2018 VASWCD OfficerS

NominatiNG COMMITTEE RECOMMENDED CANDIDATES

STEVEN MEEKS, THOMAS JEFFERSON SWCD, PRESIDENT

Steven Meeks was born and raised in Albemarle County and Charlottesville. For most of his adult life, he has either worked or volunteered as a public servant, striving always to make his community a better place to live and work. He has written extensively about local history and has given a series of history lectures for many years. He continues to demonstrate his interest, competence, and knowledge of historic preservation through the work he has done and continues to do on historic buildings in the Scottsville Historic District. Steven Meeks was first elected to the Thomas Jefferson Soil & Water Conservation District as a District Director in 1991. He served as chairman of his local board from 1994-1998 and is the current secretary. Other affiliations include being President of the Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society. For seven years he has overseen the operation of the Hatton Ferry, the nation’s last hand-poled river ferry as it crosses the James River. He has also served on the boards of the Albemarle County Fair, the Virginia Association of Fairs, the Scottsville Museum, Albemarle County’s Road Naming Committee, Albemarle County Historic Preservation Committee, the Scottsville Planning Commission, the Biscuit Run State Park Advisory Committee, Scottsville Architectural Review Board, Charlottesville Historic Resources Committee, Co-Chair of Charlottesville’s Celebrate 250th Committee, Vice President of the Education Foundation of the Virginia Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts (VASWCD), the NACD alternate board member from Virginia and VASWCD Area II Vice-Chair.

CHIP JONES, NORTHERN NECK SWCD, FIRST VICE PRESIDENT

Chip Jones grew up on a farm in Westmoreland County on the Northern Neck of Virginia. Jones graduated from Rappahannock Community College in 1997 where he was named Upton Scholar, which required volunteer service work. During this time, Jones worked with Northern Neck SWCD on Cat Point Creek doing Water Quality monitoring. He received the NNSWCD Distinguished Volunteer Award in 1997. He is a 2000 graduateof VT with a Degree in Agriculture and Applied Economics. Jones is a staff Sergeant in the Virginia National Guard, served two deployments to Iraq (2004, 2009). He is Past Vice President of the Northern Neck Farm Museum, and Past Board member of the Northern Neck Land Conservancy where he assisted in creation of Northern Neck license plate which generates revenue to support the NNLC mission. He is Northern Neck SWCD Vice-Chair, Eagle Scout., Kentucky Colonel, and Farm manager/gristmill operator for Stratford Hall Plantation. He has served as 2nd Vice President since early 2015 and stepped into the role of First VP in January 2017.

GIANNINA FRANTZ, TRI-COUNTY/CITY SWCD, SECOND VICE PRESIDENT

Giannina DiMaio Frantzhas served as a Director on the Tri-County/City SWCD Board since 2012. She is in her second year as Chair and served as Area III Vice-chair in 2015. Frantz is a resident of the City of Fredericksburg area and grew up in Stafford County, Virginia. Shehas a recent Masters of Natural Resources from Virginia Tech, a Masters of Public Health in Environmental Quality and Bachelor of Science in Marine Science from the University of South Carolina. Frantz has over 16 years of environmental policy development, regulatory compliance, and enforcement experience across multiple federal agencies. Sheis also practicedin low impact development strategies, sustainability, and natural resource conservation initiatives. Frantz is activelyworking with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as the National Ocean Service Environmental Compliance Coordinator. Prior to her work with NOAA, Ms. Frantz provided expertise in the National Environmental Policy Act, Clean Water Act, Safe Drinking Water Act and Chesapeake Bay Program to the Department of Defense, the Air Force, and the Navy.

DON WELLS, HANOVER-CAROLINE SWCD, SECRETARY/TREASURER

Don is finishing his third two-year term as VASWCD Secretary/Treasurer. Wells has served as a Hanover-Caroline SWCD director since 1998. He has 36 years of professional soil and water conservation service at the state and national levels. A Virginia native with an engineering degree from Virginia Tech, Wells owns a family farm in Isle of Wight County where he has installed grass waterways to control erosion, worked with the farm operator to use continuous no-till farming practices and manages 280 acres of forest land for sustainable timber production and wildlife management. Wells co-chairs the VASWCD Legislative Committee. At the local level, he has serves as Vice-Chair of the Hanover-Caroline SWCD, chairs the Legislative Committee and serves on the Finance, Personnel, Educational/Public Relations and Planning Committees. He has been inducted into the Southeast NACD Hall of Fame and received the VASWCD Wilkinson Award.

2018 VASWCD EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION OfficerS

The VASWCD Educational Foundation officers are elected by the Foundation Board of Directors. The Foundation Board of Directors is comprised of the VASWCD Executive Board, Area Chairs, and partners including DCR, the SWCS and NRCS. The Foundation officers below were presented for election by recommendation of the nominating committee at the Foundation Board meeting on December 3, 2017. Your Foundation Board leadership seeks your input on items of relevance to the Foundation mission.

RICHARD CHAFFIN, PEAKS OF OTTER SWCD, PRESIDENT

Richard Chaffin serves on the Peaks of Otter SWCD and has served in the capacity of President since early 2015. Prior to serving on the VASWCD board, Chaffin represented Area V on the VASWCD Board as the Area V Chair. Chaffin is a member of the National Association of Parliamentarians and is a licensed auctioneer. He has given his time graciously to assisting with the VASWCD Foundation auction. From 1993-2009 he ran a commercial beef cow herd, producing feeder calves. Among his many accomplishments and volunteer service, he has given time as President and Board Member on the Bedford Area Chamber of Commerce as well as former chief officer of election on the Bedford County Electoral Board. He has been highly involved in Lions Club activities and is a past member of both the Western VA Land Trust and Bedford Citizens for Land Preservation. Richard Chaffin is married to Debbie Chaffin.

DERWIN BOOKER, NORTHERN NECK SWCD, VICE PRESIDENT

Derwin Booker is a native of the Northern Neck from Farnham, Richmond County, VA. Booker has been a Director on the Board of the Northern Neck SWCD since January 2002. He currently serves as the Board Chair and has been active in the VASWCD serving as chair of the Marketing Committee. Booker learned to appreciate and conserve Natural Resources from his dad and grandfather while working on his grandfather’s farm from age 8-18. He graduated from Farnham High School in 1961. He attended Chowan College in Murphysboro, North Carolina and while serving in the US Air Force at Langley attended the College of William & Mary. He served four years in the Air Force with assignments in Texas, Virginia, Okinawa, the Republic of Vietnam and Thailand was honorably discharged in January 1968. He then held a career as a sales professional with Reuben Donnelley Corp and retired in 1989. He is married to Mary Booker and they have two adult children, one grandson and one granddaughter all living and working in Henrico County, VA.

ED OVERTON, COLONIAL SWCD, TREASURER

Ed Overton, a Halifax County native and James City County (JCC) resident, has served as a Colonial SWCD Director for over 35 years. He served on the VASWCD Executive Committee for 7 years, including as Past President, and currently serves as Treasurer on the Educational Foundation Board. Ed is a recipient of the R. E. “Bobby” Wilkinson Award and is an inductee of the NACD SE Region Conservation Hall of Fame. Ed represents JCC on the Board of the Charles City, James City, New Kent, York County Farm Bureau. A graduate of VA Tech and The University of Pennsylvania, Overton is Extension Agent, Emeritus, Virginia Cooperative Extension, with 32 years of service. Ed just concluded 14 years as Administrator for the JCC Purchase of Development Rights Program. Ed owns a 225-acre Century farm in East Tennessee, near Ewing, VA, on which he has implemented structural BMPs to stop soil erosion, and livestock exclusion BMPs to protect two creeks feeding into the Powell River.