Our Team

Heather Sage

Chief Strategy Officer

Heather Sage brings nearly 30 years of experience in environmental conservation, social justice, and nonprofit leadership. Her history with Landforce goes back to its very beginnings, when she helped shape the transition of the Emerald Trail Corps team and supported the vision that launched the organization. Since then, she’s played a key role in guiding strategic planning, strengthening partnerships, and securing funding that fuels our growth.

Beyond Landforce, Heather leads her consulting practice, Periscope LLC, and has held leadership roles at the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy and PennFuture. She’s also been an active voice in regional and national collaborations focused on parks, conservation, and green infrastructure. Heather holds a Master of Environmental Science and a B.A. in Zoology from Miami University.

Taima Ross

Work Readiness Manager

Taima comes to Landforce with a background in social services, ranging from hearing/deafness advocacy and language access rights to student support in adult education. These positions introduced her to the intricate and colorful network of programs and organizations serving the greater Pittsburgh community. Inspired by social activism and local mutual aid work, Taima is passionate about creative, grass-roots solutions for communities to support people facing systemic inequities and disenfranchisement.

Taima is the youngest of three sisters raised by her inspiring mother, a first-generation Armenian American who relocated her family to West Virginia from Los Angeles, California, in 2006. Growing up in Appalachia, many of Taima’s first work experiences involved proximity to the incredible natural landscapes, including trail building with the Youth Conservation Corps, and working in horse stables and fruit orchards. 

She has maintained a deep interest in global culture, art, and travel through exposure to various cultures, languages, and backgrounds. Taima studied World Languages, Literature, and Linguistics at West Virginia University, majoring in French and Spanish with a minor in Arabic. During the global pandemic, she relocated to Pittsburgh to be closer to friends and to pursue non-profit work opportunities. Intended as a temporary arrangement, she was charmed by the city and never left.

When Taima isn’t working, she can be found biking around the city, trying new recipes, and scouting restaurants as an avid food lover. She also volunteers on the Northside, paints, and rock climbs with friends.

Hakim Reed

Site Supervisor

Hakim is a Detroit native whose passion for the outdoors developed after he came to Pittsburgh. He joined Landforce as a Crew Member in 2023. After he completed the program, he pursued a position in the food industry. During this time, he became RAMP-certified and received his ServSafe certification. Hakim returned to Landforce in June 2024 as a Site Supervisor.

In addition to his previously stated certifications, he is a certified Tree Tender, Flagger, and forklift operator certified in chainsaw safety through Soren Erikkson’s Game of Logging, OSHA 10 and OSHA 40 certified, First Aid/CPR/AED certified.

Hakim is a staunch supporter of Restorative Justice. In his free time, he speaks to audiences about the ill effects of prison and shares the perspective of the convicted felon’s family. He also gives talks about childhood trauma and how it relates to adverse childhood experiences. 

Hakim never shies away from new things. As a person of faith, he believes that the Creator will send joy and stays open to blessings. He is focused on creating joy and is happiest listening to music, riding a bike, playing pool, going to comedy shows, and experiencing the different trails across Pittsburgh. A fun fact about Hakim is his profound love for Black History. 

Ilyssa Manspeizer, Ph.D.

CEO

Ilyssa Manspeizer is an anthropologist with 30 years of experience working in community-based development and natural resource conservation. Formerly the Executive Director of the Mount Washington Community Development Corporation, she has also managed programs and conducted research on conservation and community development in the United Kingdom, Ethiopia, Zambia, and the United States.  Ilyssa has a wide diversity of experience, including managing and administering non-profits, raising funding for community investment, enhancing community-centric development strategies, developing urban parks, conserving and monitoring African elephants, and evaluating rural African community development programs.

Ilyssa directed the award-winning Emerald View Park initiative for the MWCDC for 7 years, working closely with the community to build Pittsburgh’s newest regional park on 260 acres of formerly mined, denuded and dumped on land on the steep slopes of Pittsburgh’s Mount Washington neighborhood.  Under her direction, the organization raised more than $3 million in investments in the Park, resulting in the creation of a 20 mile trail plan and 10 miles of trails, the creation of the Emerald Trail Corps, the restoration of Mount Washington’s priceless view corridor, the removal of over 300,000 pounds of dumped garbage, the planting of more than 5,000 trees, and the creation of a treasured Park on land once thought to have no intrinsic value.

Ilyssa has a Ph.D. in Anthropology from Binghamton University (State University of New York), an M.Sc. in Nature Conservation from University College London, and a B.S. in Environmental Science from Cook College, Rutgers University.

Ilyssa and her husband Brian have called Pittsburgh home since 2006 and are grateful to have raised their four children here. Ilyssa has also served on the Board of Jewish Family & Community Services. When she’s not at work, with her family, or volunteering, you can find Ilyssa running the woodland trails in Frick Park.

Elijah Johnson

Communications Manager

Elijah Johnson is a recent alumnus of Savannah State University, a historically Black institution and Georgia’s oldest public university. He received his Bachelor’s of Business Administration in Marketing. 

After completing two internships with the National Park Service, Elijah decided he wanted to work in land conservation and also give back to his community. He realized while interning with the National Park Service that it’s vital to learn not only about the many national parks, but also the stories they tell and the majestic beauty and enrichment they add to our everyday lives. 

As the new Communications Manager, he will bring his passion for the visual arts and targeted messaging to create business-changing content. He has a proven track record of developing and implementing marketing strategies for brands that increases brand awareness, generates sales, and increases market share. He is excited to convey the stories of Pittsburgh’s land and the people who help restore it.

When Elijah is not working, he enjoys cooking and experimenting with new cuisines. He appreciates the music of Janet Jackson, SWV, and Beyoncé. He also enjoys visiting art museums.

Edward Johnson

Director of Responsible Wood Products 

Edward Johnson brings over 30 years of experience in sustainable forestry and wood reuse to Landforce. Trained as a design engineer, he has dedicated his career to creating high-quality wood products sourced and produced with sustainability at the forefront. Edward has spent decades building relationships with local municipalities, non-profits, and corporations, allowing him to salvage raw materials that might have been discarded and transform them into valuable marketable goods.

His expertise lies in sourcing and salvaging materials and overseeing the entire waste recovery process—from milling and drying to finding buyers who appreciate sustainably produced wood. His work reflects his commitment to environmental stewardship and responsible resource management, including managing a sustainable forestry program for 2,000 acres of land in the Pittsburgh area.

Edward is excited to continue promoting sustainability as the Director of Wood Reuse at Landforce. In this role, he is responsible for establishing and running Landforce’s Urban Woody Biomass Campus, which will include a sawmill, a drying center, and biochar production. He will also oversee operations, and is building key partnerships, and  developing a wood reuse curriculum for workforce development participants.

In his free time, Edward is an avid runner and cyclist. He enjoys spending quality time with his wife, children, and granddaughter.

Anders K. Jeppesen

Project Manager

Anders joins Landforce as an educator with over ten years of experience working as a teacher in Denmark and as consultant for a youth development program in Pittsburgh. He has a bachelor’s degree in geography and teaching from Zahles Teaching College in Copenhagen and an MA in International Development from the University of Pittsburgh.

Anders’ passion for community service and green space was first honed as an upper-level science teacher in Denmark. In 2012, he and his wife moved to Pittsburgh, a transition which opened up an opportunity to pursue his graduate studies. With a major in NGO and Civil Society and a Minor in Urban Affairs and Planning, Anders was able to finish his degree as a green technology fellow at Landforce in 2017, before becoming a program and curriculum consultant at Open Field, a youth development program targeted at immigrant and refugee communities in and around Pittsburgh. During the global pandemic, Anders temporarily relocated to Denmark, where he worked as a teacher and joined the board of Life in Village and School, a non-profit organization that tries to breathe new life into a rural part of Denmark.

Now back with his former colleagues at Landforce, Anders is excited to work alongside a team of energetic people who share his passion for environmental sustainability and local community building. When he is not at work, he enjoys taking his wife, Pernille, and two sons Oskar Emil and Otto to various skateboard parks around Pittsburgh or on hikes along the trails of Western Pennsylvania.

Nicole Holmes

Administrative Coordinator

Nicole was born and raised in Pittsburgh’s Homewood neighborhood. She joined Landforce as a Crew Member in 2023. For her, being a Crew Member was more than a job; it was a learning opportunity where she gained certifications, friendships, and developmental experiences. She is a certified tree tender and is first aid/CPR/AED and chainsaw safety certified (Soren Erikson Game of Logging). 

In her previous roles working in customer service, Nicole developed strong organizational skills and a keen eye for detail. As a gardener and herbalist, her time spent working on conservation projects, particularly Green Stormwater Infrastructure, further fueled her love for nature. She is excited to utilize those skills and her love for nature in her current role as Administrative Coordinator.  A mother of one and a self-proclaimed sister of all trades, Nicole looks forward to perfecting her skills and learning new ones in this role. She is currently taking coursework to become an RN.

After completing the program, she continued her work in home care services with Passavant Memorial Home Care Services and  holistic services as the founder of Heavenly Holistic Care & Services, where she focuses her practice on ways to treat and heal the body naturally. 

 When Nicole is not at Landforce, you can find her at her business, Club Hula Entertainment, where she masters hula hooping, an alternative form of fitness. Using this sport, Nicole and her business partner Dorisa have taught women and children worldwide how to hula and heal. She can also be found either hosting or attending holistic events and cohorts.

Luke Hillegas

Mill Operations Manager

Luke serves as the Mill Operations Manager for Responsible Wood Products. A lifelong Pittsburgh resident, he brings to Landforce a strong foundation in safety, operations, and hands-on craftsmanship.

Prior to joining Landforce, Luke worked as a Safety Manager in the local construction industry, where he coordinated safety training across projects, developed and administered OSHA-compliant safety programs, and managed CDL licensing processes. He also oversaw incident reporting, equipment tracking, daily project documentation, and PA One Call job ticket submissions, ensuring job sites operated safely, efficiently, and in compliance with state and federal standards.

The son of a union carpenter, Luke was introduced to woodworking at an early age and continues to hone his craft in his home woodshop. His background in graphic arts, paired with an entrepreneurial mindset, led him to found and operate his own LLC more than a decade ago. That experience informs his approach to workflow, organization, and production within the mill.

Luke’s professional background is further supported by his experience instructing First Aid/CPR/AED courses with the American Red Cross, volunteering as a Firefighter/EMT with the Edgewood Fire Department, and supporting individuals with intellectual disabilities at the Emmaus Community of Pittsburgh.

Luke lives in the South Hills with his wife, three children, and a pit bull named Carlos. Outside of work, he enjoys practicing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, where he holds a blue belt.

Rickey Hebron Jr. 

Site Supervisor

Rickey Hebron Jr. was born and raised in Philadelphia, and moved to Pittsburgh in 2019. He joined Landforce as a Crew Member in 2020. After successfully completing his time at Landforce he moved on to a local landscaping company where he worked his way up from Laborer to Grass Foreman, before returning to Landforce as a Site Supervisor in 2022.

Rickey is a graduate of Olney High School. He is a certified Tree Tender, is certified in chainsaw safety through Soren Eriksson Game of Logging, and is OSHA 10 and First Aid/CPR/AED certified. Rickey brings valuable experience in green infrastructure maintenance, invasive species management, trail building and maintenance, planting, and tool use to the Landforce team.

In his free time Rickey enjoys playing basketball and rooting for his favorite football team, the Philadelphia Eagles.

Thomas Guentner

Director of Land Stewardship

Thomas Guentner brings over a decade of leadership experience and equal experience as a trail builder to the Landforce management team. He received a BS from Slippery Rock University for studies focused on Public Relations and Sociology. He has worked as a court-appointed advocate for Children and Youth Services and as a direct care worker specializing in independent and transitional living for teens aging out of the system before beginning a tenure with the Student Conservation Association as a Crew Leader and environmental educator.

Thomas honed his project management and leadership skills as the manager of the Emerald Trail Corps workforce development program for the Mount Washington Community Development Corporation, where he assisted in developing Emerald View Park, Pittsburgh’s newest regional park. Thomas has completed training workshops in trail building and design through the Professional Trailbuilders Association and sustainable land care through the Phipps Conservatory. He is also certified in Soren Eriksson’s Game of Logging, the National Green Infrastructure Certification Program, and as a Pesticide/ Herbicide Applicator. Thomas has represented Landforce at numerous conferences, including the City Parks Alliance Greater and Greener Conference, PA Greenway and Trails Summit, Pennsylvania Parks and Recreation Society, American Society of Civil Engineers Sustainability Conference on Green Cities, and Institute for Sustainable Communities’ Peer Learning Workshop. His presentations have included workforce development in urban spaces, stormwater management through green infrastructure, trail and greenspace development, and building collaborative workforce programming. Thomas also sat on the Technical Advisory Committee for Pennsylvania’s State Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan for 2020-2024.

Thomas is an avid ice hockey player, hiker, cyclist, kayaker, and backpacker. He can usually be found somewhere in the woods taking nature photos with his partner Kira or relaxing with a good book and some coffee on his back porch.

Tricia Dougherty

Director of Operations

Tricia joined the Landforce team in a shared role with the Nine Mile Run Watershed Association in 2018. Prior to her work with Landforce she honed her problem solving, management, and operations skills as a legal assistant at a small law firm for five years.

She has a degree in Political Science with certificates in Women’s Studies and European Union Studies from the University of Pittsburgh. During her undergraduate program Tricia had the opportunity to work for the Women’s Law Project.

She enjoys editing documents, organizing, and making lists. She has served on several boards including with the Garfield Land Trust, the Mayor’s LGBTQIA+ Advisory Council, and Equality Pennsylvania drafting numerous minutes, bylaws, and reports.

In her free time she enjoys listening to podcasts, hiking, and lounging on the porch with one of our office dogs, Pandora.

Jasimine Cooper

Director of Workforce Development 

Jasimine A.M. Cooper is a native of Pittsburgh, PA. The youngest of seven siblings, Jasimine has always felt the desire to work in the helping capacity. Experiencing the highs and lows of growing up with a single parent in the inner city, Jasimine’s passion to help people who need it most was ignited at a very young age.

Jasimine attended Edinboro University of PA, and graduated with a B.A. in Criminal Justice. At Edinboro she learned that social service is one of the most important aspects of criminal justice. Jasimine began her career in the social service field and has held positions as a Caseworker, Direct Service Worker, Lead Trainer and a Manager in the nonprofit sector. She brings nearly 15 years of front line work experience to Landforce. Staying actively involved in the care and concern of inner city youth, Jasimine also sits on the board of directors for G.O. Girls, a non-profit agency that helps youth who are aging out of the foster care system.

During Jasimine’s free time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, is actively involved in the Pittsburgh Alumnae Chapter of her sorority, Delta Sigma Theta, Inc., volunteering throughout the city, and being outdoors.

Marquita Brown

Work Readiness Manager

Marquita Brown comes to Landforce with over a decade of social service experience. As a middle child raised by a single mother, Marquita has made it her mission to assist and advocate for underserved populations. Marquita previously served as a Family Coordinator, a Neighborhood Resource Coordinator, and a Behavioral Health Technician. These positions allowed her to deliver service coordination and case management to a large diversity of families in the Pittsburgh region; as well as provide classroom behavior intervention strategies to several dozen children in an urban Pittsburgh community. One of Marquita’s favorite projects was training workers across three community and school-based teams in a physical health initiative, facilitating and implementing outdoor activities and wellness planning that ultimately supported a holistic approach to treatment and services.

Marquita obtained a B.S. in Psychology, a B.A. in Liberal Studies, and a Certificate in Children’s Literature from the University of Pittsburgh. Marquita has memberships in the Association of Child & Youth Care Practice, Inc. (ACYCP) and the National Association of Parliamentarians (NAP). These associations allow her to stay connected to child and youth work as well as keeping her grounded in the importance of democratic decision-making in a professional setting. In 2013, Marquita received a Credential for Strengths-Based Family Workers, in 2017 she obtained an Associate Level Certification as a Child and Youth Care Practitioner (CYC-A), and in 2018 she received training as a Wellness Coach.

In her free time Marquita enjoys spending time with her daughter, traveling to Philadelphia to visit family, listening to music, taking walks, and remaining active with Upsilon Eta Zeta Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., in which she celebrated 16 years of membership in March 2020.