North Florida Land Trust
Press Release
Februiary 19, 2021
Jacksonville, Fla., Feb. 19, 2021 – North Florida Land Trust is adding to its team with the addition of four new hires in three departments. The stewardship department added Rianna Elliott as a land management specialist and Noah Koflowitch as a stewardship intern. Brenna Blake has joined the development department as a development manager. Ivana Gavric is the newest addition to the operations department where she will serve as operations manager.
Land Management Specialist Rianna Elliott will have many responsibilities within NFLT’s growing stewardship department including fire planning and implementation. Elliott has more than a decade of experience with the Florida Park Service where she spent most of her time focused on resource management and prescribed fire. She is a certified prescribed burn manager and holds other certifications that enable her to better restore and protect lands. Before her time with the Florida Park Service, Elliott worked at a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping at-risk youth.
Brenna Blake brings six years of management experience to her role as development manager. She will be responsible for donation records processing, grant research and administration, and fundraising operation support. Blake is currently working toward her bachelor’s degree in business administration and is taking classes at both Florida State College at Jacksonville and the University of North Florida.
Ivana Gavric is the new operations manager for NFLT. She will be responsible for helping the operations department with a variety of operational, financial and administrative tasks. She will also serve as a receptionist for those who visit the organization’s headquarters. Gavric is a graduate of the University of North Florida where she earned her bachelor’s degree in business management with a minor in leadership.
Noah Koflowitch has also joined the stewardship department as a stewardship intern. He will be responsible for maintaining the trails at Bogey Creek Preserve, NFLT’s public park, and will also implement projects for outreach. Koflowitch earned his bachelor’s degree in coastal biology from the University of North Florida in December of 2020 and will be pursuing a master’s degree in ecology and evolutionary biology. Over the last three years, he has been involved with research and conservation work with UNF and the Guana Tolomato Matanzas Research Reserve.
NFLT President Jim McCarthy said, “We welcome all four to our team and look forward to working together to keep natural spaces natural throughout north Florida.”
About North Florida Land Trust
North Florida Land Trust is a not-for-profit organization that seeks to protect the natural resources, historic places and working lands (farms and ranches) throughout north Florida. Founded in 1999, NFLT has preserved tens of thousands of acres of land through donation or purchase of land as well as conservation easements. NFLT is funded largely by private and corporate contributions and works closely with willing landowners and public agencies at all levels of government, not-for-profit partners, and foundations. For more information, visit nflt.org.