Conservation Teen Advisory Council
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Conservation Teen Advisory Council (conTAC) welcomes you to apply. ConTAC provides a unique opportunity for high school student-leaders from diverse backgrounds across Ohio to work together and contribute ideas to enhance ODNRs youth outreach and program efforts. ODNR is looking for highly motivated students entering grades 9th-12th of the 2023-2024 school year who are interested in natural resource conservation, outdoor outreach, wildlife, or simply making a positive impact within the Buckeye State. ConTAC is a great place for students to meet new peers from across the state with similar interests, develop leadership skills, and participate in outdoor adventures from the shores of Lake Erie to the rolling hills of Appalachia. Selections of the 2023-2024 conTAC class will be made early summer 2023.
conTAC MISSION
To serve as the voice of Ohio's youth to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and expand the reach, impact, and quality of the Department's youth initiatives.
conTAC VALUES
- Conservation
- Collaboration
- Innovation
- Health & Wellbeing
- Diversity
- Empowerment
conTAC: WHAT WE DO
- Enact conservation-focused initiatives in our communities
- Explore careers in the natural resources sector
- Develop valuable networking and leadership skills
- Empower youth to be wise stewards of Ohio's natural resources
- Make recommendations to enhance outdoor outreach
- Make a difference!
WHAT YOUR INVOLVEMENT MEANS
- Serve a minimum of a one-year term
- Meet monthly with like-minded teens and natural resource mentors (meetings are in-person March – November, and virtually December – February)
- Develop and implement a conservation project (ex. Litter cleanup, habitat enhancement, school presentation, stream quality monitoring)
HOW TO APPLY
- The deadline to apply is Monday, June 20, 2023
- Click the green “LAUNCH conTAC Membership Application” button to access the online application
conTAC SELECTION
- Membership should reflect the diverse interests of ODNR and the state of Ohio
conTAC Class of 2022
* member has already served one full year.
| First Name | Last Name | County | School | Grade (2022-2023 school year) |
| Ainsley | Jajack* | Franklin | Dublin Coffman High School | 11 |
| Alayna | Starr* | Jefferson | Indian Creek High School | 10 |
| Alyssa | Duncan | Geauga | Berkshire High School | 11 |
| Andrew | Wissman | Franklin | Metro Early College High School | 10 |
| Anna | Schlangen Mendez | Hamilton | Sycamore High School | 11 |
| Audrey | Stankunas* | Licking | Granville High School | 11 |
| Ava | Riley | Franklin | Hilliard Bradley High School | 12 |
| Baylee | Willis-Gaislip | Williams | OCA Ohio Connection Academy | 11 |
| Brian | Scherdt | Henry | Patrick Henry High School | 9 |
| Bryce | Papp | Portage | Crestwood High School | 12 |
| Cadence | Richard | Allen | Homeschool | 12 |
| Caitlin | McCarthy | Lucas | Ottawa Hills High School | 9 |
| Camila | Esquivel Cerrillo | Hamilton | Sycamore High School | 11 |
| Cannon | Moser* | Union | Marysville Early College High School | 12 |
| Carson | Dunn | Wyandot | Upper Sandusky High School | 11 |
| Charlie | Jablonski | Cuyahoga | Gilmour Academy | 10 |
| Christopher | Bacu | Butler | Lakota West High School | 11 |
| Dana | Stan* | Franklin | New Albany High School | 10 |
| Darelle | Thornton | Summit | Firestone High School | 11 |
| Daria | Lesmerises | Delaware | Westerville South High School | 10 |
| Divya | Patria | Delaware | Olentangy Orange High School | 12 |
| Dylan | Brown | Clermont | Loveland High School | 12 |
| Edwin | Ortiz | Medina | Buckeye Senior High School | 11 |
| Eli | Hitzhusen | Franklin | Thomas Worthington High School | 12 |
| Elyse | Crone | Franklin | Reynoldsburg High School | 9 |
| Emily | Vanas | Portage | Crestwood High School | 12 |
| Emma | Hartman* | Athens | Athens High School | 12 |
| Emma | Bastian | Fairfield | Pickerington High School Central | 12 |
| Ethan | Conway | Holmes | Homeschool | 11 |
| Fama | Seck | Franklin | Hilliard Davidson High School | 11 |
| Fred | Muler | Lucas | Maumee Valley Country Day School | 9 |
| Harrison | Panstingel* | Greene | Bellbrook High School | 11 |
| Izzy | Quinlivan | Knox | Mount Vernon High School | 10 |
| Jacob | Miller | Franklin | Hilliard Davidson High School | 9 |
| Jake | Beneke | Preble | Miami Valley Career Technical School | 12 |
| Jorja | Diesch | Crawford | Buckeye Central High School | 11 |
| Josephine | Sims | Union | Dublin Coffman High School | 11 |
| Josie | Jennings* | Clark | Global Impact STEM Academy | 10 |
| Jules | Samuel | Franklin | St. Charles Preparatory | 12 |
| Kaylyn | Butler | Stark | Louisville High School | 12 |
| Kendall | Joing | Columbiana | South Range High School | 12 |
| Kohen | Wampler | Delaware | Big Walnut High School | 12 |
| Lainey | Haas | Columbiana | Salem High School | 11 |
| Layla | Mohamed | Franklin | Columbus Alternative High School | 12 |
| Lily | McGraw* | Franklin | New Albany High School | 11 |
| Madison | Spiers | Seneca | Mohawk High School | 12 |
| Madisy | Felix | Fulton | Wauseon High School | 10 |
| Manasi | Kanna* | Warren | William Mason High School | 12 |
| Maren | Lawrence | Delaware | Columbus Academy | 12 |
| Maria | Zacher* | Warren | William Mason High School | 12 |
| Molly | Shannon | Delaware | Olentangy Orange High School | 12 |
| Molly | Schmitt | Hamilton | Seton High School | 11 |
| Natasha | Miller | Fairfield | Pickerington High School North | 12 |
| Olga | Isailović | Lucas | Ottawa Hills Junior/Senior High School | 11 |
| Olivia | Went | Union | Dublin Jerome High School | 12 |
| Olivia | Gonidakis | Franklin | Hilliard Davidson High School | 10 |
| Olivia | Lewis* | Cuyahoga | Notre Dame Cathedral Latin | 10 |
| Paul | Madden | Fayette | Madison-Plains High School | 9 |
| Pearl | Harris | Delaware | Westerville North High School | 11 |
| Prisha | Patel* | Union | Dublin Jerome High School | 12 |
| Rylan | Utter | Brown | Eastern High School | 10 |
| Sarah | Perkins | Butler | Monroe Senior High School | 12 |
| Savanna | Singer | Defiance | Fairview High School | 11 |
| Shaun | Tabaka | Medina | Medina High School | 10 |
| Spencer | Phelps | Fairfield | Pickerington High School Central | 12 |
| Starbella | Cordrey | Ashland | Crestview Ashland Local School | 12 |
| Tayanna | Bagrowski* | Fulton | Archbold High School | 11 |
| Tessa | Wood* | Portage | Bio-Med Science Academy | 11 |
| Varun | Ramanujam* | Union | Dublin Jerome High School | 10 |
| Victoria | Lambert | Warren | Homeschool, Wright State University CCP | 11 |
| Weston | Garey | Hocking | Logan High School | 12 |
| William | Case | Montgomery | Oakwood High School | 11 |
| Zoe | McCarthy* | Lucas | Ottawa Hills High School | 11 |
| Gavin | Steele* | Montgomery | Chaminade Julienne High School | 12 |
| Mela | Lin* | Butler | Ursuline Academy | 11 |