Schuylkill Conservation District Manager Elizabeth “Liz” Hinkle is trading in her office to return to the farm.
Hinkle, who has been in the position since April 2010, is resigning April 1. She has been with the conservation district for nine years, previously as ag coordinator.
“I made it clear to everyone at the conservation district that my reasons for leaving were solely to do with my farm and family,” she said Wednesday. “I’ve enjoyed my job here at the district. I had no intention of leaving for another post and wasn’t actively looking to leave. It’s just a family business and I have to focus on that.”
Hinkle lives in Barry Township, where she has a farm with her husband. She also has a 3-year-old son and 7-month-old daughter. She is also still involved with her parents’ farm in Ringtown, which has been in the family for seven generations, she said.
“My husband and I are both from farms and now we have two children and we are hoping some day they have interest in it, too,” Hinkle said. “The farm has always been where I wanted to be. I wanted them to grow up working on the farm and I’m glad they will be able to be part of it. I always wanted to come back to the farm at some point and now was the right time.”
She said her decision had nothing to do with the 2014 criminal investigation regarding a former employee at the conservation district stealing more than $449,000 from the organization over the course of nearly seven years.
State police officially charged Virginia G. Kunigonis, who was employed as a fiscal technician, in January 2015 with five counts of forgery and one each of theft, theft by deception and access device fraud. Kunigonis was sentenced in February to spend one year in prison, followed by one year on supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution.
“It actually kept me here longer because I wanted to see it through and have closure before I left,” Hinkle said.
During her time as district manager, the Schuylkill Conservation District has held many educational and outreach programs in the county. Annual educational events include Schuylkill County Ag Day and the Bear Creek Festival.
“I truly believe in the work that the district does,” Hinkle said. “The great part is working with the people here. It’s a great group of people that really care about the people here and you can see that in the work that they do. I think I will miss that the most — the people and those I met along the way.”
On Wednesday, the Schuylkill Conservation District’s board of directors met to decide on Hinkle’s replacement. They picked Jenna Fehr, who has been the district’s conservation program coordinator since October 2013. The board’s recommendation still needs approval from the county commissioners.
“I see her ability to work as a team player and interact with the board and the staff,” Hinkle said. “Through the interview, we posed a lot of questions and she really excelled. She definitely has the qualifications for the position. She’s a natural born leader and you can see that when you get to know her.”
Fehr, Pine Grove, also worked as volunteer coordinator for the Appalachian Coal Country Watershed Team in Colorado and New Mexico and volunteer coordinator for the Gino J. Merli Veterans’ Center in Scranton.
Growing up in Pine Grove, Fehr said she knew she wanted to work in the environmental field since participating in the annual Schuylkill County Envirothon as a fourth-grader.
“There’s never a dull moment with what we have going on here because we have such a diverse landscape, from coal lands to farm lands and the county park,” Fehr said. “My love for the environment came from this place. It’s the place I grew up. It’s where my family is and really there is nothing more important to me.”
Fehr said she wants to continue focusing on outreach and education as district manager.
“We have some really active programs here doing great work, so we are trying to make sure people know what the conservation district is and what we are doing here,” Fehr said.