Staff
AMY JONES, Executive Director
Amy has a B.S. in business administration from Peru State College and came to Prairie Plains in 2004. Originally hired as the office manager, her willingness to collect seed, fix fence and help with SOAR allowed her to learn all aspects of the Prairie Plains experience (and get out of the office sometimes!) An ingrained respect for the history of the organization and a passion for connecting people with the prairie provide Amy a powerful incentive for leading the organization forward.
Mike Bullerman, Restoration DIRECTOR
Mike joined the Prairie Plains staff in 2000, armed with a B.S. in wildlife ecology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, to manage our prairie restoration program. He also has solid GIS (Geographic Information System) skills, which he uses for the benefit of the institute and our agency and landowner partners.
Sarah Bailey, conservation & education director
Sarah came to Prairie Plains in 2010 as an intern responsible for managing the new greenhouse and learning everything possible about the restoration program. As fate would have it, she had the perfect mix of energy and knowledge, and we begged her to stay as a full-time employee. Sarah holds a B.S. in biological sciences from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, is a natural outdoor educator and is always looking for ways to improve our prairie preserves.
Jeff Gustafson, Land Steward
Jeff was hired in 2011 to serve as Land Steward and to help out with the restoration program. He holds a B.A. in history from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and has special interest in local history and the community development aspects of our mission. His job includes prescribed burning, grazing management and tree clearing.
ETHAN FREESE, Restoration Ecologist
Ethan joined the team in 2026 at an exciting time of growth in the organization. He brought considerable experience to the job, including conducting plant surveys as a research manager with the University of Nebraska - Lincoln's School of Natural Resources. Most notably, he's created meaningful relationships with conservation partners and stakeholders across the state in his 10 years with Platte Basin Timelapse, first as a production intern, then a graduate assistant and finally as a producer.
