Jim Fraser is a third-generation beekeeper and owner of Maryland Honey Company in Gaithersburg. He learned from his father and now manages about 150 colonies with his son, Andrew, including pollination work for local farms and orchards. Jim has been an Eastern Apiculture Society Certified Master Beekeeper since 2014, a Certified Honey Show judge, and a former President of the Maryland State Beekeepers Association.

Jim would like to serve as President because education and practical support have been central to his connection with MCBA. He enjoys helping members, customers, and community groups learn about bees and believes the club is strongest when it shares knowledge generously.

Jim would bring decades of hands-on beekeeping, experience managing a family honey business, public speaking, honey-show judging, and prior leadership as an MCBA and Maryland State Beekeepers Association president.

Jim hopes to keep MCBA welcoming, educational, and useful to beekeepers at every level. He would continue strengthening classes, member learning, community outreach, and the practical resources that help local beekeepers succeed.

Kimberly Pfirrmann-Powell began keeping bees in 2017 after taking MCBA’s short course. She keeps bees in Silver Spring and enjoys observing honeybees and other insects, demonstrating at the county fair, and mentoring Beekeeping 101 students in the apiary.

Kimberly would like to remain available as a test-election candidate because MCBA has taught her so much and gives her a meaningful way to serve local beekeepers. She values the club’s practical, generous learning community.

Kimberly brings backyard-beekeeping experience, hands-on teaching, virtual mentoring, county-fair outreach, and board leadership. She has a patient, encouraging approach to helping new beekeepers recognize eggs, queens, and healthy colony development.

Kimberly hopes to strengthen mentoring and hands-on education while keeping MCBA responsive to members. She would support programs that help new beekeepers build confidence and give experienced members ways to share their knowledge.

Pam Hepp became a beekeeper in 2013 after taking MCBA’s short course. Her interest began with seeing beehives in Greece and grew through teaching biology, keeping colonies, catching swarms, making equipment, and learning from both successes and failures. She has supported MCBA educational outreach and served as Vice President.

Pam would like to serve as a test-election candidate because she enjoys connecting people with good bee information and experiences. She wants MCBA to remain responsive to members and generous with practical learning.

Pam brings biology education, hands-on beekeeping, swarm and hive-management experience, honey-show and fair enthusiasm, outreach leadership, and professional experience supporting clinical trials at NIH.

Pam hopes to keep the club responsive, educational, and welcoming. She would expand opportunities for members to learn about bees, participate in outreach, and enjoy the practical and natural sides of beekeeping.

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Eric Malcolm began beekeeping through MCBA’s beginner course in 2017 and quickly immersed himself in apiary work. He owns Backyard Apiaries, works with the Bee Informed Partnership and the vanEngelsdorp Bee Lab at UMD, and enjoys meeting and learning from beekeepers.

Eric would like to serve as a test-election candidate because he values MCBA as a place where people can learn, volunteer, and share a love of bees. He wants to help the club connect members with useful expertise.

Eric brings apiary-management experience, nonprofit fundraising and operations work, communications, research-community connections, and a practical understanding of beekeeping despite developing a honey-bee venom allergy.

Eric hopes to strengthen communication, operations, and learning opportunities for MCBA members. He would help the club make good use of its relationships with educators, laboratories, mentors, and local beekeepers.

Maureen Jais-Mick took MCBA’s short course in 2013 and has kept two to five backyard hives ever since. She completed an 18-month internship with the Sustainable Honeybee Program, served MCBA as Secretary and Bee Yard Manager, and volunteers with several community and cultural organizations.

Maureen would like to serve as a test-election candidate because she values MCBA’s practical programs and the community built around them. She wants to help the club remain organized, welcoming, and connected to members.

Maureen brings years of backyard beekeeping, sustainable-honeybee training, board and bee-yard leadership, volunteer service, and large-format photography. She offers a calm, organized perspective on club operations and member participation.

Maureen hopes to support strong bee-yard programs, useful member communication, and volunteer opportunities that make it easy for people to contribute. She would help MCBA connect hands-on work with a well-run, inclusive club.

Rick Wallace became interested in bees through his wife’s elementary-school farm visits. After moving to Montgomery County, he took MCBA’s Beekeeping 101 course and began with one nuc and one package. His colonies grew from two to five, and he now keeps both Langstroth and top-bar hives, including one with a window for observation.

Rick would like to serve as Vice President because MCBA helped turn his curiosity into a rewarding conservation hobby. He wants to help other members find the same encouragement, practical learning, and connection with nature.

Rick brings firsthand experience as a developing beekeeper, familiarity with different hive styles, a thoughtful interest in pollinator habitat, and a professional background as a nurse. He also understands the questions newer members bring to the club.

Rick hopes to help make MCBA programs friendly, useful, and accessible to both new and experienced beekeepers. He would encourage learning opportunities, pollinator gardening, and the exchange of practical experiences among members.

Rick Nidel took MCBA’s course in 2020 after moving from Greenbelt to Rockville during the pandemic. He and his partner keep bees for the calm and connection with the natural world, and they have volunteered at Old MacDonald’s. Rick enjoys traveling and discovering bee people and bee-themed items wherever he goes.

Rick would like to serve as Treasurer because he values the organization that helped him begin beekeeping. He wants to contribute reliable financial stewardship to a club whose classes, programs, and community connections benefit local members.

Rick brings more than 20 years of nonprofit-management experience, especially in organizational development, project management, and financial oversight for international humanitarian and development organizations. He also brings a learner’s perspective from his own beekeeping journey.

Rick hopes to support clear, responsible financial management so MCBA can sustain its educational programs, member activities, and community partnerships. He would help the board connect sound planning with the club’s practical mission.

Stefanie Ottenstein took MCBA’s short course in 2017 and keeps two hives in her backyard. She enjoys seeing her bees forage around the neighborhood, spending time outdoors with family, and hiking and camping. She is a lifelong Montgomery County resident and a contributing author and photographer.

Stefanie would like to serve as a test-election candidate because she appreciates MCBA’s role in helping local residents learn about bees. She wants to support a club that combines practical education with community and outdoor activity.

Stefanie brings backyard-apiary experience, long-term local knowledge, writing and photography skills, and an ability to communicate the pleasures and challenges of beekeeping to a broad audience.

Stefanie hopes to help MCBA keep its programs accessible and connected to the county’s communities. She would support clear communication, welcoming instruction, and opportunities for members to enjoy beekeeping together.

Paola Domenge is the beekeeper behind Beaumiel, a small apiary in Potomac. Her passion for bees and commitment to purity led her to create a premium honey brand. She brings more than 20 years of global marketing and brand-leadership experience, has founded and led a DMV nonprofit, and is tri-lingual in English, French, and Spanish.

Paola would like to serve as Secretary because she cares about building community and creating meaningful impact. MCBA gives her a way to combine her love of beekeeping with the organizational and communication skills she has developed throughout her career.

Paola brings marketing, brand strategy, nonprofit leadership, clear communication, and a careful eye for quality and authenticity. Her experience working across cultures and languages would add a broad community perspective to board discussions.

Paola hopes to help MCBA communicate clearly, welcome more people into beekeeping, and strengthen the connection between education, community, and local honey. She would support organized records and follow-through on the board’s priorities.

Trina Sensenig began backyard beekeeping with MCBA’s 2018 course and two nucleus hives. She has made walk-away splits, earned state awards for first-harvest honey, and pursued sustainable Integrated Pest Management and queen-rearing knowledge. Her career and life have included international development, education, and volunteer service.

Trina would like to serve as a test-election candidate because MCBA gives members a place to synthesize knowledge and share practical experience. She wants to contribute thoughtful service to a club that values learning and the environment.

Trina brings hands-on hive experience, a strong interest in sustainable beekeeping, international-development perspective, teaching experience, and a broad network of community and volunteer connections.

Trina hopes to help members exchange practical lessons about healthy colonies, gardens, and sustainable management. She would support clear records, shared learning, and programs that connect beekeeping with environmental stewardship.

Amina Manguera grew up in Silver Spring and became interested in bees while studying History at the University of Maryland. After graduating, she got bees of her own. She enjoys learning from them and works as a Washington, DC tour guide, National Park Service docent, and Girl Scout field-trip chaperone.

Amina would like to serve as a Director at Large because MCBA has helped her grow as a beekeeper and gives her meaningful ways to connect with people. She wants to help others discover the same sense of curiosity and stewardship.

Amina brings a newer beekeeper’s perspective, strong public-speaking and storytelling skills from tour work, and experience volunteering with the National Park Service and Girl Scouts. She understands how to engage both adults and children.

Amina hopes to encourage more people to learn about bees and their role in the local ecosystem. She would support welcoming educational programs and outreach that helps members and visitors feel connected to pollinators.

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Bill Lawler began beekeeping in 2019 while helping a friend care for hives. After taking MCBA’s course in 2021, he began caring for his own six hives with his wife, Lisa, in Bethesda. He especially enjoys learning at the Brookeville Garden Apiary and volunteering at MCBA’s county-fair booth.

Bill would like to serve as a Director at Large because MCBA’s programs and people have made his beekeeping journey rewarding. He wants to give back to the club and help preserve the hands-on learning and fellowship he values.

Bill brings practical backyard-apiary experience, a steady interest in observing and learning, and several years of volunteer service at MCBA events. He also brings a collaborative perspective shaped by learning alongside other local beekeepers.

Bill hopes to help MCBA keep its programs welcoming, educational, and connected to members’ real experiences. He would support the apiary, county-fair outreach, and opportunities for members to learn together.

Christopher Heathcote is an occupational therapist with the Department of Veterans Affairs in Washington, DC, and became a beekeeper after deciding to raise bees rather than chickens. In his first year he created a nucleus hive, caught a swarm, re-queened a hive, learned mite control, and served as a mentor at MCBA’s apiary.

Christopher would like to serve as a test-election candidate because MCBA helped turn a new hobby into a community of learning and service. He wants to encourage beginners who are learning by doing.

Christopher brings a first-year beekeeper’s practical perspective, occupational-therapy experience, persistence through early challenges, and mentoring experience at the club apiary.

Christopher hopes to help new beekeepers approach the work with curiosity, patience, and good support. He would encourage hands-on mentoring and practical lessons about colony care, mite management, and seasonal decisions.

Donald Van Ryk became a backyard beekeeper in Rockville about four years before his 2020 profile. He learned to live with the bees’ seasonal decisions, including swarms and occasional stings, while sharing honey with neighbors. Professionally, he is a research biochemist at NIH in Bethesda.

Donald would like to serve as a test-election candidate because beekeeping creates opportunities to educate neighbors and build understanding about bees. He wants to contribute a good-humored, practical voice to MCBA.

Donald brings scientific training, backyard-beekeeping experience, patience with colony setbacks, and a talent for explaining bee behavior in a way that helps neighbors feel comfortable and informed.

Donald hopes to help MCBA connect sound science with friendly public education. He would support outreach that helps neighbors understand bee behavior, respects the insects, and encourages responsible local beekeeping.

Frank Linton, Ed.D., is a retired artificial-intelligence engineer who has kept honey bees since 2005. He is an EAS-Certified Master Beekeeper, author of The Observation Hive Handbook, a contributor to beekeeping publications, and a mentor and speaker. He has managed MCBA’s observation hive at Brookside Nature Center.

Frank would like to serve as a test-election candidate because he enjoys turning careful observation and technology into better understanding of colony health. He wants to help MCBA members and visitors learn from the bees.

Frank brings advanced beekeeping knowledge, remote-sensing and colony-monitoring expertise, writing and speaking, mentoring, and deep experience explaining observation hives to the public.

Frank hopes to help MCBA make colony observation and beekeeping science accessible to members and visitors. He would support educational materials, mentoring, and practical uses of technology that improve colony care.

Garrett Davis began keeping bees in 2001 after his family encouraged him to find a retirement hobby. He and his family took a beekeeping course and started with two colonies. Over time he reached 20 colonies, all on his three-acre property, while learning from the challenges of swarming and colony care.

Garrett would like to serve as a Director at Large because he enjoys the challenge of beekeeping and talking with people who are curious about bees. He wants to help MCBA remain a useful source of practical knowledge and encouragement.

Garrett brings more than two decades of beekeeping experience, firsthand experience managing many colonies, and a professional background as a recently retired patent and trademark lawyer in Washington, DC. He offers persistence, curiosity, and careful problem-solving.

Garrett hopes to help members learn from one another and feel supported as they work through the season’s challenges. He would contribute a practical, thoughtful voice to programs that strengthen local beekeeping.

Malin Haugwitz began beekeeping in 2023 after attending MCBA meetings and completing the 101 course. After getting a nuc, Malin learned continuously while building a backyard apiary in North Bethesda that now has four hives. Malin has presented at the county fair, sold honey at Old MacDonald’s, and shared the observation hive with adults and children.

Malin would like to serve as a Director at Large because connecting people with bees has become a central part of the beekeeping experience. Malin wants to help the club welcome the next generation of curious, capable beekeepers.

Malin brings recent-member perspective, public education experience, enthusiasm for youth outreach, and hands-on participation in MCBA events. Work with scouts, children, fair visitors, and observation-hive guests has built strong communication skills.

Malin hopes to make beekeeping feel approachable to more young people, families, and first-time learners. Malin would help expand the club’s educational presence and encourage members to share the wonder of local pollinators.

Mike Hurst and his wife became interested in beekeeping after hearing an NPR story about Flow Hives. Their backyard apiary grew to seven hives. Mike is a retired Navy cryptologic-electronics technician and computer administrator, later helped launch SiriusXM, and works in electronic storage management at NIH.

Mike would like to serve as a test-election candidate because MCBA connects beekeeping with technology, mentoring, and community. He wants to help members enjoy both the practical work and the creative problem-solving of the hobby.

Mike brings substantial technical and systems experience, backyard-apiary knowledge, woodworking and fabrication interests, and mentoring experience with a FIRST Robotics team at Wheaton High School.

Mike hopes to help MCBA use practical technology and hands-on learning to support members. He would encourage mentoring, maker-style problem-solving, and programs that make beekeeping approachable for families and young people.

Eric Eicher grew up around his father’s four hives in Western Pennsylvania and returned to beekeeping when his son wanted bees. His family’s apiary grew from one nuc to about 50 hives in two yards. Eric enjoys the yards, meetings, conferences, fairs, and selling honey.

Eric would like to serve as a Director at Large because MCBA connects beekeeping, education, community, and the shared enjoyment of working with bees. He wants to help sustain the club’s welcoming mix of learning and participation.

Eric brings experience managing a growing apiary, business and entrepreneurial experience from starting companies in commercial pest management, and an appreciation for family, photography, gardening, woodworking, and other community-building interests.

Eric hopes to help MCBA offer engaging programs and practical opportunities for members to learn, volunteer, and share their work. He would support strong connections among the club’s meetings, apiary activities, fairs, and honey community.

John Mahaffie is a Bethesda-born, DC-living beekeeper who started two backyard colonies in 2022 after taking beekeeper training. His interest began with wanting better pollination for a vegetable garden, but beekeeping quickly became the focus. He enjoys helping people distinguish yellow jackets from bees and bee stings.

John would like to serve as a Director at Large because MCBA combines practical learning with a strong community of volunteers. He wants to contribute his experience as a member and help the club explain beekeeping clearly to the public.

John brings experience as a futurist who helps organizations understand emerging change, service on a DC charter-school board, prior MCBA service as Secretary, and a thoughtful communicator’s perspective on public education.

John hopes to help MCBA communicate more clearly, support members’ learning, and keep the organization prepared for the future. He would contribute to outreach that makes accurate bee knowledge easy for neighbors and new beekeepers to understand.

Judy Treible became interested in bees when Jim Fraser handed her a frame in 2013. After an early setback, she took time to study and work with experienced beekeepers before starting again. She now keeps six colonies and has built a network of beekeeping friends, along with a living room full of hive equipment.

Judy would like to continue serving as a Director at Large because MCBA and its members helped her return to beekeeping with confidence. She wants to help the club remain a place where persistence, learning, and practical support are valued.

Judy brings long-term hands-on experience, a journalist’s communication perspective, and a realistic understanding of setbacks and renewal in beekeeping. She knows the value of observing colonies closely and learning from experienced mentors.

Judy hopes to help members find the support and practical knowledge they need to keep learning through difficult seasons. She would encourage mentorship, clear information, and a welcoming community for beekeepers at every stage.

Leon Vandenberg took MCBA’s short course in 2012 and began keeping bees for garden pollination. His apiary grew from two packages to nearly 100 hives in Montgomery and Howard counties. He has served as MCBA President, supported the Brookside apiary and observation hive, and coordinated the club’s relationship with Brookside Nature Center.

Leon would like to serve as a test-election candidate because MCBA has been one of the most rewarding organizations in which he has participated. He wants to continue supporting the club’s educational and community partnerships.

Leon brings extensive beekeeping experience, prior MCBA presidential service, apiary construction and mentoring, observation-hive leadership, county-fair coordination, and strong institutional knowledge of the club’s partners.

Leon hopes to keep MCBA closely connected with Brookside Nature Center and other community partners. He would support mentoring, observation-hive education, fair outreach, and the practical infrastructure that helps the club serve the public.

Meegan Kelly began beekeeping in 2020 when a swarm chose her Rockville backyard. She has served as a mentor at the club apiary, co-led Bees After Hours for new beekeepers, and chaired the Nominating Committee. Professionally, she works on energy efficiency and renewable energy at the U.S. Department of Energy.

Meegan would like to serve as a test-election candidate because MCBA turned an unexpected swarm into a joyful path of learning and service. She wants to help other new beekeepers find community and practical guidance.

Meegan brings newer-beekeeper perspective, mentoring, meeting facilitation, nominating experience, and professional work in energy efficiency and renewable energy. She understands how to make technical topics approachable and useful.

Meegan hopes to strengthen mentoring and programs for people who are just beginning to keep bees. She would support learning opportunities that connect members, encourage outdoor participation, and make the club’s knowledge easier to access.

Peter Soukup has kept bees in Gaithersburg for several years and has explored queen incubation and breeding. Alongside beekeeping, he works as an R&D electrical engineer focused on wireless design and enjoys alternative-fuel innovation, from solar and electric vehicles to converting diesel engines to used vegetable oil.

Peter would like to serve as a test-election candidate because MCBA brings together practical beekeeping and inventive problem-solving. He wants to contribute technical curiosity to the club’s shared learning.

Peter brings beekeeping and queen-breeding interest, electrical-engineering expertise, wireless-design experience, and a creative approach to sustainable technology and hands-on experimentation.

Peter hopes to encourage members to explore practical, sustainable solutions for their apiaries and the wider environment. He would support learning that combines observation, experimentation, and responsible innovation.

Stephen Mefford began beekeeping with MCBA’s introductory course in 2021. He quickly developed a deep interest in the craft, the seasons, and the challenges faced by colonies. He also mentors first-year beekeepers at the club apiary and lives in Sandy Spring with his wife and two sons.

Stephen would like to serve as a test-election candidate because MCBA gave him a strong start and a community in which to keep learning. He wants to return that support by helping newer members.

Stephen brings practical beekeeping experience, a reflective understanding of colony care, and hands-on mentoring at the club apiary. He offers the perspective of someone who remembers the uncertainty of beginning and enjoys helping others progress.

Stephen hopes to expand mentorship and make the club apiary an even stronger place for first-year beekeepers to gain confidence. He would encourage patient learning, seasonal awareness, and shared problem-solving.