Donor Spotlight

DONOR

SPOTLIGHT

Katie Hill JMLT Board Chair

“Being in nature brings me peace. I hike several times a week and enjoy every minute that I am outside. The trails are where I find solutions—answers just come to me.” JMLT Board Chair Katie Hill grew up in New York State at the edge of Adirondack Park where a love of the outdoors was a basic family value. “My father was an avid birder and I don’t think he ever left the house without his binoculars. All family vacations were in the outdoors.”

After college Katie moved to the Bay Area where she and husband Scott Compton bought a few acres and built the home where they raised their two grown children and have lived ever since. They harvest rainwater, have had goats and sheep, and frequently hike around Briones Reservoir or on the many nearby JMLT properties.

It was perhaps inevitable that Katie would seek out and become a volunteer at her local land trust. Since retiring from a position in marketing at a global tech company, Katie’s engagement with JMLT has increased. One of her favorite weekly routines is preparing lunch with the apprentices at Family Harvest Farm. “I show up on Thursdays, see what they are harvesting that day, and we improvise. Somehow it always works out.” Other memorable activities include erecting the repaired windmill at Almond Ranch, taking a group of young explorers on a tour of Fernandez Ranch, and watching the tides return when the levee was recently breached at Pacheco Marsh.

I do love the places we save, but I also love meeting all the delightful people involved. Someone once saw the JMLT license plate holder on my car and talked my ear off about what a wonderful organization it is. I know that I’m making a difference. My efforts and donations are having a big impact. — Katie Hill

Katie contributes many hours of volunteer time, makes an annual gift, and has included JMLT in her estate plans. Philanthropy is a deeply held value. “My siblings and I make loans to our kids, and instead of asking them to pay us back, we ask them to make contributions to a charity of their choice. As for me, I give to land. It’s a wonderful way to pass something on to future generations.”

JMLT thanks Katie and Scott for their generosity and for everything they do on our behalf.

To learn more about what you can do, visit jmlt.org/get-involved