AFF/BTW Staff
Katrina Fauss, Acting Program Director, Upper Potomac Educator/Field Study Coordinator
Katrina is from Myersville, MD and will be working in Hagerstown for the BTW program. She is a 2001 graduate of Hood College with a B.A. in Sociology. Her love of the environment began as a young girl while camping with her grandparents and parents and going to summer camp. Most recently she was the Program Director in charge of Environmental and Older Girl Programs at the Girl Scouts of Shawnee Council, Inc in Martinsburg, WV. In this capacity she managed a Future Leaders of Watersheds grant that spurred her on to move in to EE full time. In her spare time she likes to play softball and kayak.
Laura Gillespie, Editor and Web Designer
A native of Accokeek, Laura grew up playing at and around Hard Bargain Farm. Though having strong ties to her home and an inclination for things environmental, Laura received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County in 1993, and went on to earn a Master of Arts degree in Medieval Studies from the University of York, Yorkshire, England in 1994.
After five years teaching English from middle school up to the university level, Laura agreed to help out with the budding Bridging the Watershed project that has since blossomed into a regional middle and high school science program. Once the full-time program assistant, Laura now helps out on a part-time basis editing curriculum and maintaining the BTW web site. She is currently a doctoral student at the University of Baltimore in Communications Design and a mom of two.
Leona Haiden, BTW Scheduling
Leona initially learned about The Alice Ferguson Foundation and Hard Bargain Farm through her children, who visited the farm with the public school system. Over the past five years, through her work as an office administrator for a small local t-shirt and sign shop, she came into contact with The Alice Ferguson Foundation again, producing t-shirts and signage for the foundation. Now, as the BTW scheduler, Leona helps teachers get their students into state and national parks by coordinating with educators and rangers; but her favorite activity is reading the post-field study student reflections. When she's not marvelling at how cool kids are, Leona chairs several committees including Vice President of the board of directors in her co-op. In her spare time, Leona enjoys writing, music and art. She is a published poet and also manages her own production company, Tuxedo Moon, while pursuing her degree in journalism.
Educators
Keith Roumfort, Educator
Keith, a former Pennsylvanian, started out in environmental education at an early age volunteering and eventually working at Asbury Woods Nature Center. Keith proceeded to work for the National Wildlife Federation in the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Pocono Environmental Education Center seasonally. He expanded the education programming at the Rachel Carson Homestead Association as the Education Coordinator before becoming a state park education specialist for the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
Keith moved into formalized classroom teaching and taught middle school science in Maryland and Pennsylvania, where he incorporated a watershed program with seventh grade students. Missing the scenic outdoors, he now is excited to be an educator with the Alice Ferguson Foundation. Keith holds a B.S. Ed. (environmental education and science education).
Elizabeth Rives, Educator
Elizabeth Rives grew up in Alexandria, VA where she spent many hours in the outdoors climbing trees, exploring the woods, collecting macroinvertebrates (mostly crayfish), and picking blackberries and raspberries for her Mom’s scrumptious home-baked pies. After a career in the financial services industry, Elizabeth returned to her love of nature and the outdoors by earning her certificate in Natural History Field Studies from the USDA/Audubon Naturalist Society’s Graduate School. She now teaches winter woody plant identification for the ANS/Graduate School program, and tree selection, care and maintenance for the Arlington-Alexandria Tree Stewards.
Elizabeth has taught whitewater kayaking and sea kayaking, and leads nature and tree walks throughout the area. She enjoys camping, hiking, biking and running, and her favorite sedentary activities are studying plant and tree botany, doing crossword puzzles, and reading. She received her B.A. with honors in Latin American Studies and Spanish from the University of Virginia.
Christiana Rigby, Technology Educator
Christiana, a Maryland native currently living in DC with her husband, two cats and an urban garden, graduated from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County with a degree in Environmental Studies, and minors in Dance and Sociology. She comes to BTW with years of experience in the nonprofit sector and has worked for the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Her passions include attempting daring new recipes, enjoying the outdoors, and exploring emerging technologies.
Sara Campbell, Part-Time Educator
Sara, another Accokeek native, grew up exploring Hard Bargain Farm as well as the nearby woods and Potomac River. After graduating from Towson University with a B.S. degree in Biology she worked for the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center and Berkeley University studying birds in different parts of the US, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela. Her love of science and the outdoors has led her back to Accokeek where she currently works as both a Hard Bargain Farm Naturalist and a BTW part-time educator. In her spare time, Sara enjoys traveling to new places, hiking, and camping.
Tyler Mullan, Part-Time Educator
Tyler was born in raised in the mountains of Cumberland, Maryland. Having an interest in ecology and wildlife from an early age, Tyler participated in the Ecology Club and Environthon team in high school. Since 2007 she has been working as a seasonal naturalist with the Scales and Tales Program at Rocky Gap State Park, where she had the opportunity to participate in Bridging the Watershed training. Graduating with BA in biology and studio art from McDaniel College in 2010, Tyler is currently a Master of Fine Arts candidate at American University, with an anticipated graduation date of Spring 2012.
Aroni Johnson, Part-Time Educator
Aroni, 22, was born in Linden, Guyana. At the age of 8, he and his family immigrated to Washington, DC. Aroni spent the duration of high school at Calvin Coolidge Senior High and is currently a college student studing biology at the University of the District of Columbia. His mentor, who was the director of the Upward Bound Program, told him about the BTW program. Aroni has always admired nature and conserving our environment; and, after he heard about BTW and what they do for the environment, he was more than eager to become a member. Aroni joined the BTW crew in the fall of 2010.
Anna Wadhams, Project Assisant, Bridging the Watershed Program
Born and raised in Ann Arbor Michigan, Anna graduated from the University of Michigan in 2005 with a B.A. in History and Spanish. Her journey to the Alice Ferguson Foundation began as a Student Conservation Association intern with the National Park Service. During her stint at the George Washington Memorial Parkway, she was trained in and co-facilitated Bridging the Watershed programs. Anna has worked with AFF since 2006 as a naturalist, coordinator the 19th Annual Potomac River Watershed Cleanup, and BTW Educator.