Our Team

As a nature lover, raised in the woods of southern Maryland, Carol understands how vital green space is to everyday well-being and is proud to join NeighborSpace’s mission of ensuring access for all. She started her career working at St. John’s College of Annapolis, where she also earned a bachelor’s in liberal arts and met her wife. After a few years in Washington state, she returned home to Maryland, working for a small Baltimore nonprofit. Now Carol and her wife have settled down in a quiet corner of Parkville, where they have a wealth of wildlife to watch and a view of Cromwell Valley. They spend most of their free time enjoying simple pleasures like tending their native plant garden, reading, crafting, and cuddling with their cat, Cardamom.

Conor is excited to join the NeighborSpace team and is eager to bring his passion for conservation, science education, and environmental field work to both the communities and greenspaces of Baltimore County. He has spent the last few years doing a wide variety of things, including research on pathogens affecting amphibian populations, invasive species management, community education and outreach, and teaching college classes. Born and raised just south of Baltimore, he received a B.S. in Ecology and Evolution from the University of Pittsburgh and a M.S. in Biology from San Francisco State University. After recently moving back to Maryland, he is thrilled to be able to protect and improve natural areas for community benefit. When not working, he enjoys reading, camping, board games, backpacking, and spending time with his dogs.

Will, originally from New Jersey, moved around quite a bit while building a career in ecology and environmental outreach. They eventually landed in Baltimore, earning their M.S. in Geography and Environmental Systems at UMBC. Their M.S research used community-engaged methods to understand different approaches to environmental education in and around the city; they fell for the area in the process and began to put down roots. You can often find them exploring green spaces around the city and county from Patterson Park to Rocky Point, Loch Raven, Patapsco Valley State Park and more. They are excited to learn about the many hidden gems that NeighborSpace supports and work with communities to restore and conserve these beautiful places as Community Conservation Manager.

Working as a member longshoreman in the International Longshoreman's Association, Port of Baltimore Local 333, he works along with other ILA locals up and down the east coast from Maine to Texas. His job is to import and export cargo internationally to and from vessels from across the globe 🌎. Aaron is also President of the Powhatan Farms Improvement Association.

Chloe works on electrification and decarbonization initiatives at Baltimore Gas and Electric (BGE). She enjoys knitting, hiking, traveling, and sitting down with a good cup of tea. A long time Baltimore City resident, Chloe has recently moved to Lutherville with her husband Wick and is looking forward to caring for local green spaces, both in her backyard and with the NeighborSpace community.

Elias Darraj currently serves as a Business Relationship Manager for the Quality team at CareFirst. A driven and goal-oriented professional, Elias is committed to expanding his knowledge and experience while fostering teamwork and collaboration. In addition to his professional role, Elias is an active community leader, serving on the boards of SAFE Alternative, Baltimore Clayworks, and NeighborSpace. Elias has a strong background in volunteerism, with over a decade of involvement with Cub Scouts, Scouts BSA, as well as contributions to various PTA organizations.

Lance currently works as a procurement and sales manager in Millersville, MD for a company that manufactures security systems specializing in nuclear power plants. He and his partner Steven have 3 dogs: Ryker, Channah and Corduroy. He love the outdoors, camping, hiking, amusement parks, fixing things in the garage, and enjoying his cabin in West Virginia. He has experience in business and real-estate, and serves as the President of Potomac Island Ridge Association and as the Treasurer of Tollgate Action Group (TAG).

Nancy is a seventh generation Towsonite. After many years as a stewardship partner, she hopes that participating on the NeighborSpace Board is a wonderful opportunity to grow in her understanding of the impact of greenspace, especially on marginalized communities. She is hopeful that her work as an advocate for the preservation of greenspace in the Historic East Towson community will assist in forwarding the NeighborSpace mission.

Arnold "Pat" Keller is a dedicated board member with a passion for community development and greenspace preservation. He brings extensive experience in urban planning and environmental stewardship, contributing valuable insights to the NeighborSpace Board's mission.

David Lynn is a partner in the international law firm Goodwin Procter LLP, practicing in Washington, DC. He is a leading expert in corporate and securities law, and he served for over a decade in various roles at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. David is also an adjunct professor at Georgetown Law Center and the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law. He has previously served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Securities and Exchange Commission Historical Society, and on the Board of Advisors of the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law. David lives in Towson, and his property is conserved by NeighborSpace.

For over 20 years, Michael R. McCann has represented community associations, land conservation groups, individual property owners, and other organizations in land use, zoning, and other development matters. Prior to starting his own firm in December 2008, he was a partner in the regional law firm of Funk & Bolton, P.A. Mr. McCann has extensive experience in presenting cases before administrative agencies and courts throughout the State, including cases involving development plan approvals, variances, special exceptions, zoning reclassifications, conservation easements, and restrictive land covenants. He also has worked closely with members of State, County, and municipal legislatures in drafting legislation and on comprehensive rezoning issues. He has successfully represented clients in a number of important cases decided by the appellate courts in Maryland, particularly in the area of standing, including Falls Road Community Ass’n v. Oregon Grille, LLC, Long Green Valley Ass’n v. Bellevale Farm, Long Meadow Ass’n v. Druid Ridge Cemetery Co., Hilltop/Maple Avenue Community Ass’n v. Skirven Enterprises, and Caldes v. Elm Street Development.

Kathy grew up downstream in a small waterfront community, in a family whose 5 generations span 90 years of fighting pollution while simply ‘messing about in boats’. She spent her teen and adult life on environmental work – which meant that whenever connecting with others. she met them where they were and joined in their work to widen her understanding and offered the same to them. Decades of learning from successes and failures inform her the work is ‘never done’; but it’s where we get to, together. Recently retired from the University of Maryland School of Dentistry, she actively engages with others using her community building, historical, and mentoring skills. Though she lives in Perry Hall, you can find her in the summer months kayaking mostly on the Gunpowder.

Carlton is a lifelong resident of Baltimore County, presently living in West Towson, and retired from a career as a diagnostic radiologist at Union Memorial Hospital. In his community work, he has focused on parks and waterways in the city and in the county, on the Board of Blue Water Baltimore, and on The Lake Roland Nature Council. He has cleaned streams and pulled invasives. He has worked in Development and represented the local Amateur Gardeners Club at the D.C. National Affairs and Legislation Meeting. Although he and his wife Betsy travel to Oakland, California for four months a year to be with their two sons and four grandchildren, his environmental home is Baltimore. He wants to help NeighborSpace succeed in bringing the fascinating and rejuvenating natural world of suburban parks to his neighbors.

A plant-lover and naturalist at heart, ruth has invested in understanding her curiosity and passion for gardening as a bridge between the non-human and human worlds. she believes in the power of storytelling, art, technical skills development, and organizing as necessary healing modalities for individuals, communities, and ecosystems. She has brought her passion to the farming, food access, education, advocacy, research, landscaping, and foraging worlds of the DMV, national efforts, and most recently, Baltimore. Currently, with the University of Maryland Extension, she focuses on connecting communities to culturally relevant horticultural resources to cultivate more sustainable neighborhoods.

Arkia Wade is the Executive Director and Founder of Neighborhood Companions Inc., a nonprofit dedicated to improving the quality of life in Turner Station, a historic African American community in Baltimore County. As President of the Baltimore County Arts Guild Board and Treasurer of the Turner Station Conservation Teams, Arkia promotes cultural and community revitalization. She also leads a local Girl Scouts Troop and is an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Psi Phi Omega Chapter. Inspired by her grandfather, a trailblazing physician who served Turner Station, Arkia’s work supports the elderly while addressing social and environmental challenges. She holds a BA in Marketing and Sociology from The College of William and Mary and enjoys reading, traveling, and spending time with loved ones.

While I grew up in Massachusetts and then spent 6 years in Northern Maine, I have now lived in Maryland for nearly 32 years. I had been involved in many things in the community, but that involvement really ramped up once the pandemic started. To combat isolation, I started walking daily, and have now covered more than 14,000 miles. Through these walks, I met many of the people involved in the organizations that I am now a part of, including NeighborSpace, Green Towson Alliance (GTA), Wiltondale Garden Club, Baltimore County Lynching Memorial Project (BCLMP), Athletes Serving Athletes (ASA), and Still I Run. As a person that does not drive, access to green spaces in the community is extremely important to me. While we have many great parks and trails in Maryland, without a car those same places are inaccessible. For that reason, the spaces that NeighborSpace preserves are so vital to my wellbeing because nature is where I feel most at home.