Board of Trustees
Mark D. Perreault, Chairman
Mark is a resident of Norfolk and a retired in-house counsel with Norfolk Southern Corporation. He has been active in many capacities in historic preservation and land conservation in the Commonwealth. He was formerly president of the Norfolk Preservation Alliance, served on the City of Norfolk’s Historical and Architectural Preservation Commission, and as a founder and president of Citizens for a Fort Monroe National Park was instrumental in the establishment of Fort Monroe National Monument in 2011. He serves on the board of Petersburg Battlefields Foundation and the Mid-Atlantic Regional Council of the National Parks Conservation Association and he and his wife Karen have been long-time supporters of the Civil War Trust. Karen and Mark are currently engaged in restoration of a period house on the Second Deep Bottom Battlefield in Henrico County in partnership with the Richmond Battlefields Association.
Nicholas P. Picerno, Vice Chairman
Nicholas is Vice Chairman and Chairman-Emeritus of the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation and the Foundation’s longest serving board member. He also serves as Vice-President of the Lincoln Society of Virginia, and he serves on the Advisory Board of Kennesaw State University’s Center for the Study of the Civil War Era. He is a former member of both the board of trustees of the Museum of the Confederacy in Richmond, Virginia, and the Board of Directors of the Lee-Jackson Education Foundation of Charlottesville. He has published articles in both “Civil War Times” and “America’s Civil War” magazines and has contributed to scores of books on American Civil War history.
Craig R. Stevens, Treasurer
Craig is a retired CPA who has been involved with battlefield preservation for over 20 years and as a donor, Board Member or employee of SVBF since 2012. A lifelong student of the Civil War and fan of the Shenandoah Valley, Craig lives in Warrenton, Virginia. Craig served as Lead Partner at Aronson LLC. Mr. Stevens leads the Firm's Association Industry Services Group. He joined Aronson LLC in 1986 and has spent over 20 years in the industry. He specializes in accounting, auditing, taxation, internal controls systems, fundraising, and strategic planning. As an expert in the field, he has made various presentations to the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), the Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants and the Maryland Association of Nonprofit Organizations on topics that include investment management, accounting and reporting issues. He has also provided over 30 articles on various issues impacting nonprofit organizations and authored The Nonprofit Controller's Manual, published by Warren, Gorham & Lamont and was a co-author, with other members of the firm, of the Financial Management Handbook for Associations and Nonprofits published by ASAE. He is an active member of AICPA, ASAE, and Finance Management Roundtable. He earned his Bachelor's of Business Administration Degree from Virginia Tech in 1983.
Cdr. Craig A. Morin, Secretary
Craig is a retired Naval Officer and environmental consultant who lives in Houston, Texas. He received a B.S. degree in biology with a minor in history from the University of Central Oklahoma. In 1975 he received a Master of Public Health degree in Environmental Science from the University of Oklahoma. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1966 and served on active and active reserve duty until 1991 when he retired as a Commander, Medical Service Corps. As a consultant primarily to the Energy and Petrochemical industries, he has managed global projects in Asia, West Africa, Europe, the Middle East, the Caribbean and North America. More than 70 years ago, Craig was introduced to the Civil War by his great grandmother, whose father and his two brothers served with the Army of Northern Virginia. Two of his Alabama ancestors served in the 1864 Valley Campaign. Craig has written and printed one book about a fellow Navy Corpsman who was killed in Vietnam: More Than a Name on a Wall. Craig is an avid fan of the Houston Astros, the University of Oklahoma Sooners and the athletic teams his grandchildren play for.
Dr. William “Reyn” Archer, III
Reyn grew up in Texas and graduated from the University of Texas in 1976 with a degree in Botany/Plant Biology and later from the University of Texas Medical Branch with an M.D. in 1980. He was appointed as the Commissioner of the Texas Department of Health in 1997 by George W. Bush, a position he held until 2000. In 2005, he became the Chief Medical Officer for Burson-Martseller. Reyn became Chief of Staff for Congressman Jeff Fortenberry in 2016 and held the position until Congressman Fortenberry’s resignation in 2022.
Alphonso P. Boxley, III
Al was born in Beckley, West Virginia and grew up in Mount Lebanon, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh. He attended Virginia Tech, earning a degree in business management. After graduating, Al began working for American Safety Razor, a division of Phillip Morris. While working there, he attended James Madison University and earned an MBA. In 1969, he joined the Army Reserves as a drill sergeant. He opened his first McDonald’s restaurant in Luray in 1977, and later moved to western Maryland where he opened 12 restaurants. In 1997 he sold those restaurants to return to the Shenandoah Valley, where he owned 11 restaurants until his retirement in 2020.
Al has served on several boards including Frostburg State University Foundation, the Ronald McDonald House, Boy Scouts of America, American Trust Bank (M&T Bank), WVPT Public TV, Blue Ridge Community College, and the Augusta County Economic Authority.
Childs F. Burden
Childs is a founding member of The Mosby Heritage Area Association which was formed in 1995. He currently serves as Chairman Emeritus after having served as Chair and President for many years and as Chairman of the Lant Trust of Virginia. He has also served on the board of Access National Corporation and Access National Bank and previously with Middleburg Financial Corporation before the merger with that company. Childs is a graduate of The University of Virginia and is a Chartered Financial Analyst. He has served on the boards of Oatlands as Trustee and Chair, on The American Battlefield Trust, The Virginia Outdoors Foundation, The Loudoun County Historical Society as President and The Loudoun County Heritage Commission.
Senator Christopher T. Head, Ex officio Governor of Virginia
Senator Head is a father of three wonderful children, Victoria (Tori), Abigail (Abby), and Michael. Chris and his wife, Betsy, live in Botetourt and own Home Instead Senior Care in Roanoke and Lynchburg, a company that provides services to seniors so they don’t have to leave their homes. They were awarded Small Business of the Year in 2009. He served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 2012 to 2023 before being elected to serve as Senator for the 3rd District in the Virginia Senate in 2024. Chris grew up in Commerce, Georgia and graduated with a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Georgia in 1985.
William B. Holtzman
Bill is the Founder and President of Holtzman Oil Corp. and Co-owner of Liberty Gas. He graduated from Massanutten Military Academy and attended Virginia Tech (when it was still a cadet school) where he earned his undergraduate degree. Bill went on to attend Cornell University where he received his master’s degree before going to work for the Byrd Orchards in Mt. Jackson. In 1972, he purchased a small oil distributorship in Mt. Jackson, growing it into the corporation that it is today.
Patrick M. Kenney, Ex officio Director of the National Park Service
Patrick is the superintendent of Shenandoah National Park and Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park. Kenney has served as the deputy superintendent of Yellowstone National Park since January 2017. He managed the operations of 2.2 million acres, a staff of approximately 800 and an annual base budget of $35 million. Prior to Yellowstone, he was named superintendent of Cape Lookout National Seashore in 2011. There he improved access to the park through the awarding of a ferry service contract, establishing two gateways and the opening of the Beaufort Visitor Information Center.
Prior to managing Cape Lookout, Kenney served as the Planning Branch Chief at the NPS Denver Service Center. He began his NPS career in 1990 at Big Cypress National Preserve as a natural resource manager. He was effective at obtaining funding and successfully completing numerous natural resource restoration projects, as well as being involved in an array of planning issues within the preserve.
Kenney has a Bachelor of Science in Zoology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is a graduate of the Federal Executive Institute – Leadership for Democratic Society and is a Project Management Institute certified Project Manager.
Allen L. Louderback
Allen is a past board member of the Foundation and served as Chairman from 2014-2016. He currently serves on the Foundation’s Government Relations Committee and on the Page County Board of Supervisors. Allen has been President of Louderback Enterprises since 1976. He has also worked as a Management Analyst in the U.S. Government Accountability Office. A graduate of Virginia Tech, he served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 2000-2006 and was on the Page County Board of Supervisors from 1992-2000 and again from 2020 to present.
Thomas C. Mack
Prior to obtaining his Masters Degree in Education in 1995, at James Madison University, VA, Tom experienced numerous travel and work opportunities in 23 years. Tom, born in Pennsylvania, worked as a Pennsylvania state office clerk before moving to and living in Hawaii. In Hawaii, Tom’s jobs included farming, landscaping, janitor services and school bus driver. In 1979, Tom joined the US Army living in Kentucky, Germany, California, and North Carolina; while having such jobs as a mechanic and an Arabic interrogator/ translator. By 1988, after 15 years of marriage, both Tom and Lesley had their degrees in education; found elementary school teaching positions in Luray, Virginia, in the same school where they taught for 22 years. They both retired in 2010. Tom’s great love for history became the basis for the 20+member, all-volunteer, non-profit group – The Shenandoah Valley Civil War Era Dancers. Since 2012, the dancers have raised and donated over $56,000 to land preservation as they teach others the early American dances their ancestors once danced. Since 2016 Tom and Lesley have opened up their 3 acre landscaped garden to tours as part of the Page County Artisan Trail. Admission fees to Birdsong Pleasure Garden are donated to the SVBF.
James E. Pearman, Jr.
Jim co-founded Partners in Financial Planning, LLC in 2009. He has authored the book entitled “Financial Planning for the Older Client” as well as quoted on financial planning topics in a variety of local and national publications. He is active with National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA) and NAPFA Consumer Education Foundation (NCEF). Jim has served as an industry expert for the North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) Exams Advisory Project Group that develops and reviews questions for the Series 63, 65 and 66 securities exams. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Virginia Tech and has served in the financial services industry for 50+ years. Jim enjoys being involved with his community. He chairs the boards of Feeding America Southwest Virginia, Alta Mons Inc., and serves as Treasurer of the Roanoke District of the United Methodist Church to name a few. Jim and his wife Brenda live in Salem with their cats and enjoys going to Virginia Tech sporting events, especially Hokie basketball and football.
Col. Hugh Sproul, III
Hugh, a native of Augusta County and Staunton, received his undergraduate degree from Washington & Lee University in 1958, and followed with a master’s degree from the University of Tennessee in 1971.
He has served in the National Guard and Army for a total of 32 years, and he achieved the rank of Colonel. Hugh served three tours in Vietnam and his awards include the Bronze Star for Valor, Purple Heart, Air Medal, and Vietnam Cross of Gallantry.
Hugh is a former mayor of the City of Staunton and a former member of Staunton City Council. He is the Vice President of the 116th Infantry Regiment Foundation and Stonewall Brigade Museum, Ruling Elder at the First Presbyterian Church in Staunton, and the Treasurer of the local chapter for the Sons of the American Revolution.
Linda C. Wheeler
W. Denman Zirkle
Denman graduated from Virginia Tech in 1960 and then the University of Pennsylvania in 1962 with a Masters of Business Administation. He went on to work for various companies with positions as Program Manager for Business Machines Corporation, Assistant Vice President for Conrail, Marketing Director for Morgan Stanley, Senior Vice President of Lynch and Mayer, Inc, Executive Vice President of Templeton Worldwide, and CEO of Carret and Company. In 2009, Denman became Chief Executive Officer for the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation and held the position until 2014. Currently, he is a managing partner of Weingut Richard Bocking, a winery in Mosul, Germany.
Roderick O. Graves, Life Trustee
Rod is Vice President of Luray Caverns, as well as Curator of both museums on site, and active in historic preservation and Civil War commemoration. He is Vice President of the Page County Heritage Association, serves on the Shenandoah Valley Folklife Society and Virginia’s Preservation Board, and is past Chairman of the Page County Sesquicentennial Committee.
Staff
Keven Walker, Chief Executive Officer (kwalker@svbf.net)
Keven is the Chief Executive Officer of the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation (SVBF) and came to the Foundation from Antietam National Battlefield, where he served for 11 years as a Ranger, a Cultural Resources Specialist, and the Acting Cultural Resource Program Manager.
During that time, Walker served as a member of the National Park Service’s national advisory team on cultural resources and historic preservation and graduated from the GOAL Academy, the National Park Service’s highly competitive leadership program. Said Edwin C. Bearss, Chief Historian Emeritus of the National Park Service, “Keven Walker’s work has been exemplary; ranking him with the best historic preservation professionals I have known since I began my career.”
Walker was formerly the Executive Director of The Walker Foundation for Historic Preservation in Charles Town, West Virginia. He has appeared on several Maryland Public Television documentaries focusing on the Antietam Battlefield as well as historic homes in Washington County, Maryland. He is the author of “Antietam: A Guide to the Landscape and Farmsteads.” Published in 2010.
Walker came to the Foundation in June of 2014. Since then, under Walker’s leadership, the Battlefields Foundation has tackled some of the largest preservation projects in its history; preserved over 2,000 acres of battlefield land; opened two visitor centers and a 600 acre full service battlefield park; more than tripled its youth development involvement; assumed management of the Shenandoah Valley Civil War Museum; started an annual National Conference; launched new initiatives such as the Shenandoah At War magazine; and strengthened the SVBF’s partnerships both in the Valley and nationwide.
Dan Reinhart, Chief Operating Officer (dreinhart@svbf.net)
Dan grew up in the small town of Ringtown, Pennsylvania. He attended Penn State University Schuylkill Campus and Bloomsburg University for 2 years, where he studied History, before leaving school to join the Foundation.
Dan joined the Battlefields Foundation in 2014 to assist with the protection and management of the over 4,600 acres of battlefield land the Foundation had preserved. Dan has overseen the restoration and development of the Third Winchester Battlefield Park, including the addition of historic fencing, cannons, new trails, and the completion of the James R. Wilkins Winchester Battlefields Visitor Center. He’s also responsible for the care and upkeep of the the Foundation’s numerous battlefield sites. In his current role, he oversees the daily operations of the Foundation, it’s visitor sites, manages fundraising campaigns, and works with the state and federal government to secure funding for battlefield preservation and infrastructure projects.
Tammy Presgraves, Comptroller (tpresgraves@svbf.net)
Tammy started at SVBF part-time in 2010 to assist with bookkeeping. In 2012 she was asked to become the full-time Operations Assistant and to manager SVBF’s grant programs. Tammy is great at helping to keep the SVBF staff organized and working efficiently and enjoys working with all the
Jack Owens, Park Ranger - Resource Protection (jowens@svbf.net)
Jack began working with the Battlefields Foundation as a young volunteer in 2012, beginning with stewardship of Star Fort, which lies near his home, and expanding to include support of SVBF events, programs, and operations. In 2017, he began to work part-time as a Museum Associate for the SVBF at the Shenandoah Valley Civil War Museum in Winchester. In 2019, he became a Resource Managment Associate, with work that included battlefield stewardship, interpretation, and archives work, working in tandem with SVBF senior staff to broaden his work experience and knowledge. Most recently in 2022, Jack transitioned to the role of Park Ranger - Resource Preservation, assisting with the preservation of the Valley’s historic resources. Outside of work Jack co-hosts a Civil War history podcast called "Battlefields & Bourbon", is a member of the Historic Resource Advisory Board for Frederick County and was elected as a Director on the Board of the Lord Fairfax Soil & Water Conservation District representing Frederick County.
Franklin Van Valkenburg, Development Officer (franklinv@svbf.net)
For the last seven years, Franklin has honed his craft as a fundraiser and advocate for his mission. Upon completing his active service as a junior officer in the US Navy, Franklin became a frontline fundraiser for his alma mater, Virginia Military Institute, where he managed the cadet call center and assisted in annual giving. He also has experience in directing fundraising programs with clients as a third party fundraising partner, leveraging analytics and relationship management to the attainment of development goals.
In addition to his professional acumen, Franklin is a lifelong student of history and the American Civil War. A native of Marietta, Georgia, he has frequented battlefields ranging from Kennesaw Mountain to New Market, Stones River, and Monocacy. For over a decade, Franklin has called the Shenandoah Valley his home and frequented the hallowed ground of the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District. He further demonstrates his passion for the past in not only historic preservation, but volunteering in his spare time as a historical interpreter. When not fundraising or touring battlefields, he can be found at living history events educating the public.
Kelynn Powell Clem, Visitor Services Manager (kclem@svbf.net)
Kelynn, is a Virginian by birth but raised in the prominent shadow of Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Kelynn graduated from Winchester’s Shenandoah University with a Bachelor’s Degree in History. She is bringing seven years of Museum Management experience to her role as Visitor Services Manager and is responsible for volunteer staffing, managing the gift shops, and keeping in touch with the community that surrounds our battlefield sites. Whenever she’s not traveling around the Shenandoah Valley and keeping our museums up to speed, you can find Kelynn at her cozy little homestead in Fort Valley, Virginia with her family. She loves loose leaf teas, working in her garden, and teaching her daughters how to play the piano.
Jay Richardson, Park Ranger - Interpretation (jrichardson@svbf.net)
Jay joined the Foundation in 2019 as a part-time museum associate at the Shenandoah Valley Civil War Museum. In 2020, Jay was promoted to park ranger and now works on a variety of park and interpretation projects. In addition to giving tours and working with visitors, his work has branched out to include audio/visual editing, developing smartphone tours, and website design. Jay received a bachelor's degree in history from George Mason University in 2014. After joining the Foundation, Jay attended Shenandoah University where he earned an undergraduate certificate in Civil War Era Studies in 2021.
Aaron Siever, Park Ranger - Resource Management (asiever@svbf.net)
Aaron was a law enforcement officer for 15 years, most recently as an investigator with the Rockingham County Sheriff's Office. In May of 2020 he graduated from Liberty University which a Bachelor’s Degrees in History and Criminal Justice. Aaron has been a Civil War enthusiast since he was a kid reenacting battles in his backyard. He has maintained a Youtube channel called “Aarons Civil War Trails” where he does brief videos at various Civil War sites. Aaron has been a volunteer with SVBF since 2012 and joined our full-time staff in 2021. He lives in New Market with his wife and son.
Debra Goecker, Museum Associate
Debra is an award-winning educator, moved to the Valley in 2019 after retiring. A member of SVBF since 2021, Deb volunteered as a docent at the Shenandoah Valley Civil War Museum prior to becoming a staff member in 2023 and continues to volunteer additional time at the museum and the Third Winchester Battlefield. Deb is married to Jim Goecker, a SVBF member who also volunteers at the 3rd Winchester Battlefield Visitor Center and Shenandoah Valley Civil War Museum.
Michael Gionfriddo, Museum Associate
Michael is a recent graduate of the University of Mississippi where he finished with a Bachelor's Degree in History with a Minor in Museum Studies. He was raised in the town of Wethersfield Connecticut where his lifelong interest in history began as a kid listening to his grandparent’s stories of WWII and Vietnam. During his time as a student at Ole Miss, Michael interned with the United States Navy’s Submarine Force Library and Museum in Groton Connecticut. For the past few years, he has run a social media account on Youtube and Instagram named ‘FriddoHistory’ which focuses on American Civil War History. Mike moved to the area in the summer of 2023 and works seasonally with the Winchester-Frederick County Historical Society at Stonewall Jackson's Headquarters Museum on Braddock Street in Winchester. He has been employed with the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation since fall of 2023 and can be found most weekends at the Shenandoah Valley Civil War Museum located in the historic Frederick County Courthouse in Winchester Virginia
Juanito Garcia-Sanchez, Facilities Management Associate
Juanito became a part of the SVBF team in the spring of 2022 when he began working as a Facilities Management Associate at the Foundation's historic Strayer House in New Market. A 2022 graduate of Stonewall Jackson High School, he has also participated as an athlete with the Special Olympics since 2017. Juanito is responsible for the cleanliness of the exhibits and public areas at this heavily visited site. As the main headquarters and in the downtown visitor center for the New Market Battlefield, the condition of the Strayer House is extremely important, and his work helps improve the experience of our visitors and guest. While continuing his work with SVBF, Juanito is furthering his education as a post-graduate student in the LIFE program at Central High School in Woodstock, VA.
Luther Ludwig, Office Assistant
Luther Ludwig has worked closely with Kirsten Heder, meticulously folding and stuffing gift acknowledgments and membership renewals, as well as other unique jobs. A 2020 graduate of Stonewall Jackson High School, Luther is a post-graduate student in the LIFE program at Central High School in Woodstock, Virginia. In addition to providing invaluable office support for the Foundation, he also works sprucing up a church and a house every week. When he’s not hard at work in the LIFE program, he indulges in his life-long obsession with sports: football, baseball, and his favorites, basketball and NASCAR. He was a basketball player in school, and though he never brags, his family says he was very good at it!
Wade Custer, Park Ranger - Interpretation
Wade has been a Park Ranger for the Shenandoah Valley Battlefield Foundation since 2020. Wade graduated from Stonewall Jackson High School and is a resident of Shenandoah County who enjoys educating tourists about local Civil War history. He conducts Civil War walking tours of downtown New Market and downtown Winchester with the general public and has done virtual presentations with local schools.