Staff & Board of Directors

STAFF

​EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
​Jim schepmoes

Jim, a native Virginian, has over 20 years of experience working at nonprofits dedicated to preservation and to helping disadvantaged populations. He has a bachelor’s degree from Virginia Commonwealth University and a master's degree from Kent State University. He and his wife, Rita, live on a small farm in King George County with Holly, their barky Beagle and numerous Wyandotte chickens.

Garden Educator
​khalilah brooker

head gardener
sambavi ametrine

Khalilah grew up in Philadelphia and joined the military reserve before traveling the country with her family, where her love for gardening blossomed. She took horticultural classes at College of Lake County and finally settled in VA. 

She is fascinated by succulents and loves the challenge of growing anything unique or different. She loves growing flowers and veggies; the joy of taking a tiny seed and getting a large plant to either eat from or admire makes it worthwhile. Passing that curiosity to children and adults is something she enjoys.
  

Let's all give a warm welcome to Sambavi Ametrine, our new Head Gardener!
Born in Wisconsin, Sambavi has travelled all over the world, settling in Fredericksburg in September of 2022.  Sambavi is working to follow her heart which led her to join the team here.
Sambavi's goal in life is to be a good person, bring good things into the world, and share that goodness with others.

Media manager &
​Garden Advisor
Janet Douberly

Janet Douberly is the Media Manager and Garden Advisor at Downtown Greens.  She is a Master Naturalist who lived in the Fredericksburg region for most of her life besides a brief stint in Texas where she studied Horticulture with an enthusiasm for insects and food production.  Talking to folks about gardening and the natural world is one of her favorite things to do.  She has an enthusiasm for spreading knowledge and running PR for wasps.

Farm Manager
Beth mcclain

Office Coordinator
Corey Filiault

Beth has worked for Downtown Greens as the Garden Sprouts teacher and loved working with the younger kids. She is excited to be back working in the dirt and with the Downtown Greens crew!

Corey was born in New York but her family relocated to Virginia so many years ago that she happily calls herself a Virginian. She loves the area and graduated from University of Mary Washington in 2017.  She moved back to Fredericksburg after the pandemic to be closer to family and enjoy all the wonderful things about the city. Now being here full-time she wanted to find a way to engage with the community and be a part of something that gives back. She looks forward to being a part of Downtown Greens and seeing the powerful effect greenspaces have.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

President
Christie Hoerneman

Vice President​​
JAVONNE KIRBY

Christie is a passionate advocate for education, especially continuing education of adults. She has worked in public and community college libraries and played active roles with the VA Library Association and the American Library Association. One of her favorite duties as a librarian was creating programs to help educate the community and to bring people together over a common interest. In December 2015, Christie was awarded a "Top Ten of the NextGen" award from the Fredericksburg Chamber of Commerce, which honors an emerging leader who "excels in the business environment, has a passion for community and is innovative in their approach." She is a passionate advocate for native plants, which she believes are absolutely essential to help combat insect decline. She would love to see the general population learn how they can use native plants and sustainable gardening practices on their properties.

Javonne was born and raised in New Jersey but is a long time Fredericksburg area resident where she lives with her daughter. Coming from a long line of change-makers--having family that led the way for desegregation and equality education in King George County--she has a passion for helping individuals struggling with addiction and for fostering safe spaces for people on the margins. When she's not brightening Downtown Greens, she maintains her own garden, works as a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist,  and is an avid artist with many ties to the local art and music community. ​

Treasurer
​Larry Bramlette

Larry Bramlette, Treasurer of the Board of Directors is a retired US Army Colonel and currently works part-time as an engineering consultant for EOIR Technologies, Inc. He serves on the Spotsylvania County Board of Zoning Appeals and volunteers around the corner at Hazel Hill Healthcare Project where his wife, Kathie just retired as the community nurse.

Brad smith

Brad Smith has lived all over the world but now calls downtown Fredericksburg home. His grandmother instilled a practical and romantic appreciation for nature in him. He studied Conflict Analysis and Resolution at George Mason University. He is passionate about mental health, sustainability, veteran issues, youth advocacy, citizen diplomacy, writing, and food. He has volunteered with Downtown Greens for several years and is excited to serve on the board.

Emerald payton

Emerald is the staff nurse for the Hazel Hill Healthcare Project, located next to Downtown Greens. She is excited to continue building the relationship between Downtown Greens and community members at Hazel Hill. She has a BSN from Delaware State University and over 9 years experience as a registered nurse working with mental health, chronic/acute disease management, home health/infusion, and now community health. She is currently working toward a Masters Degree in Nursing Education. 

Falling in love with the garden space while still trialing what works best for her own personal plants and garden, to peak the interest of those at home. 

Kimberly cartier

Kimberly was born in California and raised mostly in Northern VA. She went to school to pursue a career in Laser Skin Care which led her to the banking world, insurance, to where she’s at now working for a local nonprofit in the FXBG area. As a Rappahannock Rotarian, Kimberly has a passion for serving her community and giving back. She is passionate about plants, sustainability, mental health and wellness, women’s rights, and good food. When she’s not standing on her head, running along the canal path, or teaching terrarium classes with Planty of Happiness you can probably find her serving drinks at Fredericksburg Square or supporting local businesses here in the burg.
​

Joy Crump

Nivin elgohary

Joy is Co-owner and Executive Chef at Foode, Mercantile and 718 Venue. She's excited to get more involved and network with the national organization No Kid Hungry of which she is a part.

Nivin is the owner of Spavia, a luxury day spa and small business located in Central Park.  Prior to opening Spavia, Nivin was the State Executive Director for the USDA’s Farm Service Agency in Virginia, leading a team of 200 staff members in serving Virginia’s farmers and ranchers.  Prior to that, she served for several years as a Senior Vice President of CoBank, a nationwide bank specializing in lending to rural infrastructure borrowers including electric cooperatives, water systems, and community facilities developers.  Prior to CoBank, she was the Assistant Administrator for Electric Programs at the USDA’s Rural Utilities Service, where she managed a loan portfolio in excess of $42 billion.  She raised her three children, with her husband Mark, in Stafford County, where she has lived since 2001.  ​