Wild Virginia Staff
David Hannah, Conservation Director
David Hannah joined Wild Virginia as the Conservation Director in November, 2006. He received his M.S. degree in Wildlife Ecology from the University of Florida and has worked as a professional in the conservation and natural resource field since 1993. His varied career has found him working as a General Biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Delaware, a Natural Resource Manager for the North Carolina state park system, a Land Protection Specialist for The Nature Conservancy of Virginia, and a Conservation Officer for the Piedmont Environmental Council in Albemarle County. David serves on the Board of Directors for the Virginia Society of Ornithology. He lives in Charlottesville with his wife Laurie and hikes in our forests at every opportunity.
Wild Virginia Board of Directors - 2010
Chris Bowlen, Vice President
Chris Bowlen received a BS in Chemistry from WVU, then worked as a chemist at Eastman Kodak in Rochester NY, University of Washington in Seattle, WA and Schering Plough in Bloomfield NJ. After moving to VA in 1996, Chris retired from chemistry to raise her two daughters and work on restoring their house. She is currently stewarding 10 acres in the Shenandoah Valley, which involves restoring a damaged woodland area and running a small, sustainable organic farm. Chris and her husband, Gene, have been committed to environmental issues and to living as close to green as possible since the early ’80s. Chris is a member of the Virginia Native Plant Society and a Virginia Master Naturalist and enjoys being outside in all 4 seasons, especially in the George Washington National Forest.
Eric Gilchrist, Treasurer
Eric Gilchrist is the principal of Green Resources of Virginia, a consulting firm specializing in promotion and strategies for green products and services in Virginia. Eric has over twenty years experience in sales and marketing for large and small companies, including his own for-profit green business. He holds an MBA and BS in Environmental Planning & Management from Penn State. He finished the International Honors Program which entailed studying Global Ecology issues in India, Mexico, New Zealand, Australia, Thailand, Malaysia, England, and Fiji in 1992-1993. Along with his wife Deborah, their favorite pastime is camping and hiking.
Cynthia Hurst
Cynthia Hurst is the owner of Butterflies in Progress, LLC, a development consulting company. She has worked with non-profit organizations since 1988, most notably serving as the director of Clean Water Action in Baltimore and Miami. In addition, Cynthia worked for the Wildlife Center of Virginia and WHTJ Charlottesville PBS. Her Bachelor of Arts degree is from James Madison University and she did graduate work at Virginia Tech. Cynthia grew up in the Shenandoah Valley hiking in the George Washington National Forest and still backpacks there when time will allow. She also enjoys yoga, canoeing, scuba diving, dancing and laughing.
Jennifer Johnson, Secretary
Jennifer Johnson is an environmental data analyst for a consulting firm in Charlottesville. She graduated from the University of Virginia in 2002 and decided to stay in Charlottesville largely because of the beautiful natural environment that we are so lucky to enjoy here in central Virginia. In the words of the great environmentalist Ed Abbey, she is a “part-time crusader” who loves the outdoors and feels compelled to do everything she can to protect it while saving time to enjoy it!
Ernie Reed
Ernie Reed has been teaching continuously since 1973, currently for Charlottesville City Schools. He co-founded and for 15 years was the Director of the Living Education Center for Ecology and the Arts, an alternative high school in Charlottesville which focused on environmental science, a sense of place, active citizenship and creativity. For the last 5 years he has been the Council Chair of Heartwood, a coalition of over 50 grassroots forest protection and conservation organizations in the Central and Eastern United States. Ernie has a BSC in Economics from the University of Santa Clara and did his postgraduate work at University of California at Santa Barbara. He doesn’t get out often enough into the forests he has spent two decades protecting.
Kristin Taverna
Kristin Taverna works as a field ecologist for the Virginia Division of Natural Heritage. Her work takes her into the woods throughout Virginia, inventorying natural areas and documenting rare natural communities. All her travels throughout the state have shown her how special the mountains of Virginia truly are! She holds an MS in Plant Ecology from the University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill and a BA in Environmental Science from the University of Virginia. Kristin began her involvement with Wild Virginia back during her undergraduate days at UVA. Kristin and her husband Jason (a former Board member of Wild Virginia) love nothing more than sharing the outdoors together and with friends, be it on foot, in a canoe, or on all fours in their garden.
Nathan VanHooser, President
Nathan VanHooser works as a network engineer during the week but treasures secluded mountains cabins for weekend get aways. He grew up in the Shenandoah Valley and roamed the Eastern slopes of the Allegany Mountains from Rockingham to Giles counties. Jefferson National Forest timber issues occupied Nathan’s activist time at Virginia Tech while also earning a B.S. in Electrical Engineering. After a two year teaching job in West Africa, he moved back to Central Virginia. Nathan currently enjoys hiking the Blue Ridge with his wife, son and four-pawed friends.
