David Johnson – Executive Director
David comes to the land trust with over 29 years of experience at the Bucks County Planning Commission. He retired from the county in early 2018 with his last position being the program coordinator for the Bucks County Open Space Program. David grew up in Solebury Township attending New Hope Solebury High School and Penn State. In addition to serving the land trust as executive director, he also runs a crop and hay farm located just outside of New Hope and farms a total of over 200 acres in Solebury, Buckingham and Upper Makefield Townships. He currently resides in Solebury Township.
Board of Directors
Donna Shaw – President
Donna is a Retired Employee Benefits Manager and LTBC member since 2009. Why did she join? “You only get one chance to save land. You miss that chance and you can never get the land back.”
Laurie Ermentrout – Vice President
A life-long resident of Bucks County, Laurie works as a medical education consultant and has served on the conservancy board since 2007. In the late eighties/early nineties, she was a board member of Family Service Association of Bucks County. She is on the consistory, a women’s guild member, and teaches Sunday School at St. Peter’s Tohickon United Church of Christ. In 1981, Laurie graduated from the Philadelphia College of Art with a BFA in Graphic Design. She lives on her preserved property in Bedminster Township with her longhaired dachshunds, cats, and babydoll sheep.
Harry R. Dannehower III – Secretary
Harry joined the LTBC Board in 2017. He served the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for thirty years as a member of the Pennsylvania State Police Troop M Dublin. Harry has been a member of the LTBC Fundraising Committee since September 2011 and he serves as an advocate for other non-profit agencies. Harry and his wife Jennifer make their home in Bedminster Township.
J. Phillip Johnson – Director Emeritus
Philip has been a Board member of Land Trust of Bucks County since 2013. After retiring from a business and teaching career, he began farming on a full time basis on his and other preserved farm land with his son. Preservation is the key to keeping agriculture viable in the county and Land Trust of Bucks County will help to ensure future agriculture opportunities.
Stephen King – Treasurer
Stephen joined the LTBC Board in 2019. He first lived in Bucks County in 1992 and 1993 and returned permanently in 2013. He lives on Jericho Mountain in Upper Makefield, where he enjoys living on, and being surrounded by, preserved land. He holds a PhD in Economics, taught at Stanford University and retired from a career in book publishing in 2019. For many years he also served on the board of Yale University Press. Stephen is enjoying working in the woods of Bucks County rather than in the concrete jungle.
James Mageras
James joined the Land Trust in 2020 and brings a diverse set of experiences spanning technology, project management, and public service. He has a keen interest in the environment and the conservation of natural resources and traditional landscapes. An incipient farmer, he lives with his wife on their farm in Solebury Township.
Staff
Richard Harvey – Conservation Specialist
Rich grew up in Upper Southampton Township and graduated from Penn State University and Drexel University. Recently retired, he worked for the Bucks County Planning Commission for 35 years as the author and Administrator of the popular Bucks County Agricultural Land Preservation Program. Under his stewardship, over 18,000 acres on 230 farms were preserved in Bucks County. He also was the Administrator of the Bucks County Open Space Program for several years. He resides with his wife in Doylestown Borough.
Michael Farbotnik – Conservation Specialist
Michael is a lifelong resident of Solebury Township, growing up and farming with his father on the same farm purchased by his grandparents in the early 1920s. The farm has been preserved since 2014. He believes that involvement is the key to community and has served on the Township Comprehensive Plan Committee, the Land Preservation Committee and Environmental Advisory Committee as well as previously serving on Senator Santorum’s Agricultural Advisory Board. Michael was also a member of the Midway Fire Company and a 4H leader. Michael worked for the Bucks County Health Department as the Soil Scientist for 29 years before retiring to go into private consulting and beginning Greenway Environmental Consultants, a soil consulting firm. Michael graduated from Delaware Valley College (now University) with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Agronomy and is an adjunct at Del-Val teaching soil and plant science courses. He is a professional soil scientist and has taught soil courses to sewage enforcement officers for the Department of Environmental Protection and The Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors. He continues to farm today, helping his daughter Kaitlin and son-in-law Ryan who have taken over the home farm and are raising beef cattle, hogs and broilers on Shady Fox Farm.