Director of Ecological Fire & Plant Conservation

Honoree

Heidi Braunreiter, Prescribed Fire Program Coordinator for the Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves (OKNP), has been named the 2025 Rising Leader Award recipient by the Natural Areas Association (NAA) for her advancements toward ecological health in Kentucky.

She serves on the Kentucky Native Plant Society Executive Board as a Director and is Treasurer of the Kentucky Prescribed Fire Council. Braunreiter has been with KNPS since 2017, previously serving as Secretary and Vice‑President, and is a certified Burn Boss, an expert in the science of controlled fire.

Braunreiter holds an M.S. in Biology from Eastern Kentucky University, a B.S. in Biological Aspects of Conservation, and a certificate in Environmental Studies from the University of Wisconsin‑Madison.

She first began professionally working with fire as a Fire Effects Monitoring Intern with the U.S. Forest Service and later completed another internship at the Red River Gorge Geological Area as the Lead Backcountry Ranger Intern. After finishing her Master’s degree, she volunteered at Blue Grass Army Depot and received training to become a burn crew member before joining OKNP.

b""Now I help implement all of our burns, and I love it, because I get to incorporate both my love of plants and fire into the same job,"" said Braunreiter.

As a certified Burn Boss, Braunreiter brings scientific rigor, botanical expertise, and inclusive, community‑minded leadership to her work. She has rapidly become one of Kentucky’s most skilled naturalists, serving as a driving force in prescribed fire, rare plant conservation, ecological restoration, and collaborative leadership across the region.

Her commitment to safeguarding biodiversity and strengthening conservation partnerships embodies exactly what the Rising Leader Award was created to honor.

For more information, reach out to the Kentucky Prescribed Fire Council at https://(Use the "Apply for this Job" box below). or email