Board of Directors & Staff
The policies, activities, and direction of the BRMC organization is undertaken by a professionally diverse, local, in cases land-owning board of directors. Directors participate on one or more committees and 100% of the Board members contribute to the organization. The renewed tenure of founding Board members and senior Board members reflects loyalty and commitment to the conservation goals and deep institutional memory.
President
Sandra Surabian
​
.jpg)
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. He is a retired corporate strategic planning director who holds an Environmental Sciences bachelor's degree from the University of Virginia and a M.S. in Management from the NYU School of Engineering. A resident of western Prince William County for more than 20 years, Mike is also an accomplished bagpiper who enjoys hiking, kayaking, fishing and spending time with his family.
Susan Southard
Secretary
Sue Southard grew up appreciating the natural beauty of Burma, The Philippines, and West
Africa as the daughter of a U.S. Foreign Service Officer. Professionally, 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 our community. She lives with her
husband at their horse farm, Far Reach Farm, and is the proud mom of her biology major
daughter.
Andrea Currier
Board Member
Andrea resides and works in the presence of the Bull Run Mountains as
Land Manager of a family farm, Community Developer, and philanthropist.
Tim Dunn
Board Member
Tim and his family have lived in the Bull Run Mountains since 2014. He 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.
Peter Fakoury
Board Member
P. J. Fakoury is an author, singer/songwriter, recording artist, and playwright from Warrenton, Virginia. He's also 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).
Doug Fout
Board Member
Horse Trainer/Businessman
Kathleen Higgins
Board Member
Landscape Architect
Jack Kotz
Board Member
Jack Kotz has been an award-winning fine art and commercial photographer for over thirty years. His commercial work has consisted of editorial and advertising photography on a national scale. His photographs have been published in six books on architecture and historic places and appeared in many periodical publications.
Helen MacMahon
Board Member
Helen has lived on Bull Run Mountain since 1971 and continues to reside there with her family. About 20 years ago, her daughter attended BRMC’s Young Naturalist Camp, and they have been proud members ever since. After college, she 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.
Rita Morency
Board Member
Finance
Fritz Reuter
Board Member
Fritz and his family hold a multigenerational tract of land in the northeastern portion of the Bull Run Mountains dating back to the 18th century. A conservation based landscape designer and land planner, Fritz and his team work primarily in the tri-county region that claims the Bull Run. He attributes his passion for work in conservation landscape design and land planning to his roots in the area and his family’s commitment to stewardship on their home place.
.jpg)
Jon Shurberg
Board Member
Medical Doctor
Michael Kieffer
Executive Director
Over his 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.
Matthew Frost
Assistant Director
Matthew is a George Mason Graduate with a BA in Environmental Sustainability and a minor in Conservation from The Smithsonian Mason School of Conservation. Since graduation, Matthew has worked in several small non-profits, primarily in outreach and communication. Matthew loves to read, hike, and play/listen to music.