Our Team

Steuart was the president of the Virginia Bar in 2018 and continues to serve as its immediate past president. He also has served for many years on the Board of the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation.

Steuart received his B.A. from the University of Virginia and his J.D. from Washington & Lee Law School. He and his wife Marie reside in Staunton where they raised four children and an adopted nephew. In his free time he enjoys his family, fly fishing, tending his Highland County property on the Bullpasture River, and cheering for UVA sports teams. 

With years of community involvement and service throughout the Roanoke Valley and beyond, Katie is committed to sustainable design and building, historical preservation, environmental conservation, socially conscious business and entrepreneurship and hands-on support of culture and the arts.

Katie inherited her love of real estate – farms and historic buildings – from her father, with whom she spent a lot of time on her family’s farm near Fincastle. Katie attended Hollins University before graduating with a B.A. from Virginia Commonwealth University. She resides in Roanoke. When she’s not working, she’s hiking trails with her dog.

Kirk has served on the Highland County School Board and comes with a passion for conservation, a farmer’s knowledge of tending the land, and experience in board service.

After graduating from Michigan State University with a B.A. in Economics, inspired by the beauty of mountains and landscape, she moved to Steamboat Springs, Colorado, with some time in Boulder where she received an M.A. in Economics from the University of Colorado.

Living in the Steamboat Springs area for over 40 years, Kathy recognized that historic preservation and land conservation were essential components of a community’s vision. She served on the Board of Directors of Historic Routt County for over 15 years and was given the organization’s Historic Preservation Leadership Award in 2015. Seeing the development pressure mounting in Northwest Colorado, Kathy worked for the Yampa Valley Land Trust for 13 years where she retired as Finance Director. In 2021, Kathy returned to the Shenandoah Valley with her husband, Carl Steidtmann, and moved to Staunton, drawn by the area’s strong preservation ethic and dedication to the conservation of the precious agricultural lands and beautiful, irreplaceable open landscapes. Kathy is grateful for the opportunity to join the efforts of the Conservancy in its vital mission of land conservation.

In addition, Abbie directed a National Endowment for the Humanities program that provided challenge grant funds to non-profits required to raise matching funds, giving her in-depth familiarity with fundraising plans for such organizations. She was born and raised in Virginia and received an M.F.A. from George Washington University after graduating from Mary Washington College. 

She moved to Rockingham County in 1999 after practicing law in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. Lisa is a member of the Board and former Vice President of the Alliance for the Shenandoah Valley, and a founding Board member of Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance.

He transitioned from a staff position to the Board of Directors in 2020. 

With conservation experience in both the non-profit and government sectors, he has previously worked at Shenandoah National Park, the Alaska Public Lands Information Center in Fairbanks, and at Yosemite National Park where he studied visitor use impacts and crowding. Scott has also volunteered with the Virginia Outdoors Foundation, Shenandoah National Park, Yosemite National Park, the Conservation Trust for North Carolina, and the LandTrust for Central North Carolina (now Three Rivers Land Trust). 

Scott holds a Master of Environmental Management from Duke University, a Master of Fine Arts from Virginia Tech, and graduate certificates in Nonprofit Organization Management and Geospatial Analysis. He also serves as Senior Vice President of his family’s healthcare IT company, headquartered in Sperryville, VA. Scott is eager to expand the size and diversity of the Conservancy’s membership while simultaneously building upon past successes to protect even more land and water in the greater Shenandoah Valley region.

Beth’s interest in nature and agriculture began as a “young farmer” on the family’s second-generation dairy farm. She is active in her community, serving on the volunteer rescue squad, Ruritan Club and several regional boards. She is passionate about education and tries to incorporate agricultural and conservation themes into STEM classes she teaches at the local library. 

Beth obtained a BS degree in Biochemistry and Nutrition from Virginia Tech, an MPH degree in Environmental and Occupational Health from The George Washington University and a PhD degree in Pharmacology and Toxicology from the Medical College of Virginia.

He resides in Bentonville in Warren County where he owns and operates several farms in Warren County with other family members. One of the farms along the Shenandoah River was placed under conservation easement with the Virginia Outdoors Foundation in 2007. Tom has served on the Board of Scenic 340 Project, Inc. and is currently on the Board of the Warren Heritage Society.

After graduating from Grove City College in 2013 with a degree in entrepreneurship, he headed to Charlottesville to begin what he thought would be a long-term career as a marketer for Silverchair Information Systems, a Charlottesville tech firm. However, after two years, bolstered by readings by Wendell Berry and observing the work of Joel Salatin, he decided to return to the land his family has farmed for 90 years. 

Alex works alongside his father on his cow-calf beef operation and has since added hogs, sheep, and pasture-raised chickens that he sells locally at the Staunton farmers’ market and restaurants in the area.

She previously served on the steering committee of the Climate Action Alliance of the Valley. She resides in Mt. Crawford in Rockingham County.

John has recently returned to Virginia from Idaho, where he was the president of Rocky Mountain Environmental Associates. In the past he served as the Research Director for Friends of the Teton River and worked at the Piedmont Environmental Council.