Potawatomi Park Team

Park Staff

  • A woman and a young boy are exchanging a plush yellow and black stuffed animal inside a room. The woman is kneeling and wearing a black cap, sunglasses, and a dark shirt. The boy has short blonde curly hair, a light gray t-shirt, and blue shorts. Behind them, there is a glass display case with a mounted deer and a small artificial Christmas tree.

    Lacey Pfeiffer

    Park Manager

  • A man with a beard wearing glasses, a cap, and a navy blue T-shirt sitting on a red riding lawn mower, with green trees in the background.

    Chad McIntire

    Part-Time Maintenance

Board Members Information from Bylaws

Section 1 - Number and Term of Directors The business, property, and affairs of this corporation shall be managed by a board of directors composed of up to twenty (20) persons as follows:

1. Appointed Members: The board shall be composed of five (5) persons representing the five (5) service club organizations: Triton Kiwanis, Bremen Kiwanis, Etna Green Lions, Mentone Lions, and Bourbon Lions. These board members shall be elected by their respective clubs.

2. Elected Members: Up to fifteen (15) persons shall be elected. Elkhart, Fulton, Kosciusko, Marshall, and St. Joseph Counties shall each be represented by at least one (1) member. The remaining ten (10) members will be selected as at-large members.

3. Junior Board Members: Two (2) junior board members, ages 16 to 17, may serve in an advisory capacity. At the age of 18, a junior board member may apply for a regular board member position if one is available. Junior board members do not have governance responsibility or voting power and do not count towards the 20 total board members.

Elected at large - Potawatomi Park Inc Board Members

  • Wyatt Stephan

    *Board President

    *Pharmaceutical Project Manager

  • A woman with blonde, wavy hair smiling at the camera in an outdoor setting with trees in the background.

    Mandy Nifong

    *Medical Assistant

  • A man with glasses and a long white beard smiling at the camera indoors.

    Tom Devros

    * Retired: Forest Management & Lumber

    “I wanted to join the board to help with wood lot management to keep the grounds healthy and viable for the future”

  • A man with glasses and a mustache wearing a black hoodie with a graphic design that says 'McIntire Blood' and features wings, standing outdoors with a background of bare trees.

    Keith McIntire

    *Career Firefighter at City of Mishawaka & Volunteer Firefighter at Tippecanoe Fire

  • A man with a red beard, light blue eyes, wearing a black Carhartt cap and a plaid shirt, standing in front of a pine tree.

    River Watson

    *Board Secretary

    *Education: Environmental Education

  • Smiling young man with glasses in a police uniform, featuring an American flag patch on the shoulder and a police badge on the chest, against a gray background.

    Alex Gaughan

    *College Student pursing Technology

    *Volunteer Firefighter

  • Terry Scott

    *Driver at Pike Lumber

  • Generic user profile icon with a white silhouette of a person on a gray circle, set against a dark green background.

    Open Position

    Apply Today!

  • Generic user profile avatar with a gray circle and white silhouette of a person on a dark green background.

    Open Position

    Apply Today!

  • Placeholder profile image with gray circle and white silhouette of a person on dark green background.

    Open Position

    Apply Today!

Elected representing surrounding counties - Potawatomi Park Inc Board Members

  • Close-up photo of a man with glasses and a mustache, smiling, with green leafy plants in the background.

    JH Northrop

    Board Vice President

    *Representative for

    Fulton County

    *Board Vice President

    *Sawmill Operator

  • A woman with long brown hair, wearing glasses and a red floral top, smiling outdoors on a park trail with green grass and trees in the background.

    Holly Sellers

    *Representative for Marshall County

    *Bowen Center Skills Coach

    “I wanted to join the board because I have a history with Potawatomi Park. Many memories were made with my grandpa and I want to be able to give back to a place that meant a lot to me growing up.”

  • Close-up of a woman with dark hair, fair skin, and green eyes, smiling, with a beach and ocean in the background.

    Amber VanNess

    *Representative for

    Kosciusko County

    *Human Resources Generalist at OMCO

  • A man smiling and lying down, wearing a camouflage hat and a plaid shirt.

    Tim Berger

    *Representative from Elkhart County

    “I wanted to join the board to help with the success of the park and give back to our community.”

  • Generic user profile avatar with a gray circle and white silhouette of a person on a dark green background.

    Open Position for representative from St Joseph County

    Apply Today!

Appointed service club - Potawatomi Park Inc Board Members

  • An elderly man with gray hair sitting in a living room with a plaid shirt, in front of a brick fireplace and a framed painting of a landscape.

    Jeff Klinefelter

    *Appointed by:

    Etna Green Lions

    *Professional Wildlife Artist

  • A smiling woman with glasses and brown hair tied back, wearing a maroon sweater with white floral patterns, seated indoors.

    Lori Hoese

    *Appointed by: Bremen Kiwanis

    *Owner of bFACS Bremen Financial and Academic Coaching Services

  • Open Position

    Open Position

    For appointment from Bourbon Lions

  • Generic user profile icon with a gray silhouette of a person on a dark green background.

    Open Position

    For appointment from Triton Kiwanis

    (Currently not an active group)

  • Generic user profile avatar icon with a gray user silhouette inside a gray circle, on a dark green background.

    Open Position

    For appointment from Mentone Lions

    (Currently not an active group)

Junior Members - Potawatomi Park Inc Board Members

  • A young woman with long, wavy light brown hair, smiling outdoors against a white backdrop with some greenery in the distance.

    Brooke Kitch

    *Jr Board Member

    *Involved in Triton HS Athletics (Golf & Tennis), Triton HS Clubs (Spanish Club, Science Club, Spirit Club, National Honor Society, Art Club, FCS), Community Service Clubs (Marshall County 4-H)

  • A young man with brown hair in a blue polo taking a photo with a camera, sitting against a blue bleachers.

    Sylias Shufelt

    *Jr Board Member

    *Sports & Event Photographer

    *Involved in Triton HS Athletics (Track & Field), Triton HS Clubs / Orgs. (Yearbook Committee, Spirit Club, Student Council)

Advisory Committee

  • Black and white portrait of an elderly man with a neutral expression, short white hair, dressed in a collared shirt and sweater, set against a wooden background.

    Don Fites

    Retired - living in Florida

    Former chairman and CEO of Caterpillar, Inc.

  • Black-and-white professional headshot of a smiling man in a suit against a dark background.

    Dan Stichter

    President at OrthoLazer

  • Close-up portrait of an older man with gray hair, mustache, wearing a white lab coat and a light blue shirt, against a dark background.

    Dr. Micheal Williams

    Warsaw, Indiana

    Physician

  • Headshot of a smiling middle-aged man with gray hair, glasses, wearing a dark suit, light shirt, and patterned tie, against a plain background.

    Dr. Mark Schurr

    Professor of Anthropology at Notre Dame

  • Portrait of a middle-aged man wearing a black suit, white shirt, and patterned tie, with short light-colored hair against a blue background.

    Dave Gibson

    Owner Gibson Insurance Agency

  • Generic user profile icon.

    Ginny Gibson

    Business Woman

  • A middle-aged man with a mustache wearing a black jacket, a black cap with sunglasses on top, standing outdoors in front of a metal fence and a red wall.

    Tim Gochenour

    Agri-Business - Owner

Interested in joining the team?

Interested in joining the BOARD:Click here for the board application

Interested in joining the BOARD as a JUNIOR board member:Click here for Junior Board member application

Interested in joining a COMMITTEE: Email potawatomiwildlifepark@gmail.com *This position is not a board member position and nonvoting.

  • Steering & Finance Committee- Wyatt (Chair)

  • Grounds, Buildings and Maintenance Committee- Jeff (Chair), Alex, Tim, Keith, J.H., River, Tommy, Terry

  • Grounds Tree Task Force: J.H., River, Tommy, Terry

  • Donor Relations - Wyatt (Chair)

  • Human Resources & Administration Committee- Amber (Chair), J.H., Wyatt

  • Events Committee - TBD (Chair), J.H., Mandy, Wyatt, Sylias, Bryttney Sands

Interested in joining the Advisory Committee: Email potawatomiwildlifepark@gmail.com(1) A little about yourself, (2) Your expertise, (3) The reason you would like to serve on the advisory committee.

Thank you past board members for your service

  • Amanda Petrucelli

  • Barry Davis

  • Bette K. McDaniel

  • Betty Bessinger

  • Bill Cleavenger

  • Bill Price

  • Bill Veldt

  • Brian Pyle

  • Brooke Downing

  • Carol Bowen

  • Eldon Horn

  • Forrest Kantner

  • Gerald Romine

  • Jay Grossman

  • Jim New

  • John Anglin JR

  • Jon Cook

  • Jordan Maiden (2015 -

  • Kevin Pfeiffer

  • Larry Beeson (1987 - 2024)

  • Lisa Eiser

  • Louise Mason

  • Lynn Utter

  • Lynne Baldwin

  • Mark Espich (2006-2026)

  • Mark Schurr

  • Margaret Easton (2015 -

  • Michael Williams

  • Nick Treber

  • Robert Fisher

  • Roger Terry

  • Ron Zimmerman (2017 -

  • Seth Carter

  • Sylvia Bieghler

  • Tana Beeson

  • Wayne Bessinger

  • Wes Rettinger (2015 -

Thank you past advisory committee members for your service

  • Capt. William Pippenger

  • Dr. Cecil Burket

  • Dr. Dane Miller

  • John Zeglis

  • Ralph Mason

  • Ronald D. Gifford

  • Suzzie Light

  • William Erwin