Bill grew up in North Versailles and studied at the University of Pittsburgh for a B.S. in biology, an M.S. in water pollution control (at Pitt’s Graduate School of Public Health) and an M.S. in civil/environmental engineering. Bill has worked for the Allegheny County Health Department, Ackenheil Engineers, and as the manager of environmental engineering for Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory.

Bill serves as an associate director of the Westmoreland Conservation District, a board member of the Turtle Creek Watershed Association and the Penn Township Zoning Hearing Board, and is a member of the Allegheny County Local Emergency Planning Committee.

Bill and Kathy live in Harrison City, and have two daughters, four grandchildren and one great niece. In his spare time Bill enjoys spending time with the family, hunting, and training his Brittany for bird hunting.

Sarah grew up in Cook Township and now resides in Ligonier. She attended Indiana University of Pennsylvania for her BS degree in Business Management and Texas A&M University for her Master of Public Administration. Since graduating, Sarah has worked in local government and non-profits in roles focused on finance, human resources and operations. She currently is the Director of Operations for Mountain Watershed Association.

Sarah enjoys being outdoors hiking, biking, fly fishing or walking her dog. Sarah is also a Pennsylvania Master Naturalist and spends time volunteering with local conservation focused organizations, a favorite being Powdermill Avian Research Center.

Rob’s goal is to help the Westmoreland Land Trust improve Westmoreland County.  Growing up in rural Pennsylvania, his childhood pursuits often found him outdoors hunting, fishing, and playing in the mud.  Through these experiences he began thinking of a career that involved nature and the environment – specifically, helping to preserve the natural environment.

Rob has a B.S. in Wildlife and Fisheries Science at Penn State.  He serves as the Westmoreland Conservation District District Manager/CEO, where his work includes a focus on improving water quality by advancing conservation principles through education, examples, and programs, to improve the environmental health of Westmoreland County.  Rob is a board member of the Sewickley Creek Watershed Association and the Westmoreland Heritage Trail.

Patrick grew up in the hills and creeks of Home, PA in Northern Indiana County. After graduating from Marion Center High School he received his B.S. in Biology/Secondary Science Education from Grove City College, and later earned one master’s degrees in Curriculum and Instruction and a second in Teaching and Learning.

Patrick currently teaches at the Latrobe Senior High School.  He has previously taught courses in horticulture and general science courses covering earth, physical, and life sciences in grades 7 – 12. Currently leading the Capstone Environmental Science program at Greater Latrobe High School, he focuses on fieldwork, in person experiences, facilities tours, mentor education, and environmental exploration rather than time spent in the classroom.

Patrick’s interests still include all things that allow for enjoying the outdoors, especially fishing, as well as home improvement projects and maintaining a family farm near Indiana, PA. He has two older sisters, five nieces, and his parents still live in Home.

Kim was born in Mt. Pleasant in 1955, graduated from Southmoreland in 1973, and graduated from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in 1977.

He worked in administration for Morrison Knudsen from 1977 to 1979, in the Congo. From 1980 to 1988 he operated a construction and development company (KMC), and in the early 1990s operated a communications company with partners.

In 1991 Kim bought a farm in Salem Township and began raising grass-fed beef, then bought Kananga Farm in Ligonier in 2008 and began full time farming. He donated and built the Conservation District barn as a volunteer.

Kim currently serves as Treasurer on the board of the Westmoreland Conservation District and as Chair of the Smart Growth Partnership of Westmoreland County. He has served as past board chair of the Pennsylvania Association of Sustainable Agriculture, past board chair of the Laurelville Retreat Center, and past president of the Pennsylvania Farmers Union.

Kim has an interest in the visual arts and is a collector of paintings and sculpture.  He also enjoys music and sang with the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh for 13 years.

John grew up in Mount Pleasant Township, and studied at the University of Pittsburgh for a B.S. in mathematics and an M.A. in education.  John taught math at the Derry Area High School and the Central Westmoreland Career and Technology Center, then worked for the United States Department of Agriculture as the executive director of the Westmoreland/Fayette Farm Service Agency (FSA) office for 37 years until his retirement in 2013.

John is a past president of the National Association of FSA County Office Employees, and received the FSA Administrator’s Award for Service to Agriculture for his work in establishing the Westmoreland County Agricultural Land Preservation Program.  John currently serves as an associate director of the Westmoreland Conservation District and works part time helping to provide retirement and benefit training, products, and services to members of the National Association of FSA County Office Employees.

John and Carol live in Norvelt, and have three children and seven grandchildren.

John K. Sweeney is a resident of the City of Greensburg where he and his wife, Joan, raised their three sons. He graduated from Greater Latrobe High School and attended Muskingum College where he received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology. Mr. Sweeney graduated from the Duquesne University School of Law and has practiced law in Westmoreland and surrounding counties for over forty years. For several years he was an adjunct instructor in the School of Business at Seton Hill University. John is currently on the Board of Directors for Southwest Behavioral Care and is a former member of the Board of Directors for Westmoreland-Fayette Scout Council, the Greensburg Planning Commission and the Unity Township Zoning Hearing Board.

John’s hope as a director for the Trust is to rejuvenate his enjoyment of the outdoors from his years in Scouting, both as a youth and an adult.

Jack grew up near West Newton, and graduated from West Virginia University and Penn State University with degrees in Forestry and Resource Management.  He worked as the Westmoreland County Parks Development Coordinator for 30 years, overseeing county park and trail development.

Jack is a founding member of the Regional Trail Corporation and served for many years on the board of the Great Allegheny Passage Conservancy.  He worked as Project Manager to complete the last 10 miles of the Great Allegheny Passage between McKeesport and the Waterfront, and presently serves as the towpath improvements design consultant for the C&O Canal Towpath.  Jack is also a practicing consulting forester.

Jack and his wife Debbie live in Derry Township, and have 3 children and 6 grandchildren.

Fred is a lifelong resident of Greensburg who graduated from Saint Vincent College and attended graduate school at the University of Pittsburgh. Fred is retired from work as a Certified Public Accountant and co-owner of an accounting firm which conducted independent audits of civic, non-profit, and religious organizations as well as school districts and privately owned business entities.

Fred is retired from boards of for-profit and non-profit entities, including serving for 20 years as a member of SCORE Chapter 555 at Saint Vincent College.

Fred and Fred’s late wife Norine have three children, three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren .

Ed grew up in East McKeesport, went to high school in Wilmerding, received an engineering degree from Penn State and an MBA from Robert Morris.

Ed worked in the consulting engineering world and for Dana Corporation for the next 18 years; then joined a private firm specializing in drive systems for the steel and mining business.  He became owner of the business in 2005, and continues to work part time supplying drive systems & products. Ed also does some industrial marketing work.

Ed moved to Penn Township with his wife and son in the early 1980s.  In his spare time he enjoys the outdoors and spending time in his yard and garden, growing vegetables, flowers, and fruit trees.  He also enjoys spending time and effort helping to preserve and promote our western Pennsylvania beauty and heritage.

Doug grew up on a dairy farm in Hempfield Township, graduated from Hempfield Area High School, and studied biochemistry, biophysics, and chemistry at the University of Pittsburgh. He served at Pitt as a faculty member teaching molecular biology and biochemistry for 11 years starting in 1992, and then as a faculty and research administrator at Pitt’s School of Medicine starting in 2010.

Doug served as an elected auditor in Hempfield Township for 6 years, and has served as a Westmoreland County Commissioner since January 2020.

Doug and his wife Cyndi live on a farm in Hempfield Township, and have three sons: Joe, Andy, and Luke. In his spare time Doug enjoys the outdoors and spending time with his family.

Cokie was raised in Ligonier, where she grew up with an appreciation of the arts and outdoor sciences. During her teen and young adult years, she spent many enjoyable hours riding her horse through the woods near her family home.

Cokie earned a B.S. at Seton Hill College. She has served on several local Boards including Habitat for Humanity and the Ligonier Country Market. Recently retired from Carnegie Museum of Natural History, she held the position of Operations Manager at Powdermill Nature Reserve for nearly 18 years. There, she served as liaison with the donor community as well as the scientific staff, visiting researchers, and graduate student interns. She co-authored a paper on salamander ecology from two sites at Powdermill Nature Reserve in 2019 and has continued a subsequent field study on this topic at the station.

Cokie is a musician in the Pittsburgh Mandolin Orchestra and is the mother of two grown daughters, both scientists, each of whom has a son with whom she fosters their interest in the natural world.

Cary grew up in Murrysville and graduated from Miami University of Ohio with a BS degree in Marketing. An avid equestrian, horses were an important part of Cary’s formative years with many happy hours riding in the beautiful natural areas of what was then a rural community. Growing up outdoors nurtured a life-long desire to protect the environment and help to conserve important habitat.

Cary has served as a long time member and past president of the Westmoreland Conservancy, as a long time member of the Environmental Advisory Board for the Municipality of Murrysville, and on several arts-related boards in Pittsburgh. Cary currently serves on the Citizen’s Advisory Board of Westmoreland County Parks and Recreation, and while on vacation volunteers as a shorebird steward and as a member of the Loggerhead turtle patrol.

Cary and her husband Ken live in Murrysville where they raised three boys. She enjoys gardening and loves to kayak, hike, bike and travel. Other interests include music, reading, bird watching and nature photography.

Brandon grew up near Clarion, PA and studied at California University of Pennsylvania for a M.S. in Sport and Recreation Management. After graduation Brandon worked as the Program Coordinator for Latrobe-Unity Parks & Recreation organizing, planning and implementing recreation programs. In 2013, Brandon was hired as the Program Coordinator for the Westmoreland County Bureau of Parks and Recreation. In 2018, Brandon became the Assistant Director of Parks & Recreation for the Bureau and in 2020 he became Director of Parks & Recreation, overseeing 10 parks consisting of more than 4,000 acres of parkland.  Brandon currently serves as the Assistant Director of Public Works for Westmoreland County.

Brandon has served and continues to work with organizations such as the Westmoreland County Parks & Recreation Alliance, the Regional Trail Corporation, the Westmoreland Arts & Heritage Festival and Latrobe Little League. In 2016, Brandon received certification as a parks and recreation professional through the National Recreation & Parks Association.

Bill grew up in Murrysville and studied at Kent State University for a B.S. in Computer Science and Physics. Bill is an engineering manager for a software engineering contracting company near Pittsburgh. With his passion for the outdoors, wildlife, and technology, Bill founded PixController, Inc in 1999 for developing low-power motion-activated electronics to study wildlife.

In 2013 PixController, Inc designed a custom cellular-based streaming camera system that live-streamed the well-known Pittsburgh Hays bald eagle nest. In 2017, William formed PixCams, Inc, an educational organization to use webcam technologies to connect people with nature. Today PixCams, Inc live-streams over 40 wildlife cameras, coordinates a citizen science data collection effort to collect bald eagle nesting behaviors, and has developed downloadable educational lesson plans to coordinate with the wildlife cameras.

Bill and his wife Donna live on a 90-acre wooded area in Murrysville that was once part of the Haymaker Farm. They have three daughters.

Alyson has a B.S. in Environmental Science – Sustainability (2014) and a dual degree Master of Sustainability and MBA (2018) from Chatham University. She has over 25 years of combined work experience in various roles with the military and private sector. She joined ALT in 2017 as an intern, held several roles in Community and later Land Conservation before moving to part-time Project Manager in July 2024.

At ALT, Alyson leads mixed-use capital projects with diverse funding for site rehabilitation and manages DEP Growing Greener grants, DEP AML/AMD grants and specialized funding like the Army Corps Planning Assistance to States. She manages the carbon crediting and monitoring program for ALT Properties and assignments from the Land Conservation Department utilizing her land acquisition experience. Alyson is one of ALT’s GIS professionals and answers external requests for data, maintains mapping projects and specialized dashboards for the organization.