CHILDS BURDEN, Chairman Emeritus

Childs is a founding member of the Heritage Area in 1995. He serves on the Shenandoah Valley Battlefield Foundation Board of Trustees and has served on the boards of The Civil War Trust, The Virginia Outdoors Foundation, The Land Trust of Virginia, The Loudoun County Heritage Committee, The Loudoun County Historical Society, Oatlands and Long Branch.

JAMES LITTLE, Vice Chair

Jim Little is an avid student of Civil War, Colonial American and U.S. Naval history.  He holds a B.A. in History from The Pennsylvania State University.  He currently works as an analyst for the U.S. Navy after having spent over two decades in mortgage servicing and financial analysis at several banks and credit unions.  He is a retired Navy Captain where he served 30 years as a Surface Warfare Officer in an active and reserve capacity.  Jim enjoys cycling, being outdoors and sharing his knowledge of history to those around him. He lives in South Riding with his wife Rebecca and two daughters, Grace and Elise.

HARRY BIGLEY, Treasurer

Harry has served on the Board of the Heritage Area since 2011. Through his work with the Unison Preservation Society, he became involved in the preservation of the community of Unison and the Battle of Unison, which led to the placing of the Battle of Unison on the National Register. He served as treasurer and is the current president of Unison Preservation Society.

SUZANNE OBETZ, Secretary

Suzanne Obetz is the Executive Director of the Middleburg Museum. Previously, she served as executive director of the Warren County Heritage Society and as interim Director of the Fauquier Historical Society. Obetz is active with Land Trust of Virginia and the Great Meadow Foundation. 

WENDY BEBIE

Wendy joined the Heritage Area Board in 2010. Living on her farm on the south side of Round Hill, she became very interested in the local history. She serves on Loudoun County's Rural Economic Development Council. She received a B.A. in History from the University of Washington and a law degree from Georgetown University Law School in Washington D.C. Wendy has worked as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the office of the U.S. Attorney and as a Judicial Law Clerk for the Honorable Fred B. Ugast. 

DAVID BLANCHARD

David is a life-long Virginian, having spent his first 40 years in Richmond and Goochland County, before moving to Middleburg in February of 2019. David works for a national employee benefits consulting firm called OneDigital, supporting employers with HR, benefits and retirement needs. He has also served on the boards of St. Gertrude High School and The Blue Sky Fund. An outdoor enthusiast with a special affinity for the natural world, he enjoys hunting, fishing, boating and hiking, tubing on Goose Creek, birding at Sky Meadows and trail riding all around the area.

TIM BURCH

Tim is a third generation Virginia Builder who has been working in the design/build construction industry for over 30 years. He is currently an Owner/ Vice President of BOWA Builders in Middleburg, VA., a national industry speaker and instructor that is frequently featured in the national media on construction related topics. Tim has served on the board of directors for Fauquier County Habitat for Humanity, The Partnership for Warrenton, and The Fishing School Foundation in Washington DC. Tim, his wife and three children live in an 1830’s Farmhouse they restored in Fauquier County, Virginia.

ASHTON COLE

Ashton grew up in Winchester and Clarke County, where he gained a deeper appreciation for the landscape and history of the area.  He has spent most of his career working to help preserve Virginia's natural and cultural resources through his work with the Land Trust of Virginia.  He's been with LTV since 2007, and is currently their Director of Conservation and Stewardship.  He also serves on the Stewardship Council of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy.  Ashton now resides in Bluemont with his wife and daughter.

HARRIETT CONDON

Harriett first served on the Board of the Heritage Area in 2011 and was a member of the Advisory Board for many years. Her love of history and especially Civil War history has made her an asset for VPHA. She has worked for the National Trust, and is a member of many Civil War Roundtables and other history and preservation organizations.

TARA CONNELL

Tara Connell has lived in the Heritage Area since 1988. Originally from New York, she enjoyed a 38-year career with the Gannett Co., Inc. newspaper company including as Page One Editor of USA TODAY. After her retirement in 2011, she volunteered as a Loudoun County Master Gardener, served on the Board of Long Branch in Clarke County from 2012-2014, including as chair, and was a member of the Unison Preservation Society. She was president of UPS from 2019 – 2022.

TOM DEBUTTS

Tom has deep roots in Fauquier and Loudoun counties.  He is a partner with the firm DLA Piper LLP (US) with a practice in international trade controls.  Tom also serves as President of the Friends of the Hollow, Inc., a non-profit corporation dedicated to the preservation of Chief Justice John Marshall’s boyhood home in Markham, VA.  He received his A.B. in Economics and History from Duke University and his J.D. from George Mason University School of Law, and resides in Delaplane.

JOSEPH DEMPSEY

A tenth generation Virginian, Joe grew up in Arlington and Newport News, Virginia .  A graduate of Virginia Polytechnic Institute with a BS in Marketing Management, he served on active duty in the United States Army from 1967 – 1972 during the Vietnam War, leaving active duty with the rank of captain. Joe has served as president of several community and professional organizations, including the Commemorative Air Force and the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets Alumni Association.  He has been a horseman for over forty years, enjoying foxhunting, the rural Virginia lifestyle and its treasured countryside. Joe has served as a Director of our organization on and off since the early 2000s. His recent oversight of the Rector House renovations has been outstanding and he has several more stages of improvements planned for the coming months.  

CHARLES ELLISON 

Charles Ellison moved to Rokeby Road, in Fauquier County, at age 1 and since then has been captivated by the beauty and history of this area. Currently living in Winchester, with his wife and four young children, his immediate family also has a wonderful river home in Clarke County. Charles has served on the Board of Hill School and as a volunteer at Land Trust of Virginia.

BARRY FREEMAN

Barry is a retired television video professional, who worked for 35 years in the network broadcasting industry.  He has won numerous awards for his work editing national news stories for ABC News in the Washington DC news bureau.  In 2015 he launched Loudoun Video Concepts a local aerial photography and video production company that utilizes drones to produce videos and photos mainly for the real estate industry.  Barry and his wife Robin reside in Clarke County where they enjoy history, travel, and horseback riding.  He has volunteered for a number of years as a "Trail Overseer" for the PATC and maintains a section of the Appalachian Trail near Paris, VA.  He is also enjoys fox hunting and is an active subscriber with the Blue Ridge Hunt.

RICHARD TREAT GILLESPIE

Rich is a retired history educator and public historian living in Taylorstown. He retired as Executive Director of the Mosby Heritage Area Association (now the Virginia Piedmont Heritage Area Association) in January 2017 and serves as the VPHA’s Historian Emeritus. He had previously served for a decade as Director of Education, in charge of the heritage area’s school and public programming to promote interest in the historic landscape in Loudoun, Clarke, Fauquier, and western Prince William where he reached tens of thousands of students and adults. Previously, Rich taught U.S. History for thirty years at Loudoun Valley High School in Purcellville, Virginia, helping to partner his students with a variety of historic sites and historical organizations, emphasizing local history and preservation wherever possible.

CATHERINE JOHNS

A native of Washington, D.C., Catherine’s appreciation of this incredible region was instilled by her parents who routinely explored the Heritage Area with their children. She received a B.A. in History from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. Catherine currently works in the tourism industry in the hotel sector and has explored thirty-five countries throughout her career. She resides in Middleburg, Virginia with her retired fox hound, beagle, and horse. Embracing Virginia, she enjoys learning the history of this unique landscape, fishing, shooting, riding with local hunts and birding from her back porch.

LAURA KELSEY

Laura retired in July of 2013 after 46 years in the working world. These years started with teaching English in VA public schools, followed by twenty years of experience in retail ownership and an equal number of years in commercial property management. Community involvement includes serving on the board of Highland School, the Greater Warrenton Chamber of Commerce and as a member of the Town of Warrenton’s Economic Development Advisory Committee. She is currently serving as president of the Fauquier Historical Society and on the board of the Fauquier Heritage & Preservation Foundation.

PATRICK MOUNTAIN

Pat grew up in the Chicago area and moved to the DC Metro area in the late 1980s. He spent 26 years working for the US General Services Administration's Public Buildings Service. A life-long Civil War buff, he's been a battlefield guide at the NOVA Parks, Ball's Bluff Battlefield Regional Park for the last 15 years. He's also a former Board member and past Chairman of the Friends of Ball's Bluff (FoBB). Pat is currently FoBB's Volunteer Work Crew Coordinator.

Pat has been an avid cyclist since moving to the DC Metro area, logging over 5000 miles per year while regularly exploring the beautiful and historic rural roads and landscape surrounding it on his bike. After attending VPHA’s annual Civil War Conference for several years and noting the organization’s efforts to educate the public about local history, and to advocate for the preservation of the beautiful and historic rural landscape of the Heritage Area, Pat decided to become a regular VPHA volunteer. He has remained a VPHA volunteer for nearly twenty years. He joined the VPHA Board of Directors in 2019.

WILL NISBET

Will was born and raised in North Carolina. His life and desire to work in education have been influenced by his time in schools, traveling, working with summer camps, and the Boy Scouts. He attended Episcopal High School in Alexandria, VA, where he spent time in Middleburg and became familiar with The Hill School, where he now serves as Director of Institutional Development. He has enjoyed getting to know the Piedmont area and lives in Middleburg with his wife, Eloise, and their puppy. Their hobbies include reading, skiing, hiking, traveling, and exploring rural Virginia.

BESS PUTNAM

Bess Putnam was born, raised and rooted on the sweet Virginia hills surrounding Middleburg. After having been afforded the opportunity for extended travel and graduating with a degree in Religion and Philosophy, she is, first and foremost, a mother of two girls, Gwenevere Lily and Lila Dove. She also a “Mountain Blues” musician by love and trade, and published author. She lives on Huntland Farm with husband Steven, where they base several endeavors : Fieldcraft Estate Management, Whisperwood Cattle and JSC Construction along with The Plains Market and Deli.

WILLIAM WILKINS

William is a resident of Washington, DC who enjoys weekends at his family’s farm in Upperville. He works for a small commercial real estate investment company, ELV Associates, and serves on the board for the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and Museum in Staunton, Virginia. William received a Bachelor of Science from Vanderbilt University and holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Virginia’s Darden Graduate School of Business.