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.
Robert Reynolds, Vice President
Bob earned his master’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and retired in 2006 after a career in Public Health specializing in community alcohol problems both in the United States and internationally. In 2003 Bob and Linda purchased riverfront property in Shepherdstown, and signed a conservation easement with the Potomac Conservancy to permanently protect the property. Since moving to Shepherdstown on a full-time basis in 2005 Bob has served as a Jefferson County Planning Commissioner and on the Board of the Shepherdstown Men’s Club, and is currently serving on the Board of the Friends of the Shepherdstown Riverfront. Bob is a long-term member of several national advocacy organizations, and a Life Member of the Sierra Club.
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.
Lex Miller, Treasurer
Lex has been a Shepherdstown resident since 2004 and joined PVAS in 2008. Before retiring in 2002 he was the Research Actuary for Watson Wyatt and Company, an employee benefits consulting firm, for whom he worked for 22 years. Prior to his actuarial career, he was a mathematics teacher in the public schools of Montgomery County, Maryland. Since retiring, he has been active in the AARP Tax-Aide program, serving as District Coordinator for the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia from 2005 to 2008. He is also active in the Shepherdstown Film Society and Good Shepherd Caregivers. He earned a B.A. in Mathematics from Lehigh University and an M.A. in English Literature from the University of Maryland. He is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries.
Diana Mullis, Immediate Past President
Diana retired in 2008 after working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and US Geological Survey for 37 years. Her long dedication to the Potomac Valley Audubon Society includes service as president from 2000 to 2006. She has also served for many years as the organization's wildlife rescue coordinator.
At-Large Board Members
Wayne Braunstein, At-large Board Member
Wayne has been a member of PVAS for 20 years. He is a past editor of the chapter newsletter and served two terms on the Board of Directors in that capacity. He currently heads 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.
Donald E. Briggs, At-large Board Member
Don is the administrator of the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail program. Based in Harpers Ferry, the program is partnership between the National Park Service, the states of Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania, and the District of Columbia to develop a system of trails between the mouth of the Potomac and the Allegheny Highlands. Previously, Don managed technical assistance, special studies and planning projects for the National Park Service in the Mid-Atlantic States. He holds a B.S. in Natural Resources from Ohio State University and two masters from the University of Wyoming, one in American Studies and another in Community and Regional Planning. He has also held various volunteer positions, including chair of the Public Lands Committee of the Jackson Hole Alliance for Responsible Planning and President of the Shepherdstown Elementary Association.
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.
Leigh Jenkins, At-Large Board Member
Leigh has lived fulltime in Morgan County, WV since 1989, after moving there from the Washington, D.C. area. She was raised in El Paso, Texas where she was an active member of the Trans-Pecos Audubon Society. She worked as an Environmental Specialist for Gifford-Hill and Company, a cement corporation, in Texas before moving to the Washington, D.C. area. She presently teaches Advanced Placement Biology and Advanced Placement Environmental Science, as well as Advanced Biology, at Berkeley Springs High School in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia. She is a member of the Morgan County Master Gardeners and also active in the Potomac Valley Master Naturalist Program. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Sociology from Texas A & M University and a Master of Arts in Sociology from the University of Texas at El Paso. She returned to Shepherd College in 1994 to receive her teaching certification in Biology and is currently a candidate for a Master of Arts degree in Science Education/Curriculum and Instruction at Shepherd University.
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 served on its Yankauer Advisory committee for 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.
Heather McSharry, At-Large Board Member
Heather has been fascinated with the natural world since she was a little girl growing up in Salt Lake City, Utah, where her father took her hiking and camping and taught her to identify birds. She went to college at Utah State University, graduating first in her class in the Wildlife Management program there. After graduate studies in Zoology, she took a job as an Endangered Species Biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. During her 15 years with USFWS, Heather worked in several parts of the country and specialized in work on large ecosystem restoration projects, including Hawaiian rain forests, the Everglades and the Missouri River. She lives in Shepherdstown.
Jesse Morgan, At-Large Board Member
Jesse lives and raises his family in Charles Town. He grew up in Jefferson County and has strong ties to the community, especially southern Jefferson County. He holds a Master of Science in Geology degree from West Virginia University (1996) and a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Science degree from Boston University (1993). He and his wife Adrienne are entrepreneurs in environmental services. As Director of Field Operations, Jesse oversees all drilling and other environmental field projects for A-Zone Environmental Services, LLC.
Kathy Stolzenburg, At-Large Board Member
Kathy is currently a Realtor and co-owner of Eastern Panhandle Realty. Her professional career has included event planning for two nonprofit healthcare organizations and almost a decade in nonprofit fundraising with The Nature Conservancy. She has been a member of the Board of the Association of Donor Relations Professionals and has served as a volunteer licensed wildlife rehabilitator. She lives in Shepherdstown with her husband William, a natural history author. She received a Bachelor's degree in psychology from George Mason University in 1986.
Jane Vanderhook, At-Large Board Member
Jane is retired from a career as a Computer Systems Software Designer. She previously served on the PVAS Board as Treasurer from 2004 to 2008. 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. She holds a degree in Experimental Psychology.