Meet our Regional Team!
We come from diverse backgrounds but what we have in common is a deep desire to serve. Our team is here to build youth leadership and service capacity in the Great Lakes region to help our communities, animals and environment. Take a moment to get to know us–we can't wait to meet you!
Credell Walls - Illinois State Coordinator 
"Hello. My name is Cre and I am the Illinois State Coordinator for the Great Lakes Office. I’ve been involved in Roots & Shoots since 2007 but I’ve been creating changes in my community with youth since 1993. My work with Roots & Shoots involves supporting the efforts of groups in Illinois. I have really enjoyed the time I am able to spend visiting with and helping the groups in my state. In addition to my love for mentoring and assisting youth, I enjoy acting, poetry, and traveling overseas."
Heather Greenwell - Regional Program Coordinator
"Hello Roots & Shoots Great Lakes Members! My name is Heather Greenwell and I am the Regional Program Coordinator. I work to support the amazing service learning work that members do in their communities. My commitment to environmental preservation is one of the reasons I was drawn to working for Roots & Shoots. I’m really excited to be a part of an international network of creative and talented young people who are working to make their world a better place. When I’m not in the Great Lakes Office I can be found out on the lakefront running, biking or swimming when it isn’t 5 degrees below zero!"
Meet our Volunteer State Coordinators!
Toril Fisher - Michigan
"I’m a mother of 4 beautiful daughters: Sydney, Hannah, Madeline and Julia Claire. I’m married to a most beautiful, loving man, Drew Fisher.
I have lived in Northern Michigan for 5 years. I’m an artist, a runner and a novice organic gardener and farmer. Our family proudly provides the local organic co-op with organic eggs. Roots & Shoots is an organization that I feel is in direct alignment with my call to service. I first believe that sustainability and locally driven activism is the key to our planet’s survival. I’m dedicated to empowering children to be the vehicle of change. It is the love of our children that motivates all of us to make changes."
Interview with Toril
Jennifer Dartt - Minnesota
"I am very excited to be given this opportunity to be a part of the Roots & Shoots program in Minnesota. I was born in Minneapolis where I currently reside. I have volunteered with Earthwatch Institute at the Chimpanzee and Human Communication Institute at Central Washington University. I traveled to Tanzania, East Africa in March 2006 with my mother on safari. We celebrated my 28th birthday in the Serengeti and visited the Gombe National Park Research Center in Tanzania. I enjoy wildlife photography and hope to use media as an educational tool about the environment. I look forward to being a part of this organization and helping to make a difference."
Interview with Jennifer
William "Conquering Bear" Buchholtz - Native American Communities
"I am originally from Zion, Illinois, but am a long time resident of Chicago. I have been playing and recording music for nearly 40 years. The gift of the American Indian Flute by a Lakota Sioux elder and the support of a late Anishinaabe elder has allowed me to transform my energy and reconnect my mind, body, heart and spirit to my indigenous roots. I have recently started facilitating Native American music-oriented programming and cultural presentations for both children and adults. I was also selected to join Yo Yo Ma's Silk Roads: Crossroads Chicago, and recorded songs for the CD that was produced by the project."
