Sophie joined the Conservancy in 2023 as the Executive Director and brings over twenty years of experience to the position in her prior work as an urban planner and program director for nonprofit organizations. Most recently, Sophie served in a senior leadership role for the Urban Land Institute, a nonprofit organization focused on creating livable communities where she was responsible for the programming, operations and strategy for UrbanPlan, an education program which enables high school and university students, community members, and elected officials to redevelop a fictional site and engage in the complex tradeoffs that happen in the land use process every day in cities across the country. Before joining ULI in 2014, Sophie directed the LEED for Neighborhood Development program at the U.S. Green Building Council for six years where she worked with experts and staff to create a rating system for evaluating sustainable neighborhood projects.
Prior to that, Sophie worked at several historic preservation and planning consulting firms and the U.S. EPA, where she did research on the impacts of development on natural habitats. Sophie grew up in England and Canada, but has lived in the U.S. since moving there to attend university. She has a BA from Smith College, an MS in Historic Preservation from Columbia University, and a Master’s in Urban Planning from Virginia Tech. Sophie serves on the board of Project GROWS, a nonprofit organization with a mission to improve the health of children and youth through garden-based education and access to healthy food in the Shenandoah Valley. In her spare time, Sophie enjoys gardening, hiking, experimenting in the kitchen, running whether it be a marathon or along a local trail as well as spending time with her two children often cheering on their favorite soccer teams.
He is excited to explore a new field and contribute to a mission he believes in. Outside of work, most of his hobbies are sports. Kyle grew up playing many sports and currently plays Pickleball and Ice Hockey. He is also very interested in aviation and astronomy and will talk about either topic for hours to anyone willing to listen. Outside of work you will most likely find him spending time with his family and watching Washington Capitals and Commanders games.
Kasey holds a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science and has a background in environmental education, communications, and community engagement. She has worked as an environmental educator, bringing hands-on conservation and environmental science lessons into LCPS elementary classrooms. Kasey is a certified stream monitor through Virginia Save Our Streams and is a certified Outdoor Educator. She also serves as the Outreach and Communications Coordinator for the Virginia Association for Environmental Education, an experience that supports collaboration, partnerships, and advancing environmental literacy across Virginia.
A lifelong science enthusiast and former Girl Scout, she is passionate about helping young people connect with nature and discover how engaging and meaningful science can be. When she is not working on programs or outreach, she enjoys caring for her composting worms, who are always accepting name suggestions.
Andrew has always had a strong connection to the outdoors, shaped by his childhood in Letchworth, a small town just north of London in the UK. He recalls warm summer days listening to music in the park, splashing in paddling pools, and walking through the commons on the way to school. As a teenager, Andrew spent his time playing football in green spaces and exploring the surrounding countryside, farmland, and woods. These preserved landscapes helped the town maintain its identity, reflecting an early understanding of the value of land and community.
Now serving as the Field Operations Manager for Willowsford Conservancy, Andrew aims to help others connect with the land through recreation, conservation, education, and shared appreciation of the outdoors. As a project manager, he has collaborated with local zoning, permitting, and civic groups to ensure projects align with community needs. He also brings experience in youth leadership, trail construction, and maintenance through his involvement with the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and as a BSA Scoutmaster.
Karsten inherited a love for the outdoors from a young age. Raised in Virginia, his youth saw him outside often and watching birds and building bird houses with his grandpa. This would eventually lead him to majoring in Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences and minoring in Forest Ecosystem Management at Penn State. Even now, he enjoys being out in the woods, hiking, birdwatching or in the streams looking for cool snakes and salamanders, his favorite groups to focus on. Having participated in multiple surveys, he finds stream surveys the most fun as there are often more species found than one might think.
In his free time, Karsten likes to play games with friends, read, or hike outdoors looking for species he has yet to see. He started at Willowsford as a Seasonal Ranger in 2025. Now, as a full-time Ranger specializing in Wildlife, he is excited to help the program branch out to help more of our native wildlife.
Blake’s lifelong love of nature began in childhood with barefoot wanderings in the woods and rescuing injured animals and evolved into a passion for restoring natural communities and deepening our connection to them. She holds a Bachelor’s in Environmental Studies with a concentration in Ecology from Sterling College, Vermont. While at Sterling, Blake also served as a Livestock Farm Lead on the college’s 20-acre agroecological farm, training and leading a team of 40 student employees.
Her field experience includes streambank remediation and invasive species management with the Craftsbury Conservation Commission; trail building and maintenance with the Green Mountain Club on the Appalachian Trail; a Black River watershed bioassessment presented to the Memphremagog Watershed Association; and coral reef conservation research with Sea Education Association, including oceanographic data collection, marine debris research, and snorkel-based population surveys of 152 reef species in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Blake gravitates toward water wherever she is, but especially loves thunderstorms, waterfalls, and the ocean. When she’s not outside, she bounces between arguably too many hobbies, from needlework to boardgames to woodworking, but books are a constant love and she’s always reading at least one (mostly fantasy). She loves her people most of all though and spends most of her free time hanging out with friends and family.
Amari is a junior studying environmental science at Stevenson University in Maryland and lives nearby in Fort Washington. Amari’s hobbies include reading and crocheting, which helps her relax and be creative. She also loves watching movies, especially romance, comedy, and horror films, with horror being her absolute favorite genre. Amari is excited about this internship opportunity since she enjoys spending time outdoors because being in nature supports her mental health, helps her recharge, and brings her a sense of peace and balance.
A few fun facts about Amari: her favorite color is blue, she absolutely loves fruit especially strawberries and kiwi being her favorite fruits, and her favorite drinks are matcha tea and caramel or vanilla coffee. Amari also has a shih tzu named Chloe.
Paul comes to Willowsford from Western Maine, where he has a lifelong connection to agriculture. He spent 14 years working at and managing his family’s apple orchard and vegetable operation. Supported by three generations, the farm produced a wide variety of crops using regenerative practices and included a farm stand, pick-your-own offerings, field trips, food access support, and strong community engagement.
He later spent 10 years managing operations at an organic dairy farm< where he was in charge of organic certification. In recent years, Paul has focused on implementing cover cropping to support soil health and long-term productivity. He and his wife, and their six kids, also took over her family’s 36-acre farm, part of a larger property that has been in the family since 1807, where they raised horses, beef cattle, laying chickens, and other livestock.
Paul brings a deep respect for hard work, tradition, and continuous learning, along with a strong commitment to community-centered farming. Beyond farming, Paul has been an active member of his local community band since 1991, serving as Director from 2014 to 2025, and playing many instruments. He has also played Taps each Memorial Day in Weld, Maine, since 1999, a meaningful tradition honoring those who gave their lives in service. His kids are passionate about football, baseball, softball, horse-back riding, and Paul and his family look forward to getting to be part of those communities here.
Emma grew up in Loudoun County and has lived here for 19 years. She received her bachelor’s degree in Sports and Recreation Management, with a minor in Business, from James Madison University in 2024. Recently, Emma completed her master’s degree in Supply Chain Management at Towson University.
During her time at Towson, Emma worked as a Graduate Assistant for Competitive Sports at the campus recreation center. In this role, she supported sport clubs and intramural programs while supervising a team of approximately 20 student employees. She also taught indoor cycle classes and is looking to teach in the Northern Virginia area. Emma is excited to learn more about the Farm’s operations and to connect with members of the community and the CSA membership. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with friends and family, as well as with her two cats, Stone and Storm.
Jarrett has worked in sustainable agriculture for the last few years. Most recently, he completed a year-long apprenticeship with the Oak Spring Garden Foundation, also a nonprofit farm, located in Upperville. He was involved in bed preparation, propagation, seeding, planting, and harvesting over 28 different crops, caring for their flock of 300 chickens, and operating heavy machinery. He also carried out seed saving, worked with volunteers, and supported farm-related events, including farm-to-table dinners and a fall festival.
Jarrett has also worked in retail as a manager and at a farming collective. He is passionate about supporting local farmers and growing/buying food locally, and has an interest in native plants. He and his wife live in Front Royal where they have their own home garden and two Great Pyrenees.
