Nomination Statement for Mid-Atlantic Region Candidate
F. Mark Schiavone

I am honored to accept the nomination to serve on the Terrafirma Members Committee as the representative for the Mid-Atlantic Region. I’ve spent my life in this part of the county and I’m well familiar with Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virgnia. My land conservation work to date has exclusively focused on West Virginia and I’m excited to learn how land trusts address challenges and issues that are unique to their jurisdiction. I recently retired as Executive Director for the Berkeley County Farmland Protection Board, and I’m currently the chair of the West Virginia Association of Farmland Protection Boards. In that capacity, I focus on education and technical support for the 20 active county farmland protection boards across West Virginia. I enjoy this outreach and the opportunity to collaborate. I look forward to expanding my focus to the Mid Atlantic Region.

If elected to the Terrafirma Members Committee, my commitment will be to ensure that the states which make up the Mid Atlantic Region are well represented, their issues are addressed, and that participating land trusts are kept informed. As an ambassador for Terrafirma, my goal is to increase the membership within the Mid Atlantic Region as well. I’m eager to be able to scale up my work in the land conservation realm to ensure that land trusts continue to do excellent work and protect important land.