PEC is seeking to hire an enthusiastic and passionate smart growth advocate to represent PEC on land use issues in Fauquier County.
About Us
Advancement Specialist
PEC is seeking an advancement specialist to be part of a team of staff, board members and volunteers committed to building PEC’s membership and donors.
Community Farm Intern
PEC is seeking to hire two Community Farm Interns to help support farm operations. PEC anticipates this position will work 25-30 hours per week, from May to September with flexible start dates.
2024 Photo Contest Winners
At PEC, we work to connect people to the landscapes and communities of Virginia’s Piedmont. The wonderful images that photographers submit to this contest help us tell important stories and allow folks to experience this beautiful place in exciting new ways
Alumni Testimonials
Over 200 college-aged students have graduated from our Randal Fellowship Program. Hear what alumni had to say in their own words.
Program Details
Learn about program eligibility and application requirements.
PEC Announces Annual Photo Contest Winners for 2024
The Piedmont Environmental Council is pleased to announce the winners of its 2024 Annual Photo Contest.
Bryn Sonnett
Rappahannock-Rapidan Conservation Program Manager
[email protected]
(540) 347-2334 ext. 7067
Bryn is native to the Piedmont with roots in Rappahannock County. Growing up in the area solidified her love and appreciation for the outdoors early on and inspired her career in conservation. She graduated from the University of Virginia with a degree in Global Environments and Sustainability in 2016.
After several years in Charlottesville, Bryn returned to Rappahannock and accepted a position with Virginia Outdoors Foundation where she worked for the past 7.5 years on public access and private easement acquisitions, amendments, and stewardship of 1,000+ easements throughout the Piedmont. She also served on the Preservation Trust Fund review committee and Baseline Documentation Report Committee, and spent the last two years assisting with VOF’s long-term steward pilot program for mitigation bank easements. Previously, Bryn interned at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute and worked for several local small businesses.
Bryn spends much of her spare time camping, hiking and biking around the U.S. with her husband and dog. Some of her favorite areas outside Virginia include Olympic National Park, Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Grand Teton National Park, the Florida Keys, Redwood National Park and New Hampshire’s White Mountains.
Lea Justice
Buy Fresh Buy Local Assistant
540-347-2334 ext. 7027
[email protected]
Lea Justice joined The Piedmont Environmental Council as Buy Fresh Buy Local Assistant in the fall of 2024. She is honored to contribute to the mission of PEC as a resource-provider to the farming community and extended foodshed that sustains our region.
A vegetable farmer by trade, Lea has had her hands in the dirt for most of the last twenty years, on farms from Canada to Patagonia. Rooted more locally, Lea ran her own vegetable farm in the Shenandoah Valley since 2010. As a student and practitioner of sustainability, the importance of inter-locking support systems emerged as a core value. She spent time working and volunteering for non-profits in affordable housing, elder-care, equitable food access and outdoor education. Along the way, she learned invaluable lessons in not only how to grow food, but how to grow community.
Lea enjoys fermenting flavorful concoctions from the garden and sharing them on picnic blankets with good folks and great views.
Keely Murphy
Keely Murphy joins PEC as the Conservation Field Representative for the Potomac Watershed. Keely got her professional start in land conservation in Colorado where she worked for Colorado Open Lands as a Conservation Fellow. Prior to living in Colorado, she spent 10 years studying and working in Washington D.C.