Indiana District Foresters

Brad Rody
5400 E Salamonie Forest Road
Lagro, IN 46941
260-782-0430
brody@dnr.IN.gov

Brad began his career with the Division of Forestry in 1991 as a part-time Clerk and Timber Technician. He then worked as a Wildlife Specialist at Salamonie Reservoir for the Division of Reservoirs from 1993 to 1999 before returning to the Division of Forestry as a District Forester. In addition to his usual duties, he has served on numerous committees for the Division, organized wildlife management training, and is active with the Indiana Envirothon Steering Committee. Brad holds a Bachelor’s degree in wildlife science and a Bachelor’s in forestry, both from Purdue University. He is a Certified Forester through the Society of American Foresters and a Certified Wildlife Biologist through The Wildlife Society. His interests and hobbies include involvement in the Environmental Education Association of Indiana, Lions Club, Scouting, 4-H, and many outdoor activities.

Quentin Beahrs
5400 E Salamonie Forest Road
Lagro, IN 46941
260-782-0430
qbeahrs@dnr.IN.gov

Quentin began his career with the Division of Forestry in 2015 as a property forester for Jackson-Washington State Forest. In July of 2018, he transferred to the district forester position for District 3. He graduated from Purdue University in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in Forestry. His interests include fishing, hunting, camping, and hiking.

Lee Eckart
6220 Forest Road
Martinsville, IN 46151
765-792-4661
leckart@dnr.IN.gov

Lee Eckart graduated from Purdue University with a bachelor’s degree in forest management and wildlife management in 1981. He began his career in forestry with the Indiana DNR at Yellowwood State Forest as a resource specialist in 1983. After 15 years with the DNR, he became the forest manager for a private forest industry company. He managed its forest landholdings in Indiana until the spring of 2020. Eckart returned to the DNR as a district forester in September of 2020. He spends his free time woodworking, sawmilling, and spending time with his family.

Jeremiah Lemmons
14619 W State Road 48
Jasonville, IN 47438
812-665-2130
jlemmons@dnr.IN.gov

Jeremiah began his work with the Division of Forestry as a timber technician during the summers of 1999 and 2000, then full-time in 2001 as Assistant Property Manager at Jackson-Washington State Forest. In 2003 he moved to southwestern Indiana to assume his current role as District Forester. He is also a trained meeting facilitator and assists the Division of Reclamation. Jeremiah graduated from Purdue University with a degree in forestry and a major in wildlife management in 1999. He has completed the Natural Resources Leadership Institute and enjoys hunting, camping, fishing, baseball, and grafting fruit and nut trees in his free time.

Janet Eger
14043 Williams Road
Shoals, IN 47581
812-247-2479
jeger@dnr.IN.gov

Janet joined the Division of Forestry in 1978 and has been a district forester since 1993. Previously, she worked on four state forest properties in southwestern Indiana as a resource forester. In addition to her duties as District Forester, she is also the state’s Big Tree program coordinator, a founding member of the White River RC&D Forestry committee, and a board member for the Indiana Forestry Educational Foundation. A member of the Society of American Foresters since 1978, she was elected a Fellow in 2006. She’s a life member of the American Forestry Association and a member of the Indiana Forestry & Woodland Owners Association and the National Arbor Day Foundation. She earned her B.S. degree in forestry from Purdue University in 1978. Her hobbies include gardening, reading, crocheting, and camping.

Maddie Westbrook
Selmier State Forest
905 E. County Road 350 N
North Vernon, IN 47265
812-346-2286
mwestbrook@dnr.IN.gov

Maddie began working for the Division of Forestry as an inventory forester in 2015. She then transferred to a district forester position in 2017. She now works with landowners in Clark, Floyd, Jefferson, and Scott counties. She graduated from Purdue University in 2013 with a forestry degree. Her interests include camping, fishing, and swimming.

Kirk Schultz
Ferdinand-Pike State Forest
6583 E State Road 264
Ferdinand, IN 47532
812-827-2857
kjschultz@dnr.IN.gov

Kirk began his work with the Division of Forestry as an intern in 2005 and 2006, doing Classified Forest inspections in districts 7, 9, & 10. This led to being a part owner/operator in a logging operation in southern Indiana. He then moved to southeastern Kentucky where he worked as a welder. After that he spent a year traveling and working in Montana. He moved back to southern Indiana and in 2023 and started his career with the DNR as a district forester. He is a 2005 graduate of Purdue University with a bachelor’s degree in forestry. Kirk enjoys spending time with his wife and three kids, camping, hunting, doing metal fabrication, and working on his family’s cattle farm and woodlands.

Eric McDonald
Ferdinand-Pike State Forest
6583 E State Road 264
Ferdinand, IN 47532
812-827-2857
emmcdonald@dnr.IN.gov

Eric began his career with the Division of Forestry in August 2023 as the District 11 forester, serving Dubois, Martin, Daviess, and Knox counties. Before that, he worked a summer as a forest technician intern. Eric earned his bachelor’s degree from Purdue in Forestry in 2023. He enjoys hiking, camping, hunting, sculpting, and spending time with friends and family.

Amanda Smith
5400 E Salamonie Forest Road
Lagro, IN 46941
260-782-0430
asmith1@dnr.IN.gov

Amanda graduated in 2011 with a double major in Forestry and Wildlife Management from Purdue University. She began her career as a summer intern, completing Classified Forest re-inspections in Harrison and Crawford counties during summer 2011. Her next move was an intermittent resource specialist at Yellowwood and Morgan-Monroe State Forests from May 2012 to September 2013. She then began working as the Resource Specialist / Assistant Property Manager for Ferdinand and Pike State Forests from September 2013 to October 2015. She then moved to become District Forester for Allen, DeKalb, LaGrange, Noble, and Steuben counties on Nov. 1, 2015. On Jan. 1, 2016, she also assumed the responsibilities of property manager for Salamonie River and Frances Slocum State Forests located in Wabash and Miami counties. Amanda enjoys hiking, gardening, reading, and traveling.

Ben McKinney
Jasper-Pulaski State Nursery
15508 W 700 N
Medaryville, IN 47957
219-843-4827
bmckinney@dnr.IN.gov

Ben’s career began as a summer intern doing Classified Forest re-inspections in 2001. He then became Assistant Property Manager at Jasper-Pulaski State Nursery later that year. In 2005, he moved to Jackson-Washington State Forest as Resource Specialist, and in 2006 assumed his current position as District Forester. Aside from the principle duties he has trained for wildfire red card certification and has assisted on wildfire suppression assignments in the western U.S., as well as assisting on many prescribed burns on state and federal properties. Ben graduated from Purdue University in 2001. He enjoys spending free time with his family, playing softball, and deer hunting.

Allie Cline 
Yellowwood State Forest
772 Yellowwood Lake Road
Nashville, IN 47448
812-988-7945
acline@dnr.IN.gov 

Allie started her career with the Division of Forestry as a summer intern in 2009 working with the division’s private lands section. In 2011, she became an intermittent forester, helping cover districts 14, 8, and 9 and working at Clark State Forest. In 2015, she was hired as the district forester for District 8. After moving out of state for a few years, she returned to work as an intermittent forester in 2019. She returned to full time as a district forester in 2022. Allie earned her B.S. in Forestry from Purdue University in 2010.

Jayson Waterman
498 N.W. 18th Street
Richmond, IN 47374
765-935-9415
jwaterman@dnr.IN.gov

Jayson began his career with the Division of Forestry in 1995 as Assistant Property Manager at Martin State Forest. He became District Forester in early 1996. In addition to assisting landowners in his district, he also serves on the Classified Forest & Wildlands committee. Jayson earned his Bachelor of Science in Forestry from Purdue University in 1992 with an emphasis on both forest management and wildlife management and completed a Masters of Science in Forestry from Purdue in 1994. He enjoys spending free time with his wife and five children.

Gretchen Herbaugh
Ferdinand-Pike State Forest
6583 E State Road 264
Ferdinand, IN 47532
812-827-2857
gherbaugh@dnr.IN.gov

Gretchen has been with the Division of Forestry since 1998 spending the first 10 years on State Forest Properties as a Resource Specialist, inventorying, marking, and administering timber sales. She then transitioned to CFM in 2008 as an assistant District Forester before assuming her current role as District Forester in 2011 serving, Gibson, Warrick, Pike, Posey, and Vanderburgh Counties. Gretchen has a BSF in Forestry from Purdue University with an emphasis in Wildlife Management.

Jason Utley
Selmier State Forest
905 E. County Road 350 N
North Vernon, IN 47265
812-346-2286
jutley@dnr.IN.gov

Jason earned his degree in forestry in 1996 from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, IL. He has worked as a technician with the Illinois Natural History Survey and as a forester for Westvaco Paper Company in western Kentucky. Most recently, he coordinated log sales at a veneer mill in Edinburgh, IN. Jason also has a teaching certificate and taught elementary school for five years. He enjoys spending his time off with his wife and two children.

Ralph Unversaw
Owen-Putnam State Forest
2153 Fish Creek Road
Spencer, IN 47460
812-829-2462
runversaw@dnr.IN.gov

Ralph began working for the Division of Forestry in 1983 as a Resource Specialist at Yellowwood State Forest and assumed his current role as District Forester for Monroe and Owen counties in 1991. He graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in forestry from Purdue University in 1983.

James Potthoff
Jasper-Pulaski State Nursery
15508 W 700 N
Medaryville, IN 47957
219-843-4827
jpotthoff@dnr.IN.gov

James joined the Division of Forestry in 2006 and has been the District 19 Forester since 2007. Prior to that, he was an Assistant District Forester in District 13. In addition to providing forest management assistance to landowners in District 19, James has also worked with the Arrowhead RC&D Forestry Committee and helps coordinate the forestry portion of the National FFA Convention. He earned his B.S. degree in Forestry from Southern Illinois University. His interests include boating, traveling, and canoeing.

Jennifer Sobecki
15508 W 700N
Medaryville IN 47957
219-843-4827
jesobecki@dnr.IN.gov

Jennifer began her career with the Division of Forestry in August 2004 as an intermittent project coordinator for the Watershed Conservation Through Forestry project. While serving in this capacity, Jennifer also assisted the Best Management Practices program. In 2013, Jennifer began performing Classified Forest re-inspections in Districts 1 and 3, and since 2015 has been assisting in District 1. As of July 2017, Jennifer is serving as assistant district forester/BMP forester. Jennifer earned a bachelor’s in wildlife biology from Murray State University in 1999 and a master’s in aquatic science from Purdue University in 2003. Jennifer enjoys gardening, canning, hiking, camping, reading, quilting, and time with her husband, son, and daughter.

Andrew O’Connor
498 N. W. 18^th Street
Richmond, IN 47374
765-935-9335
aoconnor@dnr.IN.gov

Andrew first started with the Division of Forestry in 2022 as a summer student. He graduated from Purdue with a bachelor’s degree in forestry in late 2022. In 2023, he moved to the district forester position for District 20. His interests include hiking, camping, and foraging for edible plants.