM Environmental, LLC, which provides services similar to those of MRE. MTM specializes in Baseline Documentation Reports, Current Condition Reports, Land Management Planning, and many other services for landowners as well as land trusts and other governmental entities.
Brooke is an active member of the Society for Conservation Biology and The Wildlife Society. In her spare time, Brooke enjoys caring for her pets, fostering shelter dogs, and spending time outdoors.
Taylor Shook
Wildlife Biologist/GIS Specialist
Taylor Shook is currently a Wildlife Biologist and GIS Specialist for MTM Environmental, LLC. She is located in the Georgia field office, but travels to Colorado frequently for project management. Taylor grew up on the Vernon River of Savannah, Georgia. For three summers, she was involved in the Caretta Research Project on Wassaw National Wildlife Refuge (a barrier island); a hands-on loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) study that began in 1973. As a volunteer, she scanned the beach at intervals throughout the evening and early morning, tagged and measured turtles, dug nests, relocated and counted eggs, recorded locations, tracked egg development, and constructed metal fencing for nest protection. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Wildlife and Fisheries Biology from Clemson University in 2015, completing a semester in Queensland, Australia at James Cook University. At a cattle ranch called Wambiana, located in Charters Towers, Queensland, Australia, Ms. Shook was involved in the Wambiana Grazing Trial. This study began in 1997 to test and develop sustainable and profitable strategies to manage for rainfall variability in extensive grazing lands. While there, Ms. Shook researched the effects that moderate versus heavy (cattle) grazing had on species richness and diversity. Conservation projects were first introduced to Taylor while working for the Georgia-Alabama Land Trust, Inc (GALT). While at GALT, she monitored conservation easement properties via field and aerial inspections, mapped conservation easement property features using ArcMap, wrote baseline documentation reports, supervised 125 properties, resolved violations, and represented the company during environmental events.
Upon moving to Denver, Colorado in 2019, Taylor was a Staff Scientist for Western Environment & Ecology, Inc. and Contractual Conservation Biologist for Moon River Environmental, LLC from 2019 to 2020. Duties as Staff Scientist included Phase I and II Environmental Assessments, threatened and endangered species surveys, water and soil sampling, wetland delineation and permitting, and revegetation plans. She attended the nationally highly regarded Richard Chinn Environmental Training which included training in Wetland Delineation and Wetland Permitting. During her career as Staff Scientist, she prepared the Colorado Forest Legacy, Assessment of Need (2020). The Forest Legacy Program is a federally funded and state-administered program that supports efforts to protect private forest lands that are environmentally, economically, and socially critical. The Forest Legacy Program (FLP) authorizes the USDA Forest Service or state governments to purchase permanent conservation easements on private forest lands to prevent those lands from being converted to non-forest uses. Ms. Shook used mapping software as well as numerous data layers to create the Forest Legacy Area maps. Her further involvement included coordinating and communicating with the Colorado State Forest Service, research, and comprising the final report. Taylor began working for CTL Thompson, Inc. as an Environmental Technician in 2021, continuing her career in the environmental consulting field.
During 2019 and 2020, Taylor worked as a Contractual Conservation Biologist for Moon River Environmental, LLC, where her duties included fieldwork and baseline reporting for conservation easement properties. She was involved in projects in Texas, Arkansas, and Colorado. Taylor began working for MTM Environmental, LLC as a Wildlife Biologist and GIS Specialist in 2021. Ms. Shook’s experience as Wildlife Biologist and GIS Specialist for MTM Environmental, LLC involves fieldwork, mapping, and baseline reporting for conservation projects. Requirements for completion of these projects include knowledge of flora and fauna, listed species, habitats, and conservation values.