POTOMAC VALLEY AUDUBON SOCIETY

OFFICERS AND BOARD MEMBERS

2006-2007

OFFICERS

Peter Smith, President

Peter retired in 2002 as director of public affairs for the Association of American Universities, a post he held for 15 years. Previously he had worked as a journalist and served as press secretary to three different U.S. Senators. He joined the PVAS Board in 2004 and chaired a Board Development Committee that developed a 2005 plan for restructuring the organization. He has a longstanding interest in conservation issues and is a member of The Nature Conservancy. Locally, he is a member of the Shepherdstown Rotary and has also served on the boards of the Friends of the Shepherdstown Library and the Shepherdstown Men's Club. He is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.

Nancy Kirschbaum, Vice President

Nancy taught elementary school in Baltimore County, Maryland for thirty years. She recently retired, moved to West Virginia, and joined the PVAS Board as Program Chair in 2005. She is an active birder and is a member of the Maryland Ornithological Society and The Nature Conservancy. She has a Master's degree in Education from Johns Hopkins University.

Mina Goodrich, Secretary

Mina retired in 1999 after a long career in health care with the Department of Veteran's Affairs, both in Martinsburg and Washington, D.C. A native of Shepherdstown, she has been a member of PVAS since its early days. She previously served as Secretary from 2001 to 2004. Mina has also been active on the boards of the Friends of the Shepherdstown Library, the Jefferson County Animal Welfare Society and the Shepherdstown Men's Club. She also volunteers regularly at the Shepherdstown Library. She has a Bachelor's degree in Social Work from Shepherd University and an M.B.A. from Frostburg State University in Maryland.

Jane Vanderhook, Treasurer

Jane is retired from a career as a Computer Systems Software Designer. She joined the PVAS Board in 2004 and has been Treasurer since that time. She is an active community volunteer and has served on the boards of Jefferson County Youth Soccer League, Country Day School and her homeowners' association. Currently she is the AYSO National Director for Youth and Women Referee Development. She holds a degree in Experimental Psychology.

Diana Mullis, Immediate Past President

Diana has worked with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and US Geological Survey for 37 years. Her 23-year dedication to the Potomac Valley Audubon Society includes service as president from 2000 to 2006. She has also long served as the organization's wildlife rescue coordinator.

BOARD MEMBERS

Alice Barkus, At-large Board Member

Alice and her husband, Neal, are native West Virginians from Charleston. They built a house in Jefferson County in 1998 and have been active in the local community since that time. Alice served on the board of the United Way of Jefferson County from 2003 through 2005 and is currently Secretary of the board of the new United Way of the Eastern Panhandle. She is also a member of the board of the American Conservation Film Festival, which is based in Shepherdstown. She has an undergraduate degree from Denison University in Ohio, and a Masters in Social Work from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond.

Wayne Braunstein, At-large Board Member

Wayne has been a member of PVAS for nearly 20 years. He is a past editor of the chapter newsletter and served two terms on the Board of Directors in that capacity. He is currently a member of the PVAS Board Development Committee. He has also served on the PVAS Yankauer Committee and as a volunteer for various activities over the course of the years. In addition to his work with PVAS, he volunteers with the Friends of the Peter Burr Farm, Inc., a local living history museum, in an effort to restore and preserve an historic site and to offer the legacy of living history to the residents and greater community of the eastern panhandle. He is a secondary education teacher by profession who is certified in business and information technology. He and his wife are supporters of many conservation projects and organizations, both national and regional in scope. He has a BA in Secondary Education from Shepherd University, a BS in Business Administration from the University of Maryland, University College, and a Master's in Computers in Education from Shenandoah University.

Susan Brookreson, At-large Board Member

Susan is a founding member of PVAS who has held various positions in the organization, including the presidency. Over the past year, she served on the PVAS Board Development Committee and as the liaison between the PVAS Board and the Yankauer committee. She has been a National Audubon member and avid birder since the 1970's. She is also a member of The Nature Conservancy, the West Virginia Environmental Council, and the National Wildlife Federation. She is an art educator by profession and recently was education director at the Martinsburg Arts Centre. She has a Bachelor's degree from the University of Maryland and a Master's from West Virginia University.

Clark Dixon, At-large Board Member

Clark retired from the National Park Service in 2003 following a long career with the agency that included postings in West Virginia, Maryland, Washington, D.C., Arkansas, New Jersey, and Georgia. The positions he held included Resident Youth Worker, Recreation Specialist, Park Technician, Supervisory Park Ranger, Nature Center Director, Park Manager (superintendent), and Program Manager for the Southeast Region Career Internship Program. He currently works as a substitute teacher in Berkeley and Jefferson County School Systems. His interests include gardening, nature study, camping, and backpacking. He has a Bachelor's degree in Secondary Education from Shepherd University.

David Eldridge

David recently retired as professor of physics and registrar from Shepherd University after 30 years. He has a Ph.D. in physics from Ohio University, an A.M.T. from Harvard, and a S.B. from M.I.T. Previously he worked in Ibadan, Nigeria in an Advanced Teacher Training College. He has a strong interest in conservation and is a member of The Nature Conservancy. He has been a co-chair of the PVAS membership committee for the past four years.

A. R. (Rob) Hoxton, At-Large Board Member

Rob is president of Hoxton Financial, Inc., a financial planning firm with offices in Shepherdstown, Winchester, and Chambersburg. Prior to joining the firm, he worked with American International Group (AIG), a financial services provider in New York City. He is a graduate of North Carolina State University and of the Certified Financial Planning Professional Program of the College for Financial Planning in Denver Colorado.

Georgia Jeppesen, At-Large Board Member

Georgia is employed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Conservation Training Center as an Education Specialist in the Division of Education Outreach. She has worked in the environmental education field for over 20 years including a conservation nonprofit, state education and natural resources agencies, and as an independent contractor. She has been a member of PVAS since moving to West Virginia in the late 1990s, and has served on the Yankauer Advisory committee for the past five years. She received a Bachelor's degree from the University of Utah in the biological sciences and a Master's from Florida State University in Science Education/Curriculum and Instruction.

Carolyn Thomas, At-Large Board Member

Carolyn is a visiting assistant professor at Shepherd University in the Department of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Sports. She is an avid gardener. She has a Bachelor's degree in zoology from University of Maryland, a Master's degree in Physical Education from the University of Montana and a Master's in Teaching from Marshall University. She began work toward a Ph.D. at West Virginia University in 2006.

Christine Wolf, At-large Board Member

Chris currently is president of Wolf Pack Communications, an independent consulting firm. Previously she was African Wildlife Program Manager for Humane Society International and Director of Government and International Affairs with The Fund for Animals. She serves on the board of the Endangered Species Coalition, a network of over 350 environmental, animal protection, consumer, and religious groups, and she chairs the board of the Bushmeat Crisis Task Force, an organization working to end the practice of hunting wildlife for meat in Africa. She is also a co-owner of Classic Africa Safaris, a photographic safari company operating in East Africa. Ms. Wolf is a member of Women in Government Relations, American League of Lobbyists, Toastmaster International, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, NARAL Pro-Choice American, the Jefferson County Democratic Association, and the Jefferson County Organization of Democratic Women. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Temple University, and an M.B.A. from Georgetown University.