Meet the Staff
Hats off to our Ashland SWCD staff for earning the Ohio Federation of Soil & Water Conservation District award for the 2020 Ohio Soil & Water Conservation District of the Year! Learn more about our talented staff below:
Jane Houin
As director, Jane oversees the day-to-day operations of the district and the diverse programs we offer to promote healthy soils and clean water. A native of Holmes County, where she still lives on the family farm, Jane is a graduate of Purdue University (Boiler Up!) where she earned a bachelor's degree with distinction in agricultural communications and focused her master's degree in mass communications on scientific and risk communication. Jane enjoys spending time with her husband Craig and three children: Aubree, Garrett and Tristan and their many activities, including 4-H, FFA, karate, rodeo, and bowling. One of her favorite quotes comes from the Harry Potter book series: “It is our choices ... that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." To contact Jane please call 419-281-7645 or email jhouin@ashlandcounty.org.
Katie Eikleberry
Katie joined the Ashland SWCD team as our fiscal & education specialist in 2021 but has transitioned to our conservation specialist in 2022. Katie leads our equipment rental program, conservation status checks, technical assistance, pollution investigations and aerial cover crop program. A graduate of WHHS, Katie lived on the ball field or at FFA events. Katie is married to Cole and lives in Ashland County on a small hobby farm with their kids. Katie enjoys spending time with her family and supporting them in the many activities they are involved in. She loves hunting, fishing, riding horses, being on the water and summer (the hotter the better). Her favorite quote is one directly from her Granny Taylor: “There is always good with the bad.” To contact Katie please call 419-281-7645 or email keikleberry@ashlandcounty.org.
Ruth McCrea
A lifelong Ashland native, Ruth lives on a small family farm where she and her family raise laying hens, beef cows, meat chickens, hair sheep, along with some beehives. In addition to the farm, Ruth and her family grow multiple gardens each year. Her hobbies include hunting, trapping, woodworking/carving, hide tanning, and leather working. Since 2021, Ruth has served in a variety of roles out our office, including as an intern and an Americorps service member before permanently joining our staff in the spring of 2023 as our outreach specialist. One of her favorite quotes comes from Mark 8:36: "What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?" To contact Ruth please call 419-281-7645 or email rmccrea@ashlandcounty.org.
Jody Irwin
Jody is our Administrative Assistant. She resides in Holmes County with her husband, Cormac, and their three daughters. Jody lives on a small farm, where her family raises dairy goats, chickens, rabbits, dogs, and cats. She is also a county 4-H Cloverbud advisor. She has an associate’s degree in Horticulture Technology from Kent State University. In her free time, she enjoys camping and sewing. Jody’s favorite quote is from Maya Angelou: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” To contact Jody please call 419-281-7645 or email jodyswcd@gmail.com.
Joe Christner
Joe doesn’t quite know how to take it easy. After retiring from Holmes SWCD as their water quality technician in 2021, Joe joined our Ashland SWCD team part time as a watershed assistant in January of 2022. Joe manager our Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District cost share programs: livestock exclusion fencing, cover crops and log jam removal projects. Joe lives in Ragersville with his wife Nina and enjoys spending time with his daughters and grandchildren. To contact Joe please call 419-281-7645 or email jchristner@ashlandcounty.org.
Pam Brown
Pam is our fiscal specialist and has been hard at work so far this year completing our year-end financial reporting, paying our monthly bills, and writing checks for our cost share payments. She does an amazing job keeping the district finances organized! A resident of Cinnamon Lake, Pam joined Ashland SWCD after retiring from the Wayne County Engineer’s office last year. Her extensive experience managing finances and budgeting for local government is a huge asset to Ashland SWCD. To contact Pam please call 419-281-7645 or email pbrown@ashlandcounty.org.
Emma Burkhalter
A recent graduate of Loudonville High School, Emma is serving as our Northern Ohio Watershed Corps (NOWCorps) service member while pursuing an Associate Degree in Agricultural Business at the Ohio State ATI. Emma’s hobbies include helping the youth 4H members and being with friends and family. She also likes to craft with her Cricut and take pictures on the side for fun. Her favorite quote is from Maya Angelou: “You will face many defeats in life, but never let yourself be defeated.” In her free time, you might catch Emma binge watching criminal minds or blue bloods. To contact Emma please call 419-281-7645 or email emmaswcd@gmail.com.