Staff, board, and partners

Staff, board,
and partners

Our Staff

Katie Lautar,
Executive Director

Katie Lautar took the helm of the organization after seven years working as our Program Director. Born and raised in Baltimore, she came to this work through her love of Baltimore, nature, and communities. Katie has more than 16 year experience in community organizing, designing non-profit programs, and creating educational programs. She earned a Master's Degree in Environmental Education from Lesley University, while living outdoors in different bio-regions. She earned her Bachelor's degree at Goucher College in Elementary Education with a Minor in Peace Studies.

She directed youth development and education programs at Strong City Baltimore and is a founder of the 2640 Cooperative. She also has considerable experience in consensus building models and collaborative program development.

Lynette Hodge,
Operations Manager

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Recruited in the winter of 2021, Ms. Hodge has spent the past four years working for various non-profit projects in the Baltimore City area providing technical assistance and operations support. Her experience in operations work stateside and marketing work in central Europe provides a different perspective to the work of Baltimore Green Space. Ms. Hodge graduated from Notre Dame of Maryland University with a Bachelor's in Integrated Marketing and Communications, minor in Business.

Lynette is a dynamic and flexible asset to the team. Born in Detroit, with having lived in Hungary and Brazil, she is happy to call Baltimore home. She enjoys long walks, reading mystery and action novels, travel, and spending time with her cat, Hampton.

Eric Fishel,
Forest Manager

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Eric Fishel leads all of our programming related to forest stewardship. Eric is a conservation biologist specializing in urban ecology of birds. Eric grew up just outside of Baltimore in Owings Mills, MD, and attended Johns Hopkins University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in biology while working as an intern and naturalist with the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore, and Marshy Point Nature Center.

After college, he spent the next 11 years working on a variety of avian conservation research projects in seven states and seven countries. In 2016, he received his Master’s degree in natural resources from the University of Missouri studying the impacts of land management practices on breeding bird and plant communities in an urban residential area.

Patrick Filbert,
Preservation Manager

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Patrick Filbert is a proud Baltimorean with a background in ecology, urban planning, and community coordinating. Patrick is a graduate of Friends School of Baltimore and credits the Quaker values instilled in him as a big inspiration in his work to help others. After Friends, he graduated from the University of Delaware with a Bachelor’s in Environmental Science. He then moved to Portland, where he volunteered with 1000 Friends of Oregon to resolve urban land use issues. Upon his return to Baltimore, Patrick volunteered with Pigtown Main Street, before signing on with NeighborSpace of Baltimore County where he worked as Program Manager for 3.5 years.

At NeighborSpace, Patrick managed 21 green spaces around the inner suburbs of Baltimore County. During this time, he also worked for the Baltimore County Green Alliance where he facilitated several committees such as Forest Conservation and City-County Collaboration. Patrick is an avid sports fan and lover of Sci-Fi/Fantasy shows and literature. He lives in Butchers Hill.