Our Team
These are the passionate visionaries (staff and volunteers) behind Tara's Meadow.
Seamus Norgaard
Director & Board President
With a MS in Environmental Studies, Seamus is a college professor and environmental advocate, writer, life coach and spiritual guide. He is the founder and current director of Tara’s Meadow Education and Retreat Center, and co-designed a two-year associate’s degree program in “Environmental & Sustainability Studies” for North Central Michigan College. Seamus is a strong carrier of the Celtic Spirit who has lived and studied with the native peoples of Ireland and the American West, and draws from a deep well of wisdom and kindness in his calling to uplift people, community and life.
Sally Wagoner
Administrative Assistant & Board Secretary
Sally Wagoner, RN, BSN is nurse by profession, spending much of her career in home health, community education and tobacco/nicotine addiction treatment. In and outside of the workplace she promotes health through prevention, holistic self-care and spiritual responsibility. She worked for twelve years with the Chicago Native American community as Community Nurse, Wellness Director and Development Director. Involved in local and regional environmental issues, Ms. Wagoner also supports Native American and global Indigenous communities through advocacy and volunteer grant writing.
Jessyca Stoepker
Organizational Development Coordinator
Jessyca moved to Petoskey in 2018 after graduating from Grand Valley State University with a BA in Health Communications, minor in Writing, and certificates in Sustainable Food Systems and Medical Humanities. She has since deeply embedded herself into the community, first through her high-level position at a regional food bank and then through her work with mission-driven organizations like Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities, Crosshatch Center for Art & Ecology, United Way, and Miigwech, Inc. With skills ranging from creative design and marketing to research, grant writing, project management, and program development, she seeks to bring about environmental justice, system change, and more connected ways of life. Currently, Jessyca serves in a part-time, contractual role with Tara's Meadow, managing the website, creating outreach and education materials, assisting with grant processes, and other tasks related to organizational development.
Amie Elton Crawford
Board Treasurer
Amie Elton Crawford is an artist and interior designer. While living in Chicago during the “Great Recession” she helped to organize fast food and retail workers, becoming a founding member of the Workers Organizing Committee of Chicago and the Fight for Fifteen - now an internationally recognized movement to raise the minimum wage. Currently living in Petoskey and Beaver Island, she works for the Women’s Resource Center of Northern Michigan as an associate in their resale stores. Amie has been instrumental in developing Tara’s Meadow outreach and marketing, and lent her talents of logo development and graphic design for Tara’s Meadow.
Hal Willens
Board Vice President
Hal Willens is a cardiologist now retired from his 27 year practice in Petoskey, Michigan holding the title of President for part of that time. He is committed to giving back to his community through his environmental and cultural interests. He has been on the Board of Directors of Crooked Tree Art Center, Grain Train Natural Foods Co-op, and Pickerel-Crooked Lakes Association. He has worked with the Local Food Alliance of Northern Michigan and Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities' Northern Farms Foodshed to help foster the local food movement. He has also served on the board of the philanthropic Sinai Medical Staff Foundation and as a president of Temple Bnai Israel. Hal explores his creative side by photographing the beauty found in the natural world.
Sara Lark Millies-Lucke
Board Member
Sara Millies-Lucke holds a bachelor's degree from Michigan State University in Comparative Cultures and Politics with a minor in environmental justice, and she is currently attending James Madison University to pursue a master's in Environmental Studies and Sustainability. From a young age, Sara visited Beaver Island with her family and grew to love it. As a student and graduate, she selected Beaver Island for her research and completed her thesis on renewable energy, observing that rural areas are often left out of the sustainability conversation. As a Tara’s Meadow board member and a professional sustainability consultant for ICF, Sara continues to strengthen the microgrid community on Beaver Island to explore pathways to a low-carbon, clean energy future.