How nature inspired The Nature Foundation's chairwoman to get involved

Jennifer Gabrenya is in her second year as chairwoman of The Nature Foundation board. (Photo by Glenn P. Knoblock)

Jennifer Gabrenya likes to say the forest preserves saved her during a difficult period in her life.

During the COVID pandemic, the preserves were a “lifeline” for her. She would visit Lake Renwick Preserve, near her home in Romeoville, to run as an outlet from the stress in her life. And then one day while there she remembers clearly thinking, “Why isn’t this what I’m investing in?”

“This is so clearly what's making me happy and what I feel like is keeping me going and where I need to go to when I'm not feeling OK,” she said of realizing how the time she was spending in the preserves was so meaningful to her health and well-being.

The very day she had that realization she became a financial supporter of The Nature Foundation of Will County, but that was only the start of her commitment and involvement. From there, she became involved in the Foundation’s native plant sales. Then when she saw a notice in The Nature Foundation’s newsletter seeking board members, she decided to inquire and was later named to the Board of Directors. Now she is in her second year as the chairwoman of the board.

Gabrenya is no stranger to the non-profit world, having spent most of her professional career working for non-profit organizations serving victims of domestic abuse and sexual assault. Today she is the chief executive officer of Anew: Building Beyond Violence and Abuse in Homewood.

She views the duality of the two roles — leading in the non-profit sector both as a professional and in a volunteer capacity — as a positive.

“With The Nature Foundation, I can pull from the experience of running an organization and working with the board and be able to provide some of that insight and then being on (The Nature Foundation) board, I feel like it really helps me when I interact with my own board, because I can speak from experience as a board member.”

Since joining the board and then becoming chairwoman, Gabrenya has helped oversee the transition from the original executive director, Cindy Harn, who founded The Nature Foundation, to new Executive Director Tara Neff, who took over in 2023 when Harn retired.

“That's always a tricky time for a nonprofit, when you have that changeover, so that's been really rewarding to be able to be part of that happening successfully and then to just see Tara come into her own,” she said.

Looking forward, Gabrenya is eager to see how The Nature Foundation can continue to evolve its relationship with the Forest Preserve District.

“Our mission is very squarely to support the programs of the Forest Preserve District, so I’m always looking forward to how we can do that in new and bigger and better ways.”

Because spending time outdoors has been so therapeutic for her, she is particularly passionate about supporting programs and initiatives that help people make connections with the natural world.

“Once you build a connection with nature, that's when people then think about the conservation side of it,” she said. “You have to kind of lead people along that continuum. That's my vision.”

Her own personal journey along that continuum has led her to where she is today, but the road hasn’t always been a straight one. Her interest in nature and the arts began as a child, but she got away from it as a teenager and young adult. It was those runs at Lake Renwick Preserve that first renewed those passions, she said. As she started to spend more time outside in nature, she found herself curious about the world around her, and that led her to more pursuits, both as a volunteer and in her leisure time.

Gabrenya is an avid native gardener and enjoys nature photography. She earned her Natural Areas Conservation certificate through The Morton Arboretum where she is also a volunteer steward leader and contracted certified forest therapy guide. Additionally, she serves as a member of the Village of Romeoville’s Conservation and Sustainability Committee.

“It's really funny because I used to be absolutely convinced that I didn't have any time to volunteer,” she said. Although she never set out to live a life of service, Gabrenya reflected on lessons learned from her time studying at DePaul University where steward leadership is highly valued. Now that she has fully embraced the role of volunteer she stated, “Once you start doing something and it feels like a good fit, why would you change that?”