Many of our regular park visitors get to know our staff, especially our park rangers & our guest services folks, but one person you may never get to see is our new Administrative Assistant Kim Wickersham. 

Kim is a huge asset to Pottawattamie Conservation, working tirelessly doing the "boring" jobs like paying the bills & making sure the lights stay on. Kim also works closely with both the Pottawattamie County Conservation Board & the Pottawattamie Conservation Foundation, helping to secure project funding, assisting with board needs, & processing all those annual memberships! 

Kim joined our team several months ago & we are so happy to be able to introduce her to you. 

What is your personal & educational background?

I am a Wyoming native and my family has always enjoyed being in the outdoors. As a child growing up, our entertainment and trips were going out to the mountains on the weekends, camping, hiking, exploring and having adventures. This is where I learned the importance of taking care of our land and the importance of having the natural areas for people to go visit.

As a senior in high school I earned a 2-year full ride scholarship to McCook Community College for a painting of the Snowy Range and Lake Marie that my teacher suggested I enter in an art competition. This is one of my favorite spots in Wyoming. In 1998 I earned an Associate of Arts degree in Fine Arts from McCook Community College, McCook, NE followed by my 4-year degree at Chadron State College in Chadron, NE. I received my Bachelors of Arts in Graphic Design and Two-Dimensional Fine Arts in the winter of 2000. During college I spent a summer doing an internship with Nebraska Game and Parks in their graphics department.

After college I worked as a graphic designer in Hastings, NE. I moved to Lincoln in late 2001 and shifted career paths to being an Optical Manager, earning my ABO and NCLE certifications which I held for 15 years. While living in Lincoln I met my husband and when we decided to have a family, we moved to Council Bluffs where he was raised. I stayed at home with my boys and worked part time jobs until they were in school.

Where did you work prior to joining the staff at Pottawattamie County?

I was working part-time for Lewis Central Community School District, until a full-time position opened up as the Building Administrative Assistant for Kreft Primary. I worked for Lewis Central for 7 years before making the change to come to Pottawattamie Conservation.

Tell me about a project of accomplishment that you consider significant in your career.

Raising my boys and being able to have spent so much time with them.When I was Committee Chair of my sons' Cub Scout Pack I helped to reorganize and grow the pack, with activities, events and in numbers of scouts. With that I was awarded the Cub Scouter of the Year Award by our district in 2016. We have continued to see the Pack grow every year since.