Executive Director

Nancy is the Director of the Arcand was one of the non-profit’s founders in 1995. She has guided the organization through nearly three decades of its phenomenal growth. She focused the organization’s early efforts in building its first preserve, the Highlands Nature Sanctuary, which is now the largest in a system of nearly 30 preserves. Prior to Nancy’s long engagement with the Arc, she co-managed Benevolence Bakery and Cafe in the Columbus’ North Market, and Chief Naturalist for Ohio State Parks.

Board President

Rick recently retired from the role of Director of Camp Oty’Okwa, a year-round Big Brother Big Sisters of Central Ohio children’s camp in Hocking County. Earlier, he served a full career with the National Park Service, where he worked as Chief Ranger for Hopewell Culture National Historical Park in Ohio, and Park Ranger at Isle Royale National Park and Glacier Bay National Park. Because the Arc protectes several ancient earthworks, Rick’s experience in protecting indigenous legacies is invaluable.

Vice President

Marilyn has spent a lifetime caring for and furthering nonprofit organizations in the realms of conservation, ethical living, and social justice. She served as the Director of Simply Living in Columbus for much of her career. She actively stewards the land at home and Arc preserves, removing invasive species, building soil health, and planting for habitat biodiversity. Marilyn is an avid gardener and been involved in the communty gardeing effort, and she has many adults and children how to grow their own food.

Secretary

Dave Todt is retired from Professor of Natural Science at Shawnee State University. There he has served in various capacities. including Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. Dave has helped many science teachers and environmental educators learn how to incorporate natural history in their curriculums. Earlier Dave worked for ODNR as manager of the Youth Conservation Corps. Dave has served on the state’s Natural Areas Council and is currently serving the Ohio Natural Areas and Preserves Association.

Treasurer

Kathy is a retired CPA bringing decades of private accounting and finance experience to the her role as the Board’s Financial Director. Kathy and her husband Bill live in central Ohio and have been Arc supporters since its early days. They are very enthusiastic volunteers for ODNR and local park districts, as well as at The Arc’s spectacular preserves.

One of Kathy and her husband’s Arc legacies was the donation to the Arc of 60 acres of riparian forest near Fort Hill known as “Bruns Beechflats Bottomlands.”

Board Member

Jean first connected to the Arc when she became a Land Steward at the Highlands Nature Sanctuary in 2008 at Shellbark Woods, where she now lives part-time and volunteers her time as the site’s caretaker. She is retired from a 30-plus year career as an administrator of health and wellness programs and non-profit organizations, most recently serving in the Dayton, Ohio region. She has served on several non-profit boards and professional organizations throughout her long philanthropic life. Jean often helps facilitate the Arc’s vigorous education offerings.

Board Member

Jim Silver, and his wife Emily, have been engaged supporters of the Arc of Appalachia since 1998. Jim first visited the area as a child when he and his family visited the private park known as 7 Caves - now the heart of the Highlands Nature Sanctuary. Jim has 30 years experience specializing in fixed-income securities, primarily municipal bonds. He comes to the board with experience gained from several non-profit board appointments in the Cincinnati area. Jims experience has been instrumental in helping develop our Stewardship Fund.

Board Member

Martha Fikes has actively engaged with the Arc since 2002. As a board member, she works diligently to support education programming and to provide detailed review of the organization’s insurance, financial reports, contracts, and deed restrictions. She has an excellent eye for detail and brings accuracy and perfection to the Arc’s records and operating systems. She also has been very active in land stewardship. Martha worked as a Zoology lab coordinator for 9 years at Ohio Wesleyan University.

Board Member

Michael Rigsby currently works as an independent writer and content developer for museum exhibit designs – bringing natural and cultural history stories to life. His work can be seen, among other locations, at the Utah Museum of Natural History, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Museum of History and Industry in Seattle, and California Academy of Sciences. In earlier years, Michael was employed as a biologist and science writer for the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago and the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California.

Board Member

Brian Blair earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Ohio State University School of Natural Resources in wildlife management. He has 32 years of professional experience in the environmental field, primarily with Ohio EPA where he oversaw the cleanup of toxic waste sites. Brian has served on the boards of a number of land trust and environmental organizations in Ohio, and has deep expertise in conservation easements. He has probably guided more lands into the protection of conservation easements than anyone else in the state.

Board Member

Hazel is a retired OSU professor of City and Regional Planning. In part because of her urban life she is passionate about preserving natural lands both for their intrinsic value and for future generations to enjoy. Hazel finished her career at Ohio State in the role of Associate Provost for Women’s Policy Initiatives and Director of the Women’s Place (OSU’s women’s policy office). In that role, she focused on helping faculty and students better understand their own implicit biases around race and gender and learn to counteract those biases.

Board Member

Lewis Ulman served as a faculty member in the English Department at The Ohio State University from 1986 to 2014, where his teaching and research always contained an element of natural history. He developed and taught courses on nonfiction nature writing, environmental autobiography, ecocriticism, and environmental citizenship. As an Arc volunteer, Louie draws on his background in computing, photography, and videography to help with fundraising campaigns, publications, and the Arc’s vascular plant database.

Board Member

David worked 44 years in Verizon telecommunications, serving in various managment roles and in financial analysis. David and wife Kim have been OSU 4-H leaders for the past 15 years and love working with kids and believe the fate of our planet depends on how much we invest in them. For years David and Kim nurtured a dream to save the back-forty of their farm dissected by a deep limestone gorge. This desire led them into partnership with the Arc, and today Quiverheart Gorge Preserve is a reality.

Board Member

As a descendent of families who settled southern Ohio Appalachia, Jenny’s passion for preserving the region runs deep. Almost 30 years ago she worked at the bakery and gift shop in Columbus’ old North Market where she watched the birth of the Arc of Appalachia. In recent years, Jenny has reconnected to the Arc as a volunteer, helping to organize and promote the Arc’s education events on social media. Jenny served as coordinator for the Columbus Arts Festival and as marketing & events manager for the Greater Columbus Arts Council.

Board Member

Randy is a retired Wooster High School science teacher, adjunct instructor at the College of Wooster, and current President of Killbuck Watershed Land Trust. Earlier in his career, Randy was employed as a naturalist for sevveral organization and agencies. Thanks to Randy’s superlative partnership skills, The Arc of Appalachia and Killbuck Watershed Land Trust are tight partners. Together the two organizations now own several hundred acres of biologically-rich swampland in Holmes County known as the Killbuck Swamp Preserve.

Board Advisor

John F. Jaeger is a field naturalist and outdoor educator with deep knowledge of Ohio’s flora and fauna, natural history and cultural history. John retired as the Director of Natural Resources for the Metropolitan Park District of the Toledo Area where he also served as a Park Manager/Ranger and Interpreter. of both natural history and human history. He currently serves as the Chair of the Board’s Natural Resources Committee whee he oversees biological assessments of lands being considered for acquisition.

Board Advisor

An early intense interest in birds when he was 12 years old set the stage for Paul joining the Dayton Audubon Society and participating in field trips around Ohio. Paul’s first job was Museum Naturalist for the Dayton Museum of Natural History. In 1958 he became Interpetive Naturalist for the Aullwood Audubon Center. Paul wrote a weekly column, “The Naturalist,” for 13 years for the Dayton Daily News. He also co-authored the book, “The Birds of Hocking County, Ohio.” Paul is now retired and living in Hocking County, where actively supports wildlands preservation.

Board Advisor

Mark loves all aspects of nature, but is especially fascinated with ferns. Mark lives in NE Ohio, where he recently retired from a 40-year career at NASA, working on fuel cells and other energy storage technologies. He holds a B.S. in chemical engineering, and M.S. degrees in engineering science and sustainable systems. Mark also founded a small business, HarvestBuild Associates, that specialized in various natural building techniques, including straw-bale and cob construction. Mark is most active in supporting the Arc’s Appalachian Forest School courses.