Nick Dallege, President
Nick is a founding member of Wild Ones, Cedar Rapids Iowa City. He first became interested in native plants after buying his first home with his wife Maleigha in 2020. The books Native Plants of the Midwest by Alan Branhagen and The Living Landscape by Darke and Tallamy, inspired him to transform his new yard into a native plant oasis.
In 2024 Nick joined the board of Friends of Hickory Hill Park and volunteers his time leading invasive species removal events in the spring and fall. He is hoping to preserve some of the mature oaks there and restore some of the oak savanna and tall grass prairie ecosystems.
Nick is a software engineer by trade and lives in Iowa City with his wife Maleigha, his daughter Liliana, and their 3 cats Jazz, Banjo, and Kazooie.
Jo Miller, Membership Chair
The 2020 derecho was a galvanizing moment for Jo. After planting 25 diverse native trees to replace many lost to the storm, she turned her attention to replacing lawn with native plants. She is currently experimenting with sheet mulching, direct seeding, winter sowing, and matrix design — while working toward her Master Gardener qualification.
Jo volunteers on land restoration projects at Indian Creek Nature Center (she loves killing invasives) and is a mentor for Monarch Research Center’s Native Oasis program, where she helps homeowners transform their yards into pollinator habitats.
Jo grew up in Australia, is a published author, and has traveled the world as a women’s leadership keynote speaker. Now, her dream is to contribute to the movement to transform our cities by replacing lawns and neglected street landscapes with beautiful, pollinator-friendly native gardens.