Charlie Cole is a Conservation Planner with the Illinois Department of Agriculture/NRCS Capacity Building Initiative. He recently completed the SWCS Emerging Leaders program with a new outreach program he created called "Kegs 4 Conservation." By combining his previous professional experience and formal education as an international award-winning Brewmaster with his lifelong passion for conservation and sustainability, he organizes non-conventional "field days." These events often take place in micro-breweries where he can connect with landowners and stewards as he spreads conservation opportunities with new products in new markets in a non-conventional way.
Thanks to a partnership with the Association of Illinois Soil and Water Conservation Districts and through funding from the National Wildlife Federation, Charlie's "Kegs 4 Conservation" events are scheduled throughout the state of Illinois through 2025. In his free time, Charlie is very active in the Boy Scouts of America, volunteering as a merit badge counselor for a variety of nature and environmental-related badges.