Board of Directors

Meet Our Team

Friends of Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge Board of Directors

Peter Schwager, President

Pete Schwager is a VP-Senior Loan Officer at The Marblehead Bank in Marblehead, Ohio. His wife Jan is an avid birder, and Pete enjoys helping to point out birds for her to identify. As a family man, Pete's greatest accomplishments are his three great kids and a happy wife (most of the time!) In addition to birding, he and his wife also enjoy traveling, antiques, and flea markets. Pete's goal on the Friends of Ottawa NWR board is to help create a strong financial base to help ensure a long term viability for ONWR - preserving the area for present and future generations of birders and naturalists.

Carol Fingerhut, Secretary

Born and raised in Northwest Ohio, Carol Fingerhut has long appreciated the unique beauty of the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge and the surrounding area. She hopes her involvement on the Board of Directors will encourage others to become members and get involved in habitat conservation efforts. A recently-retired Human Resources professional, Carol now has more time to enjoy the outdoors, whether working in her yard, walking in her neighborhood, or taking nature photographs. She enjoys watching the birds and other ‘critters’ who visit her property, which has been designated a Backyard Wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation. Carol lives in Genoa, Ohio, with her Golden Retriever (Echo) and her two cats (Ziggy and Pyewacket).

Ginger Haar

Ginger Haar is also known as Shirley Haar at Perrysburg Township where she has been the Chief Fiscal Officer for over 15 years..She is the Secretary and Treasurer for the Wood County Township Association. Ginger has many contacts in state and local politics and has helped move the license plate application forward. She is an strong proponent of the refuge and is increasing awareness of the refuge and friends group. Since becoming involved with the refuge, she has become a familiar face at refuge events.

Kris Johnston

Kristina Johnston works as a Nurse Manager for an insurer, and is currently completing her Master's degree in leadership. Kris brings a strong commitment and passion for preserving and encouraging the use of the refuge. Personally, she thinks the lands are an amazing gift to photographers. Kris also enjoys thinking creatively and public speaking to support a cause. She would like to see the refuge continue to expand its physical footprint. By being on the board she hopes to bring increased awareness of the offerings at the refuge and membership opportunities to sustain the refuge for years to come. Kris resides in Jefferson, Ohio with her husband Doug and Lab/Australian Shepherd mix Tucker who is the real birdwatcher of the family. Together, they enjoy camping, photography, and spending time with family and friends.

Tom Romito

Tom Romito is a retired U.S. Army officer and federal service employee now serving as a facilitator, strategic planner, and non-profit leader. He is particularly excited to be a part of Friends of Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge to raise the awareness level of the refuge in Northeast Ohio through his involvement on the Marketing and Outreach Committee. Tom, wife Mary Anne, and Summer (17 year old house cat) live in Cleveland, Ohio. In his spare time, Tom enjoys RV camping, birding, fitness training, and working with a variety of nonprofit organizations.

Dr. Jennifer Biegala, Vice President

Jenni Biegala and her husband Bill are very enthusiastic supporters of Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, rarely missing an event or opportunity to help. Jenni's day (evening & night) job is a college professor for online courses at Stautzenberger College. She and Bill both enjoy taking pictures at the refuge and sharing the special moments they capture with our members. Jenni's main goal as a board member with Friends of Ottawa NWR is to increase awareness of the refuge while increasing our membership base. With a PhD in Organization and Management, she is full of great ideas of how to make that happen!

Melanie Bowen-Greenwald

Melanie Bowen-Greenwald works as a customer service rep in Toledo, Ohio. You may recognize her as a Lake Township Trustee, where she served for more than 20 years. Melanie is credited with leaving the township in much better condition than when it started. Building Fireside Park in Millbury was a huge highlight of her time as a trustee. In her spare time, Melanie enjoys event planning, repurposing, and spending time with new husband Michael. Mel hopes that while serving on the Friends of Ottawa NWR board of directors, she can promote the refuge and work towards a greater awareness for our community.

Mary Willoughby

Mary Willoughby has worked at Kay Jewelers in Fremont for the past 43 years. She recently moved to Oak Harbor with her companion Rick and lives on the Toussaint River and has enjoyed all the wildlife and birds that stop by. Family is very important to her. Mary has 3 children and 7 grandchildren that she loves going to their sporting events and spending time with them. Besides family Mary and Rick love to travel the world and see all the beautiful sights there are to see. Since joining the board she has been involved in many fundraising activities and wants to promote the refuge to neighboring communities and increase membership to a new high.

Justin Woldt

Justin Woldt grew up in Wisconsin and spent his youth outdoors camping and exploring. Family trips to public lands around the country helped shape his appreciation for nature and early desire to become a park ranger. Woldt graduated from the University of Wisconsin, Madison with a degree in Zoology and Psychology. Prior to serving with the Department, he was employed at a non-profit residential environmental education center. He started his career as a Park Ranger shortly after and was an employee of the Department of the Interior from 2005-2020. Woldt has worked at Yellowstone National Park, Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, Congaree National Park, Carlsbad Caverns National Park and Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge. After transitioning to a position at Allegheny National Forest in 2020, Justin accepted a position on the Friends Board of Directors in 2021. Woldt enjoys kayaking, biking, hiking, swimming, camping with his wife Becky and four kids: Nina, Elsie, Avery and Logan. (Although most of his free time is spent “working projects” and “pretending”.)

Michael House, Treasurer

Michael is retired from a career as a researcher, analyst and business manager. Most recently Michael worked as a contract research consultant and analyst. Prior to that he was Division Vice President for Maritz Research, leading analytic teams and managing Maritz’ business with a large automotive manufacturer. Michael has extensive experience in all phases of market research, including survey design, fieldwork, data processing and analysis. Previously, Michael worked at two other private research organizations, NFO Research Inc. and Audits & Surveys, Inc. He also spent almost ten years with the U.S.D.A. National Agricultural Statistics Service as a statistician and analyst.

Michael served on the Board of Directors for the Lutheran Ministries of Mercy and Luther Home of Mercy (LHM) from 2003 – 2019. He was Board Chair from 2013 - 2018. He is currently serving as a Board member for the LHM Foundation and the Friends of Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge. Michael has a Bachelor’s Degree in Natural Resources and a Master’s degree in Biometry from The Ohio State University.

Kendra Foust

Kendra Foust was born and raised in Northwest Ohio with the privilege of having Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge in walking distance from the backdoor of her childhood home. Kendra relocated to Southeast Ohio where she received her Associates Degree in Wildlife Management from Hocking College, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Fish and Wildlife Conservation and Management from The University of Rio Grande. She is a conservation and outdoor industry worker along with being a
longtime volunteer at Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge. Kendra’s goal as a board member of Friends of Ottawa NWR is to increase awareness about the refuge along with making sure future generations are able to experience what our natural world has to offer. Kendra and her husband Jonathan enjoy hunting, fishing, and traveling. They reside in Oak Harbor, Ohio with their dog Blaze, and rescued guinea pigs.

Ron Overmyer

Ron Overmyer worked as an Ohio State University Extension Agent for 37 years, retiring in 2004. His focus now is private agricultural business development consulting. Ron has completed several volunteer consulting jobs in east and southern Africa, though he resides in Oak Harbor. Ron plans to bring his expertise in organizational development to the Friends, helping to grow and preserve this unique wildlife refuge in Ottawa County. He enjoys traveling, camping, biking, and the outdoors in his spare time.