BBC Entity                                                                                               Current Board of Trustees
The Brooks Bird Club has nine Board of Trustees at all times, board members serve a three year term.
Here are our current board members, the year stated under their name is when they will leave the board. 
Current Board of Trustees 2018 ~ 2020

Orion Metheny
2020

I was first introduced to birding and the Brooks Bird Club by LeJay Graffious. At the age of 12, I started attending the Foray and have attended every one since then. I am a native West Virginian and an Accounting student at WVU. My hobbies include hiking, fishing, kayaking, hunting, camping, alternative medicine and of course birding. I’ve recently taken a strong interest in bird banding and am anxious to continue to learn more. I contribute much of what I know of nature to the Brooks Bird Club.​

Suzanne Quinn
2020

​Growing up in Wheeling, like most of my many siblings, I attended Oglebay’s Junior Nature Camp and Mountain Camp at Terra Alta, WV where George Breiding, Dan Hile, Edna Bowles, Helen Wylie, and other notable teachers guided us in developing a love of nature and the outdoors.  This appreciation has often sustained my soul throughout my life, and I’m dedicated to making sure similar opportunities are extended to future generations.  The BBC has always been on my radar although I only recently became a life member.

Jan Runyan
2020

I have had a lifelong interest in nature and outdoor activities.  I discovered West Virginia in 1974 at Oglebay Institute’s Mountain Nature Camp.  After 35 years teaching in Ohio, I moved to my adopted home state of WV and joined the BBC.  I was HQ Chapter president for 2 years.   I enjoy the variety of people in the club, all of whom share a passion for nature and learning.  Together, Bill Beatty and I love banding birds, growing a lot of our food, doing citizen-science, helping at AFMO and sharing and teaching others about nature. 
Current Board of Trustees 2019 ~ 2021

Jim Triplett
2021

Ken Anderson introduced me to the BBC when I joined the Handlan Chapter. I later became a life member and have enjoyed all the club members that I’ve met at meetings, trips and Forays.  I am past president of the Handlan Chapter and the current treasurer. This is my second stint as a BBC Board of Trustee officer.  My current hobby is nature photography with a special interest on the birds of West Virginia.

Martin Tingley
2021

I was introduced to the BBC by LeJay Graffious, my middle school principal.  In 2000 I attended my first BBC Foray at Pipestem.  Over the years the club has encouraged my wonder and growth into the natural world. This wonder of nature heavily influenced my decision to go to WV Wesleyan College to earn an environmental science degree and then onto WVU for my environmental geoscience degree. The bird club has also helped in leading me to my job with The US Forest Service. During my time with the club, I have written numerous reports for the Redstart, seen lots of wonderful things, and met many wonderful people. 

Bill Hicks
2021

Jay Buckelew introduced me to birding and the BBC. We have been colleagues and friends at Bethany College for 16 years now. I have a Ph.D. in Forest Science from Oregon State University where I studied dead wood in old-growth forests and how it contributes to things like carbon storage and animal habitat. I am beginning to “foray” into research on birds as a result of learning more about birds from Jay and the rest of the BBC. I look forward to learning more with the rest of you.
Our newest Board of Trustees 2020 ~ 2022

Ashton Berdine
2022

I grew up in West Virginia and owe my love for nature to the many people who nurtured my interest with their own enthusiasm and support. I have a degree in Botany from North Carolina State University. 
I worked with The Nature Conservancy in West Virginia for thirteen years, and I'm now currently working with the West Virginia Land Trust as a program manager.
I also enjoy kayaking, surf fishing, new trails, and the pursuit of wild turkeys. I especially love the company of birds and the study of botany.

​Jane Robbins
2022

My affiliation with the Brooks Bird Club began with my parents’ investment in life memberships for their offspring.  My first club event, at the age of 7, was a week-end of foray in WV’s eastern panhandle.  Ten years later, as a Weirton resident, I walked into the clubroom mystified to hear my name.  Carolyn and Dorothy Conrad remembered that meeting ten years earlier, recalling it for their club guest.  Forays, seasonal meetings, and occasional Board service across the years have heightened this early appreciation for the warm fellowship and generous instruction characteristic of the Brooks Bird Club. 

Juanita Slater
2022

​​Through a membership in a local hiking club in 1962, I found out that several participants were also members of the BBC, one of which anonymously sent me a membership to the BBC in 1963. I have served on the Board of Trustees and am currently Membership Secretary.  My husband Carl and I directed Forays from 1995-2007, have been organizing/leading trips abroad since 1995 along with birding trips within the U.S