Carman Jackson started with the Indiana DNR in 2002 working part-time at Prohetstown SP while attending graduate school at Purdue University. Her main focus was greenhouse operations and prairie restoration. After graduating with a MS in Health Promotion (2004), Carman joined Principal Wellness (Principal Financial) as a wellness consultant. In 2006 her love of development, restoration, and the outdoors brought her back to the DNR as a program planner with the Div. of Outdoor Recreation. Carman worked with the planning team for approximately four years, then transitioned to the State Off-road Vehicle Program. From 2008 – 2022, Carman was involved in the planning, design, and development of Interlake and Redbird Off-road State Recreation Areas, managing both properties from 2013 – 2022. She served on the Board of Directors of the International Off-Highway Vehicle Administrators Association from 2012 – 2023. In 2022 Carman returned to DNR Central Office, joining the grants team as a grants coordinator with focus in the Land and Water Conservation Fund and Indiana Trails Program grants.