The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Its bicameral body consists of the Virginia House of Delegates, with 100 members, and the Senate of Virginia, with 40 members.
Marco Sanchez
Virginia Conservation Network (VCN)
PEC coordinates with our partners at the Virginia Conservation Network (VCN) on important statewide environmental issues—everything from clean energy and renewables to menhaden and Metro funding.
Hechl, Gertraud
Gertraud Hechl joined PEC staff in the summer of 2019. Gertraud has a broad background in the arts and business and serves on several non-profit boards. She holds a degree in strategic management from Wirtschaftsuniversität, Vienna, where she also studied modern languages.
A Few Highlights from 2019
Through the generous support of our members and help from PEC’s partners, a lot of great things have happened this year! We’ve pulled together this quick list of some of the highlights from 2019 throughout our 9-county region.
Maggi Blomstrom
Rappahannock-Rapidan Conservation Initiative Coordinator
(540) 347-2334 ext. 7067
[email protected]
Maggi Blomstrom rejoined PEC’s staff in November 2019 as the Rappahannock-Rapidan Conservation Initiative Coordinator — a multi-faceted initiative to promote land conservation, water quality improvements, natural habitat protection and restoration, and public access throughout the Upper Rappahannock watershed.
Maggi served previously as PEC’s field representative for southern Fauquier and Culpeper counties and as land conservation and stewardship coordinator. She brings years of experience and enthusiasm engaging with landowners, volunteers, communities, and partners to advance environmental stewardship and land management.
Maggi grew up in Fauquier County. She holds a B.A. in Geography and Urban and Regional Studies from Virginia Commonwealth University and a M.A. in Community Development and Planning from Clark University in Massachusetts.
Kendra Atkins
Advancement Specialist
(540) 347-2334 ext. 7005
[email protected]
Kendra Atkins joined The Piedmont Environmental Council’s advancement team in December 2019. Over the years, her love for Virginia’s beautiful landscapes and rivers has continued to grow. She resides in the Shenandoah Valley with her husband and young son, and in her free time, she enjoys painting, cooking, spending time with her family and relaxing with a good cup of coffee.
Montpelier CEO Kat Imhoff to join The Piedmont Environmental Council
Piedmont Environmental Council President Chris Miller is pleased to announce the appointment of Kat Imhoff to the organization’s staff on Dec. 2. Imhoff joins the organization following seven years as president and CEO of James Madison’s Montpelier
2019 Photo Contest Winners & Finalists
We asked you to pick your favorite photos in four different categories: Beautiful Landscapes and Streetscapes, Native Plants and Wildlife, Outreach and Communications and the Youth Category. Congrats to Piedmont locals Cass Girvin, Susan Tucker and Ezra Staengl for their respective category wins!
Kat Imhoff
Senior Conservation Fellow
[email protected]
Kat Imhoff rejoined PEC as Senior Conservation Fellow in December 2019. She previously worked for the organization in the 1980s and 1990s.
In the seven years prior, she has served as the President and CEO of James Madison’s Montpelier, where she oversaw all aspects of a national historic site, including the management of the historic house and grounds, its diverse education and museum programs, and the Robert H. Smith Center for the Constitution.
Before joining Montpelier in January 2013, Kat enjoyed a five-year tenure as State Director for The Nature Conservancy in Montana, where she led a successful $490 million effort to conserve an ecologically intact unit of 310,000 acres of land in the Northern Rockies that serves as an environmentally-protected migratory corridor extending from Wyoming across Montana to Canada.
Before her leadership role at The Nature Conservancy, Kat served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for the Thomas Jefferson Foundation (TJF) which owns and operates Monticello, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
She has served as the Executive Director of the Preservation Alliance of Virginia and the Executive Director of the Commission on Population Growth and Development, a 33-member legislative study commission established by the Virginia General Assembly to promote growth management legislation. Earlier in her career, Kat served as Vice President for Conservation and Development for PEC.
This continuing dedication to preservation has been recognized by the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Virginia Wildlife Federation, and the Piedmont Environmental Council. It also led to her gubernatorial appointment as chair of the Virginia Outdoors Foundation, the largest holder of easements in the United States. She also served on the national Land Trust Accreditation Commission.
Cindy Sabato
Co-Director of Outreach & Communications
Warrenton Office
(540) 347-2334 ext. 7021
[email protected]
Cindy Sabato joined the PEC staff in fall 2019, eager to tell the stories of the people and the work that help preserve and honor the environmental beauty and character of the Virginia Piedmont. Prior to joining PEC, she led the communications team at Save The Bay – Narragansett Bay™ and served as a board member and outreach volunteer for the South Kingstown Land Trust in Rhode Island.
She holds a communications degree from James Madison University and some 20+ years in public relations and communications leadership for public education and nonprofit organizations. Upon rediscovering her passion and love for all things outdoors, she decided to refocus her career on the environment. The Piedmont Environmental Council’s mission and vision are perfectly aligned with her interests in caring for our water, land, and natural resources.
Cindy was born and raised in mid-Maryland, hails from a dairy-farming family, and grew up camping and fishing. She lives in Fauquier County with her husband and cat (just one, until she starts volunteering at the local animal shelter), and loves hiking, SCUBA diving, dancing and homebrewing.