About Us

Janette Rosenbaum arrived in the Muddy Branch watershed in 2019, but has been working on sustainable gardening issues since 2011. She has a Master's degree in environmental studies, with a focus in communications, and works in the communications department of the Izaak Walton League. She can almost see the Muddy Branch from her office. Outside of the office, Janette watches birds, practices identifying plants, and creates yarn crafts. [Board member since 5/1/2020]

Guillermo Irahola, our Vice President and Technology Advisor, brings a deep passion for promoting public park use within the watershed. Born and raised in Bolivia, Guillermo's conservation journey started during childhood vacations exploring the natural wonders of South America. His career includes pivotal roles with the Bolivian Forest Action Planning Commission and collaborations with organizations like Conservation International. Currently, Guillermo serves as Chief Technology Officer at a federal government technology provider, complemented by a Project Management degree from Georgetown University. [Board member since 2022]

Mary Hlavinka has been involved in picking up trash, working with the Weed Warriors, testing water quality and enjoying the beauty of the local streams and parks. She was awarded Volunteer of the Year in 2019. Performing the role of Treasurer allows her to use her financial skills and provide valuable support to the Alliance. [Board member since 5/1/2019]

Julia Rasnake grew up wandering the Muddy Branch trails, and has worked and volunteered in outdoor and arts education in several countries. Julia is a psychotherapist with a masters in clinical social work, who focuses on trauma recovery in young adults and adolescents and offers nature-based/eco-therapy at her practice, Inner Wellbeing Therapy. Julia sees a strong link between our connection to nature and our mental health, and volunteers to promote community engagement and getting kids and families outside, and to support re-wilding and native ecosystems as a Maryland Master Naturalist. Julia loves making art, going on long runs, reading books, and long walks in the woods with her dog. [Board member since 5/1/2021]

Frank M. Foge has lived in Montgomery County for the last 35 years. Before that, Frank lived mostly in New York state, where he earned a BA from SUNY. Later he added an MS in IT and has been working for Northrop Grumman and the federal government. Frank recently retired from the SSA working in Accessibility of Electronic Information. Frank has been married since 1987 and has one daughter. Frank has lived in the Lakelands since 1999 and has been hiking the Muddy Branch trail for all of that time. He has completed almost every section between Gaithersburg and the Potomac River. Frank has many pollinator plants in his yard and enjoys the vegetable garden. Frank's other hobbies include practicing music, reading, and working on bird identification. [Board member since 12/5/2023]

Allison Jacobs is an MCPS middle school teacher and is very excited to join the board of the Muddy Branch Alliance. She walks through Malcolm King Park almost daily with her husband and dog and wants to help protect the park by leading invasive plant removal events. She has met tons of people who also enjoy the beauty of the park and helps to educate them on why it's important to remove invasive species so natives can flourish. She is a certified Montgomery County Weed Warrior, loves tending her own garden of native plants, and is an active member in her neighborhood promoting the removal of invasives from neighborhood landscaping and replacing them with natives. [Board member since 2024]

Martha Jaffe is proud and happy to be a new member of this inspiring group of people. As an Adopt-A-Road volunteer, her interests lie largely in keeping litter off of our roads, trails, and waterways. She does this by "plalking", which is picking up litter while walking, preferably with a friend or two. Another strong interest is stopping litter before it begins by encouraging everyone to secure household trash in tied bags, and shuttered securely in bins. Martha would like to raise awareness of these simple habits, believing that most people do not litter purposefully. (Windy trash collection days are often the culprit!) Another passion (yes, passion) is kitchen composting, for the benefit of keeping kitchen waste out of our water sanitation systems, as well as having nutrient-rich "black gold" for our gardens. She would like to raise awareness for this simple and easily adoptable habit as well. Martha is an avid gardener interested in maintaining a pond, native plants, pollinator-friendly gardens, and the avoidance of insecticides. Truthfully, she is also just happy to grow anything that the deer do not eat. Martha and her husband Jed have walked, plalked, and cherished the Muddy Branch Woods behind their home for 27 years. Jed is an avid beekeeper and they are the proud parents of two fine sons. When she isn't plalking she is a Substitute Teacher for Montgomery County Public Schools. [Board member since 5/1/2021]

After a career in anthropology and in program evaluation in international development, Roger Rasnake has a growing interest in understanding the complex interactions of habitat and species in the Eastern forests. Living next to Muddy Branch Park and hiking through its woods almost daily, he feels that it is critical that we continue to educate our neighbors and advocate for our green spaces to foster a rich natural environment and preserve and enhance what we have. In 2021, he became a Maryland Master Naturalist and recently led the work to renew a park pollinator garden and to establish a new native plant sale for the fall. His hobbies include gardening with native plants and learning how these plants interact to create an environment for insects, birds and animal life. Other interests are hiking, “Nordic walking,” and cooking. [Board member since 2022]

Emelin Ringuette first cultivated her love for nature on her family’s Kentucky horse farm. Growing up active with her local cooperative extension and 4-H club, she developed a deep appreciation for the environment. Emelin firmly believes that climate resilience begins at home, and she is dedicated to promoting biodiversity and implementing nature-based solutions within her community. Her passion for learning and organizing information led her to a career with an eCommerce service provider. In this role, she ensures her coworkers and clients have the necessary technology, security, and training to achieve their goals. Emelin resides in a planned community, only slightly larger than her family farm, where she shares her home with her husband, two sons, a plethora of pets, and the wildlife that seek shelter in her native garden. [Board member since 2024]

Ben Salb is a professional macro photographer and OM System (formerly Olympus) Ambassador who moved to Gaithersburg in the summer of 2022. An IT professional during the day, he can often be found wandering areas of the Muddy Branch Trail looking for insects and spiders as early as 3:30 a.m. Over the past couple years he's had a handful of images taken near Muddy Branch win or place in international photography competitions. He is considered an expert in living subject macro photography and focus bracketing/stacking, and is eager to share his knowledge and get people excited about our smaller fauna. [Board member since 2024]

Pete Darmody grew up along the banks of the Northwest Branch (Stream Valley Park/Rachel Carson Park) in Silver Spring, MD—hiked and played there extensively. He loves water in all forms! He has worked as summer and temporary intern at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, MD (MNCPPC park). Currently (since 1978) project management (specifically CPM scheduling) for a construction program. He has lived in the Muddy Branch watershed / Seneca Creek divide (Kentlands) since 1993. He majored in Ornamental Horticulture, minored in Geography with coursework: Meteorology, Soil Science, Landscape Architecture and received his BS from UMD College Park. His interests include gardening, running, railroad transportation, bicycling, moderate kayaking, history and hiking - especially streams and the Potomac.

Lauren Hubbard manages our Lands Green Waters Clean initiative with a focus on community engagement around stormwater management. She moved to the area from New York where she served as the Executive Director of the Long Island Explorium and served as a board member and chair of the Education and Outreach committee for the Long Island Native Plant Initiative. Lauren’s work in Maryland focuses on sustainable landscape design and program management; she works with several not-for-profits in the region to support sustainable landscaping and restoration efforts. Lauren holds a Ph.D. in Plant Biology and is a certified Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional and Master Gardener.