​​Board of Directors

Chiara D’Amore, Ph.D. (President) is a mother, educator, researcher, writer, community organizer, and environmental consultant.  She lives in Columbia, Maryland where she serves as the founder and director of Columbia Families in Nature.  Her work is focused on understanding the effects of time spent in nature on personal, social, and ecological well-being. She holds a M.S. in Environmental Science and Engineering and a Ph.D. in Sustainability Education and teaches graduate courses in environmental sustainability, civic ecology, and climate action.

Ashley Woodward (Vice President) has a M.S. in Environmental Management. She has completed environmental education internships with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and the Irvine Nature Center in their Urban Outreach Program. She spent two weeks in Belize with a summer learning project and developed and conducted the science section (with a focus on environment) for third through sixth graders. Ashley currently works as an environmental infrastructure management consultant. 

Chelsea Clark (Secretary) has been the Columbia Families in Nature "Seedlings" leader since 2015.  She has her Bachelor of Science degree in Human Development with a focus in Child Life, has worked as a Child Life Specialist, and has extensive knowledge of developmentally appropriate activities for young children, ways to help caregivers promote healthy development, and maintaining a safe space during exploration.​

Patrick Curtis (Treasurer) is a certified public accountant that specializes in providing audit, consulting, and advisory services to government contractors, nonprofit organizations and closely held businesses of varying sizes. He has been in the accounting profession since 1999. Patrick is the engagement partner for audits and reviews of nonprofits, government contractors and other closely held businesses. 

Adiyah Ali has twenty years of experience in diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice advocacy. She has coordinated the research, communications and advocacy work for Kids In Need of Defense (KIND) and managed Amnesty International’s human rights advocacy campaigns in multiple states. A Baltimore native, Adiyah has lived in Columbia since 2013. She currently manages the DC office of the Local Initiatives Support Corporation’s development, communications, and racial equity strategies. Adiyah has a BA in International Relations and a Master’s degree in Public Policy. An avid reader and researcher, Adiyah is interested in the linkage between farm land, equity, and African American heritage.

Margo Duesterhaus is President and co-owner of Triple TeQ, a small business that focuses on integrating people, processes and technology to create successful projects and organizations. She has degrees in Computer Science, Astronomy and Organizational Learning and has worked with a variety of organizations including NASA, and NOAA. She is a founding member of Transition Howard County, which focuses on creating locally sustainable and resilient communities. She believes in walking the talk and has been “greening” her home and yard with solar PV, a food forest, rain gardens, etc. She is on the Advisory Board for the Earth Forum of Howard County. 

Buffy Illum has a M.A. in International Development from Aalborg University in Denmark where she lived for more than a decade working with and promoting cultural competency, diversity and inclusion in health care and the private sector. She has an extensive background in particpatory research methods and has written and managed six-figure grants. She has a BA in Cultural Anthropology from UC Santa Barbara. She is a Columbia, MD native and is currently completing a certification in Permaculture Design from Oregon State University.

Lindsay Kreisher is an experienced educator with a BA in Conflict Analysis and Dispute Resolution from Salisbury University.  She is a co-lead for CEI's Roots & Wings Learning Community and is dedicated to serving the community through children’s programming that promotes independent learning, creativity and environmental civility. She utilizes her mediation and restorative justice trainings to support her in community work with young people, including programs for at risk youth populations ,acting as a volunteer mediator and teaching Conflict Resolution at Howard Community College.

Ana Maldonado (MD) specializes in Internal Medicine and works with the International Refugee Center in Baltimore. Hailing from Puerto Rico, she believes that health care is a basic human right and is focused on providing underinsured patients with the best possible access to primary care.  An active CFIN participant, Dr. Maldonado sees the clear links between time spent in nature and improved well-being for individuals and within communities.

Leah Miller has twenty years of experience in sustainability and environmental education program management. She has a BA in Political Science and Organismal Biology from Yale and is a LEED Green Associate. She currently serves as the Energy Manager for Howard County. Previously, she worked as the Sustainability Program Manager for Montgomery County and the Clean Water Program Director for the Izaak Walton League of America. Her family has lived in Columbia since 2012, where they enjoy participating in Columbia Families in Nature events. In addition to raising a biological daughter, she and her husband have had the privilege of fostering several incredible young people through the Unaccompanied Refugee Minors program. 

Jean Silver-Isenstadt, M.D., Ph.D. is a writer, nature-lover, and social historian whose work has focused on patient-centered health reform.  Jean served as the founding Executive Director of the National Physicians Alliance (now Doctors for America) and has fifteen years’ leadership experience in the non-profit sector.  She is the author of Shameless: The Visionary Life of Mary Gove Nichols (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2002).  Raised in Columbia, Maryland, Jean is a grateful beneficiary of open-space neighborhoods, open-space schools, and developer James Rouse’s bold commitment to racial, religious, and socioeconomic integration.

Annette Varoli has a Bachelor of Architecture from Syracuse University and worked as an architect on commercial and residential projects and later as a project manager where she oversaw the team consultants, budget and schedule for multi-million dollar construction projects in NYC.  She is certified as a holistic health coach through the Institute of Integrative Nutrition and has extensive training in online marketing and business development.  Annette moved to Howard County in 2013 and her family started to connect with the community by attending Columbia Families in Nature events.