Herber Focuses on the Bigger Picture

Story by Lisa Herber

December 2, 2019

Alumni: Lisa Herber
Degree: BS Forestry

Graduation: 1998

Business Title: Grants Coordinator

Business: IDNR, Division of Outdoor Recreation

My career path has taken many turns over the decades since I graduated from Purdue with a BS in Forestry and majoring in Wildlife Management. I started out in landscaping; did a stint as a utility and urban forester in northern IN; was a supervisor and manager for an environmental consulting firm for environmental permitting, restoration and natural resource mitigation projects in IN, MI, IL and OH; managed road projects and staff for environmental permitting and ecology across half of Indiana, and am currently managing state and federal grants for outdoor recreation projects throughout Indiana with the IDNR Division of Outdoor Recreation.

Although my goals were very different when I started (I thought I would be working with and managing individual species) the broad education from my degree allowed me to branch into many areas to develop a wide range of skills and experience. This has enabled me to stay working in the field I love, with a few stretches, and active in managing and maintaining natural resources in the state.

Protecting and maintaining habitat is key in Indiana for the health and survival of our native species - flora and fauna. Any position I have worked in I have tried to focus on the broader picture instead of wishing for a narrower, specific role. It has helped me keep perspective on doing what I love and allowed me access to a broader career.

Alumni Stories Alumni Awards Research Areas

Graduate Opportunities Connect Give a Gift

Featured Stories

Dr. Ken Kellner at a computer; Kellner teaching; Kellner at Denali National Park.

Dr. Ken Kellner Named Outstanding Young Alumni Award Recipient

Dr. Ken Kellner, who earned his master’s degree (2012) and PhD (2015) from Purdue and...

Dr. Joe Robb releases ducks with his son Jason; Dr. Joe Robb on a prescribed fire scene; Dr. Joe Robb holds a hognose snake.

Dr. Joe Robb Earns Chase S. Osborn Award in Wildlife Conservation

Dr. Joe Robb, who has spent the last 26 years serving the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at the...

Dr. Zackary Delisle holding two frogs as a child; Dr. Zackary Delisle holding a cottonmouth snake during his master's degree research; Dr. Zackary Delisle doing an aerial survey in Alaska in his current role as an ecologist with the National Park Service.

Dr. Zackary Delisle Receives 2024 Chase S. Osborn Early Career Award for Wildlife Conservation

Dr. Zackary Delisle (PhD 2023), whose research in Indiana was instrumental for enacting deer...

John Baugh stands in front of the Purdue Memorial Union.

Commitment to the community of agriculture

It was December in the Indiana Statehouse, and legislators rushed around, preparing to discuss...

A photo of a wildfire provided by Blake Stanton.

FNR Alumni Assist During Wildfire Season

Wildfire season can extend from five to more than seven months in length, occurring mostly in the...

Mary Beth Adams stands in front of a sign publicizing her visit to Nanjing Normal University in China.

Distinguished Alumna Adams Travels to China for Scientific Exchange Opportunity

Dr. Mary Beth Adams, a 2016 Purdue Distinguished Agricultural Alumni Award honoree and 2020...