Directory - Montgomery Preservation

Karen Burditt is a Silver Spring resident and registered architect with 37 years of experience covering a wide variety of building types, historic preservation projects, and construction administration. She is currently the sole proprietor of an Architectural Consulting firm. Her insights and expertise were instrumental in navigating the physical effects of the Metropolitan Branch Hiker-Biker Trail on MPI’s historic Silver Spring B&O Railroad Station. She holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Catholic University of America and is a member of the American Institute of Architects. In 2019, Karen was appointed to the Montgomery County Historic Preservation Commission, later serving as Vice Chair and then Chair. She is active in the Art Deco Society of Washington, DC and by extension Mid Century Modern Architecture and preservation issues.

Katherine DeWitt serves as President of the Kensington Historical Society. Her career has been in the banking/financial industry, including as President/CEO of two banks and managing failed banks for the federal government and as Managing Partner of two joint-venture partnerships. She worked for a global IT company and owned a money management firm that specialized in serving older adults. Kate has served as Commissioner and President of the Montgomery County Commission for Women and was on the boards of a number of civic, business, non-profit, and professional organizations, including a housing community for low-income seniors.

Mark Edwards has over 48 years of experience, in both the state and private sectors, in analysis, preservation, protection, and interpretation of historic properties. He led preservation planning and served as State Historic Preservation Officer for Georgia 1994-98 and Deputy Maryland SHPO 1976-1994. Much of his work at the Maryland Historical Trust focused on developing the state’s nationally-recognized historic preservation planning and historic property survey program, and on interpretation programs at three heritage museums. In both states, he facilitated public participation on topics such as prehistoric and historic contexts, archaeology programs, affordable housing and preservation, transportation projects, and 20th Century-Near Past Historic Properties. From 1999 to 2022, as Architectural History Program Manager for AECOM, Mark managed team projects that interpreted historic landscapes, buildings, and archaeological sites. These included contexts for Postal Facilities, interpretation for Jones Point Park in Alexandria, a commemorative plan at the new FDA headquarters in White Oak, and concepts for an urban archaeological park in Louisville, KY. In retirement, Mark serves in various capacities at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Chevy Chase. In 2023, he enhanced the Scotland AME Church Juneteenth celebration with interpretive panels and a speaker series. After joining the MPI Board in 2024, he represented MPI with Maryland Cemetery Legislative Advocates, and served on a Workgroup to produce recommendations for a State Cemetery Inventory and Database. Recently, he assumed leads at Mt. Zion Cemetery and COMSAT.

Jean Findlay, a resident of Dickerson, was a statistician for 32 years at the National Center for Health Statistics, a division of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Before retiring, she was Chief, Operations Branch, for CDC’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Since retirement, she has worked to protect historic rural landscapes and buildings, actively participating on the Boards of Montgomery Countryside Alliance, Historic Medley District, and Sugarloaf Regional Trails and serving as Treasurer for each of them. Jean has also developed a knowledge of genealogy research. She holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Biology from the University of New Mexico.

Sandra Heiler previously served as MPI’s Treasurer and has also been the Awards Coordinator. A former Preservation Maryland Board Member, she also served on the Montgomery County Historic Preservation Commission for 13 years, including as Vice Chair and Chairman. Earlier, she was a member of the Sudbury, MA Historic District Commission and worked as a historic property researcher and curator of a house museum. She has published and given talks on the War of 1812 in Montgomery County and co-produced a documentary on the subject. During COVID, she co-produced and directed films to celebrate MPI’s Preservation Awards. Sandy has a BA in Mathematics and an MA in Architectural History and Historic Preservation from Boston University. After a 38-year career as a Computer Scientist, she retired from Verizon Laboratories.

Wendy Kaufman is Founder and President of the Bethesda Historical Society, a 501(c)(3) she established in 2019 dedicated to preserving and sharing the history of Bethesda, Maryland and its residents. In 2023, the Bethesda Historical Society established the Bethesda Meeting House Foundation, a 501(c)(3) that purchased the historic Bethesda Meeting House, “the church that named Bethesda,” and is currently working to restore it for the community. Wendy has also volunteered with area historical societies. Prior to her work in local history, Wendy worked as a congressional aide and special education teacher with Montgomery County Public Schools. She holds a BA in Political Science from American University, an MA in Legislative Affairs from George Washington University, and an MS in Special Education from Johns Hopkins University.

Diana Kohn previously served as President of Historic Takoma. She led in establishing HT’s headquarters on Carroll Avenue as an example of preservation and a dependable, accessible resource. The building houses the Takoma Archives, a rich collection of documents, photographs, maps, and object available for public use and viewing. Diana is co-author of Takoma Park in the “Images of America” series, as well as other books on aspects of the town’s history and architecture. She contributed regular columns for the Takoma Voice for over 15 years. Before moving to the DC area, Diana studied at the University of Michigan.

Kathy Lyons is a former corporate executive, having worked as a Vice President in two Fortune 500 companies. She has also served on multiple boards including the Sandy Spring Museum and the Montgomery County Farm Bureau. Her volunteer work has spanned decades and includes serving as her parish’s Social Concerns Director, being a longtime 4H Leader, a lifetime member of the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair and renovation consultant for Olney Boys & Girls Club where she was awarded the Chairman’s Award and Citizen of the Year for her leadership in the complete restoration of historic Falling Green. The team she coordinated was later recognized with both Montgomery Preservation and Maryland Historical Trust awards for their efforts. Kathy and her husband John purchased historic Willow Grove in 1996 and immediately embarked on renovating and restoring the 8.94 acre property to a working farm. In addition to restoring the circa 1830 farmhouse, they built an addition and restored a carriage shed, hay barn, and spring house, which earned recognitions from the Sandy Spring Museum, Montgomery Preservation, and the Historic Preservation Commission. Find out more.

Jerry A. McCoy, President of Silver Spring Historical Society, was a Special Collections Librarian/Archivist for the District of Columbia, dividing his time between the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library and the Georgetown Neighborhood Library’s Peabody Room. Since moving to Silver Spring in 1992, he has conducted research to uncover and collect Silver Spring’s history. Jerry founded SSHS to document and promote downtown Silver Spring’s history and preserve its architectural heritage. He was chief historical consultant for a local Emmy-nominated PBS documentary on Silver Spring and has published two books of Silver Spring images and commentary. Jerry holds a BA in Visual Communication from American University and an MA in Library Science from Catholic University. Find out more.

Eileen McGuckian served as MPI’s President for 14 years. Prior to that, she guided Peerless Rockville for 35 years to rescue and protect city landmarks and promote its heritage, retiring in 2008. A former teacher with graduate degrees in Liberal Arts and American Studies, she is the author of six books on Rockville history, including Rockville: Portrait of a City. Eileen led the creation of the preservation commissions in Rockville and Montgomery County, chairing both in their early years, and continues to assist efforts at local and state levels. Eileen also helped oversee the restoration of the historic B&O Railroad Station in Silver Spring. She currently serves on the boards of non-profit associations that promote preservation, govern burial sites, and protect historic places.

Renee Nida uses her information management skills to update the website and enhance MPI’s membership and marketing strategies. She co-coordinated MPI’s 2025 Historic Preservation Awards.

Nancy Pickard has 12 years of intense preservation experience as Executive Director of Peerless Rockville. On a daily basis, she works with concerned citizens, volunteers, property owners, local government agencies, and other organizations to identify and protect the city’s heritage. She also manages Peerless’ three historic properties ‒ Frieda’s Cottage, Montrose Schoolhouse, and Baptist Cemetery. Previously she was a researcher/historian for Patapsco Heritage Greenway, which manages the Patapsco Valley Heritage Area in Howard County, and she continues to serve on that organization’s Board. Nancy is experienced in planning, promoting, and hosting events and workshops, and was Programs Manager for Peerless Rockville before becoming Executive Director. She holds Master’s degrees in Community Planning and Historic Preservation from the University of Maryland, and a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Marketing from Penn State University. She joined the MPI Board in 2019.

John Sery, a lifelong rail fan, chairs MPI’s Building Committee to oversee the maintenance requirements of the historic Silver Spring B&O Station. As Rental Manager, he supervises all uses of the building. After studying film production at the University of Maryland, John worked for over 30 years at the American Film Institute as Film Booker and Technical Manager. He participated in the preservation of the train station and was production consultant for the award-winning local PBS documentary on that topic. John was involved in restoration of the Art Deco Silver Theatre before AFI moved from the Kennedy Center. He serves on the board of the Potomac Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society.

Susan Cooke Soderberg, President of the Germantown Historical Society, serves as MPI’s Newsletter Coordinator. She has been active for more than 40 years writing, lecturing, testifying and leading tours of historic sites. She is a retired historian with the County’s Planning Board and has written several books on state and local history. She has a BA in Art History from the College of William and Mary and an MA in American Studies from George Washington University. Susan was a researcher/consultant for the Emmy Award-winning documentary on Montgomery County in the Civil War, produced by Heritage Montgomery. She is an advisor to the King Barn Dairy MOOseum and is on the Maryland Military Monuments Commission. Her biography of Josiah Henson was published by Georgetown University Press in 2025.

Rebecca L. Stevens is the former Chief Historical Architect for the National Park Service’s National Capital Region and was the first Cultural Resources Manager at Arlington National Cemetery. In these roles, she guided preservation efforts for iconic sites such as the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials, Washington Monument, Memorial Amphitheater, and Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Her extensive experience with the Park Service included overseeing construction and designing and managing preservation projects in western parks. Following her public service, she transitioned to the private sector with architrave pc architects, where her portfolio grew to include work for the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, Smithsonian Institution, and the District of Columbia. She earned a Professional Architecture degree from the University of Cincinnati’s School of Design, Art, Architecture, and Urban Planning. She has contributed to technical preservation articles and authored content for Conservation Maintenance for Historic House Museums. For many years, she served as a guest instructor at the Preservation Institute of Nantucket and held leadership roles in the Western and Washington DC Chapters of the Association for Preservation Technology International. Currently, she chairs the Cultural Resources Occupational Advisory Board at Bucks County Community College and serves on the National Preservation Institute’s Advisory Board.

Marcie Stickle is an alternate representative for Silver Spring Historical Society, serves as SSHS Advocacy Chair, and hosts the Silver Spring B&O Station Open Houses. For decades, she has led or participated in efforts to preserve historic sites, such as the James and Macie King Dairy Barn (now the popular MOOseum) and Jesup Blair House and Park. She has conducted research, presented testimony, prepared designation nominations, and promoted media coverage. She has worked at the Bureau of National Affairs, Environmental Defense Fund, Consumer Federation of America, AFL-CIO, and House Subcommittee for Health and the Environment. Marcie holds a BA, and earned credit toward an MA, in English Literature.

Wendy Woodland serves on MPI’s Building Committee at the historic Silver Spring B&O Train Station and as Events Manager for MPI. She organizes popular Silver Spring B&O Station Open Houses and helps to plan MPI’s Preservation Awards. Wendy is a former arts programmer and recreational aide for the City of Gaithersburg Department of Parks, Recreation & Culture. For seven years, she was Museum Coordinator for the newly-formed Gaithersburg Community Museum, located in the historic B&O Rail complex in Olde Towne and housed in the Freight House. Wendy continues to volunteer at the museum.