Welcome Jenna Biggins!

A warm welcome to Jenna Biggins, the newest member of the ACRES team! She recently joined the staff as office manager.

Biggins first gained experience at ACRES as an office intern in 2012. A decade later, she was excited to see an opportunity to return to the organization.

“It’s a great mission and a great group of people. I wanted to remain a part of it,” she said.

As office manager, Biggins will ensure that resources are used effectively to support ACRES’ mission of protecting local land. This work includes processing financial transactions and preparing and monitoring the annual budget. Biggins will oversee human resources functions such as employee benefits, orientation, payroll and policy development.

Biggins’ professional background is in environmental health and safety; she has experience ensuring compliance in industry and higher education. She holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental policy from Indiana-Purdue University Fort Wayne and a master’s degree in environmental health from the University of Saint Francis.

She lives in rural Huntertown with her husband and their daughters. The family enjoys spending time outside, gardening and exploring the woods in their backyard. As a parent, she’s passionate about protecting land so it can be shared with future generations.

“We’re raising two children here; it’s very personal,” she said.

Biggins has a reverence for nature that she attributes to her Native American heritage as well as values instilled by her mother. She was raised to regard the earth as sacred and to appreciate the interconnection of people and the land.

“Nature is where we can find peace. It’s where life comes from and eventually returns to,” she said.

In returning to ACRES after a decade, Biggins has been surprised by the organization’s growth over 10 years: ACRES has acquired thousands more acres for permanent protection, the staff has grown to a team of nine full-time employees and the office has been remodeled to be more accessible and to add more workspace.

She said it’s exciting to see ACRES’ growth, and she’s looking forward to supporting future growth as office manager.