Staff and Volunteers
MCA’s workload is tackled by two staff members, a talented board of directors and skilled and dedicated volunteers. Our Board and volunteers give generously of their expertise and time. Working together as a team, MCA has been able to take on the many challenges that face the Agricultural Reserve and at the same time work to promote it through education and legislative initiative. MCA is also registered to provide student service learning hours to middle and high school students. Contact us to find out more!
Caroline Taylor
Executive Director
Caroline, who has the great fortune to live with her family within the Reserve south of Poolesville, has worked on environmental issues for much of her professional career. Her first exposure to environmental litigation came while employed at Covington and Burling. She then worked with a talented group of lawyers and advocates at National Wildlife Federation on a wide range of cases and issues including: Spotted Owl, Key Deer, Exxon oil spill, food policy, forest preservation and, water resources. Her passion, though, has always been local issues including protection of the Ag Reserve’s groundwater and working lands. Caroline comes from a long line of farmers and ranchers, from Pennsylvania, Virginia and Idaho. This year, Caroline joined with Jessica Weiss of growingSoul to become a founding member of the Montgomery Food Council. The Council will work with various stakeholders to ensure a healthy and inclusive food system in Montgomery County.
Kristina Bostick
Senior Conservation Associate
Kristina grew up in Montgomery County (hiking Sugarloaf every year on her birthday) and has returned after a number of years in North Carolina where she earned her Masters in Public Administration and worked on numerous environmental issues, including stormwater mitigation and greening local governments. Kristina values all the ways the Ag Reserve benefits our region but nothing beats the excitement of a weekly CSA box or the first peaches of summer, all grown right here!
Land Link Coordinator, Shannon Varley and her husband BJ run Bella Terra Family Farm on old Hundred Rd, pictured here with kids/ farm hands Maeve and Luke. Shannon is starting a Land Link program for MCA, creating a data base of farmers looking for land and land owners looking to partner with farmers by offering land for sale, long term lease, or granted to a nonprofit farm. Shannon has taken part in these programs while farming in New England and wants to see them flourish in the Ag Reserve. Want to take part in the program? More info here!
Bella Terra Family Farm is accepting applications for the 2011 CSA harvest (what is a CSA? Learn more here!). The farm offers homegrown, chemical-free, seasonal vegetables, flowers, herbs, and eggs. Get in touch with the farm at: bellaterrafamilyfarm@yahoo.com
MCA reported on the blend of natural ingredients Shannon feeds her chickens here in a post about arsenic in commercial chicken feed. (Yes, you read that right, arsenic.)
Brian Walker
Program Intern
Brian is a long time Montgomery county resident. He spent much of his childhood exploring the rock creek regional park areas. His 
time in college inspired him to political activism, and he has worked on campaigns in DC to protect federal environmental laws through public education. Campaigns focused on the Clean Air Act, water purity regulations, and limiting development in our remaining wild national forests.
Caroline Simpson
Conservation Associate
From across the river in Warrenton, Virginia, Caroline grew up with a love for the outdoors. While a student at Virginia Tech, she majored in International Studies with a concentration in Environmental Affairs and Spanish. During her time there, she participated in a two-year “Earth Sustainability” program that launched her into the world of sustainability with no turning back! Since college, she was introduced to the beauty of Montgomery County’s Agricultural Reserve during her internship at Rocklands Farm this past growing season. That experience has shown her the fundamental importance of agriculture and has led her excitedly to MCA this Fall.