Betsy Wooster, with the help of her able partner and Rotary stalwart Kevin Flynn, has vowed to work smarter not harder when it comes to managing their challenging third of an acre in North Chevy Chase. Following a long career in environmental education, Betsy retired from the U.S. Department of the Interior in 2018. Within a year she joined the Montgomery County Master Gardener program to learn more about sustainable horticultural practices. Little did she know that she would not only have access to a multitude of gardening resources and expertise but also be able to contribute to educating young people and community members through a wide variety of Master Gardener programs. 

Betsy’s background includes more than a decade with the National Geographic Society and National Wildlife Federation. She is currently serving as one of the editors of the Montgomery County Master Gardeners newsletter, which serves a very active group of 450 trained volunteers who educate County residents about safe, effective and sustainable horticultural practices that build healthy gardens, landscapes and communities.

In Rotary, the theme for the month of September is Basic Education and Literacy, one of the six areas of focus. To help us understand the current state of literacy in our community, we’ll hear from Kathy Stevens, Executive Director of the Montgomery Coalition for Adult English Literacy. (MCAEL). Kathy joined MCAEL in 2012. She comes to MCAEL from Montgomery College, following career and volunteer experience in higher education and nonprofits, including work as a senior executive of an international, non-profit membership organization. Kathy is a fundraiser, lawyer, community organizer, and mediator. An active community member, she is one of three Co-Chairs for Montgomery Moving Forward, a Collective Impact group in Montgomery County.  Additionally, she is Board Chair for the Charles Koiner Conservancy for Urban Farming and a board member for Nonprofit Montgomery. She is a graduate of Leadership Montgomery and Impact Silver Spring’s Community Empowerment Program. Kathy holds her J.D. from the University of Richmond, Ed. M. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and B.A. from Swarthmore College.

When she is not at her desk or at a county meeting or event, Kathy can often be found hiking with her dog Blair, finding live music to listen to, and very often hosting dinners to bring friends and family together over a meal.

Jeanne Braha is Executive Director of the Rock Creek Conservancy, based in Bethesda. Jeanne holds a Masters of Environmental Management from Yale University and a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology with a concentration in Environmental Studies from Bryn Mawr College. She joined the Conservancy in 2018 after several years serving as Director of Foundation Relations for the Student Conservation Association. She spoke to our club in 2019 and appeared several times on Carla Satinsky’s cable television show, “Montgomery Week in Review.” The Conservancy sponsors the annual Rock Creek Extreme Cleanup, which our club has participated in for more than a decade.  She will be giving us an update on issues affecting Rock Creek and the park, including proposals to widen the Beltway and expanding recreational access.