Mountain Women Steering Committee
President – Marti Szczur
In the 90s, we bought a Treeloft cabin overlooking Three Ridges mountain. Wintergreen weekends soothed my nerves and renewed my spirit. Professionally, I was a computer scientist who migrated into a senior exec position at NASA. Great job that I enjoyed for 30 years; then I spent the final 8 years of my federal government career at the National Institutes of Health, which was a mile from our Bethesda, MD house, and I could walk to work!
We built our Blackrock Circle house in 2003-4 and became full-time mountain residents in mid 2007. I’m on the MHA Board, and after 4+ years have just completed my tour-of-duty as the MHA LINK newsletter editor. I volunteer for assorted mountain organization projects/activities, as requested and needed. I love to write and have written a few children’s books. I also do some management/leadership consulting gigs, as long as they don’t interfere with the fun stuff, like my pottery classes, book club, garden and handwork groups, plus relaxing in the company of friends. I also spend a substantial amount of time in the valley playing with my horses – a passion I’ve enjoyed since I was 6 years old.
Joe Spouse and I fancy every element of living at Wintergreen, especially the people and natural beauty surrounding us. We share our Wintergreen home with Sadie Lady Dog and Sophie Cat. Our son, Jon, lives in Seattle, WA.
Vice President – Camille Kurtz
I first came to Wintergreen in 2008, after I got married (for the first time). I’d spent earlier lives working at a variety of jobs, mostly interesting, starting with teaching French literature at Cornell University and SUNY/Cortland in New York; then switching to broadcast television in Savannah, Georgia, co-hosting a morning talk show and writing advertising copy; then on to environmental education; followed by a move to Washington, DC, where I worked as an information specialist in Southern African affairs, eventually ending up in web development for companies offering pricey access to online information about the U.S. Congress. In that final capacity, I had the pleasure of conducting online training sessions for foreign nationals at U.S. embassies around the world. Added factoid: As a student, I took part in the ‘May Revolution’ in Paris in 1968.
Recording Secretary - Carolyn Barkley
I have been a full-time resident at Wintergreen since 2006 and live on Deer Springs Trail. A graduate of Wellesley College and the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Library and Information Science, I retired in 2006 after 31 years with the Virginia Beach Department of Public Libraries. I happily fill my time with genealogical research for clients, as well as with designing, editing and indexing books for genealogical authors. In addition, I write a weekly genealogical blog for Genealogical Publishing Company of Baltimore: genealogyandfamilyhistory.com. My son and his family (3 grand-daughters) live in Roanoke.
Communicating Secretary - Christine Casey
Dennis and I bought land in Wintergreen in 1990. We built our home in 2002 and finally retired here full time in 2009. “Pinch me…is this for real?” is how I feel about living on a mountaintop in such a gorgeous place. I have a passion for music, painting, and compiling the family pictures and history. Dennis loves to ski and enjoys wine. We both love to eat, cook, read, hike, bike, garden, travel, and spend time with family and friends. We have two married sons, Sean and Jimmy. Sean lives with his wife Anne in LA. They live a creative life in theatre. Sean is artistic director and manager of the Westside Comedy Theatre in Santa Monica, California and Anne can be seen in commercials, TV and a movie due to be released in the Summer 2012 called Destination Wedding. Jimmy is married to Emily and he is an OB/GYN doctor in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and Emily works for Leland Little Auction Company.
Treasurer – Ellen Hampton
After living in Richmond for most of my life, I decided to move to Wintergreen full time in 2006. I still work part time as an investment advisor and enjoy hiking around these beautiful mountains at every opportunity. But even more than the mountains, I love all of the wonderful people here that have made my life so incredibly happy.
Blackrock Neighborhood Chair – Terri Brooks
Friendships, fun times with family, stimulating conversation, nature, fresh air in the great outdoors, walks in the woods ~ these are some of my passions. And I’m finding all of them here at Wintergreen through Wintergreen Mountain Women, The Wintergreen Nature Foundation, WTG Mountain Homesteaders, WPOA, and WPI! I am honored to be serving on the Mountain Women Steering Committee as Black Rock Neighborhood Chair. TWNF keeps me busy as well ~ being a Volunteer Naturalist, working with the Plant Propagation Program, and serving on committees (Finance and Membership).
We “discovered” Wintergreen several years ago, bought a little weekend house in 2004 and sold it two years later to buy our current home on Tyro. I had the privilege of retiring in October 2009, following a successful 30-year career as a Corporate Librarian. Art, my husband, isn’t quite yet ready to retire, though he has one foot in, working just a 4-day workweek so that he can spend long weekends here. The other home that we share is a condo in Fairfax, Metro-accessible to Art’s work in Washington. We’ve lived in Virginia for 34 years and love it!
We have two daughters, Stephanie (married to Rich) and Sarah (married to Carlos), and six grandchildren, all who love to come visit us on “the Mountain.”
My childhood home was Everett, Washington (north of Seattle). I attended Willamette University for two years, then transferred and graduated from Idaho State University, with graduate school (Master of Librarianship) at the University of Washington.
Other volunteer positions include work with Alpha Phi International Fraternity, Idaho State University, and Special Libraries Association. And I’ve been making five or six trips to Seattle to visit and help out Mom and Dad and my siblings.
Devils Knob Neighborhood Chair – Cindy Coy
Our kids (4 daughters, 3 son-in-laws, and 4 granddaughters) can’t believe John and I don’t get bored at Wintergreen. We don’t and won’t likely ever – too many opportunities, interesting people and experiences available. Before moving to Wintergreen full-time more than six years ago, John and I lived in Northern Virginia and, before that, in Iowa, where I was a RN for 15 years and then later worked in community relations. We (me minimally) still run a consulting practice in corporate social responsibility but are spending more time being responsible locally. Best moments at Wintergreen always include the beauty of the natural surroundings, which also accounts for my involvement with the Nature Foundation. As a recovering type A, I am more recently learning to enjoy the guiltless pleasure of "not accomplishing."
Laurel Springs Neighborhood Chair Sylvia Boyko Stafford
My husband Jim and I reside in Annapolis, MD and have been escaping to Wintergreen as often as possible since 2004. I love being Mom to Shyla, a Border Collie/Shepherd mix and enjoy cooking, entertaining family and friends, reading, hiking, skiing and DIY projects here.
I have a MBA from Loyola College and have 30 years of professional experience as a strategic manager with a focus on project management (my favorite thing), finance, and human resources.
In addition to being on the Mountain Women Steering Committee, I currently chair the Epicurious group and aspire to participate in the Handwork group. Now that I am no longer tied to a professional job, I enjoy volunteering for various organizations both at Wintergreen and in Annapolis.
The Springs Neighborhood Chair – Yvonne Behm
Earl and I built our Wintergreen home in 1986. We have been full time mountain dwellers since 1993, when I retired from Fairfax County Public Schools in Northern Virginia.
Since becoming full time mountain residents, I have been a volunteer for the Mountain Homesteaders, for TWNF and for WPA. For six years Earl served as a WPI board member. He also served on TWNF board in various capacities for several years.
For the past 18 years, I have been a Hospice of the Piedmont volunteer. Prior to my Hospice work I was a Drive for Life program volunteer in Richmond. For a few overlapping years, I also volunteered at UVA Hospital in the Hospice and Palliative Care unit.
We love our Wintergreen community and we love the beauty of living in the Blue Ridge Mountains. And our children and grandchildren consider Wintergreen their second home!