MEET OUR TEAM

Alisa L. Webb
Executive Coordinator

Alisa has been a lifelong resident of Cecil County. She earned her Associate Degree from Cecil College and her BS degree in education from Towson University. She has taught science in Cecil County at both public and private schools for the last 28 years. Alisa has been married to her high school sweetheart, Steven, for 27 years and has lived and raised her family in Colora. Alisa has always been involved with her community through church, youth sports, and mentoring. She has had a passion for nature since she was a young child. Alisa embraced the outdoors and agriculture spending many hours on her family’s farm milking and helping keep up with the daily chores. Her enthusiasm and passion for nature has always been contagious. She joined the Cecil Land Trust as the Executive Coordinator in order to broaden the impact of her passion for agriculture and conservation.

Staff

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Board of Directors

Bill Kilby
President

Bill has been with CLT since its inception. He is a dairy farmer in the Colora area. His family farms are under easement with CLT, MET and MALPF. He has been active in politics and conservation projects. He enjoys reading and minor mountain climbing.

“CLT started with the creation of Maryland’s Rural Legacy Program. The Fair Hill Rural Legacy Area seemed to be a real opportunity to fund land preservation in Cecil County so I signed up to help.”

Virginia Kennedy
Vice President

​ Virginia recently retired as Head of School for West Nottingham Academy where she had first served as English Dept. Chair and Director of Sustainability Programs and Curriculum. Previous to her relocation to Cecil County, Virginia was the Executive Director of Otsego Land Trust in Cooperstown, NY. Virginia received a PhD from Cornell University in English and American Studies. Her published writing focuses on environmental ethics in American Indian and Euro-American literatures and on conservation ethics and policy more generally.  Virginia and her husband, Kevin, relocated to Cecil County in 2015 when Kevin joined the U.S. Army's Northern Regional Environmental and Energy Office at Aberdeen Proving Ground.

Tom Klenk
Secretary

Tom recently joined the CLT board and thoroughly enjoys working with people who have such an intimate connection to the land that they grew up on. Tom grew up in a military family, so didn’t live in any one place for long. He began exploring Cecil County through his love of cycling, and is very pleased to play a small part in helping to preserve the character of Cecil County, which he has called home for the last 26 years.

Charles Herzog
Treasurer

Charles has been a member of the Cecil Land Trust since 2011 and has been vice-president for the past four years. He is the owner of Stoney Batter Farm in Colora, where he and his wife Deborah have lived for the past 26 years. The farm dates back to the early 1800s and was recently protected through the Cecil County PDR program. Charles and Deborah hope that through placing their farm under conservation easement, they will forever preserve the rural lifestyle that they have come to love.

Hudson Benson
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Hudson Benson is a Realtor serving residential and commercial clients in Cecil and Harford Counties. He has also owned a restaurant in North East known as the Port House Grill. A long-time resident of Cecil County, he lives in Fair Hill where he and his wife Karen raised two children and are active community members.

In addition to serving on the Cecil Land Trust board, Hudson has served on several other boards of directors including North East Chamber of Commerce (past board President) and the Restaurant Association of Maryland. He currently serves as president with Friends of the North East Creek. Recently, he was instrumental in helping the Town of North East with the acquisition of 60 acres of waterfront property which is slated to become a passive recreation park and nature preserve accessible to residents and visitors of the Town. Hudson holds a degree in biology and an MBA, is a USCG licensed boat captain (25T master), and is an FAA licensed airplane pilot and drone operator. 

​“Now more than ever everyone is learning how important agriculture is to humanity. The potential loss of a single source of global food output threatens the health and wellbeing of millions of people. By working with Cecil Land Trust I am helping to preserve irreplaceable farmland, keep our waterways clean, and promote the use of techniques that improve farm sustainability.” 

​Joe Carabetta
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​Board Member Joe Carabetta has been active with the Cecil Land Trust from its inception. Joe is a retired Engineer from Aberdeen Proving Ground with a BS degree in AG Engineering from Pennsylvania State University. Joe and his wife Diane Carabetta are graduates of the Cecil County Watershed Stewards Academy and reside in Perryville. Joe is active in Cecil County politics and is also active with the Sons of American Legion and is Vice President of Turkey Point Light Station.

Courtney Fisher

Courtney is a life-long resident of Cecil County. She earned her Bachelor's Degree from University of Maryland in Civil and Environmental Engineering with a minor in Sustainability Studies, and currently works for GPI out of their North East office. Courtney enjoys being a part of sustainable development efforts through her work as an engineer, as well as being a part of land preservation efforts through her work with the Cecil Land Trust. She currently serves as the co-chair on the Education and Outreach Committee. Courtney, her husband Ryan, and son Everett live in Colora.

"Board membership is important because healthy growth within our county depends upon a balance of sustainable development and preservation. Establishing this balance requires continued education and a commitment to protecting our natural resources."

Ryan Fisher​
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Ryan has a Masters of Natural Resources degree from Virginia Tech, a Bachelor of Science degree from West Virginia University in Wildlife and Fisheries Resources, and a minor in Conservation Ecology. He currently works at the Cecil Soil Conservation District as a soil conservationist. Ryan has thoroughly enjoyed working with and serving the agricultural community through his positions at Cecil Soil, and his work on various farms during his teenage years. He is a lifelong resident of Cecil County and has been active in his community through church, sports, FCA Outdoors, and scouting. Ryan, his wife Courtney, and son Everett reside in Colora. 

"It is important to be a board member because proper stewardship of natural resources to benefit future generations is only possible through taking action."

​Tom Hannum
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Tom grew up on a farm in Chester County, Pennsylvania. After graduating from Wake Forest University, he settled in Cecil County in the early 70’s. Tom retired from the Cecil County Sheriff’s Office in 2010 taking a job with Cecil County Public Library. He is married and has three children and eight grandchildren. Tom brings his knowledge and joy of bicycling to the Land Trust and helps to organize their annual Cycle for Cecil bicycle ride. He enjoys outreach programs, setting up displays and working with children to help them with planting activities. An avid  gardener, Tom hopes to help children make a connection with the sources of their food.

"I am involved the Cecil Land Trust because I believe it is important to our county economically and environmentally to continue to produce food for our community. Local farms enrich the quality of life for all of our residents and visitors. On a personal level I enjoy preserving the history of my family’s way of life."

​Sarah Mackie
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​Sarah is a life-long resident of Cecil County. She became interested in animals, particularly horses, at a young age. She earned her Bachelors in Animal and Poultry Science from Virginia Tech and completed her degree in veterinary medicine (with an equine emphasis) at the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine. She currently practices at Winbak Farm in Chesapeake City. Sarah wishes to protect open space and the agricultural character of Cecil County from encroaching development of neighboring counties.

 Douglass Megee
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Doug is a lifelong resident of Cecil County. He grew up on a farm in Colora, and now runs Colora Hay and Straw. He graduated form Williamson College of the Trades with a degree in machine tool technology. Doug is active in 4-H and many other local organizations. He is an active member of Community Fir Company of Rising Sun. Working alongside local farmers Doug is passionate about preserving local farmland. 

Edwin Merryman​
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Edwin Merryman is the proud father of Louis and Jane and grandfather of Liam, Josephine and Bennie. Edwin and his son Louis together operate a thoroughbred horse breeding operation, the Anchor and Hope Farm, which sits on the cliff above Port Deposit overlooking the scenic Susquehanna River, originally established in the mid-17th century. Edwin trains race horses out of a barn at the Fair Hill Training Center.

Miranda O’Donnell
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Miranda has been a lifelong resident of Cecil County. She attended Cecil County Public Schools K-12 before moving on to earn her bachelor’s degree in both Accounting and Finance from the University of Maryland College Park. Miranda is also an active CPA in the state of Maryland and has been licensed since 2021. Aside from serving on the Cecil Land Trust Board, Miranda can be found hiking/mountain biking around the county, participating in church/community  sponsored events, volunteering with local organizations, or spending time at home with her husband Josh and dog Nala.

"Being a board member is important to me because Cecil County is home, and we must preserve what makes Cecil County unique. The farmland and waterways are the heart of this county."

Bob Porter
Member Emeritus

Bob Porter was born and raised in Salisbury, Maryland, and has been a Cecil County resident for more than thirty years. A graduate of the Johns Hopkins University, Bob’s professional experience includes Army service and running his own sheet metal and HVAC companies. Bob has belonged to many community organizations over the years, including the Elk Creeks Preservation Society and the Cecil County Arts Council. Bob’s interest in agriculture comes from part-time farm work he did as a teenager.

Jeremy Rothwell​
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Jeremy is a 12th generation Cecil County native, and grew up on a small Standardbred horse farm outside of Chesapeake City. He holds a Master of Arts in Urban Affairs & Regional Planning from the University of Delaware and is the City Planner and Main Street Manager for Harrington, Delaware. Jeremy is active in a variety of community organizations on the Upper Eastern Shore and is a passionate advocate for the preservation of the County’s agricultural lands and rural economy.

George Spence
Member Emeritus

George Spence is lifelong resident of North East and an Army veteran.  He grew up on a dairy farm that transitioned to a hog farm and while he had several jobs off the farm, agriculture has always been very important to him.  George is committed to keeping agriculture alive in Cecil County because access to fresh, local food is important to community health.

Sally Warner​
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Sally spent her formative years running barefoot through cow pastures and picking bagworms off her family’s Christmas trees. Her love of nature and the outdoors transformed into a desire to conserve the rolling hills of western Cecil County when she returned from college and found the landscape decimated by development. As a member of the Land Trust and a mother of three, Sally hopes to preserve the unique agricultural identity of Cecil County for generations to come.

"As a lifelong resident of Cecil County, my involvement with the Cecil Land Trust is driven by my desire to preserve the rural legacy of our community for future generations. The land trust helps to promote this ideal through preservation and the advocacy of responsible growth." 

Thank you also to the CLT Board of Directors for helping to secure event sponsors and pitching in during the event.