Stacie Jacob-Agricultural Journalism
Stacie Jacob, a communications professional, began her tenure with the Paso Robles wine community in December 2004. Jacob leads the member based organization representing more than 500 to fully achieve its mission to brand and promote Paso Robles Wine Country. Working towards two key objectives – building demand for Paso Robles wines and enhancing the wine country experience - Jacob guides the branding efforts of this emerging California wine region to include marketing, promotions and public relations. Jacob takes the lead role as Executive Director for the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance after serving nearly four years as the public relations director for the Washington Wine Commission. As Public Relations Director for the Washington Wine Commission, Jacob was instrumental in building the awareness of Washington State wines nationally and internationally.  In conjunction with their Executive Director, she served as industry spokesperson to travel, lifestyle and wine trade media; building relationships with writers from Gourmet, Travel & Leisure, Sunset, Food & Wine, San Francisco Chronicle and numerous other publications.  She gained experience in developing and managing regional tour programs, industry speaker programs as well as consumer tastings and festivals nationally and internationally.  Prior to the Washington Wine Commission, Stacie spent four years in Kansas City, Mo., with Fleishman-Hillard, a global public relations agency where she focused on food and agriculture clients.

Stacie was recognized in 2008 as one of the Top 20 Under 40 leaders by the San Luis Obispo Tribune. She grew up in a small farming community in Nebraska and graduated from University of Nebraska in Lincoln with a degree in Agricultural Journalism. 

Sherry Frey-Agribusiness
Sherry Frey is the vice president of account services for the Perishables Group, a Chicago-based marketing and consulting firm.  Sherry’s primary areas of focus are developing innovative category development techniques for clients in the fresh food industry, as well as new product development - from conception through execution and launch. Sherry manages the Perishables Group supplier client base and account team. Through targeted strategic planning and market research efforts, Sherry ensures PG programs deliver actionable insights to guide critical business decisions. Sherry frequently shares consumer and industry insights and opportunities at many national and international industry events, including the Food Marketing Institute and INFOFISH.

Prior to joining the Perishables Group in 2002, Sherry served as vice president of Fleishman-Hillard, a marketing communications organization. Her specialty was marketing campaigns and new product launches for national accounts such as Welch’s, Hallmark, Monsanto, Farmland National Beef, and McDonalds. Her work included the national launch of the Maya Angelou Life Mosaic from Hallmark program. Her previous experience also includes international work with the USDA Foreign Agriculture Service (Vienna, Austria) and Emile Voarick Vineyards (Dijon, France).

Sherry has a bachelor’s degree in agribusiness from the University of Nebraska.   

Kyle Schmit-Mechanized Systems Management
After graduating from UNL in 2009 with a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanized systems management, Kyle joined Lindsay Corporation as a Technical Product Support Technician.

In his position, he provides support for dealers, service technicians, and customers who utilize Zimmatic irrigation products.

Jeanine Frey-Biochemistry
Jeanine Frey, a Biochemistry graduate from Hays Springs, Nebraska, was one of 323 students nationwide to receive the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship. The prestigious undergraduate scholarship is designed to foster and encourage outstanding students to pursue careers in mathematics, natural sciences and engineering. Jeanine took advantage of many of the opportunities provided through CASNR such as hands-on research with faculty, studied in England, mentored younger students and served as the co-president of the Biochemistry Club. She is continuing with her biochemistry doctoral program at Stanford University.

Eric Schacht-Fisheries and Wildlife

Eric Schacht graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln 2006 with a B.S. degree in Fisheries and Wildlife. He spent last spring and summer in the southern African nation of Namibia where he completed a fellowship with the Grassland Foundation.

Currently, Eric Schacht is a ranch hand at Fawn Lake Ranch, a Ted Turner ranch property, in western Cherry County, NE. Eric plans to pursue a Masters Degree, next fall, at University of Alaska-Fairbanks in the field of community-based natural resource management and planning.
 

Many questions ran through my head as I prepared to travel to the Southern African nation of Namibia as a fellow for the Grassland Foundation, a non-profit conservation group based in Lincoln. When I discovered the Grassland Foundation was looking for someone to pioneer internship opportunities in Namibia for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL), I jumped at the opportunity. I am a 2006 graduate of the UNL Fisheries and Wildlife program. After graduation, I spent two years in the Peace Corps as a Natural Resource Extension Agent in the West African country of Mali. I then worked on one of the bison ranches owned by Ted Turner in the Nebraska Sandhills.

The main objective of my work in Namibia was to develop relationships for future UNL students to learn about nature-based tourism on private lands and to develop research projects for them.

The Namib Rand Nature Reserve (NRNR). NRNR is located in southwestern Namibia and is a private, nonprofit nature reserve established to help protect and conserve the unique ecology and wildlife of the Namib Desert. Unlike most privately owned ranches in Namibia, which have both cattle and wildlife tourism operations, NRNR is dedicated exclusively to wildlife. Because it is privately owned, it must be economically sustainable to provide high-quality, low-impact tourism to generate income.

I spent the first two weeks on the Reserve working with staff, checking game cameras and participating in their annual game count. NRNR wardens and rangers spend much of their time monitoring wildlife through these methods and it helps them to understand the dynamic ecology of the area. This knowledge, in turn, helps them to manage their natural resources.

The first tourism operation I visited was Tok Tokkie Trails. It was a backpacking expedition in the Horseshoe wilderness area of the Reserve, complete with all the amenities. I went on a three-day, two- night trip with a Swiss couple and an indigenous guide, Domingo. As we hiked through mountains and sand dunes, Domingo taught us about the natural history of the area and also identified plants and animals, giving us explanations of their different medicinal and cultural significance. At the end of each day we were served a four-course meal, with the main course consisting of a variety of game meat (i.e. oryx, springbok), and then went to bed lying beneath some of the darkest night skies blanketed with some of the brightest stars in the world.

After my time hiking, I traveled to the central part of the Reserve to spend time with safari guides at Wolwedans ( “dancing wolves” in Afrikaans). The Wolwedan’s Collection is the largest concession on the reserve. It has several high-end camps and beautiful tent chalets set in the secluded red sand dunes of the Namib Desert. In short, the food and accommodations are incredible - all five-star and a favorite spot of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie and their family.
The main activities guests participate in during their stay are typically game drives. These are opportunities to cover a lot of ground by four-wheel drive and to see plentiful plains’ game like zebra, oryx, springbok and ostrich. Cheetahs, leopards and hyenas can be found on the Reserve as well, along with other small predators – however, lions have been eliminated from the area.

What surprised me most was how knowledgeable the naturalist guides were. Most of them have had formal training at technical schools in hospitality, guiding and the natural history of the Namibia Desert and its associated flora and fauna. Guiding is a profession there, compared to Nebraska, where to my knowledge, we have no training system for guides. It struck me how important good guiding was to the whole experience. You can look at the scenery, but the best way to truly appreciate the experience is through the interpretation of a guide who is well trained.

My last experience on the reserve was the Namib Desert Environmental Trust (NADEET). NADEET is a small but important, non-governmental organization that educates and empowers Namibians to live sustainably. I witnessed a group of sixth graders experience sustainable living theory and practice. The students left NADEET after one week with a greater awareness of how their daily activities impact their carbon imprints and how this impacts their environment.
After being immersed in the conservation model at NRNR, I observed that our ecosystems – both the Namib and the Sandhills - share an inherent bond. Both areas contain some of the last unsettled, wide open landscapes on the earth. Tourism has provided Namibia with a revenue stream to reinvigorate grassland ecosystems while promoting conservation, rural development and responsible land stewardship. Could it do the same for Nebraska? I strongly believe yes, but to make it work, we need to do more to embrace and develop our private tourism sector.

I learned a great deal from my experience in Namibia and I know other UNL students would, too. The Grassland Foundation is working with the University of Nebraska Foundation and faculty at the UNL School of Natural Resources to establish a fund that can be used to foster grants so other students can visit Namibia and learn about natural resource management and eco-tourism. This investment will only ensure the development of future stewards of Nebraska’s grasslands.