Development Fellow: Katie Heo

Katie stands at the top of Gwanggyosan, the mountain in South Korea that lies between Suwon, where she spent her middle school years, and Yongin, where her family lives now. This place is very nostalgic and meaningful to her.

TLCNJ is delighted to welcome Katie Heo, our new Development Fellow. She brings expertise in GIS, cartography, and spatial storytelling, with a passion for environmental justice and community-centered conservation. Katie earned her BA in Geography and Environmental Justice at Middlebury College and is a Davis UWC Scholar. Her high school years at United World College in Germany inspired a commitment to global citizenship, environmental stewardship, and building inclusive, resilient networks.

At Middlebury, she worked on projects including climate vulnerability mapping for U.S. communities, coastal change analysis in Manila Bay, hazard mitigation planning for local towns in Vermont, and research on the Haenyeo women divers of Jeju Island, exploring the intersections of gender, culture, and environmental stewardship. She also brings experience in nonprofit development and communications from her work at the Institute for Climate and Peace, and has hands-on land trust mapping experience from her internship at the Middlebury Area Land Trust.

When asked why she was interested in joining our team, Katie said, "I wanted to contribute my cartography and mapping skills to help TLCNJ make the invisible visible—whether it’s preserving open spaces, protecting habitats, or connecting communities to the land. I’m inspired by the Land Conservancy’s firm commitment to both people and nature, and I’m excited to help translate its work into engaging stories and maps!"

Keep an eye out for exciting new storymaps by Katie, coming soon to our website!