Richards, Heather
Director of Land Conservation
Central Warrenton Office
(540) 347-2334 ext.23
hrichards[at]pecva.org
The Virginia Piedmont is a region that continues to inspire and sustain me on a personal level. There is no greater honor than to work with its landowners to help them maintain a way of life and landscape that has sustained Americans for centuries, and ensure that future generations of Americans can be inspired in the future.
Heather Richards returned to PEC in October 2006 and worked to assist landowners to protect important farm and forest land throughout FauquierCounty, before becoming Director of Land Conservation in 2008. As Director, Heather guides land conservation policies at the local, state and federal level, and oversees PEC's Land Conservation program region-wide. She also serves on the Executive Committee of Virginia's United Land Trusts (VaULT). Prior to re-joining PEC, Heather was the Director of Headwaters Conservation for Potomac Conservancy in Winchester, Virginia, where she oversaw all land protection projects and guided strategy for the Shenandoah program and projects in the headwaters region of the Potomac River watershed. Heather was also responsible for the stewardship and monitoring of all Potomac Conservancy conservation easements. Prior to working with the Conservancy, Heather developed and managed a Geographic Information System for PEC. Heather also has a background in wildlife conservation policy through her work at Defenders of Wildlife inWashington, D.C. where she was part of a team that facilitated the reintroduction of wolves, swift fox, and black-footed ferrets. Heather holds a Masters of Environmental Management from Yale University's School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and a B.A. in Political Science and Environmental Policy from American University. Heather and her husband Kevin live in historic Winchester, Virginia.
