About Us
Finding Inspiration in Every Turn
Lake Monroe, with a 276,000 acre watershed, is the sole water source for 128,000 customers in Monroe County and a supplemental source for Brown County. In mid-2017 a small group – including representatives from The Nature Conservancy, City of Bloomington Utilities, Friends of Lake Monroe and others – began meeting to explore the feasibility of forming a Water Fund to connect a funding source with the management and sustainability goals of Lake Monroe.
As a result, the Lake Monroe Water Fund incorporated in 2021 as the 43rd water fund enabled by The Nature Conservancy, the 13th in the US and the first one in Indiana. Our sole purpose is to be a financing source for mitigating threats to the water quality of Lake Monroe from sedimentation, nutrient runoff, and 9,000+ septic systems, many old and poorly maintained. We are uniquely positioned as a water fund that formed proactively, not in response to a crisis, because it costs less to prevent water quality problems than to recover from them!
Vision
The Lake Monroe Water Fund envisions a watershed that provides clean water for human health, natural systems, and quality of life in South Central Indiana supported by an engaged community.
Values
Excellence
We strive for the highest professional standards in funding strategies, staffing, communications, collaborations, governance, and projects.
Integrity
We operate with the highest ethics of responsibility, accountability, and transparency to ensure the organization’s financial stability to fund projects
rooted in science.
Adaptability
We recognize our responsibility to adjust to evolving dynamics in scientific knowledge, financial development, and community to achieve our vision.
Stewardship
We are invested in creating a lasting legacy for the Lake Monroe watershed through positive environmental action.
Collaboration
We seek to mutually engage a diverse coalition of watershed stakeholders and organizations.
Our People
Michelle Cohen
Executive Director
Jane Martin
Retired Venture Capitalist
Water Fund President & Treasurer
Dan Davis
Community Foundation of Jackson County
Eric Spoonmore
Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce
Amalia Shifriss
Development & Community Engagement Manager
Cassie Hauswald
The Nature Conservancy
Justin Meschter
City of Bloomington Utilities
Terri Willey
Pathways to Cures
Katie Starr
Executive Assistant
Alex Crowley
Indiana Energy Independence Fund
Water Fund Secretary
Joe Schmees
The Nature Conservancy
John Hamilton
Former Mayor of Bloomington