Ozark Regional Land Trust

Empowering People to Protect the Ozarks Forever

ORLT Staff

Edward "Ted" Heisel, Executive Director
Ted grew up in Labadie, Missouri, on a corn and soybean farm along the Missouri River.  He spent much of his youth hiking, hunting and fishing in the Ozark foothills of Franklin County.  More recently, he has taken up kayaking on many Ozark rivers and some day would like to float a few major rivers for their entire length.  Prior to joining ORLT, Ted was staff attorney at the Washington University Interdisciplinary Environmental Clinic in St. Louis.  He has a B.S. in Biology from Kansas State University and  J.D. from Harvard Law School.

Abigail Lambert, River Stewardship Project Coordinator
Abigail was born and raised in St. Louis.  Her family initially settled in the area in the 1700s and were trappers on the Mississippi.  She has a bachelor's degree in Political Science/Spanish/Ecology from University of Arizona and a master's degree in Environmental Management from Duke University.  Before returning to St. Louis she served as a solid waste consultant in Virginia and as the sole staff person with Lower Shore Land Trust for four years in Maryland.  She raised $5 million for protection of 9,000 acres through Rural Legacy, Maryland's land and conservation easement program.

Preston Lacy, Stewardship Director / Katy Land Trust Coordinator

Preston joined ORLT in 2011 as its Stewardship Director and Coordinator of the Katy Land Trust program.  Previously, he was Environmental Planner with the Southwestern Illinois Resource Conservation & Development, Inc., where he worked with local governments and others on land use planning efforts.  In addition, as part of the RC&D’s land trust program, he worked with landowners on conservation easement projects.  Preston holds joint masters degrees in Urban Planning and Public Administration from the University of Louisville and a B.S. in Natural Resource Conservation from the University of Kentucky.