About the Members of our Board of Directors

Douglas Larson (President) is Vice President of Piedmont Environmental Council with primary responsibility for the development program of the organization. He has had extensive non-profit experience serving as the Director of the Airlie Foundation, Board member of the Fauquier Hospital, and a variety of other community organizations. Following his graduation from Drake University he served in the US Peace Corps. His career took him overseas working for The Agency For International Development and later for The George Washington University in international health education programs.

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Edward J. Bernacki, M.D. is Associate Professor of Medicine, Director, Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Department of Medicine and Executive Director of Health, Safety and Environment for the Johns Hopkins University. He is past President of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine and former Corporate Medical Director of United Technologies Corporation, Hartford, Connecticut and Corporate Vice President of Tenneco, Inc., Houston, Texas.

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Margaret Crosby Clark is a former Manager with the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, responsible for division projects and strategic and operational planning and budgeting; an Associate with Booz-Allen & Hamilton Inc., specializing in organization systems and information management; and Legislative Assistant with Westinghouse Electric Corporation. She currently serves as an elected Township Auditor in Pennsylvania.

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Robert C. Dart, M.D. (Secretary/Treasurer) is a diplomate of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery and a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery. He is the former Chairman of the Fauquier Hospital Department of Surgery, former President of the Fauquier Hospital Medical Staff and former member of the Fauquier Hospital Board of Directors. His interests in the field of orthopedic surgery are adult reconstructive surgery, pediatric trauma and sports-related injuries.

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John H. Dressendorfer is Vice President Government Relations for The Titan Corporation based in Washington, DC. Prior to joining Titan, he was Vice President, Government & External Affairs for the American Forest & Paper Association. Mr. Dressendorfer served as a Special Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs in the Reagan Administration from 1981 to 1983. He also worked as an assistant to Secretary of Defense Melvin R. Laird from 1969 to 1973.

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Melissa Johnson, MS was an adjunct professor in Health/Fitness Management at American University in Washington, D. C., She has served as Director of Operations for National Fitness Leaders Association (NFLA), and as vice president and western regional chair of the National Association of Health and Fitness, formerly the National Association of Governor's Councils on Physical Fitness and Sports. She was appointed Executive Director of the California Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports and appointed by President Bush as Executive Director of the Presidents Council on Physical Fitness.

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Robert C. Karch, Ed.D. (Vice President) has been a member of the American University faculty, in Washington, D. C., since 1969. He is a Professor and the Chair of the Department of Health and Fitness. He is the creator of two academic programs at the University: the Master of Science program in Health Fitness Management, now 23 years old, and the Bachelor of Science program in Health Promotion. He is also the founder and Executive Director of the University's National Center for Health Fitness and the University's International Institute for Health Promotion.

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Lieutenant General Robert E. Pursley, U. S. Air Force (Retired) is a graduate of the U. S. Military Academy at West Point. He flew 50 combat missions in Korea, served as a professor at the U. S. Air Force Academy and as military assistant to three successive secretaries of defense. In 1972 he was appointed commander, U. S. Forces, Japan, and commander, Fifth Air Force. His military decorations and awards include the Distinguished Service Medal (Department of Defense design), Distinguished Service Medal (Air Force design), Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, and the Air Medal with two oak leaf clusters.

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David Snyder, M.D. is a founding member of Blue Ridge Orthopaedic Associates in Warrenton, Virginia and a diplomat of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery with extensive experience in reconstructive surgery. He has served as a guest lecturer at the University of Virginia and as Chief of Surgery and President of the medical staff at the Fauquier Hospital.

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Phoebe Tufts, M.Ed has a M. Ed in English and an M. Ed in Special Education from the University of Virginia and is a teacher in both independent and public schools. She has served as a humane investigator for the state of Virginia, as a member of the Headstart parent policy, health and education advisory councils, as chairperson of the Fauquier County Public Schools Vocational Education Advisory Council, as a member of the Partnership in Education Committee-FCPS, and currently serves on the board of the Fauquier Mental Health Association.

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Deborah (Sue) Cooper (Executive Director) began her educational efforts more than thirty years ago in the Albemarle County, Virginia public school system as special education teacher. She joined the George Washington University in 1974 as an administrator of national programs in public and professional health education, special education graduate programs, and international population education efforts; and was responsible for the universities extensive worldwide media distribution.

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Tom Wood, Ph.D. Director of Environmental Studies on the Piedmont. Dr. Wood is a professor of Conservation Studies at George Mason University New Century College, and works closely with many conservation organizations including the Smithsonian Institution and the American Zoo and Aquarium Association. Originally from California, Dr. Wood moved to the Washington DC area to conduct doctoral research at the National Zoo after earning degrees from the University of California, Davis and Louisiana State University.

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Frank Kavanaugh, Ph.D. (Chairman Emeritus ) served as the Academy's president until 2009. He is president of Kavanaugh Associates, former Professor of Communication and Professor of Medical and Public Affairs at the George Washington University where he held the Chair of Communications, and is former Vice President of the Cooper Institute for Advanced Studies in Medicine and the Humanities.

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