Erin Platt, Chair

Former camper at Rapp Nature Camp and Nature Camp at Vesuvius, mother of a Rapp Nature Camp camper, and former teacher and current board member of the Child Care and Learning Center of Rappahannock County, Erin has spent much of her life involved in early childhood learning.  She sees the great value for kids to disconnect from computer screens and immerse themselves in a direct experience of the natural world.  She also enjoys being an occasional cast member of RAAC theatre group and fully participating in a community she has called home for over 35 years.

Erin’s experience as a camper at Rapp Nature Camp brings immeasurable value to our board. She helps keep alive the child’s eye view with the broader perspective of a parent.  As she is quoted in a Rappahannock News article, “I was eight years old when I had my first experience at Rappahannock Nature Camp and nearly thirty years later I can remember every sight, every smell, every feeling.  When was the last time you went outside and sat down on the ground and just listened?  Listened with no regard for the dirt that will end up on your backside or the dew from the grass that is soaking into your shoes… At Nature Camp my sense of wonder was encouraged and rewarded.  I learned many facts about the animals and plants and atmosphere around me.  More importantly, though, I learned how to respect, protect and be a part of the natural world that existed long before me and will continue to exist long after I’m gone.”

Cecilia Falk, Secretary

Cecilia Falk grew up in Rappahannock County and spent two decades in Philadelphia where she studied Fashion Design and Fiber Arts at the Art Institute of Philadelphia and earned a Bachelor’s in Elementary Education and a Master’s in Special Education. During that time she built a career as a literacy teacher and curriculum developer, specializing in creative and experiential programming for children of all ages.

Cecilia returned to Rappahannock County in 2020 to raise her two children.  She currently serves as the Gifted and Talented Coordinator at Rappahannock County Public Schools. Outside of education, Cecilia creates bespoke bridal and one-of-a-kind garments crafted from antique fabrics and materials using botanical dyes grown in her own garden, a practice rooted in her lifelong love of fiber arts and nature.

John Genho, Treasurer

John Genho grew up on commercial cattle ranches in Central Florida and South Texas where he learned a love for not only ranching, but also the vast expanses of land, flora, and fauna that grazing cattle interact with.  He earned a B.S. in Animal Science and Biotechnology from Brigham Young University, a M.S. in Statistical Genetics from Cornell University, and a M.B.A. from Duke University.

For the past 19 years, John has managed Eldon Farms in Rappahannock County where he has worked to develop a profitable cattle operation that works in conjunction with and enhances the ecological resources of the property.  In addition, he has worked as a geneticist, assisting other agricultural operations throughout the world.  In his free time, John enjoys searching for salamanders and mushrooms, developing the natural environment in his yard, and managing his sheep with native grasses.  He and his wife, Lynnie, are very active in volunteering in their church and community organizations.

Nina Anderson, Board Member

Nina Anderson has been an elementary teacher for nearly 20 years and has a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from George Mason University.  She lives with her husband and Jenkins, “the best dog ever” in Old Town Warrenton.  Nina has two adult daughters who are also “Earth Enthusiasts”.

Nina has been a life-long nature lover and has embraced the opportunity to participate in Rapp Nature Camp this past summer.  As a youth, she attended Nature Camp in Vesuvius, VA.  She is an avid hiker, runner, and reader.  Rapp Nature Camp is another opportunity to be actively engaged with youth and the great outdoors.  Nina also serves as Assistant Camp Director.

Bonnie Beers, Board Member

Bonnie Beers, a former special educator, lives in Rappahannock County with her husband, dog, cat, and all the various creatures that share their spaces.  In their efforts to preserve and nurture natural systems that sustain plant and animal life, they daily discover and wonder at what is always there but often unnoticed.

Bonnie also works to restore the natural areas of Rappahannock County Park through Rappahannock County Recreational Facilities Authority and Old Rag Master Naturalists.   She loves hiking, gardening, fiber crafts, and exploring the ways nature journaling can expand your awareness.

Jen Cable, Board Member

Jen Cable made her home in Rappahannock County when landing here after college — and she is still here, over 25 years later.  She has a B.A. from the University of Mary Washington in Historic Preservation.  Her love of the outdoors and the environment led her to horticulture and the fundamental beauty of plants, flowers, and gardens.  She operated her own landscape and garden design business before she began to focus solely on her florals, a natural progression from her previous horticultural experience.  She is the owner/operator of Flourish Root Floral Studio in Sperryville.

Her son, Declan, has been a Rapp Nature Camper all through his years, and it has made him the nature-loving guy he is today.  He also attends Nature Camp in Vesuvius, VA as a camper — the longstanding camp program which inspires Rappahannock Nature Camp and its endeavors.

Jen loves a good hike and seeing the mountains in her backyard every day and is thankful that she and her son call Rappahannock County home!

Kristina Farnham, Board Member

Kristina Farnham is Rappahannock County High School’s Building Trades and Engineering Technology Instructor.  As such, she feels blessed to have an opportunity to teach the youth of our community skills that will allow them to be self-sustainable and/or make a decent living.  Previously, she was a commercial and industrial tradesman for 16 years.  After moving to Rappahannock County, she decided to step away from the hustle and bustle of trades work to establish her family’s homestead on a small farm in Boston where she lives with her husband and five children.

Rural living is a lifestyle Kristina did not know as a child as she was raised in a military family that relocated every few years.  In every place she lived, she found her way to the little patch of nature nearby.  As a mother she has strived to raise her children to respect and learn from their natural surroundings.  Three of her children attend Rapp Nature Camp and love everything about it, especially picking their “quiet spot”.  Kristina is not where she wants to be as a naturalist but embraces the opportunity to help Rapp Nature Camp advocate for Mother Nature.

Amy Grady, Board Member

Amy teaches art classes at Rappahannock Elementary School where she has worked with students ages 4-13 for the past nine years.  Previously, Amy spent some of her professional life teaching art in the Philadelphia area where she earned a B.S. in Art Education and began teaching in the public schools.  She later moved to Cambridge, MA where she earned a M.Ed in Arts Integration while teaching art full-time in the local schools.  Amy has always loved to work in the art studio herself, experimenting with an array of media and techniques and cultivating her love of both printmaking and ceramics.

Amy and her husband, Brian, moved to Virginia to start a family in 2014.  Years of urban life gave her a desire to raise her children in a rural area.  In finding Sperryville, she felt as if she had found her home.  Amy felt refreshed to have not only all the open spaces, especially for gardening, near her home, but also the beauty and proximity of the mountainous landscape for exploring.  “Nature and the surrounding environment have always been such an inspiration to me and my creativity”, says the mother of two, “so letting my daughters grow up surrounded by such important – and bucolic – surroundings was a very important consideration for starting a family.”  Since her move, Amy has been working to integrate the natural world that surrounds her students in the area into her project plans, with an eye on achieving a sense of the community that is created by students, parents, neighbors and the mountains, forests and streams around which we live.

Amy, her husband, and their daughters live in Boston, Virginia, with three kitties.  Their eldest daughter, Adeline, is an alumna of the camp.