The Foundation is overseen by a Board of Directors, each of whom is a community member committed to advancing our mission. In addition to generously donating their time and energy, they meet monthly to administer our fiscal policy and overall direction of the organization. The Board may have up to fifteen members. Directors are elected by the membership for three year terms.
Ed Wheeless is a professional software engineer. He formerly served as a member of the Harpers Ferry Town Council, Harpers Ferry Budget and Finance Committee, Harpers Ferry Planning Commission and Harpers Ferry Landmarks Commission. He currently serves as a board member for the Harpers Ferry Park Association.
Lynn Pechuekonis and her husband are owners of Rockhaven B&B, a 1920s stone foursquare in Harpers Ferry, and are recipients of the Foundation’s 2019 Excellence in Historic Preservation award. She is also a freelance writer, after working in communications for 17 years with the University of Virginia’s School of Education.
Born in Baltimore, Nadine Snowden is a third-generation resident of Harpers Ferry/Bolivar. After retiring from teaching, Nadine migrated back to the area and resides in the family home. As a child, while visiting with her grandparents, Nadine occasionally attended First Zion Church. She has interest in restoring it to a place where neighbors can gather to participate in (and volunteer for) activities that support community. Nadine envisions an area in the church where children can come to get help with homework.
Carolyn Beyer is an attorney with more than 40 years’ experience, focusing on family law and litigation. She currently works for Legal Aid in housing law. A Midwestern transplant, Carolyn relocated to Bolivar in 2020 to live closer to her daughters residing in northern Virginia. She joined the Foundation because she believes in the importance of preserving historic structures, and she loves the idea of repurposing the old First Zion Church as a community meeting place.
Maria Beckman is an attorney and educator. She and her husband were so inspired by the history and beauty of Harpers Ferry and Bolivar that they purchased their Bolivar home less than two weeks after their first visit more than 20 years ago. She believes that understanding and remembering the lives, struggles and achievements of the people who spent time here helps us to feel connected to them, to this place, and to each other. She is still amazed by the natural beauty of this place and its power to heal.
Sandra Marra is President and CEO of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. She has 35 years of professional experience in both the private and nonprofit sectors. Her expertise includes organizational, financial and human capital management, large scale project management, strategic planning development and implementation, and board and staff training and development.
Delores Jackson Foster is a native of Harpers Ferry. After graduating from Shepherd College (now Shepherd University), she taught at her former high school, Page-Jackson High School in Charles Town. She moved to New Jersey and, after 40 years, retired as an Elementary School Principal. In 2014 she moved back to Harpers Ferry and spends of her time as a volunteer for community agencies. She is a proud member of the Eastern Panhandle Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, a community service organization.
Hap Becker has lived in Bolivar and Harpers Ferry since 1993. She is a retired high school principal and a former adjunct at Shepherd University. She has served on the Bolivar-Harpers Ferry Public Library Board of Directors; the Harpers Ferry Town Council; the Harpers Ferry Board of Zoning Appeals, and the Board of Directors of the ACLU-WV. She is a member of the Grant Committee of the Shepherd University WISH Foundation. Since childhood, she has wanted to live in a small, historic town.
Joe Bosco was a resident of Harpers Ferry from 2000 to 2005, during which he served on the Historic Landmarks Commission. Mr. Bosco is an architect with over 40 years of experience in the design and project management of many building types, including historic preservation.
Betsy Self lived in Loudoun County for over 45 years and moved to Bolivar 2 years ago. She is currently Vice President of the Bolivar-Harpers Ferry Library Board and a board member of the Foundation. She volunteers at the Loudoun Hunger Relief facility in Leesburg, VA and has served on numerous boards in Loudoun County over the years.
Catherine Payne has over 25 years of construction management experience on mid- to large-size commercial building projects, as well as a passionate interest in interior design. Prior to that, Catherine was an Associate Director at an internationally recognized art gallery. She has lived and worked in several large metropolitan areas and relocated to the Harpers Ferry/Bolivar area 10 years ago while commuting to a job in DC for several years. She finds the unique history of the Harpers Ferry/Bolivar area intriguing. And with that appeal in mind, believes that joining the Foundation presents an opportunity to increase her community involvement in this historic place she now calls home.
Rachel Mollohan moved to the Harpers Ferry area in 2017 after living in Washington, DC for eight years. She is interested in working to maintain the history and charm of Harpers Ferry/Bolivar for generations to come. Rachel and her husband just welcomed a baby boy in November 2020.
Bonnie Zampino has a diverse background in human resource administration, grant writing, case management and workforce development, particularly geared toward individuals with barriers to employment. For several years Bonnie was a writer for Huffington Post, and she has written or contributed to numerous publications on the subject of autism. In her free time Bonnie moonlights as a photographer and an historian with a special interest in the Civil War in Bolivar and Harpers Ferry. Bonnie lives in Bolivar with her son, Brendan.
Storm DiCostanzo is the CFO and marketing director of an event production company, as well as a writer and musician. Harpers Ferry’s beauty and history first grabbed a piece of his heart in 1976, and he is now proud to call it home. He is passionate about helping bring both towns’ stories to light, and sharing them with the world.
Christie May moved to Harpers Ferry in 2015 after passing through following an art festival. A love affair with the town was born! She recently made it her full time residence, previously splitting time between Harpers Ferry and Florida. Christie is a professional artist, as well as an amateur lavender farmer and host to historic homes she had restored in town.