Sam Truslow, Board Chair, Treasurer – Director of Land Management
Sam has worked with The Nature Conservancy in Virginia since 2006. His professional work has allowed him to develop expertise that spans the needs of RCA, including financial management of conservation projects. Sam holds a BA in Environmental Sciences with a Specialization in Environmental and Biological Conservation from the University of Virginia.
Dave G. Smith, Vice Chair – Geologist
David Smith is a Virginia Master Naturalist and Certified Monitor with Virginia Save our Streams. He is a semi-retired environmental consultant with extensive overseas work experience. He holds a BS in Oceanography from Duke University and an MS in Geology from the University of Georgia.
Martha Beard, Secretary – Professional Conservationist
Martha holds a Master of Urban and Environmental Planning from the University of Virginia and a Bachelor of Arts from The College of William and Mary. Martha is currently a Stewardship Assistant to The Virginia Outdoors Foundation, Charlottesville, VA, where she is responsible for interpreting conservation easement deeds, conducting site visits, and engaging with landowners and other stakeholders. She was also a Researcher, Biophilic Cities Project, University of Virginia, investigating policies to better connect urban populations with nature in cities worldwide, with research focus on Birmingham, UK.
Nalini Ayya – Retired Research Scientist
Nalini retired from a corporate, R&D based career leading teams in consumer-centric design and development. She is devoted to reapplying her scientific skills and passions to conservation. She is a novice Naturalist, animal lover, and looks forward to participating in water remediation and restoration at RCA.
Justin Barnes – Forest Management Coordinator
Justin Barnes is the Forest Management Coordinator with the Virginia Department of Forestry in the Central Region. He is a graduate forester of West Virginia University. Justin began his tenure with VDOF in 2009 and has served as a Forest Technician in Virginia’s Piedmont, and as an Area Forester and Senior Area Forester in the Shenandoah Valley. Prior to coming to the agency, Justin worked with the Army Environmental Command in Maryland and as a forestry technician at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin. In his free time, Justin enjoys fly fishing, reading, canoeing, and backpacking. Justin lives in Nelson County with his wife Blake, their sons Theodore and Callum, and labs Moxie and Cora.
Neal Grandy – Retired Director of Research Administration
Neal Grandy has a B.A. in Environmental Sciences and a M.A. in Marine Affairs, both from UVA. He retired after 20 years as the Director of Research Administration for UVA College of Arts & Sciences. In this position, he processed 400-500 grant applications annually across all federal agencies and foundations and assisted with post-award management. He previously served as the grants administrator for the UVA Department of Environmental Sciences and as a Research Associate for the UVA Center for Oceans Law and Policy. He currently acts as the treasurer for the Virginia Master Naturalists, Rivanna Chapter. He has completed hundreds of volunteer hours with various conservation organizations, including RCA, the James River Association, and the Virginia Chapter of the American Chestnut Society.
Angus Murdoch – Development Contractor
Angus attended Harvard University and graduated from the School for International Training in 1992. Angus has traveled extensively and worked in Southern Africa and Central America. Angus served as a volunteer project coordinator with the Seattle-area-based Earth Stewards Network where he helped coordinate multi-national youth tree planting and stream restoration projects in Talamanca, Costa Rica, Washington State, and British Columbia, Canada. Angus was exposed to grassroots activism in the late 1960s when his parents got involved in the “Save Green Springs” rural preservation effort in Louisa County. Angus is a building contractor and part-time farmer, raising sheep, goats, and cattle. Angus lives with his wife Kristen Parker and their two children in Kents Store. They also inadvertently feed the wildlife from their large vegetable garden.
Jim Nix – Retired Mechanical Engineer
Jim is a mechanical engineer who retired in 2007 after a long federal career in the Defense Department. An avid birder and nature enthusiast, he began working as a volunteer for The Nature Conservancy immediately after retirement and has also done volunteer work for StreamWatch and the Rivanna River Basin Commission. He developed a deeper commitment to the health of the Rivanna River system during the extended debate on the Community Water Supply System.
Robert (Bob) Troy – Director of Civic Engagement, St. Anne’s Belfield School
Bob is a theoretical physicist and joined St. Anne’s Belfield School in 1994 where he is currently the Director of Civic Engagement and was Upper School Science Department Chair for two decades. In addition, Bob has been an independent consultant and a visiting associate professor at the University of Virginia. Bob has published three novels and has received numerous awards and recognitions for his work in education. Bob is also an enthusiastic outdoorsman and monitors the Rivanna for bacteria during the summer. Bob received his Bachelor’s degree in physics from the University of Scranton and went on to receive his Ph.D. in physics from the University of Virginia.
Janet Walker – Physician, Biologist
Janet is an Obstetrician-Gynecologist, practicing primarily in California and then Richmond, VA before she retired. She also holds a PhD in Zoology from University of California, Davis, where she studied ecology and behavior focusing on an ant species in Florida. After moving to the Charlottesville area,
Janet joined the Rivanna Master Naturalists and started volunteering with RCA. She is involved with the Rivanna Forest Restoration Partnership as well as the bacterial and biological monitoring programs which serve to evaluate stream health. She is enthralled with the diversity of our local insect population and is especially fond of benthic macroinvertebrates.