For general inquiries e-mail: info@conservationfilmfest.org
If you want to send us mail:
American Conservation Film Festival
P.O. Box 889
Shepherdstown, West Virginia 25443
JENNIFER LEE
Executive Director
jennifer@conservationfilmfest.org
HILARY LO
Festival Manager
hilary@conservationfilmfest.org
JEN ROLSTON
Communications Liaison
jen@conservationfilmfest.org
Alix was elected ACFF President for 2019. She is a prosecutor in Loudoun County, Virginia. One of her roles is to act as the liaison for the Loudoun County Animal Control. This allows her to combine her love for animals with her commitment to public service. Before joining the board at ACFF, Alix was a board member and past president for the Fauquier Free Clinic in Virginia. An avid equestrian, runner and hiker, she has always had an appreciation and enthusiasm for protecting open spaces. She and her husband currently reside in Jefferson County, WV, where they are lovingly restoring an 1840’s farmhouse.
Elise Baach has worked in Washington, D.C. as an attorney in private practice, in the federal government and in the nonprofit sector. In addition to her legal work, Elise has served as a board member of nonprofit organizations in a variety of fields, including disability advocacy and educational opportunity. Raised in the San Joaquin Valley in California, Elise has a particular interest in issues related to water and agriculture.
Chrissy is a Shepherdstown native whose day job is as a family nurse practitioner in Martinsburg, WV. Before a career in nursing, she was an oceanographer who worked with the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences, Bermuda Biological Research Station, and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute and conducted research in Peru, Bermuda, Antarctica and many other far off locations. She has always loved the outdoors and sees the intersection of health and the environment as a way to encourage people to get outside and experience the natural world around us. She is particularly motivated to inspire young people to get engaged in conservation.
Mark grew up outside of Hamilton, Virginia where he currently lives with his wife, Erin. He is a Not-for-Profit Section Member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and a member of the Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants. Mark gained a lifelong interest in cultural ecology while studying history and anthropology at James Madison University.
Janna is a new resident of West Virginia with a passion for environmental and cultural conservation. An active volunteer, she has aided with several ecology research projects and many community service efforts. She works for a local bank and earned a bachelor’s degree in wildlife ecology and conservation from the University of Florida in 2014.
Sarah is a filmmaker who lives in Jefferson County. She is currently a film producer for the National Park Service. She previously ran a design studio focused on educational and non-profit organizations and taught at a local university. She was a Center for Environmental Filmmaking scholar and has an MFA in Film and Electronic Media from American University. When not on a film shoot, Sarah has assisted with ACFF’s Conservation Filmmaker Workshop. Sarah grew up on a farm in Virginia and enjoys paddling and climbing.
A nationally recognized expert in science education, Dennis directed the production of educational media at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute from 1997 to 2018. He’s worked with scientists, education specialists, graphic designers, animators, and filmmakers to produce an array of educational products that have had a lasting impact on science education. In addition to producing media, Dennis has managed teams devoted to assessing and assuring the educational impact of media, including professional development and community building. In his role as Executive Director of HHMI’s Tangled Bank Studios he was executive producer and editorial advisor on over a dozen film projects for theatre, broadcast television, Large Screen, and digital science programs aimed at the general public.
His team also produces short classroom films and supporting materials based on Tangled Bank productions. Dennis trained in neuroscience and genetics, earning a PhD in biology from the University of Oregon and completing postdoctoral studies at the University of Washington, where he later assumed a faculty position in the Department of Genetics. Liu has taught courses in neurobiology, genetics, and comparative physiology. He has a passion for explaining science to all audiences, has been an advisor on numerous museum exhibits, and writes a regular feature for the journal Life Sciences Education.
Steve is an attorney who maintains a nationwide practice representing clients in complex business litigation and transactional matters. Steve has served on the boards for numerous charity, civic and industry organizations and provides pro bono counsel to several non-profit organizations. Since childhood, Steve has spent as much of his free time outdoors as possible, leading to his passionate desire to conserve the natural environment for the health of our planet and all of its inhabitants. Steve sees ACFF as playing a vital role in helping humans visualize the effects we have- and can have- on our environment, and he looks forward to helping to get the message out!
Nick grew up in Cleveland, OH, where he witnessed the burning of the Cuyahoga River and, subsequently, the power of intelligent science to clean up the local waterways. He graduated from Yale University in 1978 with a BS in chemistry and from Ohio State University in 1985 with an MD. He has been in private practice as a gastroenterologist in Winchester, VA, since 1995.
Nick is particularly interested on the impacts of climate change on human health and well-being and has taken courses, attended conferences, and written over 30 editorial pieces on the subject. He is married to Dr. Cathleen McCoy and has two adult children. He lives in Boyce, VA, in a passive and active solar house. Nick hopes to be able to combine his love of the earth and movies to contribute to ACFF.
Carolyn is a public school teacher who lives in Berkeley County and an active member of the community. A recipient of the Presidential Innovation Award for Environmental Educators, Carolyn cares deeply about clean water, brook trout, the natural world, and community engagement.
Carolyn grew up in northern Minnesota and Howard County, Maryland, attending the University of Maryland and the University of Montana. She and her husband Bruce have two adult sons and enjoy spending time hiking and fishing.
Jennifer lives in Clarke County, Virginia, where she grew up and fell in love with woods, animals, fields, rivers, and bugs. She has worked in development, event planning, and outreach for national and local non-profits dedicated to environmental or historical preservation for most of the last 25 years. She has served as a columnist and contributing editor to the local newspaper, photographs community events, and holds a Communications degree from George Mason University and a Master Gardener’s certification.
Hilary’s professional background includes nonprofit development, community outreach and public education. Her work has led her to serve young students, adults with a disability, and seniors. A lifelong interest in environmental and cultural conservation began on a small farm in the West Virginia hills. She later earned a bachelor’s degree in Education at WVU. Always engaged in community activism and continuing education, Hilary has served on the Shepherdstown Public Library Board, the PTO and volunteers at local schools.
Jen and her team at Eden Design have over 20 years of experience in promoting non-profit organizations. An avid trail-runner and hiker, Jen has had a love and respect for the outdoors since childhood. She became a fan of ACFF at it’s inception and is honored to help expand the reach and impact of environmental films by getting them to as many audiences as possible. A West Virginia native, Shepherd College graduate (BFA), and yoga instructor, she now lives in the Eastern Panhandle with her husband Patrick Shunney and zen master dog, Henry.
We welcome our new intern, Miranda Palladino, who is first taking the Next Gen Capture Conservation Video project under her wing to share with and inspire students to get out there and make short conservation videos!
My name is Miranda Palladino and I am absolutely honored to be interning with the American Conservation Film Festival. I am a recent graduate of Barbara Ingram School for the Arts as a Visual Artist and am taking a Gap Year to gain life experience, explore the world and my passions, and do some good. Apart from the film fest, I am a river guide, Americorps volunteer, photographer, potter, and environmental activist. My goal in life is to combine my two passions of art and preserving the natural world by becoming a future environmental filmmaker myself! I look forward to all of the amazing opportunities this internship will bring me and the valuable skills that I will carry with me through college, future employment, and the rest of my life.
Keith Alexander, Lauren Ames, Amy Mathews Amos, Alice Barkus, Sue Caperton, Steve Chase, Lawrence Cumbo, Chuck Dunkerly, John Grabowska, Jeff Groff, Jeffrey Gustafson, Thomas Harding, Don Henry, Michael Hobert, Chris Hoelzl, Catherine Irwin, Judy Katz-Leavy, Alex Kemnitzer, Karen Kinnett, Dave Kirkwood, Edward Leavy, David Lillard, Mark Madison, Farzad Mahootian, Bill McShea, Rachel Dorsey McGowen, John McGrath, Stan Mopsik, Wendy Mopsik, Sue Pellish, Anne Sechler, Vanessa Serrao, Thomas “Topper” Sherwood, Michael Spensley, Barbara Spicher, Susan Walter, Ann Watson, Lisa Welch, Susan Womeldorf, Lynn Yellott