Board & Staff
BRMC's policies, activities, and direction are developed by our professionally diverse, local Board of Directors. Each Board Director participates on one or more committee, and all Board members contribute their talents to our mission. The renewed tenure of founding and senior Board members reflects loyalty and commitment to BRMC's conservation goals and deep institutional memory.
President
Sandra Surabian
Sandra A. Surabian, CPA, brings more than two decades of financial, accounting, and organizational leadership experience to her nonprofit board service. As the founder of Surabian, PC, she provides tax preparation and advisory services to
individuals, businesses, and nonprofit organizations. A veteran of the U.S. Air Force, Sandra served as both an Active Duty and Reserve Officer from 1986 to 2007. She holds a Master of Accounting degree and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Communications, earning multiple academic honors including recognition as a Goddard Scholar.
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Vice President
Mike Dow
Mike is a certified Virginia Master Naturalist who has logged hundreds of volunteer hours working on ecological projects throughout the Bull Run Mountains region. A retired corporate strategic planning director, he holds an Environmental Sciences bachelor's degree from the University of Virginia and an M.S. in Management from the NYU School of Engineering. Mike and his family have resided in Gainesville, Virginia since 2002.
Secretary
Susan Southard
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Sue grew up appreciating the natural beauty of Burma, the Philippines, and West Africa as the daughter of a U.S. Foreign Service Officer. She earned her Ph.D. in molecular biology and performed research and taught at M.I.T. As a resident of The Plains for 20 years, she has grown to love the Bull Run Mountains and their communities. She lives with her husband at their horse farm, Far Reach Farm, and is the proud mom of her biology major daughter.
Board Member
Andrea Currier
Andrea resides and works in the presence of the Bull Run Mountains as Land Manager of a family farm, community developer, and philanthropist
Board Member
Tim Dunn
Tim and his family have lived in the Bull Run Mountains region since 2014. Tim is co-founder of Terra Alpha Investments, a DC-based sustainable investment firm. He currently serves on the board of the Virginia chapter of The Nature Conservancy and is the Chair of the Advisory Board of the Global Research Institute at the College of William & Mary.
Board Member
Peter Fakoury
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P. J. Fakoury is a singer, songwriter author, recording artist, and playwright from Warrenton, Virginia. He has written for magazines, newspapers, and the public relations industry.
As "Peter McCory, the One-Man Band," he performs several hundred musical programs for children each year. His three CDs of original children's music have won awards from the Parents Choice Foundation and positive reviews in School Library Journal and Booklist (the journal of the American Library Association).
Board Member
Doug Fout
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Doug is a horse trainer and businessman.
Board Member
Kathleen Higgins
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Kathleen is a landscape architect.
Board Member
Jack Kotz
Jack has been an award-winning fine art and commercial photographer for more than 30 years. His commercial work has consisted of editorial and advertising photography on a national scale, and . his photographs have been published in six books on architecture and historic places and appeared in many periodical publications.
Board Member
Helen MacMahon
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Helen has lived on Bull Run Mountain since 1971. About 20 years ago, her daughter attended BRMC’s Young Naturalist Camp, and the family has been a proud member ever since. After college, Helen returned home to The Plains and joined her family real estate firm, Sheridan-MacMahon, where she has worked as a broker for nearly 30 years. Helen's career has given her access to some of the most beautiful landscapes imaginable. Now, through the many programs BRMC offers, she is deepening her hands-on knowledge of the natural world and wildlife right in our own backyard.
Board Member
Rita Morency
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Rita is a registered nurse working in reproductive health in Washington, D.C. She grew up in the presence of the Bull Run Mountains and has been passionate about conservation since childhood.
Board Member
Karissa Epley
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Since 2015, Karissa has called the Virginia Piedmont home. As Director of Development at Highland School, she bridges the gap between vision and resources, building the systems and partnerships necessary for the school’s enduring success. Karissa’s work is fueled by her passion for stewardship—both of our natural world and the future leaders who will inherit it.
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BRMC Executive Director
Michael Kieffer
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For more than 25 years, Michael has overseen BRMC's vision for an active and healthy community, where preservation is not a hands-off policy but an engaged and committed endeavor by people who love and care for our Piedmont Landscape. When that is accomplished, we will have both a healthier environment and community.
BRMC Assistant Director
Matthew Frost
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Matthew graduated from George Mason with a BA in Environmental Sustainability and a minor in Conservation, from The Smithsonian Mason School of Conservation. He has worked in several small nonprofits, primarily in outreach and communication. Matthew loves to read, hike, and play/listen to music.