Stephanie O’Neill McKenna is the Circulation Manager at Horsham Township Library and has lived in Abington Township for the past 9 years with her husband and two children. Both kids have attended Briar Bush summer camps and School’s Out programs for the past several years. She is also a volunteer with Wags Rescue & Referral, acting as Surrender Coordinator and fostering 54 dogs (and counting!) since 2015. Stephanie is an avid gardener, scratch cook, and chicken wrangler with a particular interest in native plants.

Pamela Olshefski lives in Ambler with her husband and 3 teenage daughters. A graduate of Albright College with a degree in Environmental Science/Biology, Pamela is the Plant Collections Manager at the Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania. She has worked at the Arboretum since 2001 and works in the Plant Science department. Pamela is also on the Executive Board of Girls Friendly Society (GFS), and the Branch advisor and co-leader of the Ambler Branch. Pamela coaches field hockey and lacrosse for the Upper Dublin School District as well as recreational teams. Pamela loves youth environmental education and is especially passionate about teaching children to learn, love, and protect our environment for generations to come.

Lea has worked at Snipes Farm starting as a fall field trip instructor in 2016, and then joined the full-time staff in January 2017 until the summer of 2019. Lea has a B.S. in Environmental Science from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, New York. Prior to joining SFEC, she spent five years working at the Pocono Environmental Education Center in the Delaware Water Gap, and served an AmeriCorps term at the Youth Garden Project in Moab, Utah. Presently, Lea is working on a Master’s degree in nonprofit leadership through La Salle University.  

Since moving to Glenside in 2010, Tara and her family have enjoyed Briar Bush’s activities, including Magic Mornings, campfires, lectures, and summer camps. She got a closer look at the workings of Briar Bush in 2019 when her daughter and two friends designed and installed the children’s area mural in the Bird Observatory while earning their Girl Scout Silver Award. Tara has volunteered with Girl Scouts for many years, including serving as the committee chair for Girl Scouts Overseas in Singapore. A registered professional engineer with a Ph.D. in Medical Engineering, she is self-employed as a consultant investigating accidents.

Bonnie lives in the Upper Dublin School District with her two daughters and abundance of pets. This is her first foray into the world of Board membership and is happy to be chosen by The Friends of Briar Bush to join their leadership and its long history, proven commitment to the community, and its understanding of the simplistic brilliance of young minds when exposed to open space.  Bonnie is the Director of Brand Management with BLB&B Advisors, LLC in Montgomeryville, PA.  She is also co-leader of the Girls Friendly Society of PA (GFS)/Ambler Branch, member of the Valley Forge Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and avid supporter of youth athletics.

Born and raised in Oregon, where she and her family enjoyed outdoor activities, Brenda relocated to Philadelphia in the 1980s to attend dental school. A resident of Abington for 21 years, she has a family dental practice in Glenside. Brenda and her husband, Paul, enjoy the outdoors with pursuits like hiking, camping, bicycling, and bird watching. Brenda believes that maintaining green spaces in urban and suburban communities is a very important objective, and Briar Bush, a gem in Abington Township serves an important role in this area. 

Tim was born and raised in Central New Jersey. In his youth he loved having pets around him, from hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits, mystic sharks, snakes and even scorpions. This taught him to value and respect animals and nature. When he first attended Rutgers College in New Brunswick, NJ, his goal was zoology but later he eventually changed his major to math and economics. This led to his I.T. career that just reached 25 glorious years. Tim moved to Glenside in 2010 and discovered Briar Bush in 2016 when his daughter started summer camp there. It was an instant connection and he felt right at home. When Tim is not working, you can find him biking on trails and enjoying nature. When he is not on the trails, you can find him on the courts playing tennis with his daughter. Nature is our heaven on earth and he is very happy to be a part of an organization that cares so much about preserving nature.

Kimberly Hamm is an independent nonprofit consultant, focusing on fundraising and strategic planning, to keep organizations healthy, vibrant, and mission-driven. Before branching out into consulting, Kim handled fundraising, engagement, and relations for teams at Manor College, Fox School of Business at Temple University, and the National Kidney Foundation. Kim lives in North Hills with her family and enjoys spending time hiking, camping, and skiing.

Norman S. Marcus of Meadowbrook, PA is a licensed, professional engineer involved in engineering design and operation for the American transit industry and railroads. He serves as the technical advisor for the SEPTA Citizens Advisory Committee and is a consultant for the Philadelphia and New York City Regions. Norman is an active member of the community serving on many other boards such as Meadowbrook Bird Sanctuary and Abington’s Police Athletic League. Norman is an active member of the Germantown Historical Society, Rydal-Meadowbrook Civic Association, Wyncote Audubon Society, Old York Road Historical Society, Preservation Alliance, Society for the Preservation of Landmarks, American Society of Civil Engineers, and Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. Norman has been associated with the Friends of Briar Bush since the 1980’s serving on the Board for many terms. 

Matt enjoyed volunteering at Briar Bush in his Junior and Senior years of high school. After studying at Temple University and living in Japan for a year, he became the site manager for Shofuso, the Japanese house and garden in Fairmount Park. Matt worked closely with the program committee of the board there and gained experience in the creation and development of programs. He also has worked with the Youth Arts Workshop at Asian Arts Initiative in Chinatown. Currently, he lives in Rockledge, works as an on-road supervisor for UPS, is an active member of his local Citizens Climate Lobby chapter, and enjoys taking hikes with his family whenever possible.

Jake Ricci has not lived far from the area, growing up in Willow Grove and currently residing in Glenside with his wife Amy, and two daughters, Lois and Penelope, both of whom have gone to camp at BB and Amy previously on the board.  He is currently an Equipment Account Representative for United Rentals in Philadelphia Pa, pushing the use of hybrid and electric machines to keep our work going in a cleaner, greener direction.  He is a strong advocate for a vibrant, sustainable community and environment, currently serving as a member on the Greater Glenside Civic Association and PennEnvironment.  He enjoys spending time with family, friends and neighbors, loves to garden and grill, and believes being outside in nature is the truest way to connect with ourselves and each other.