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Heather joined Squam in 2026 and came to us most recently from West Virginia where she worked with the WV Higher Education Policy Commission. While there she worked on federal grants for recruitment and retention for underrepresented students in science. She also worked for a multi-state network focused on providing programs, funding, and stipends for students, staff, and faculty to improve rapport and success in the sciences.
Before shifting to programming and grants, she worked for over 10 years as a professor in both West Virginia and Maine. Her research foundation started in the Rocky Mountains, with a focus on water quality and historical nutrient construction. Later in Maine, she worked extensively in habitat reconstruction/protection including dam removal, longitudinal studies, and endangered population monitoring.
Heather is originally from Minnesota and got her research start working on the Mississippi River. She earned her M.S. from the Climate Change Institute in Maine and her Ph.D. from the University of Maine where she focused her work on invasive species and environmental responses. If she is not in the lab or classroom, you will almost certainly find her buried deep in a book or a True Crime story. Or maybe you didn’t find her as she was tucked away on a nature hike with her teacher husband Joe. She’ll come back out for food or requests to look at her beautiful cat-daughters.
Sara Hixon has been working as the bookkeeper for the Squam Lakes Association since January 2026. Sara joins us part-time, working Tuesday and Wednesday each week. While she is here, she handles accounts payable and receivables, prepares information for and works with the auditors each year, and provides support to the Executive Director and all of her team members.
Sara is a lifelong resident of the Squam area. She feels so grateful to reside in such a beautiful spot and work for an organization with members who care so much about preserving and enjoying the natural beauty for those of today and those to come. Together we are strong.
Kat first started at the SLA as a Watershed Resource Assistant through the Lakes Region Conservation Corps program in 2024 and returned as the organization's Watershed Plan Implementation Specialist.
Kat grew up in Hingham, Massachusetts and later pursued a B.S. in Environmental Science with a double minor in Biology and Sustainability at Colby-Sawyer College located in New London, NH. During her time as an undergraduate student, she worked on an extensive year-long lake assessment of Kezar Lake in Sutton, NH which involved year-round water quality monitoring, measuring tributary discharge flow, and benthic sediment core analysis. Kat also spent several years working with ArcGIS and LiDAR point cloud data on various projects with local and state organizations. She is excited to be back at the SLA and is looking to implement new ways to preserve Squam Lake and the surrounding watershed.
In her free time, you can find her skiing, snowmobiling, and rock climbing
We're so excited to have you join us! You will receive an email a day or two before the program with details regarding location, what to bring, and safety protocols.
Please fill out the information below to participate
Pollyanna Fisher
Community Conservation Director
Pollyanna grew up in Mexico and spent her summers on Squam, where she gained an early appreciation of the environment. She first joined the SLA as a Bio-intern in 2006 and returned as a Campaign and Conservation Strategist in 2023.
She spent most of her scientific career in Hawaii. She worked for the state’s Department of Aquatic resources, and in 2008, she joined the University of Hawaii Research Corporation working for the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration in coral reef environments focusing on marine acoustics. She completed her MS in Zoology while still working for NOAA. In 2012 she migrated to the NOAA Protected Species Division focusing her attention on baleen whale acoustic work.
In 2014, Pollyanna took a break from scientific research to focus on her young family, while continuing to work on personal projects and volunteering for environmental and cultural organizations in Hawaii. All the while, returning each summer to our beloved Squam.
Pollyanna has most recently returned to Holderness after spending two years in the Seychelles, Indian Ocean. She has a passion for travel, culture and mushroom foraging and is looking forward to experiencing Squam year-round.
Growing up in the Lakes Region, Sam loves all things New Hampshire. His first experiences with Squam were learning to swim at the Holderness town beach, family hikes up Rattlesnake Mountain, boating with childhood friends, and exploring Chamberlain-Reynolds Memorial Forest.
In the early 2000s, Sam was a caretaker for the Coolidge family on Long Island before heading back to shore and working at Riveredge Marina.
Sam graduated from Salve Regina University in 2011 with a Bachelor of Science in Marketing. Sam’s professional experience is in digital marketing where he has held both agency and in-house roles and has supported industry sectors including healthcare, real estate, and hospitality.
Haley started at the Squam Lakes Association in March of 2023 as the Membership and Donations Associate.
She is originally from Buxton, Maine and made her way to the White Mountains when she enrolled in Plymouth State University in 2015. She graduated university in 2019 with a BS in Environmental Biology and a minor in Sustainability.
She has previously held positions with the USDA Forest Service as a Field Research Technician in Placerville, California for the summer of 2018, assisted in the expansion and maintenance of the Plymouth State University greenhouse in 2019, and worked as a Scanning Technician for the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in support of the ongoing studies at Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest.
In her free time you can catch her snowboarding, hiking, or around a fire with friends!
Elise Eifler joined the SLA in the role of AmeriCorps Program Manager in January of 2025. She graduated from the University of Redlands with an interdisciplinary degree in Environmental Justice and Political Ecology. After graduating she entered the field of education, working in various roles from an earth educator and high school Biology teacher to running the summer program for an educational justice non-profit. She also spent three years with Conservation Corps North Bay supervising crews—on trail construction, fire mitigation, wetlands restoration and more—and teaching leadership skills to young adults.
She grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, where her love for the outdoors formed amidst the redwoods. She moved to New Hampshire in the Fall of 2024. In her free time she enjoys playing ultimate frisbee, hiking, foraging for mushrooms and learning about plants, reading and cooking.
Junior Squam Lakes Association (JSLA), Summer Camp, Public Programs, School Programs
Kyle first came to the Squam Lakes Association in 2015 as a Squam Conservation Intern and returned year after year in many different roles such as JSLA counselor, JSLA Camp Manager, and Lakes Region Conservation Corps member. After his year of AmeriCorps, he moved on to the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center to work as a Naturalist and run the summer camp before finally returning to the SLA as the Director of Education.
Kyle grew up in upstate New York where he graduated from the State University of New York at Oswego with a BS in Chemistry.
In his free time, Kyle can be found jumping off a paddleboard, playing board games, or, if you look closely enough, huddled under a pile of blankets listening to his newest Sci-Fi novel.
Alex is an alum of the 2018-19 Lakes Region Conservation Corps program and has been working full-time on SLA's facilities and outdoor access programs since 2022.
He grew up in Detroit, Michigan, and graduated from Wayne State University with a BS in Environmental Science. Between graduating from college and starting his current role, Alex worked as a Stewardship Coordinator for the Stowe Trails Partnership, as a Field Tech for Arch Environmental Group, and completed a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail.
In his free time, you'll find Alex rock climbing, looking at birds, or tinkering with something in the garage.
EB James has been the Executive Director of the Squam lakes Association since 2012. Prior to joining the Squam Lakes Association, EB worked for the Nanticoke Watershed Alliance, a watershed organization on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, where he served as executive director since 2006. Before the Nanticoke Watershed Alliance he was the Assistant Director of Pickering Creek Audubon Center also located on the Eastern Shore, and ran an environmental education center on Tangier Island, Virginia for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.
EB holds an MS in Forestry with a minor in Conflict Management from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. He was also trained in mediation and environmental dispute resolution through the University of Minnesota Hubert Humphrey Institute’s Center for Conflict and Change.
