Staff & Volunteers

MCA’s workload  is tackled by two staff members, a talented board of directors and skilled and dedicated volunteers.  Our Board and volunteers give generously of their expertise and time.   Working together as a team, MCA has been able to take on the many challenges that face the Agricultural Reserve and at the same time work to promote it through education and legislative initiative. MCA is also registered to provide student service learning hours to middle and high school students.  Contact us to find out more!
Caroline Taylor
Executive Director
​Caroline, who has the great fortune to live with her family within the Reserve in historic Sugarland Forest,  has worked on environmental and agricultural issues for much of her professional career.  Her first exposure to environmental litigation came while employed at Covington and Burling.  She then worked with a talented group of lawyers and advocates at National Wildlife Federation on a wide range of cases and issues including:  Spotted Owl, Key Deer, Exxon oil spill, food policy, forest preservation and, water resources. Yet her passion has always been local issues including protection of the Ag Reserve’s natural resources and working lands.  Caroline comes from a long line of farmers and ranchers, from Pennsylvania, Virginia and Idaho. Growing Legacy, Caroline’s second film project, aims to both educate and inspire the many, the diverse-  those who through the simple act of eating, as Wendell Berry wisely notes, practice agriculture. Participating on behalf of MCA on County committees to advance a strategic plan for food composting, agritourism, and a long range zero waste policy and implementation plan.
Kristina Bostick
Senior Conservation Associate 
Kristina grew up in Montgomery County (hiking Sugarloaf every year on her birthday)  and has returned after a number of years in North Carolina where she earned her Masters in Public Administration and worked on numerous environmental issues, including  stormwater mitigation and greening local governments. Kristina values all the ways the Ag Reserve benefits our region but nothing beats the excitement of a weekly CSA box or the first peaches of summer, all grown right here!
Picture
Lee with one of her flock. Dan Gross
Lee Langstaff
President
Lee has been the Shepherdess at Shepherd's Hey Farm at the foot of Sugarloaf Mountain since 1994, producing the high quality wool and meat products while placing highest priority on the health and welfare of the animals and that of the land, water resources and local natural biodiversity. She is the immediate past president of the Maryland Sheep Breeders Association. Lee brings her long history of Ag Reserve advocacy and professional mediation skills to advance MCA's mission. She is also behind the camera for many of the most incredible landscape photos on this website. Lee (and her sheep) have a starring role in our "Growing Legacy" short film. 
Glenn Miles
Treasurer, Chief Financial Officer 

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Mindy McWilliams
Ride for the Reserve Coordinator
Mindy has taken on the Ride for the Reserve Bike Tour for 2024.
For as long as she can remember, Mindy has had a passion for planning events and bringing people together. One of her earliest memories is planning her own game show-themed 10th birthday party. Mindy received a B.S. degree in elementary education from Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, but found her niche as a meeting planner, earning her CMP (Certified Meeting Professional) designation in 1998. Mindy stayed home for 11 years to raise her three sons, but stayed involved in the community by being a baseball commissioner, volunteering for the PTA, founding an outdoor volleyball league that is still active 20 years later, planning community events and more. Mindy is a Senior Olympian who holds two Maryland records in the 1500 meter and 5000 meter power walking competitions, and also competes in pickleball, volleyball, softball, and cornhole. Mindy resides in Frederick. 

Abby Mann
​Groundwater Campaign Coordinator

Abby holds a strong commitment to sustainability and is passionate about connecting to local resources that benefit individual and community well-being. Values she brings to MCA's Good Gift Groundwater Campaign

Most recently, Abby revitalized outreach efforts at Farm to School Frederick, where she significantly enhanced community engagement through strategic email marketing, a robust social media presence, and diverse communication channels boosting brand awareness and driving participation in organizational programs. She led educational programs in local schools and libraries, promoting sustainable practices and introducing youth and families to locally grown fresh fruits and vegetables.

Abby has called southern Frederick County home for over 7 years. When she is not working or studying she enjoys spending time with her family, brunch in downtown Frederick, cheering on the New York Giants, and projects in her kitchen with locally grown fresh food. She is excited to support the invaluable mission of Montgomery Countryside Alliance in advancing groundwater conservation and awareness initiatives.

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Joyce Bailey
Climate Change Liaison
​Joyce Bailey has worked for many years educating people about the causes and challenges of our rapidly warming planet due to anthropogenic Climate Change.  She has a Master’s in Environmental Biology from Hood College and recently completed Maryland Climate Leadership training given by the Association of Climate Change Officers.  Currently she is working with the Climate and Justice Wing of the Maryland Legislative Coalition to promote sound environmental legislation.  She is a founding member of Sustainable Barnesville, a board member of the Piedmont Environmental Educational Foundation and a Maryland Master Naturalist.  Most recently she was a member of Montgomery County’s Clean Energy Work Group on Policy and Regulation.
 
 
Carole Bergmann
Re-Leaf Program Chair
Oversight for our Re-Leaf the Reserve Program is provided by MCA Board Member Carole Bergmann. Carole is the  Founder of Weed Warriors, pictured here showing Weed Warrior volunteers some invasive Japanese Stiltgrass. 
Carole was the Montgomery County Forest Ecologist and her career of forest protection was honored in 2017 by the Joe Howard Award from Conservation Montgomery.
Carole is a member of:
Montgomery Co Forestry Board member
Maryland Invasive Species Council Member
Mid-Atlantic Invasive Plant Council Board Member
She is a Grad School USA Natural History Field Studies instructor and also takes time to lead field trip for local schools  and Audubon Naturalist Society
Cynthia Mackie
Climate Change Advisor
Cynthia Mackie is a long-time resident of Montgomery County, avid gardener and beekeeper.   With a Ph.D. in human ecology from Rutgers University, she has both social science and plant ecology expertise.  Much of her career has been devoted to social aspects of nature conservation and natural resources management in Asia.  In addition to 12 years with the US Forest Service International Programs, she served as Vice President for Asia and Pacific at Conservation International, several advisory positions with the US Agency for International Development, and as a consultant to the World Bank, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, amongst others.  Since retiring from the US Forest Service in 2018 Cynthia has turned her attention to supporting efforts in Montgomery County to respond to the climate crisis, and serves on the County’s Climate Change Work Group on Sequestration and Adaptation. ​
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