Board of Directors and Staff

Karen Cannon

Executive DirectorKaren has lived in Frederick County since 2005, moving from the Montgomery County Agricultural Reserve to the City of Frederick to be closer to family in the area. She has worked in publishing, with the American Physiological Society for many years, owned a small market farm and CSA in Montgomery County, and has had a long career in Information Technology/Cybersecurity program and portfolio management with Fannie Mae and Capital One Financial. She recently retired from Information Technology to focus on climate change, environmental advocacy, smart growth and environmental & social justice issues. Outside of work, Karen has had a lifelong interest in environmental issues and sustainable development. She helped to establish the Environmental Studies program at her alma mater, Colgate University, and graduated with degrees in English and Environmental Studies. She is a lifetime member of the Sierra Club and served on the Executive Committee of the Sierra Club’s Montgomery County group for several years before moving to Frederick. She has also volunteered with Earthwatch, traveling to Nepal to support a sustainable development project. Most recently, she co-chaired the Agriculture, Forestry, Food, and Land Management subcommittee of the Climate Emergency Mobilization Workgroup (CEMWG) and helped to develop the final report that was submitted to both the City of Frederick and Frederick County in August of 2021. She currently co-chairs Mobilize Frederick, the advocacy group that was formed to support adoption of the recommendations in the CEMWG report.

Elizabeth Bauer

ChairElizabeth Bauer and her then very young family moved to Frederick County 28 years ago to live in a rural community and enjoy the virtues of the country where quality of life is in an integral part of day to day living. Today she and her husband live in the Middletown where Elizabeth was actively involved in the development of the Citizens for the Preservation of Middletown Valley and continues to serve as a member of the Board of Directors. She has also served as the President of the Board for the Western Maryland Branch of the Arthritis Foundation for several years. Professionally, Elizabeth is currently retired as a result of disability but worked in the capacity of Director of Human Resources for a government contractor for 30 years. The Bauer’s have two sons. Cameron is the eldest and lives in Glasgow, Scotland where he is a carpenter and his wife is studying Veterinary Medicine at the University of Glasgow. Their younger son Brendan is working toward his Master’s degree at the University of Baltimore.

Mark Long

Mark Long was raised in Frederick County and has spent most of his 66 years in the county except for several years in Alexandria, VA and Waynesboro, PA. With a family presence in the county going back 200 years, he is committed to ensuring that our community remains a wonderful and sustainable place to live. With a background in home building, Mark has operated his business, Peace of Mind Home Inspections, for the past 14 years. Having a commitment to affordable housing, he serves on the Frederick County Affordable Housing Council, as well as on the Board of Directors of Interfaith Housing Alliance (IHA), a non-profit organization that creates affordable housing opportunities. Mark is also a founding member of a startup non-profit, Kitsune, Inc, that intends to create more options for independent living and ongoing education in life skills for a growing population of adults with special needs. In 2014 and 2018, he ran for County Council. Mark resides in Emmitsburg with his wife of 45 years, Jill, who is a Family Advocate with YMCA of Frederick County Head Start. They have two adult children, Seth and Meghan, who both work professionally as advocates for the environment and renewable energy. Mark serves the town of Emmitsburg as a member of the Planning Commission, Green Team and Sustainable Communities Board.

Barb Trader

Barb retired to Frederick, with her husband, Mark Gregory, after a 40 year career in disability services and advocacy. With degrees in recreation therapy and vocational rehabilitation counseling, she has expertise in federal disability policy related to employment, education, healthcare and civil rights, as well as non-profit administration, community integration and group facilitation. She was the first director of a wheelchair division included in a major road race, led the effort to bring the Paralympic Games to the U.S. and served on the leadership staff of the ’96 Paralympic Games, VSA arts and Easter Seals. A speaker and writer, other interests include travel, hiking, biking, running, quilting, environmental stewardship and local political engagement. She and her husband live in downtown Frederick and have four grown children in Maryland and Virginia. She’s a board member of the Student Homeless Initiative Partnership, the Collaboration to Promote Self-Determination and Envision Frederick County, and co-founder of the Multifaith Alliance of Climate Stewards of Frederick County. She’s a member of the Frederick Steeplechasers, the Catoctin Chapter of the Sierra Club, and the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Frederick.

Sam Kebede

SecretarySam Kebede is a political and environmental activist and lifelong Maryland resident. A graduate of Hood College in Frederick, he pursued and succeeded in getting a composting program started at the school. He also devoted much of his non-academic time to advancing the causes and campaigns of pro-science groups and political candidates. Since graduating he has continued to stay involved in their causes and is pleased to do even more with Envision Frederick County!

Carey Murphy

Carey grew up in Frederick County and has lived in Urbana for more than 20 years. She is a Master Naturalist and co-founder of Green Team Urbana, a volunteer group committed to increasing biodiversity and restoring the ecological health of heavily developed areas. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Lafayette College and a Master of Arts in Film and Video from American University. She also serves on her Homeowners Association’s Grounds and Physical Assets Committee, coordinates sustainability initiatives at her children’s school, and advocates for pedestrian safety.

James Baker

James has spent the past six years as a case manager and service coordinator for minority families through work at the Housing Authority of the City of Frederick and United Way’s Prosperity Center. A graduate of Hood College, he has served on (and often chaired) several boards in the community, including Frederick Coalition for Financial Success, Frederick City Government Sustainability Committee, Frederick City Youth Council Advisory Board, and Friends of Cunningham Falls and Gambrill State Parks. He was also a member of the Climate Emergency Mobilization Working Group (CEMWG).