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 community conservation. 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.
University of Maryland
Ariel is an associate professor of urban studies and planning at the University of Maryland’s School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation and a lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education in the Mid-Career Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership. Her cross-disciplinary research connects the fields of urban studies, planning, and public education to better understand how to build equitable and just places for historically marginalized youth and families. She has over 20 years of experience in the non-profit and public sectors, working in public policy, cross-sector collaboration, community development, participatory planning, and community arts. Ariel has a PhD in City and Regional Planning from the UC-Berkeley, a Master in City Planning from MIT, and a BA in urban studies from the University of Pennsylvania. She is originally from New Jersey and grew up in Free Acres, a utopian community founded in 1910 based on the principles of Henry George. She moved to Silver Spring and discovered Koiner Farm in 2017, which she has anointed as her “happy place.”
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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Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research
Leanna is a Clinical Research Associate at the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research where she monitors clinical trials sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). Prior to this, she spent several years working for charitable and philanthropic organizations. She grew up in North Carolina and graduated from Oberlin College with a B.A in Anthropology moving to the DC Metro region post-graduation. She has been involved with the Charles Koiner Conservancy since 2020 and is passionate about sharing locally grown food with the surrounding community.
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.
Author
Beth Py-Lieberman is the author of the 2023 book, The Object at Hand: Intriguing and Inspiring Stories from the Smithsonian Collections. Until her retirement last December, Py-Lieberman served as the senior museums editor at the award-winning Smithsonian magazine, where for almost four decades, she frequented the halls and galleries of the Smithsonian museums, educating magazine and online readers on the institution's history, art and science collections, and its exhibitions. Py-Lieberman has served for more than a decade as a volunteer liaison in the Montgomery Parks Community Garden Program and runs the Fenton Street Community Garden. She and her husband Jim Lieberman have lived in East Silver Spring near Koiner Farm since 1986. Her daughters are Claire Murrell, a Montgomery County school teacher, and Patsy Lieberman, a clinical social worker.
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.
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Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless
Lynn Davey Rose has a diverse range of work experiences throughout their career. Lynn started as a Lead Case Manager at US Arbitration & Mediation, where they managed the mediation and arbitration process and led educational presentations. Lynn then became an Adoption Social Worker at Little Flower Adoption Service, guiding foster care children and families through the adoption process. Lynn later worked as a Lead Care Manager at Prince Georges Hospital Center, providing patient care and collaborating with community partners. Lynn also worked at Silver Spring Day School as a Teacher, Community Service Coordinator, and Trainer, developing curriculum and engaging the community in service projects. Lynn served as the Director at KIDZSPACE @ First Alliance Church, providing opportunities and creating inclusive programming for children and their families. Lynn then launched the Little Learners Cooperative Program, serving as the Director and providing a unique cooperative learning experience for preschool-aged children. At ChangeForce, they worked as a Developer and Director. Currently, Lynn is serving as the Interim Director of Development and Community Partnerships at Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless, where they are responsible for community engagement and development initiatives.
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.
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.