Meet Our Team
Emily Warner Merrill
Raised in the Cacapon Watershed, Emily came to the Trust in 2021 with fifteen years of land conservation experience. She manages the Trust’s operations and is our primary land conservation specialist, helping landowners to protect their farms, forests, and family heritage.
Emily says, “I’m thrilled to be protecting the land — and with it the creeks and crayfish, hay bales and barns, and forests, foxes, and family stories –that I’ve loved since childhood.”
Emily has previously worked for Potomac Conservancy, Hampshire County Farmland Protection Board (West Virginia), The Nature Conservancy (Colorado), Chesapeake Bay Foundation (Pennsylvania), and Western Pennsylvania Conservancy.
She holds a Master of Natural Resources Stewardship degree from Colorado State University and a B.A. in Environmental Studies from Allegheny College.
These days, Emily lives just outside the watershed with her husband, two cats, and as many house plants as she can fit.
Marika Suval
At the Trust, Marika oversees fundraising, outreach, communication, and strategic planning. She also convenes and facilitates the Cacapon Watershed Collaborative (CWC).
Marika brings an MSc in Environmental Studies and a background in conservation planning, adaptive management, journalism, and communications and to her role as deputy director. As a CCNet certified coach, she trains project teams in effective conservation planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation. She co-led the team that developed Conservation Essentials, a course that guides global conservation practitioners to improve conservation outcomes using the Conservation Standards. She also serves as principal instructor of the course offered through the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Outside the office, she’s often found exploring wild places with her husband John, their cat Knox, and boxer pup Maggie, avid hikers all.
Our People
Todd Brajkovich
Todd joined as Conservation Manager in February 2021. He brings nearly 30 years of experience in natural resources protection and conservation. He was most recently the Conservation District Manager for Perry County Pennsylvania, where he was instrumental in the preservation of more than 10,000 acres of land using public and private conservation easements. He was also the Coordinator for the County Farmland Preservation program and has expertise in nutrient management, soil erosion and stormwater control. Todd was one of the first Board members of the Central Pennsylvania Conservancy and served on the land protection committee for 20 years.
Todd and his wife Jane have been residents of Hampshire County since 2017.