PEC is seeking to hire an Assistant to organize and support tree planting projects. This is an entry level, seasonal, part-time position that is grant-funded until August 2026.
About Us
2024 Photo Contest Winners
“At PEC, we work to connect people to the landscapes and communities of Virginia’s Piedmont. The wonderful images that photographers submit to this contest help us tell important stories and allow folks to experience this beautiful place in exciting new ways,” said Hugh Kenny, PEC Multimedia Communications Specialist and contest coordinator.
Thank you to the 140 professional and amateur photographers who submitted more than 800 images of the beautiful Virginia Piedmont, from within Albemarle, Clarke, Culpeper, Fauquier, Greene, Loudoun, Madison, Orange, and Rappahannock counties and the City of Charlottesville.
By public vote, the winners of PEC’s 2024 Annual Photo contest are:
Native Plants and Fungi
Beautiful Landscapes
Wonderful Wildlife
Youth Category
This article appeared in the 2024 winter edition of The Piedmont Environmental Council’s member newsletter, The Piedmont View. If you’d like to become a PEC member or renew your membership, please visit pecva.org/join.
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PEC Announces Annual Photo Contest Winners for 2024
The Piedmont Environmental Council is pleased to announce the winners of its 2024 Annual Photo Contest.
Bryn Sonnett
Rappahannock-Rapidan Conservation Program Manager
[email protected]
(540) 347-2334 ext. 7067
Bryn is native to the Piedmont with roots in Rappahannock County. Growing up in the area solidified her love and appreciation for the outdoors early on and inspired her career in conservation. She graduated from the University of Virginia with a degree in Global Environments and Sustainability in 2016.
After several years in Charlottesville, Bryn returned to Rappahannock and accepted a position with Virginia Outdoors Foundation where she worked for the past 7.5 years on public access and private easement acquisitions, amendments, and stewardship of 1,000+ easements throughout the Piedmont. She also served on the Preservation Trust Fund review committee and Baseline Documentation Report Committee, and spent the last two years assisting with VOF’s long-term steward pilot program for mitigation bank easements. Previously, Bryn interned at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute and worked for several local small businesses.
Bryn spends much of her spare time camping, hiking and biking around the U.S. with her husband and dog. Some of her favorite areas outside Virginia include Olympic National Park, Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Grand Teton National Park, the Florida Keys, Redwood National Park and New Hampshire’s White Mountains.
Malvika Shrimali
Communications Specialist
540-347-2334 x7022
[email protected]
Prior to joining PEC as a Communications Specialist, Malvika Shrimali had the pleasure of working on diverse projects and learning about the many, many parts that make up the whole of our global ecosystem. As a science communicator, Malvika’s goal is to equip those most affected with meaningful scientific information to make the best decisions for their communities.
Malvika’s passion for conservation was kick-started by the Netflix docu-series “Our Planet” in 2020. Over the course of their undergraduate education, they became a loud advocate for community-centered science and environmental justice. Their advocacy involves creating written and visual art that centers the environment and climate change.
They graduated from the College of William and Mary in 2024 with degrees in Hispanic Studies and Environmental Science. In their free time, they play piano, learn about geochemistry, volunteer with their local wildlife conservancy and are always, always writing.
Lea Justice
Buy Fresh Buy Local Assistant
540-347-2334 ext. 7027
[email protected]
Lea Justice joined The Piedmont Environmental Council as Buy Fresh Buy Local Assistant in the fall of 2024. She is honored to contribute to the mission of PEC as a resource-provider to the farming community and extended foodshed that sustains our region.
A vegetable farmer by trade, Lea has had her hands in the dirt for most of the last twenty years, on farms from Canada to Patagonia. Rooted more locally, Lea ran her own vegetable farm in the Shenandoah Valley since 2010. As a student and practitioner of sustainability, the importance of inter-locking support systems emerged as a core value. She spent time working and volunteering for non-profits in affordable housing, elder-care, equitable food access and outdoor education. Along the way, she learned invaluable lessons in not only how to grow food, but how to grow community.
Lea enjoys fermenting flavorful concoctions from the garden and sharing them on picnic blankets with good folks and great views.
Keely Murphy
Keely Murphy joins PEC as the Conservation Field Representative for the Potomac Watershed. Keely got her professional start in land conservation in Colorado where she worked for Colorado Open Lands as a Conservation Fellow. Prior to living in Colorado, she spent 10 years studying and working in Washington D.C.
Amanda Aiyar
HR & Payroll Specialist
540-347-2334 ext. 7013
[email protected]
Amanda joined The Piedmont Environmental Council team in August 2024 and serves as the HR & Payroll Specialist.
She attended Indiana University Bloomington, gaining a B.A. in English Literature with a minor in Criminal Justice and Business Foundations Certificate, and later a M.S. in Communications from Purdue University. She spent 11 years in public service at a government agency before deciding she wanted to follow her passion for the outdoors.
This led to her to travel the United States for a past year and explore the country’s many beautiful parks and forests. She fell in love with Virginia while section hiking the Appalachian Trail and spending time in the multiple trail towns along the way. In her spare time, Amanda loves to hike, climb, backcountry camp, read and spend time with her husband and dog.