Yew People
Board of Directors
Katie Brown, Ruthana Beezley, Adam Cate, Karline Jensen (Secretary), Bob Must (President), Beth Little (Treasurer) and Will Lewis
Staff
Erica Marks (Director), Will Lewis (Forest Farming Coordinator), Marlyn (Program Coordinator), Robin Tywoniw (Operations Manger), and Adrienne Cedarleaf (Education Coordinator)
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Emily Sullivan
Finance Manager
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Elena, Ezra, Adrienne & Aliza Cedarleaf
Caretakers
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Contact our board members: board.yewmountain@gmail.com. Contact our director: elmarks.wv@gmail.com
PRESIDENT: DR. ROBERT MUST
Bob discovered the Yew Mountains of West Virginia in 1973 after hitch-hiking through the U.S. looking for a remote community proximal to wilderness. He found that community here, served it as a family physician for 29 years and is now retired. The WV Rural Health Association awarded Bob as the Outstanding Rural Health Provider for 2012. His non-profit experience derives from his years as chairman of the local hospital board. Bob’s favorite pastimes include walking the mountain looking at birds and plants and playing stand-up bass.
TREASURER: BETH LITTLE
When Beth first came here she thought she was ‘dropping out,’ but she found that what she was actually seeking was community – potlucks, playing music together, and helping each other with their work and dreams. She served on the county library board for 20 years, worked with the West Virginia Wilderness Coalition to preserve more nearby wild places, and butted heads with local politicians to turn away development like coal fired power plants and tire burning incinerators. She built her home with friends, gardens, reads books (when she can find the time), and wishes her children weren’t so far away in Los Angeles.
SECRETARY: KARLINE JENSEN
Karline lives nearby in her off-the grid straw bale house. She has enjoyed participating in Pocahontas County community activities including acting in a play and singing in the choir. Karline's strengths in non-profit administration are financial management and reporting. She has a keen eye for solving multi-dimensional puzzles, and her favorite place to ponder them is in her garden.
RUTHANA BEEZLEY
Ruthana is a Hillsboro, WV native with a Masters degree in Business Administration from WVU. She is a business advisor for the WV Hive Network, assisting small businesses and social entrepreneurs. Ruthana enjoys hiking, geocaching, and the live music of the area with her husband and two sons.
KATIE BROWN
Katie is the director of Human Resources at Pocahontas Memorial Hospital. She has been a teacher, a dietician, and an active volunteer at Hillsboro Elementary school where she is currently President of the PTO. She enjoys the outdoors with her husband and two young daughters.
ADAM CATE
Adam, a transplant from Tennessee, shares his talent for building and fixing things and a love of trees and mushrooms with the Yew community.
WILL LEWIS
Will is an owner-operator of Hawk Knob Ciders and Meads “dedicated to producing a locally farmed and produced beverage.” When not in apple orchards, he can be found among honeybees, in a garden, or in the forest.
DIRECTOR: ERICA MARKS
Erica has led experiential education programs from a tropical rainforest in Peru to the frozen White Mountains of New Hampshire, and in between (that would be here, in mountains of WV.) She is a special educator to the gifted in Pocahontas County, WV. She likes turning over rocks with her three daughters (and putting them perfectly back in place) and playing music with her husband and friends. Erica brings eight years of educational non-profit experience to the Yew Mountain Center.
PROGRAM ASSISTANT: MARLYN MCCLENDON
Marlyn is a photographer, fermenter, and yoga enthusiast living in Pocahontas County. She grew up in West Virginia and earned her BA at WVU. Since 2011, Marlyn has worked in the non-profit world, focusing on education, community organizing, and local food efforts.
OPERATIONS MANAGER: ROBIN TYWONIW
Robin is a crafter, mom, and “Jill of all trades.” She has been an active volunteer in the schools and elsewhere in the community. Always ready with a fun project or a fancy potluck offering, Robin is a magnet for the local children and creates community wherever she is involved.
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