A longtime donor and volunteer, Teal Baker lends over 20 years of results-driven leadership experience to her role on the Shenandoah National Park Trust Board of Trustees.

Teal was instrumental in supporting Invariant’s rapid business expansion, increasing annual revenue over 470% to surpass $45 million and headcount 10x from 9 to more than 100. As chief operating officer, she oversaw all aspects of operations, from managing people and processes to optimizing office space and technological infrastructure. Teal also directed internal and external communications, maintaining Invariant’s strong brand image.

Prior to Invariant, Teal held key operational roles on both of President Barack Obama’s campaigns in 2008 and 2012. Throughout her career, Teal has leveraged her operational expertise and leadership capabilities to drive organizational growth, implement effective systems, and spearhead change management. Her sharp focus on strategic alignment, brand management, and team development makes Teal a results-driven leader able to optimize operations and position organizations for scalability.

Teal is also the board chair for Girls on the Run – DC and a lifetime member of Leadership Greater Washington.

Cathy is delighted to join the Shenandoah National Park Trust as new trustee!

Hailing from the picturesque Finger Lakes region of Upstate New York, she has a lifelong appreciation for the outdoors and the importance of safeguarding our natural treasures. She has been exploring Shenandoah National Park since her family relocated to this region in 1994.

In the past, Cathy has been a board member of the Free Clinic of Culpeper and board chair of the Culpeper Wellness Foundation, and she is a current board member of the Northern Piedmont Community Foundation.

Outside of her philanthropic endeavors, she enjoys a fulfilling family life with her husband, whom she has worked with for over 45 years, four accomplished children, and the joy of seven grandchildren. Traveling, hiking, and reading are among her cherished hobbies, providing firsthand experiences of the wonders of our world.

Residing at tranquil Lake Anna and overseeing a successful construction and quarry business in Culpeper, VA, Cathy is well-acquainted with the delicate balance between sustainable development and environmental stewardship.

Her previous roles at various non-profit organizations have shown her the transformative power of community engagement. Cathy looks forward to supporting the park in its conservation efforts, educational programs, and community engagement initiatives by contributing her skills, passion, and energy to the mission of the SNPT and being part of a community dedicated to the enduring protection and celebration of Shenandoah National Park.

Rod is the Senior Vice President and an owner of Luray Caverns Corporation, working in the footsteps of his great grandfather T. C. Northcott who purchased the Caverns in 1905. He manages Luray Caverns with his brother and two ancillary historic museum collections. These are the Car and Carriage Caravan Museum, an extensive collection of antique cars and carriages and the Shenandoah Heritage Village, a campus of regional historic buildings with an expanding collection of the Shenandoah Valley’s material culture spanning from Early America to the 1920s.

His career and education reflect the importance of Nature, History and Art in his life. Rod is a painter, an avid fly fisherman and hiker keen on enjoying, understanding and preserving our water, land and historic resources. Among his many contributions on these matters, he is particularly proud of having been instrumental in preserving simultaneously land and historic sites through his work with the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation. Rod has a BFA of Fine Arts with a minor in History from Shepherd University and a lifetime of interest in these subjects. He has decades of experience in the Tourism Industry focusing on tourism of natural and historic attractions which has led to his regular participation in related national and international associations, seminars and congresses.

He lives in a historic house on the Shenandoah River near Luray with his wife Isabel.

Brett is a partner of Investment Research Partners and has over 20 years of experience in the financial services industry.  He holds a bachelor’s degree from James Madison University in Accounting.  Additionally, he became a CFP® professional in 2012, a Chartered SRI Counselor™ in 2019, and graduated from the Pennsylvania Bankers Association Trust School.

Prior to joining Investment Research Partners, Brett served as a Portfolio Manager focusing on environmental, social, governance (ESG) and sustainable investing at AssetMark, Inc. In this role, he built and delivered sustainable and ESG-integrated solutions for a platform that serves financial advisors and clients nationwide. The role included due diligence, portfolio construction, portfolio management, marketing, and sales responsibilities. In addition, Brett frequently spoke at financial advisor events and conferences on a variety of subjects related to sustainable investing.

He resides in Virginia Beach, VA with his wife and two children.

Jacob Hampton is a Senior Research Analyst at Terra Alpha Investments who prioritizes generating a positive impact on the world in all areas of his life. He holds a bachelor’s degree in History from Southern Methodist University, as well as an MBA in Finance from SMU’s Cox School of Business.

Before joining the Board of Trustees in January 2022, Jacob worked as a financial and investment analyst for companies in Dallas, TX and Washington, D.C. In his current position with Terra Alpha Investments, Jacob integrates natural resource stewardship with a purposeful investment process via rigorous Environmental Productivity analysis. He also holds credentials for Fundamentals of Sustainability Accounting from the Value Reporting Foundation.

Outside of work, Jacob enjoys good food, good workouts, and good games. He currently resides in Arlington, VA with his wife and two children.

Norm is a seasoned technology executive with over 30 years of cybersecurity and IT services experience.

He has held senior executive roles at Verizon, Terremark, VeriSign, Sophos, and Symantec, as well as founding and building several successful startup companies. He is an expert in software design and development, cyber security, and massive online infrastructures such as cloud computing and software as a service. He has bought and sold several companies, resulting in significant merger and acquisition experience. His education is in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and he has held our nations highest level of security clearance while working for various intelligence agencies. He has also been published in over 100 newspapers and magazines, appeared on over a dozen television news programs, been interviewed on local and national radio, and has delivered presentations at numerous international conferences. He has also taught classes on a diverse set of topics, and published research papers and blog articles related to his areas of expertise.

He is currently the Chief Technology Officer at LookingGlass and is responsible for their artificial intelligence research and projects.

Jenny serves as Senior Legal Counsel for ESG, Regulatory, & Risk at the Boston Consulting Group’s Washington, D.C. office.

After graduating from Duke University with a B.S. in Biology, Jenny went on to serve as a pilot and officer in the U.S. Army. Her military experience includes a tour of duty in the first Persian Gulf War (1991) in Iraq and Saudi Arabia, and flying UH-1 Huey and CH-47 Chinook helicopters as part of the 101st Airborne Division. Following her military service, Jenny returned to the classroom and graduated with a J.D. from Vermont Law School.

Before settling in Sperryville with her husband, Andrew, Jenny and her family lived in Washington, D.C. Along with their two children, Jenny and Andrew have spent many happy days hiking the trails of Shenandoah National Park. Jenny grew up in Maine, skiing, hiking, sailing, and kayaking and loves the great outdoors.

Sean Nelson is currently an Executive at the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) serving as the Culpeper District Engineer responsible for the construction, maintenance and operations, project development and business functions within in the Culpeper District’s nine counties: Albemarle, Culpeper, Fauquier, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa, Madison, Orange, and Rappahannock. The district stretches from the Blue Ridge Mountains east toward the Commonwealth’s capital city of Richmond and includes about 10,500 lane miles of public roadways.

Sean has more than 18 years of progressive engineering experience working within VDOT.  Prior to becoming a District Engineer, Nelson served as the Richmond District maintenance engineer, responsible for the maintenance program and emergency operations for over 18,000 lane miles. Other roles include Acting Deputy District Engineer of Maintenance and Operations in the Hampton Roads District, and Fredericksburg Resident Engineer in the Fredericksburg District.

Nelson holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering technology from Old Dominion University and is a licensed professional engineer in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

A native of Louisa County, Nelson currently resides there with his wife, Laura, and two sons, Cameron and Christian. When they aren’t participating in sporting events with the kids, Nelson’s wife’s job at the Department of Conservation and Recreation affords them the opportunity to spend time at many of Virginia’s State Parks.

Taylor Odom is an attorney in Charlottesville, Virginia. Before moving to Charlottesville, Taylor began his law career in Washington, Virginia, within sight of the Shenandoah National Park. He also serves as legal counsel to the Rappahannock County Water and Sewer Authority.

Taylor hails from St. Francisville, Louisiana, a historic town on the Mississippi River. Taylor attended Tulane University and was a student there when Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans. He spent one semester at Louisiana State University while Tulane repaired its campus. Taylor returned to Tulane when it reopened and graduated with a degree in Political Science.

After finishing his education at Tulane, Taylor moved to France to teach English. While in France Taylor learned to speak French fluently and since then has studied both German and Spanish.

Upon returning to the United States from France, Taylor enrolled in Loyola University New Orleans College of Law. While attending law school he met his wife, a Rappahannock County native. After graduating law school he moved to Virginia to join his wife in Charlottesville.

In his spare time Taylor plays tennis, continues to study languages, and has taken up squash. Taylor and his wife, Christina, currently reside in Albemarle County and spend many of their weekends in Rappahannock County enjoying the great outdoors with family and friends.

Joseph W. (Rick) Richmond, Jr., Of Counsel, has a transactional and relationship legal practice which primarily emphasizes the areas of real estate law, estate planning, trust and estates administration, and business law. Prior to becoming Of Counsel with McCallum & Kudravetz, P.C. in July 2014, Mr. Richmond was a senior partner with the law firm of Richmond & Fishburne, having practiced with the firm since 1971. Mr. Richmond is a graduate of Episcopal High School and Washington and Lee University. He received his law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law, after serving in the U.S. Army where he was awarded the Army Commendation Medal. Mr. Richmond has served in many professional leadership roles. His publications include The Virginia Homebuyer’s Manual (Editor) and Real Estate Transactions In Virginia (Co-Editor). Mr. Richmond also has served in many leadership roles in the community. Mr. Richmond has received numerous recognitions and awards from the community and his peers.

Nan Butler Roberts was born and reared in Rappahannock County, VA, in Sperryville, to be exact, just 7 miles from the Thornton Gap entrance to the Shenandoah National Park. Nan’s father and uncle worked the CCCamps in the 1940’s as young men who helped build and develop the SNP. Her father, Howard H. Butler, took the family for frequent Saturday or Sunday afternoon outings to the park by using his ‘park pass for life’ that he displayed joyfully to the park entrance attendant. So, Nan had a “built-in” affection for the SNP at an early age that continues today.

Nan began her career in Washington, D.C. working for a trade association and then two computer data technology companies as a U.S. Navy department contractor. Later, Nan accepted employment in local government in Fairfax County, VA, the largest county government in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Nan retired from Fairfax County government after 26 ½ years of service; her last position was with the County Executive’s Office. Nan has won numerous awards, including from Fairfax County, also civic and religious organizations. Most recently, she was presented one of five “IMAGE” Awards, awarded in 2020 for the first time. Nan is a Speaker/Presenter/Trainer, Writer, Singer and Event Coordinator. She was president of the Interest Group/Charter Member for James Madison University’s chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.; the oldest African American sorority founded at Howard University, Washington, D.C. As a retiree, Nan spends her time working with several religious and civic organizations in the community. She has served as the Program Director for the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Birthday Celebration in Rappahannock County for the past 18 years. The program has been presented each year in her home county to raise scholarship dollars for students in need. Nan currently serves as President, Scrabble School Preservation Foundation, Inc.; the Foundation highlights and promotes the story of this historic Rosenwald school in Rappahannock County.

Nan also serves on the Board of the Wakefield County Day School, Huntly, VA. Nan holds a Bachelor’s degree from James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA in Mass Communications and a Master’s degree from George Washington University, Washington, D.C. in Education and Human Resource Development. Nan’s closest relative, her only sister, Doretha, and family live in Georgia.

John is a biologist and natural resource specialist with a particular professional and personal interest in the conservation of biodiversity and the use of public and private parks, refuges, and protected areas as tools to achieve this aim. Now retired, John has a diverse professional background combining extensive marine/terrestrial and temperate/tropical experience in biodiversity and natural resource conservation, protected areas design and operation, and capacity building in both domestic and international settings. His work provided ample opportunities for applying project management, research, fundraising, advocacy, and partnership development to establishing and effectively managing landscapes and seascapes for multiple uses.

After attending Oregon State University (B.S.) and the University of Maryland (M.S.), John’s passions directed him to a career and journey of science and “hands­-on” threatened habitat and species conservation work. This employment, largely in the private non-profit sector, included time with the Smithsonian Institution, The Nature Conservancy, The Wildlife Conservation Society, Conservation International, and the American Bird Conservancy with diverse projects spanning from Florida to Tierra del Fuego, Argentina.

John grew up in New York and Arizona. His first trip to Shenandoah National Park was on a road trip with his father in 1975 that included traveling down Skyline Drive on the way to Jefferson’s Monticello. Later, he lived very close to Grand Canyon National Park and eventually he became a river guide for a rafting concessionaire on the Colorado River. John and his wife, Karen, live in Sperryville on a high ridge adjacent to Shenandoah National Park, and he feels both humbled and privileged to be able to work through SNPT to give something good and meaningful back to Shenandoah National Park – the first of many parks he loves.

Douglas Ward is a retired physician who fell in love with Shenandoah National Park in 2008, although he’s enjoyed hiking and biking in the area since the mid-80s. He is the founder of Dupont Circle Physicians Group, a private practice in Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases in Washington, D.C., and the largest HIV/AIDS specialty practice in the MidAtlantic. Doug was also an Educational Speaker for multiple pharmaceutical firms.

Doug earned an undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College; graduated from UMDNJ: New Jersey Medical School; completed his residency in Internal Medicine at The New York Hospital/Cornell Medical Center; and crowned his education with a fellowship in Infectious Diseases at the National Institute of Health, NIAID in Bethesda, Maryland.

Along with his many professional accolades and accomplishments, Doug and his husband Earl are the proud managers of Seven Islands Refuge, a 220-acre waterfowl and wildlife refuge in Woodville, Virginia.

Fun facts: Doug and Earl are avid art collectors; Doug ran for the Virginia House of Delegates in 2021; and Doug served in the Peace Corps teaching junior high school in Liberia!

Cheri Woodard is a serial entrepreneur at heart. She followed the call of the ‘Back to the land Movement’ of the 1970s and arrived in Sperryville, Virginia in 1975 ready to make her mark in her new-found home.

After founding and running the Faith Mountain Company, a successful mail-order business for 23 years, Cheri embarked on starting and selling several other businesses in the area. She began a new chapter in 2002 when she started her real estate career. She quickly found her niche becoming a specialist in selling farms, land, and homes in Rappahannock County. In 2012, Cheri and her husband opened Cheri Woodard Realty, their own brokerage, in the town of Sperryville focusing on Rappahannock and the surrounding counties and have continued developing and growing their company to the largest boutique realty firm in the area.

Cheri is deeply ingrained with the community of Rappahannock County. She served as the President of the Friends of the Rappahannock County Library for 10 years. For 13 years, Cheri was involved with the Headwaters Foundation as the Chair of their successful Taste of Rappahannock event. This event is still the gold standard in Rappahannock having been built on the framework she developed. Currently, she is the Co-Secretary on the Board for the Castleton Festival and is Board Secretary for the Rappahannock County Water Sewer Authority (RCWSA). She was very pleased to join the SNPT Board in January of 2020.