Board of Trustees
Kristen Saacke-Blunk
Acting Chair, Vice Chair
Kristen is an environmental professional; working as a water quality and habitat assessment, monitoring and restoration field liaison with Headwaters, LLC. She lives at the Study Retreat Associates at Rolling Ridge.
Martha Mason Semmes
Secretary
Martha is a retired Town Manager for Middleburg VA and has worked in land use and environmental management. She is a Fellow of the American Institute of Certified Planners. She enjoys hiking and the outdoors as often as possible.
Jack Smalligan
Treasurer
Jack is a Senior Policy Fellow at the Urban Institute. He previously served as Deputy Assistant Director for Education, Income and Labor at the Office of Management and Budget where for over 27 years he worked primarily on Social Security and low-income assistance programs, serving five presidential administrations. He has been active with Rolling Ridge Study Retreat Associates. In his free time, he enjoys gardening, hiking, biking and kayaking.
Jackie Kosbob
Jackie is a retired teacher from Loudoun County. She has been a member of Baltimore Yearly Meeting for forty-five years and attends Goose Creek Meeting in Lincoln, VA. She has been associated with the BYM camping program for many years in various capacities.
Richard Thayer
Rich is an organization consultant with an interest in nonprofit governance. His summers at scout camp and years of field work around the world have given him a deep and abiding commitment to enjoying and preserving our natural world. He is active in the West Baltimore nonprofit Unified Efforts, various Baltimore Yearly Meeting committees, and Friends Peace Teams, a global effort to reduce violence . Rich has three children and a granddaughter. He and his wife live in Greenwood, Virginia and he is active with Charlottesville Friends Meeting.
Gene Lewis
Gene is Director of Facilities for the Cool Spring River Campus of Shenandoah University. He enjoys hiking, backpacking and other outdoor activities.
Patrick Shunney
Patrick is the owner of Shunney Timberworks, Patrick is a timber framer, using centuries-old joinery techniques and sustainable materials. In his free time, he enjoys trail running and hiking.
Mikey Garcia
Mikey is a product engineer for Inertial Labs in Paeonian Springs. He enjoys mountain biking, swimming, and rock climbing around the area. He has a great appreciation for nature and conservation, and loves volunteering on the property.
Roger Claassen
Roger Claassen is semi-retired. He works with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service collecting and analyzing data on the use of conservation practices by farmers and ranchers. Previously, he was a USDA economist specializing in land use and agricultural conservation policy. He is a member of Community House Church in Washington, DC, and is active with the Rolling Ridge Study Retreat Associates. He also enjoys woodworking, gardening, and cooking.
Bill Telfair
Bill is a retired Physicist who invented and designed Medical laser systems like Lasik. He is a member of the Potomac Valley Audubon Society and leads bird and nature walks in both Jefferson and Berkeley counties, including walks on the Rolling Ridge property. Bill lives in Shepherdstown and serves as treasurer for Shepherdstown Friends Meeting and the Friends Wilderness Center.
David Hunter
David loves being outdoors in forests and natural settings and working with young people. He currently works for Baltimore Yearly Meetings Quaker summer camping programs as the camp property manager where he coordinates the management of nearly 1000 acres of primarily forested land in Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia. He has also worked as a camp director and school teacher. He is passionate about preserving forests and offering young people opportunities to understand the importance of forested land and sustainable land use.
Kimberly Benson
Kimberly is the General Manager of Friends Wilderness Center. Kimberly holds a masters of science in conservation biology. Formerly employed at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration focusing on conservation science, education, and outreach, Kimberly has extensive field experience engaging the public through research and participatory science. Kimberly and her family are always available to welcome you to Friends Wilderness Center on the Rolling Ridge Conservancy.