Board member, Tony Sarmiento, 'The Garlic Guru', leads the annual fall garlic planting and summer garlic harvest festivals at Koiner Farm.
We are always seeking dedicated Board members with a passion for supporting a local nonprofit and a commitment to protecting neighborhood farms that provide maximum benefit to their community. Learn more about Board service here.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Washington International School
Michaelen is a Certified Public Accountant with 9 years of public accounting (audit and tax preparation) experience, ten years of data warehousing experience, and 11 years of leadership experience in non-profit organizations. She is currently CFO for the Washington International School. Previously, Michaelen served as Senior Vice President of Finance and Accounting at the Humane Society of the United States and Vice President and Controller of United Way Worldwide. Michaelen holds a BBS in Accounting from the College of William & Mary and a Master’s in Taxation from the George Washington University. Michaelen lives in Gaithersburg, Maryland with her three children and two dogs.
Andalman & Flynn
Peter is the Managing Partner of the Disability Benefits department of the Law Firm of Andalman & Flynn. Andalman & Flynn is a law firm located in Downtown Silver Spring, dedicated to helping clients efficiently and effectively resolve their legal issues. He also serves as a Board Member of the Greater Silver Spring Chamber of Commerce and Co-Chair of their Young Professionals Network, where he has helped with programming, membership development and service. Growing up in Montgomery County, and working his whole life in Downtown Silver Spring he is passionate about the local community.
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Stephanie Hubbard
Asbury Foundation
Stephanie is Director of Development for the Asbury Foundation at Asbury Methodist Village. Prior to joining Asbury, Stephanie was responsible for fundraising and communications for Montgomery County’s largest food bank, Manna Food Center. Stephanie brings more than fifteen years of experience in the nonprofit sector, ten of those working in nonprofit fundraising, corporate partnerships and volunteer management in the greater Washington, DC area. When she’s not out engaging the community, Stephanie enjoys cooking Persian food, bird watching and spending time with her family.
ISS Corporate Solutions
Logan is Vice President of Sustainability Solutions Product Management at ISS Corporate Solutions. Prior to that he was the Senior Project Manager at Environmental Resources Management (ERM). Logan graduated from the Yale Center for Business and the Environment with an MEM and MBA from in 2017. In 2015, Logan worked with New Belgium Brewing Company's Sustainability Team, Logan received the 2016 Switzer Environmental Fellowship. He has also worked with Patagonia's charity and 1% for the Planet. He is a former Board member for the Sierra Institute for Community and the Environment in the Sierra Mountains of California,
National Park Trust
Dolores has over 35 years’ experience in nonprofit fundraising, with a focus on environmental, cultural, and community organizations. As VP of Membership at the National Trust for Historic Preservation she helped save places like the Acoma Pueblo in New Mexico and Forest Glen Seminary in Silver Spring. She now serves as Development Director for the National Park Trust. Dolores moved to downtown Silver Spring in 1991 with husband Jamie Karn, where they found a diverse, supportive & caring community in which to raise their two sons. In her free time, she sings with a capella octet, Venus d minor, and enjoys discovering parks, traveling, quilting, rooting for the Nats and hanging out at Kefa Café. Dolores is Chair of the Board's Communications Committee.
Mindy Milby Tuttle
Land Trust Alliance
Mindy is the Director of Principal Giving at the Land Trust Alliance. Prior to that she was worked with nonprofits such as Colorectal Cancer Alliance, Trust for the National Mall and National Wildlife Federation. She led capital campaign strategy for clients at CCS Fundraising. Mindy is a graduate of Allegheny College. She is a former advisory council member for Girls on the Run of Montgomery County. Her passion for local farms stems from her early childhood of running around her family's property in Hodgenville, KY where the family has been actively growing produce since the 1940s.
NDC Partnerships
Caitlin (Caity) Pinkard is the Communications Manager with the NDC Partnership, where she oversees multimedia content and communications strategies to advance the impact of the Partnership’s more than 200 members. A communications professional with 10+ years of experience developing print and digital campaigns for diverse audiences, Caity is an environmental policy advocate with technical expertise communicating incentives for sustainable land use and private land conservation, supporting better development pathways for green infrastructure, and advancing climate mitigation and adaptation efforts in line with the Paris Agreement.
Lerch Early & Brewer
Chris Ruhlen is a land use attorney who focuses on land use, zoning, real estate, and related governmental issues. He assists national and local real estate developers, property owners, commercial tenants and small businesses with a full range of planning, zoning and regulatory matters in Montgomery County and other Maryland jurisdictions. Chris holds a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law and a B.A. in Anthropology from American University. Chris is also a busy father of three young daughters and an ardent music fan who can often be found jamming out on his guitar at venues around metro DC.
The Aspen Institute
Sama Sabihi is the program manager for 2Gen Practice at Ascend at the Aspen Institute where her work focuses on building economic mobility and wellbeing for families. Prior to her work at Ascend, Sama served as the Program Coordinator for the Women in Engineering Program at the University of Maryland where she first learned about CKC through her efforts to build campus-community partnerships.
Sama joined Koiner Farm as a volunteer in fall of 2020 and joined the CKC Board in July 2023. Sama is deeply passionate about public service, social change, equity and inclusion efforts, and community engagement. She enjoys spending time in her neighborhood, cooking and eating food with friends and family, and listening to live music in the city.
Retired Labor Activist
Tony retired in 2017 after a long career in community/social justice work, including jobs in the labor movement, adult literacy, and services/advocacy for older adults. As a Filipino American, he has lived in upper Northwest DC and Silver Spring since 1958 and graduated from the DC Public Schools and American University with a B.A. in American Studies. His garlic, grown in his small backyard in Woodside, has won the blue ribbon at both the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair and the Maryland State Fair. He is often invited to speak about growing garlic, including as a scheduled presenter at the annual Hudson Valley Garlic Festival in Saugerties, NY. Tony was introduced to the joys of composting and shoveling horse manure by both of his parents, avid vegetable and flower gardeners, at a very young age. He first met Charlie Koiner in 1990.
Retired Attorney
Steve recently retired after more than 21 years as a senior attorney at the Humane Society of the United States, including almost 19 of which as general counsel for its habitat protection affiliate, the Wildlife Land Trust. During that time, he completed more than 100 direct land conservation projects. Steve is a frequent lecturer on land protection and nonprofit law topics to attorneys and other professionals in the land trust community. He served nine years on the Land Trust Accreditation Commission, and continues to serve on its requirements committee, and is also an alum of the Land Trust Alliance's Conservation Defense Advisory Council. Steve now serves as senior legal advisor to Wild Earth Allies, Steve has lived in Montgomery County since 1967 and now resides in Kensington with his wife, Lucy, a retired environmental consultant. Together, they enjoy spending time with their grandkids and watching the Washington Nationals.
First Savings Mortgage
JD is a home mortgage loan officer with First Savings Mortgage Corporation. Since starting his career 15 years ago, he has helped over 1000 families with financing to buy a new home. He specializes in first time home buyers looking to buy in the DMV. Originally from Connecticut, he has called the DMV home since 2003, when he first came to school at American University. Outside of work, he volunteers with Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless and Housing Unlimited. JD is passionate about travel, airline miles, hotel points, and is a diehard Washington National fan and a lover of bad Netflix TV shows.
MCAEL
Kathy has been the Executive Director for the Montgomery Coalition for Adult English Literacy since 2012. Kathy has over 25 years of professional experience with nonprofits, education and community development, and dabbling in local politics. Her professional titles have included: fundraiser, lawyer, community organizer, and group facilitator. As a community leader, she currently chairs the Nonprofit Montgomery Board and serves on Montgomery Moving Forward, a collective impact initiative in Montgomery County. She is a graduate of Leadership Montgomery, IMPACT Silver Spring’s Community Empowerment Program, and holds a J.D. from the University of Richmond, Ed.M. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and B.A. from Swarthmore College, When she is not at her desk, she can be found hiking with her dog, Blair, or hosting dinners to bring friends and family together over a meal.
Charles Koiner Conservancy
Ex-Officio Member of the Board
Katherine (Kate) Medina is Founder and the Executive Director of the Charles Koiner Conservancy. She discovered Koiner Farm in 2016 as a customer and has been connected to the farm ever since. As a former science teacher, Kate remains passionate about the hands-on, outdoor, STEM education potential that urban farms provide. Kate is a Montgomery County native, graduate of American University with degrees in Environmental Biolgy and member of the Montgomery County Food Council. In her free time, she enjoys a good DIY project and going on long hikes with her husband, Ricky, and their three kids.
Hannah is a Founder and key visionary of the Charles Koiner Conservacny. As the Director of Farm Operations, Hannah wears many hats for the organization - she manages the on-farm events, as well as the internships, volunteerships, and community liaison programs, Hannah's background is in urban planning with a focus on affordable housing. Hannah likes to share stories about her days working with Charlie Koiner and is passionate about carrying on the practices and traditions of older generations. She can be found at Koiner Farm most weekday evenings.
Charles Koiner Conservancy
Ex-Officio Member of the Board
The Board of Directors for the Charles Koiner Conservancy conduct Board recruitment base on organizational needs each spring, with new Board terms commencing July 1 annually. Board members serve up to two consecutive three-year terms. Board meetings take place bi-monthly (every other month) with four meetings held virtually and two meetings held in-person. Board members are also expected to serve on at least one committee. Board members dedicate 1-2 hours per week to serving the organization. The Board does not have a formal give-or-get policy, but all Board members are expected to make a contribution to the organization that is meaningful to them.