Treasurer

As a filmmaker and educator, Brian Traylor has worked with a wide range of environmental organizations and campaigns across the country.  He is a Yellow Springs HS graduate, class of 2000.  Brian received his BFA in filmmaking at the San Francisco Art Institute and has shown his films at SFMoMA and Sundance Film Festival.  In Texas, Brian worked extensively with the Bayou Land Conservancy to help fundraise millions of dollars with his videography which led to the creation of the nation's largest continuous urban greenway. He also was the media director for Texas Can, a state bill initiative to collect a five cent deposit for single use drinking containers. In Ohio, Brian has created marketing videos for Glen Helen’s Raptor Center, Greater Springfield Chamber, Young’s Dairy, Harvey+, Honey Creek Beef, Farm Science Review, United Way, Antioch, Gem City Market and many more with his company Hatch New Media.

Trustee

Poetry inspires! After Matt Birdsall read his original poetry at our annual Solstice Poetry Reading in 2015, he and partner Melissa Bautista became education committee volunteers. Now, TLT welcomes Matt and Melissa, as new co-board members, sharing a single position. They’ve also collaborated for years to produce Dayton’s premier literary magazine, Mock Turtle Zine. While a big believer in technology as a tool, Matt says, “I believe that face-to-face interaction is more powerful through the establishment of deep, meaningful, and lasting relationships.”

Trustee

A lifelong resident of the City of Chicago, Judy retired to Yellow Springs with her wife, Sue Augustus, in June of 2021, and immediately fell in love with the rolling farms and forests surrounding the village. She jumped on the chance to serve on the TLT Easement Committee, both to help preserve the open spaces, and to continue to use her skills as an attorney. In Chicago, she spent many years as a litigator, but later headed her own firm focused on real estate law.

When not reviewing easements, she loves to travel, hike, bike, play pickleball, garden, and take long walks with their beloved Brittany, Biscuit.

Trustee

Sandy relocated to Yellow Springs four years ago and recently retired from Federal Service.  She has been married for almost 40 years with two grown children and one not so grown, very sweet dog. 

She has always been a devoted gardener learning from her father at an early age. This has led her to logging many volunteer hours at school land labs, planting trees, removing invasives, planning gardens, teaching kids about gardening as well as spending numerous hours in gardens atpresent and past homes. It is no surprise Sandy is a Master Gardener. 

Sandy’s other passions include hiking, wherever and whenever possible, bicycling, yoga and spending time with family and friends. Sandy traveled extensively for work and observed multiple countries with absolutely no farmland making her so very thankful for an organization like TLT and is honored to be a Board Member.

Trustee

Evelyn spent summers on her grandfather’s apple farm in New York’s Hudson Valley. She came to Yellow Springs in 1964 to attend Antioch College. After graduation, she hand-built her home/studio with her husband Tom and began making pots. For nearly 50 years, she has sold her wares at Yellow Springs Pottery.

Evelyn campaigned for the new Yellow Springs Green Space plan in 1972. In 1990, she joined the TLT board, supported  the “Save Whitehall Farm” auction in 1999, and the Agraria auction in 2017. She currently serves on the Development and Finance committees and maintains the TLT scrapbook.

Vacation finds Tom and Evelyn living aboard their trailer-able catamaran, sailing either the Great Lakes or the coastal waters of the eastern seaboard.

“Small town living, fresh air, and natural surroundings have brought much joy to my life,” says Evelyn.

Trustee

Susan Miller is originally from Virginia but has lived in Yellow Springs most of her adult life. She is retired from YSI. Susan is extremely active in local, Yellow Springs nonprofits. She is on the development committee and is the auction chair.

Trustee

Betty, a resident of Yellow Springs, was the Director of Glen Helen Raptor Center for almost thirty years. As a wildlife rehabilitator and educator, she joined with several others in the state to form the Ohio Wildlife Rehabilitators Association, and served as its president for many years. She is on the TLT Education and Personnel committees, still volunteers at the Raptor Center, serves on the Glen Helen Association Board, walks many miles a day, and enjoys spring and fall migrations in Cape May Point, NJ. She is on a Monarch butterfly education team there, and had three of her tagged monarchs found in Mexico!

Trustee

Ben is a lifetime dairy and Christmas tree farmer, as well as the Human Resources Director for Young’s Jersey Dairy. After graduating from The Ohio State University with a degree in agriculture, he returned to the family business. Ben and his wife Pam also own and operate Young’s Christmas Tree Farm.

Ben enjoys traveling and hiking with Pam and spending time with their three children and five grandchildren. He joined the TLT board because of his interest in farming and protecting our local farmland.

Trustee

Lori E. Zakel, Ph.D., is a resident of Springfield Township in Clark County, where she and her husband have lived on a small 40 acre farm for the last 32 years. They have two daughters, beef cattle, chickens, three dogs, and a cat.

Lori retired from Sinclair Community College in Dayton where her most recent position was Interim Provost and Vice President for Instruction.  Early in her career at Sinclair, she was a faculty member, teaching communication courses including Public Speaking, Interpersonal Communication, Small Group Communication, and Public Relations.

She currently serves as a board member for the Community Health Foundation in Springfield and for the Sinclair Community College Foundation, and is on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee for United Senior Services in Springfield.  She also serves as the USA Pickleball Association’s Ambassador for Clark County, and she volunteers as a dog trainer for Gem City Dog Club in Dayton and for 4-H dog agility exhibitors in Clark County.

She and her husband enjoy gardening (flowers, vegetables, and fruit), bicycling, running, and training their dogs.

Immediate Past President

Andy is from Springfield and currently serves as an attorney in his family’s practice. He and his siblings preserved their family farm in 2009. Andy and his wife Joan are working on renovating a house in Springfield. He is active in the Springfield community, serving on the Clark County Park District board.