Keith Woodard

Keith Woodard became a registered architect in 1988. Woodard Properties began in 1980 when he established the business to design, build, and manage investment properties in and near Charlottesville. He and his family have resided in Albemarle County since 1977 and raised four children – all have completed college educations and now are ‘self-propelled’ and good citizens. His hobbies include traveling and ballroom dancing with my wife Adrienne, playing piano, wood-working projects and making things, landscaping and improving the house that I built and have lived in since 1978.

Maggie Tucker

Maggie is an MBA candidate at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business with an expected graduation date of May 2024. As part of our opportunities with the program, there is a Board Fellows Program with the Net Impact Club. The Board Fellows program is an experiential opportunity for Darden students to learn about non-profit board governance, support a local nonprofit organization, and engage more within the Charlottesville community.

Maggie’s educational background is in Chinese and International Relations; she has spent two years living and studying in China, where she became fluent in Mandarin. Outside of her professional and academic activities, she is also an avid rock climber, hiker, and runner.

Christina Teague

Christina Teague is a marketing and public relations consultant specializing in educational and awareness campaigns through print and social media. Experience assisting nonprofit organizations and small businesses with branding, outreach, advocacy, development and media relations. She is excited to get more involved with the Botanical Garden after serving on the Garden’s Marketing and Development Committee. Christina enjoys her garden and is a member of the Albemarle Garden Club.

Jay Townsend

Jay Townsend was born and raised in Albemarle County. Jay graduated from Virginia Tech with a BS in Accounting, worked for CPA firm for 4 years before starting his own business, J. W. Townsend Landscapes. Jay has been actively involved in the Charlottesville Community, including being a Boy Scout leader for 12 years, a CIC (a local small business nonprofit) mentor, teacher and loan committee member and a Building Goodness supporter and board director.

Jay served on the Garden’s finance committee prior to being invited to join the board of directors. Jay is now retired from his successful business, and enjoys sailing, farming and fishing.

Rodney Shirley

Rodney Shirley is a lifelong Virginian having been born and raised in Fairfax County where he and his wife Alexandra raised their three children. Rodney and Alexandra now reside in the Blue Ridge foothills of Albemarle County.   A graduate of The Catholic University of America, School of Architecture, Rodney is the founding and managing principal of RJS & Associates, Architecture LLC, a national design firm with an office in McLean, Virginia and a studio at his home near Free Union. Rodney’s practice of architecture has included large scale commercial hotels and resorts, office buildings, industrial and warehouse and interior projects in addition to master planning and site development.

Rodney is also a lifelong gardener and landscape designer.  Presently, Rodney and Alexandra are embarking on their third extensive residential garden/landscape project for themselves and are also members of several local garden and horticultural venues dealing with environmental and native habitat issues.  Rodney and Alexandra have also visited many gardens and botanical gardens in both the US and Europe and are very enthusiastic about being involved in the advent of the McIntire Botanical Garden (now Botanical Garden of the Piedmont).

Other interests and activities of Rodney’s have included:

• Former Citizen Committee Member for Fairfax Co Dept of Parks and Recreation – Athletic Fields
• Former sub-committee member for Child Help non-profit
• Counselor to Safe Spot (Youth Protection) non-profit
• Former President – Great Falls Optimist Club / Former member Arlington Optimist Club
• Former member of Great Falls Citizens Association
• Eagle Scout father and Committee Member, GF Boy Scout Troop 673
• Participated in design charette conducted by Fairfax County for the re-development of the original and historic Lake Ann Plaza, Reston

Julia Green

Julia has many passions in life including children and gardening. She moved to Charlottesville in 1974 to attend graduate school at UVA earning her Ph.D. in 1980. For 35 years Julia worked as a Child Psychologist at Oakland School providing therapy to children with learning differences. She served on the Piedmont CASA Board of Directors for six years helping their volunteers learn strategies to talk with children and adolescents. Julia’s love of gardening developed at an early age through summers spent with her grandmother at the family farm in central Pennsylvania. She later volunteered with her father, Bob Hammond, for the Piedmont Master Gardeners teaching gardening classes and developing gardens in local schools as well as contributing to his Bluebird Trail throughout the region. Julia was the recipient of the “Whole Village Award” from the Virginia Education Association for volunteer service when her sons attended local public schools. Over the years her family joined her in creating their home garden which was open to the public for the 2010 Charlottesville Albemarle Historic Garden Week. It is a real joy for Julia to share her love of education and gardening by serving on the Board of Directors of the Botanical Garden of the Piedmont.

Deborah Bell Burks

Jack Bocock

Jack Bocock is an experienced Board Member; he has served a variety of nonprofits and educational organizations including St. Paul’s Memorial Church, Piedmont CASA, and Virginia Union University.   His specific expertise is in finance and investments.  A former Naval Special Warfare Officer, Jack knows the value of service and how to get down in the weeds!  He enjoys the outdoors in many ways, including hiking and skiing, and is excited to work on behalf of the Garden.

Brion Friedman

Brion Friedman is a native of Virginia having lived his first five years over Afton Mountain in Waynesboro.  He came back to this area when he went to school at UVa in the late 70s where he met his wife, Deirdre.

Brion graduated from UVa with a degree in Environmental Science and then went to Emory University in Atlanta to get his MBA.  When he finished his graduate program, he began working in the investment business as a portfolio manager and research analyst.  He earned his CFA in the late 80s and  worked with three different firms in Atlanta over the course of his professional career; finally starting his own investment consulting business focused on helping small to mid-sized non-profits manage their funds.  Deirdre and he had always wanted to move back to the Charlottesville area and after their second child went off to college they did.

Brion has always been more comfortable working outdoors than being behind a desk.   Assisting the Garden as it begins to grow brings together his professional and personal passions in a unique and satisfying way.

Jude Garzolini

Jude Garzolini grew up on a dairy and grain farm in the Midwest which included extensive vegetable gardens – a remnant from the time her family raised tomatoes for Campbell’s soup. She pursued her interest in chemistry and textile materials to become a Chemical/materials engineer and worked in the auto, aerospace, and electronics industries and holds 5 patents. She served on the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) board of directors for several years and was national president in 2006-07.

She took the opportunity to give back by managing a National Science Foundation grant supporting STEM education at Boise State University to encourage the next generation of engineers. In 2018-19 she assisted with the STEAM Academy‘s Girls do Engineering in Albemarle County. In Fall ’22 she joined UVA as an Academic Mentor. She is an Idaho Master Gardener and enjoys cycling, travel, gardening, reading, challenging herself with new software, and cooking international cuisines.

Consi Palmer

Over the past 40 years of living, working, volunteering and raising a family, Consi Palmer has made Charlottesville and Albemarle County her home. Holding both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from the UVA School of Nursing, she has worked in the field in various capacities for over 25 years, most recently teaching Community Health Nursing at the University of Virginia. She has enjoyed volunteering and board service at numerous non-profits in our community.

To Consi, the Botanical Garden of the Piedmont is a culmination of a myriad of interests and an opportunity to create a lasting legacy for the community that her family has lived in and loved for many generations. She passionately believes that the time is right to build a botanical garden in Charlottesville with a focus on native and site adaptive plants, discovery, and learning for all ages. She wants The Botanical Garden of the Piedmont to be a place for many levels of healing, both physical and spiritual for the individual, and for the community as a whole.

As a member of a local garden club, Consi strives to be a life-long learner of horticulture, native plants and garden design.

Consi is married to Jud, a Charlottesville native, and they have three grown children and six grandchildren.