Our Team
Meet the people behind the work—staff and board members who care deeply about the forest and the community around it.
Jo Swanson
Executive Director
Two Harbors, MN
Jo (she/her) has a background in nonprofit trail administration, most recently working for the Superior Hiking Trail Association, where she loved meeting amazing volunteers and dedicated land-managing partners. She began her career accidentally, when she signed up to volunteer on a trail project and just kept coming back. She is a long-distance hiker, Wilderness area collector, and camps at least 52 nights per year. She is based out of Two Harbors and regularly explores the Superior National Forest. She hopes to meet you on a project soon!
Dan Wilder
Wilderness Project Coordinator
Minneapolis, MN
Dan (he/him) is a lifelong adventurer based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He holds a BFA in Documentary Film from CU Boulder, along with certificates in Media and Motion Graphics from Hennepin Technical College. His career has spanned a wide range of roles, including rock climbing guide, sports video producer, pizza company owner, and senior-level National Ski Patroller. Dan is passionate about connecting people to the outdoors and is thrilled to lead volunteer groups into the Superior National Forest. An experienced canoe camper, Dan has been bringing his children to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness since they were infants, alongside his wife, Kelly. He believes life is best experienced under a full blanket of stars and looks forward to connecting with others on the trail.
Sandy Skrien
Board Chair
Duluth, MN
Sandy brings over four decades of dedicated public lands stewardship to her work, beginning her career on the Superior National Forest and spending 20 years managing resources on Alaska's Tongass National Forest. She returned to the Superior National Forest as the Public Service Team Leader and later retired in 2020 as the National Wilderness Program Manager for the U.S. Forest Service. From 2021 to 2026, Sandy continued supporting federal land management as a manager for National Experienced Workforce Solutions within the Forest Service ACES program. She now lives in Duluth, Minnesota, with her husband, Wayne, and their two yellow labs, Cedar and Juniper.
Rory Anderson
Board Vice Chair
Lutsen, MN
Rory (she/her) grew up on the prairies of western Minnesota and fell in love with the forests and waters of northern Minnesota during summers spent in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Her career has spanned environmental education, nonprofit communications, and state policy, with a focus on helping people understand and engage with the natural world. She currently works in conservation communications, supporting partnerships across the Great Lakes region. She now calls the Northwoods home, where she can often be found identifying lichens on the trail, swimming in Lake Superior in every season, or adventuring through the forest with her black lab, Fern.
Amy Boyer
Board Treasurer
Rochester, MN
Amy (she/her) is deeply committed to preserving Minnesota’s beautiful natural resources and loves exploring the diverse and breathtaking state and national parks across the United States. She is based out of Rochester, Minnesota, working for a not-for-profit healthcare organization, but finds enjoyment volunteering with the United Way, Channel One Food Bank, and as a local election judge. Amy and her husband, Joe, cherish their time in the Superior National Forest and have a longstanding presence on Lake Vermillion.
Hannah DeFranco
Board Member
Saint Paul, MN
Hannah (she/her) is a lifelong Minnesotan with deep ties to the Northwoods, particularly the Boundary Waters, which have shaped her perspective and sense of purpose. She has led winter trips into the BWCAW with students, witnessing how time in the wilderness transforms relationships with self and land. Professionally, she works in project and change management, helping organizations align strategy with people through stakeholder engagement, strategic planning, and volunteer leadership. As a board member, Hannah is honored to support the mission of Friends of the Superior National Forest through fundraising, planning, and advocacy to ensure public lands remain protected and transformational for generations to come.
Bix Firer
Board Member
Hoyt Lakes, MN
Bix (he/him) has spent the last two decades working at the nexus of public lands conservation and outdoor recreation, as an educator, organizational leader, and fundraiser. Bix is currently the Director of Philanthropy at the Ice Age Trail Alliance. Bix was born in Wisconsin, but got his first true taste of wilderness in the BWCAW. Since that formative experience, Bix has worked leading canoe trips in the BWCAW and visited the Superior National Forest at least once a year, canoeing, nordic skiing, fishing, and grouse hunting. Bix has worked in Wisconsin, Colorado, Idaho, and Alaska, and currently lives with his wife, Emma, 2 year old son, Angus, and dog along the Wisconsin River. They make family trips to Northern Minnesota each summer and winter, to visit their favorite places in the Superior National Forest.
Maggie FitzGibbon
Board Member
Hoyt Lakes, MN
Maggie (she/her) is a naturalist and nature advocate with over 14 years of nonprofit experience serving a broad range of missions, including performing arts production, animal welfare, wildlife conservation, and outdoor recreation. The last 8 of those 14 years have been in fundraising and communications, developing relationships with donors and communities to ensure financial support for the critical work of those nonprofits. Maggie grew up in Saint Paul and moved to Hoyt Lakes a few years ago, fulfilling a lifelong dream of living in Northern Minnesota. She believes in building a better world through connection with nature, and is excited for the opportunity to continue working with the community to steward our shared neighborhood of the Superior National Forest.
Trent Homard
Board Member
Saint Paul, MN
Trent (he/him) has always had a passion for the outdoors. He studied Biology at the University of North Dakota, earning a BS, and after college started out working in laboratories. He quickly realized that he wasn’t cut out for lab work and started on a journey that led him to getting his Master’s degrees in Non-Profit Management and Public Administration from Hamline. He currently works for Keystone Services, a human services non-profit in St. Paul. Trent loves hiking, camping and birding. He considers the North Shore and Superior National Forest one of the most beautiful places on earth and loves any opportunity to go up there. He currently lives in St. Paul with his wife, son, and two cats.
Andy Jenks
Board Member
Stillwater, MN
Andy has over 40 years of experience in outdoor navigation. Andy teaches graduate and undergraduate courses at the University of Minnesota in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Global Positioning Systems (GPS). He serves as the President of the Banadad Trail Association, a major cross-country ski trail along the Gunflint Trail near Grand Marais, MN. Andy also serves on the Board of the John Francis Foundation, a non-profit that focuses on wilderness safety education and rescue. He is an avid wilderness paddler and kayaker with many wilderness trips in the US and Canada.
Mike Smith
Board Member
Hovland, MN
Mike serves as Co-Executive Director of Friends of Chimbote, working alongside his wife, Katie. Their organization focuses on community development in Chimbote, Peru. Before this role, Mike spent many years in international school leadership, most recently as Superintendent of Saudi Aramco Expatriate Schools in Saudi Arabia. His career began in the Peace Corps as an Environmental Education volunteer in rural Honduras, where he worked to raise awareness and promote protection of the Rio Plátano Biosphere. Mike holds a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of Saint Mary’s. His Master’s research, also at Saint Mary’s, explored the impact of outdoor education on elementary-aged students. Mike and Katie live in Hovland, Minnesota and enjoy the ever changing lake and nature all around them.