GROWING A BRIGHT FUTURE:

Welcoming our new Executive Director and Board President to lead the Conservancy towards sustainable success!

This year, we welcomed new leadership - Sophie Lambert, executive director, and Claudette Papathanasopoulos, board president, to the Willowsford Conservancy!

MEET SOPHIE LAMBERT, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR!

With over twenty years of experience in urban planning and nonprofit organizations, our new executive director, Sophie Lambert, joined the Willowsford Conservancy this past spring.

“I’m thrilled to join the amazing team driving such a hands-on, intentional connection between farming, land management, and community,” said Lambert. “The Willowsford Conservancy can be a model for how we live and sustain the environment in responsible and rewarding ways.”

Before her time at the Conservancy, Sophie served as vice president for the Urban Land Institute, a nonprofit organization focused on creating livable communities where she was responsible for the programming, operations, and strategy for UrbanPlan - an education program - which enables high school and university students, community members, and elected officials to redevelop a fictional site and engage in the complex tradeoffs that happen in the land use process every day in cities across the country. Before joining ULI in 2014, Sophie directed the LEED for Neighborhood Development program at the U.S. Green Building Council for six years, where she worked with experts and staff to create a rating system for evaluating sustainable neighborhood projects.

Before her time there, Sophie worked at various historic preservation and planning consulting firms and the U.S. EPA, where she researched the impacts of development on natural habitats. Sophie grew up in England and Canada but has lived in the U.S. since moving there to attend college. She has a B.A. from Smith College, an M.S. in Historic Preservation from Columbia University, and a master’s in urban planning from Virginia Tech.

Currently, Sophie volunteers on the board of Project GROWS. This nonprofit organization aims to improve children’s and youth’s health through garden-based education and access to healthy food in the Shenandoah Valley. Additionally, Sophie enjoys gardening, hiking, experimenting in the kitchen, running, whether a marathon or along a local trail and spending time with her two children, often cheering on their favorite soccer teams.

“Sophie has the organizational skills and creative vision we need to develop Willowsford as a new model for sustainable living,” said Board Chair Claudette Papathanasopoulos. “Her experience and grounding in urban planning, land use, and conservation are perfect for our vibrant ‘agrihood’ community.”

MEET CLAUDETTE PAPATHANASOPOULOS, WILLOWSFORD CONSERVANCY BOARD PRESIDENT!

Claudette and her family have lived in The Greens since 2015. When not volunteering for the Willowsford Conservancy, Papathanasopoulos works as the Technical Director of PR3, a project she co-founded to help scale solutions to the plastic waste crisis. Her work spans over 20 years of experience as an engineer and policy expert in the environmental movement. She has spent her career investigating environmental, human rights, and public health concerns across global supply chains and advocating for innovative design and policy solutions.

Claudette began her career serving in the U.S. Peace Corps in rural Zambia, supporting community-led water and agricultural programs. Her continued interest in sustainable and local food drew her and her family to Willowsford.

“Claudette has served on the Conservancy Board for the last five years, most recently as our Vice President and the staff and board are thrilled to have stepped into the President role. She brings thoughtful leadership, a commitment to conservation, and a true passion for Willowsford. She is the perfect leader in helping us become a world-class agrihood as we work to implement our strategic plan and improve our infrastructure on the farm and on our trails and natural habitats.”

Claudette and her husband are originally from Detroit but moved to Willowsford from Fairfax and are an active CSA Shareholder since they moved to the neighborhood.

“Our favorites are the potatoes – a few months ago, my son was really annoyed that he had to eat “grocery store” potatoes before the farm season opened because they didn’t taste anywhere near as good as what he’s used to,” said Claudette.

They have two children who spend their summers swimming for the Waves and fishing off the dock behind the Willowsford Boathouse. Claudette has filled her yard with native flowers and always seeks opportunities to exchange gardening tips with other native plant enthusiasts. She’s also a jogger and has run thousands of miles along sidewalks and trails in the Grove and Greens over the years. Her favorite route gives her a view of the flowering fields along Grassland Grove.