Staff and Board of Directors

FULL-TIME STAFF

Bert Harris, Ph.D. – Co-Director

Bert has a long-standing interest in the ecology and conservation of forests and grasslands in the eastern United States. At the Clifton Institute Bert directs a program of ecological research that has the goal of providing actionable recommendations to landowners. He is also a passionate land manager and he works with his team to restore native plant and animal communities on the Clifton Institute’s 900-acre property. Bert also has a background in research on the effects of the wildlife trade, climate change, and habitat loss on tropical birds. After attaining his B.S. in Ecology and Biodiversity at Sewanee: The University of the South, Bert completed a Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Adelaide, Australia. He then went on to do a postdoctoral fellowship at Princeton University. Bert is an adjunct professor at American University and George Mason University. He also serves as an Academic Editor for PLOS ONE. More information about Bert including his publications can be found here.

Eleanor Harris, Ph.D. – Co-Director

Ever since she was young, Eleanor has loved being outside and learning about animals. In high school, she developed a love of mathematics and she attained her B.A. in Mathematics at the University of Chicago. Late in college, she rediscovered her interest in animals and went on to complete a Ph.D. in Quantitative and Computational Biology at Princeton University. In her research as a mathematical biologist, she is interested in the evolution of animal communication and animal social systems. After graduate school, Eleanor held a James S. McDonnell Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Department of Biology at the University of Maryland. Eleanor is currently a Research Assistant Professor in Residence in the Department of Environmental Science at American University and an Affiliate Professor in the Environmental Science and Policy Department at George Mason University. As Managing Director at the Clifton Institute, Eleanor oversees all of the organization’s activities, with a focus on education and development. Eleanor loves backpacking, cross-country skiing, reading, and nature journaling. Eleanor’s publications can be found here.

Bridget Bradshaw, M.A. – Education Associate

She acquired a love for looking at things up close from her parents while growing up in Seattle and from the staff at the Burgundy Center for Wildlife Studies in West Virginia where she spent her summers as a child. From early on Bridget was smitten with birds and snakes, but later fell in love with insects. In the midst of several field technician jobs, Bridget got her B.S. in Biology from the University of Washington and University of Queensland, while also conducting scientific research in Argentina, the Northern Mariana Islands, and across the US. But what good is all of this exciting field science if it isn’t shared? Starting in 2016 Bridget turned toward environmental education, first at her childhood summer camp in West Virginia and then in Austin, TX. Looking for new ways to meld field science and teaching, in 2020 she went to Idaho to pursue a Master of Natural Resources in Science Communication and Outdoor Education. At Clifton, Bridget runs our education programs. She is excited to be returning to the ecosystems that first ignited her love of insects and teaching and grateful to work in a place where field science and education meet.

Kadiera Ingram – Landowner Outreach Associate

Kadiera grew up exploring the forests and fields around her homes in northeast Pennsylvania and suburban northern Virginia. She completed her B.Sc. in Biology at George Mason University where her focus was ecology and evolutionary biology. During her time at GMU, Kadiera became interested in the research informing conservation and restoration practices – especially regarding plant-pollinator interactions and vegetation management – and participated in a variety of plant ecology studies as a student and recent graduate. Before coming to Clifton, Kadiera worked as the Environmental Specialist for Reston Association, where she tackled tough invasive species management and native planting projects throughout Reston’s 800 acres of natural area. In her current role as Clifton Institute’s Landowner Outreach Associate, Kadiera’s primary goal is to meet with local landholders and provide guidance on how they can improve their land as a resource for declining pollinators and wildlife. Having lived in Hume, Virginia for two years and spent significant time with family Shenandoah County, Kadiera is delighted about any opportunity to help her community protect and restore the local biodiversity that makes this area so special. In her free time, Kadiera enjoys backpacking, rock climbing, exploring folk art and working on her DIY camper van conversion. Photo by Bryan Gorsira.

Andrew Eberly – Habitat Specialist

Andrew grew up on the edge of the piedmont in Pennsylvania where he spent much of his childhood either in the woods or birding with his dad along the Delaware and New Jersey coasts. He loved learning to identify birds, but what he found most interesting was getting to see all the different habitats that they were using. This led to a fascination with everything from plants to geology and many things in between. Andrew left the rolling hills of the piedmont to get a BS in wildlife and fisheries biology at the University of Vermont, then headed mainly west to do ecological field work in a variety of ecosystems throughout North America, from the Mojave Desert to the Tallgrass Prairies of eastern Kansas. Andrew is happy to have landed back on the familiar piedmont. His main interests at the moment are studying the interactions between natural communities and the underlying soils, climate and geology, as well as growing native plants for restoration. At Clifton, Andrew helps manage the habitats on our 900-acre property for the benefits of native plants and animals and conducts research on the natural history and conservation of native species.

Kieran Paulsen – Communications Associate

Kieran grew up in Maryland spending as much time outdoors as possible. He holds a B.A. from the Savannah College of Art and Design. He’s had fiction, non-fiction and poetry published, and spent three years as a journalist for The Chronicle of The Horse. Kieran manages Clifton’s social media, photography, and other communications materials such as the newsletters, annual reports, and press releases. His favorite thing about Clifton is having the opportunity to merge his love for writing with his love for nature.

Feliecia Brooks – Administrator

Feliecia has supported nearly every aspect of the Clifton Institute for over 30 years. From overseeing the office, employees, and events to removing a raccoon from the bookshelf, she has seen it all! As a life-long resident of Fauquier County, Feliecia cherishes both the natural beauty and historical aspects of Virginia. She is an ardent volunteer for local as well as national non-profits, especially in health and literacy and currently serves on the Fauquier Library Board of Trustees. Feliecia’s interest in history has led her to study historic foodways and textiles as well as initiate the restoration of the cabin on the Clifton Institute property that dates from 1820.

Updated September 6, 2024. We do not currently have a Native Seed Project Coordinator. Isaac Matlock left us at the end of August to take a new job in upstate New York. We will be hiring soon, pending funding. In the mean time, you can email Bert at bharris@cliftoninstitute.org or Andrew at aeberly@cliftoninstitute.org with queries about the native seed project. They are splitting Isaac’s duties in addition to their own, so there may be a delay in responding to you. Thank you for your patience and understanding!

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Douglas Larson – President

Doug was formerly a Vice President at the Piedmont Environmental Council with primary responsibility for the development program of the organization. He has had extensive non-profit experience serving as the Director of the Airlie Foundation, Board member of the Fauquier Hospital, and a variety of other community organizations. Following his graduation from Drake University he served in the US Peace Corps. His career took him overseas working for The Agency For International Development and later for The George Washington University in international health education programs.

Jocelyn Lee Alexander, M.Ed.

Jocelyn is an educator, conservationist and neighboring landowner. As owner of her family’s long-held (since 1941) property on Wildcat Mountain, whose fields and woodlands she has hiked and ridden since childhood, she represents three generations of a family closely involved in the preservation of natural values in the Warrenton community. She remains involved in Great Meadow Outdoors Foundation, which her uncle founded and where she rode as advanced level competitor. Jocelyn (MA. SpEd) is a caseload manager and teacher in the county with a passion for connecting the varied working components of her community which reaches to Washington D.C., where she went to school.

Anne Douglas Atherton

Anne Douglas Atherton is a life-long resident of Fauquier County, Virginia. She has been married to Harry Atherton for 52 years and they have lived on the same farm in the Freestate near Orlean, VA for the past 45 years. They have two daughters, Hope and Lily. Anne Douglas is a photographer and avid bird watcher. She has been involved in many local pursuits over the years in Fauquier County, both political and charitable. She attended Bennett College and the University of Grenoble in France.

Mark Debord

Mark is a retired HR executive and has lived in Virginia since 1987. He and his wife bought 220 acres in Louisa County in 2016. They have been working since then to create diverse wildlife habitat from what was formerly a loblolly pine forest. Several species of native grasses and wildflowers have emerged from the seedbank and quail returned to the property in Fall 2023. Mark also serves on the board of the Richmond Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, co-chairs the Environmental Preservation Committee of the Lake Anna Civic Association, and is on the Emeritus Board of Higher Achievement. Mark received his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Tennessee.

Barbara Heller

Barbara Heller is keenly interested in the preservation of native plants and is working to establish them on her farm. President of the architecture firm Heller & Metzger, she has worked on over 1000 construction projects including the renovation of the Pentagon and the FDR Memorial. She has two sons and has been involved with local political and charitable organizations. She attended Bennington College and the University of Illinois.

G. Robert Lee

G. Robert (Bob) Lee served as a Virginia local government county administrator for 30+ years. On retirement, the Virginia General Assembly in 2005 adopted a Joint Resolution commending him “on completion of an exemplary career of service.” Bob next served as a State Agency Head (Virginia Outdoors Foundation) during the terms of three Virginia Governors. On his second public service retirement, the Board of Trustees of the Virginia Outdoors Foundation named Bob as Honorary Executive Director Emeritus. He has served on many non-profit boards, including the Board of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and decades on the Board of the Foundation of the State Arboretum of Virginia. Bob was the recipient of the Mosby Heritage Hero Award in 2013. Bob also received the 2012 Conservationist of the Year Award from the Land Trust of Virginia, and the WIngate Makay-Smith Clarke County Land Conservation Award (2017). In 2019, the Citizens for Fauquier County recognized Bob with the Kitty P. Smith Conservation Award. Bob had Gubernatorial and Virginia Cabinet level appointments on statewide boards, commissions, and committees. He has an undergraduate degree from the College of William & Mary and a graduate degree from Cornell University.

Charles G. Mackall, Jr.

Charles is Chairman of Avenir, a value-oriented investment management firm located in Washington, D.C. Prior to founding Avenir with an associate in 1980, Mr. Mackall worked for 17 years at NS&T Bank (now SunTrust Banks, Inc.) serving as Vice President and Manager of Commercial Lending. He received an A.B. from Princeton University in 1957 and an M.B.A. from the Colgate Darden School of Business Administration at the University of Virginia in 1962. Charles is a passionate conservationist who is especially interested in restoring native grasslands in the Northern Virginia Piedmont.

Marcia Marsh

Marcia was the Chief Operating Officer at the World Wildlife Fund. In retirement, she and her husband, Pete, work on their own native grassland restoration and support many of our local environmental organizations and efforts.

Nancy Raines

Nancy spent her early professional years as an environmental attorney, at the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the Department of Justice and the General Counsel’s office at the Environmental Protection Agency, before moving to private practice. In 1982 Nancy and her husband Dick purchased a farm in Rappahannock County, and they have worked to restore native habitat on this land. They are long-term supporters of local and national environmental organizations. Nancy’s undergraduate degree is from Dartmouth College and her JD from Georgetown University.

Victoria Stack

Victoria has lived in Virginia for twelve years and prior to that she lived in Washington, DC and Southern California. She has been committed to conservation through board service and philanthropy for many years. She has served on the boards of Fauna & Flora, International – US, International Fund for Animal Welfare, Rachel’s Network (Founding Member) and, currently, in an advisory position as Vice President of Fauna & Flora, International.

Margrete Stevens

In 1992 Margrete and her husband, Mike, bought a 200 acre farm in Fauquier County. Since the earl 2000s, they have hosted an annual Bluebell Walk on the Cedar Run together with the Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC). In recent years they have launched projects to restore habitat by removing invasive plants, planting trees in riparian buffer zones, and allowing native seed banks to flourish in selected fields. Margrete serves on the Executive Committe of the PEC and on the Fauquier County Architectural Review Board. She worked for 30 years as lawyer in Washington, D.C., having received her law degree from the University of Copenhagen and her LLM from the London School of Economics.

Hans Wachtmeister

Tim Mize, Ex Officio

Tim is a Virginia Cooperative Extension agent here in Fauquier County. Tim is a long time resident of Fauquier with many years of experience in production and retail agriculture as well as having developed lasting ties with those in the agricultural community. From past experience and education, he has excelled in the cattle industry. Tim has over 15 years of agriculture experience ranging from farm management to making agronomic recommendations to local producers. With his most recent employer, CFC Farm and Home Center, Tim was often invited to speak at club meetings as well as seminars on subjects ranging from nutrition to forage grass management. He is a Virginia Tech graduate with a BS in Animal Science and is active in the community.

Edward Bernacki, M.D., Emeritus

Edward is Professor of Medicine, Director, Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Department of Medicine and Executive Director of Health, Safety and Environment for the Johns Hopkins University. He is past President of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine and former Corporate Medical Director of United Technologies Corporation, Hartford, Connecticut and Corporate Vice President of Tenneco, Inc., Houston, Texas.

David Snyder, M.D., Emeritus

David is a founding member of Blue Ridge Orthopaedic Associates in Warrenton, Virginia and a diplomat of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery with extensive experience in reconstructive surgery. He has served as a guest lecturer at the University of Virginia and as Chief of Surgery and President of the medical staff at the Fauquier Hospital. David is also the founder of Verdun Adventure Bound.