Kental Martel

Kendal grew up in East and Southeast Texas, where she developed a love for both the Pineywoods and swamps. She graduated from Stephen F. Austin State University with degrees in Sociology and Geography and completed a Master’s certificate in Collaborative Governance from Portland State University where she studied forest collaborative groups and the human dimensions of natural resource management. Kendal served with the US Peace Corps in Zambia as an Agroforestry Extension Agent establishing nurseries of useful species for local agriculture. She then worked in Oregon facilitating groups of diverse stakeholders to make collaborative decisions about forest management. She has also worked in New Mexico and Texas to bring researchers, agencies, and land managers together to strengthen shared learning networks for land management.

Kendal’s biggest passion is plants, horticulture, and anything associated with helping seeds grow. Before joining TNS, she worked as a horticulturalist at a native plant nursery in Texas, as well as an invasive species contractor implementing native habitat restoration. In her spare time you can usually find her gardening, working on several woodworking projects at once, or in the forest botanizing and birding with her dog.