Board Election Ballot

Melissa lives in the lower Northwest Branch and is grateful to be near such a beautiful, peaceful place. She has enjoyed running and biking along the NWB, its tributaries and the Anacostia since moving to the area in 2015. Melissa aims to increase community involvement in protecting and restoring the watershed and has led and participated in cleanups, in addition to collecting litter on a regular basis, and advocating for surrounding parks and trails. She joined the Board in 2022.

Ben has enjoyed biking, hiking, spotting wildlife and coordinating cleanups along the Northwest Branch since moving to the area in 2013. When he's not in the woods or near the water, he works as an IT Business Analyst for a small grant management software company. He hopes to help  grow environmental stewardship in the lower NWB, especially in and around Hyattsville. He loves how the beautiful river and its adjoining trails and parks bring people from all walks of life together to enjoy the outdoors. He joined the Board in 2021.

In 1967 the Stembel’s moved into a rancher overlooking NW Branch. As a teen Dave hiked along “the big creek” nearly every weekend. In 2014 he returned to the same house and returned to hiking and began volunteering for NW Branch. In addition to participating in clean-ups, he shepherded Parks into improving NWB Trailhead at the end of Oakview Drive with boulders and a new gate. His passion is the preservation and improvement of NW Branch Park as a community asset and documenting the history of our little slice of heaven. Dave is a licensed practicing architect, life-long sketcher, and dog walker.