Introduction
“The purpose of the Sturtevant Conservancy is to provide stewardship of historic Sturtevant Camp, located in the wilderness of the Angeles National Forest, and to operate it under a federal permit as a nonprofit hostelry for the sole benefit of the public through effective management and development for the future.”
From the Conservancy’s Bylaws
The governing Board members are volunteers who supervise and manage the mission of the Conservancy, and the Camp itself. Board members are recruited based on their “boots on the ground” commitment to the Camp, as well as the diverse skills needed to operate the Camp. These include guest hospitality, site operations and maintenance, marketing, financial management, lumberjacking and trail-building. All have the passion to share the Sturtevant experience with the public for the future.
Here are the members of the Board for 2025:
Gary Keene
Gary first hiked to camp by moonlight in 1979. The dose of running water and big trees “saved my soul from the culture shock of moving from Michigan to LA.” Soon he was working as the Camp Manager and has been an active volunteer ever since. Originally a pastor with wide-ranging professional experience in executive program development and communications for non- profits, his avocations are hiking, mountain-biking and leading cycling tours on three continents. Now living in Ventura, he makes the commute and hike into Camp to “keep my boots dusty and head clear.”
President/CEO, General Manager
Sarah Barron
Sarah has been an active volunteer and host for years at the Camp. Her background includes mountaineering, rock-climbing, long distance trail running and as a racing cyclist. She is also a member of many outdoor adventure and green conservancy organizations, including the Glendora community Conservancy (board member), Southern California Mountaineers’ Association (board member), host at the San Antonio Ski Hut on Mt. Baldy, member of Sierra Club, American Alpine Club and Access Fund, all of which provide funding and political support for protecting open space. To pay the bills Sarah has been a successful real estate broker for 25+ years, with her own office in Glendora.
Vice-President/CFO; Manager, Finance & Administration
Paul Witman
After many years as a highly regarded professor of Information Technology at California Lutheran University, Paul recently embarked on a new career as a retiree. His prior work included research on information security and serving as Director of Global Delivery Systems at Citibank. He continues to teach internationally on his own schedule, but his real love shows up when he laces up his boots: an avid hiker and Scout leader, Paul is a life-long camper, active in both wilderness and organizational/residential camping, including many decades at Sturtevant Camp. He brings his considerable engineering skills to the diverse needs of Sturtevant, and is generous with an easy smile and a big laugh. Paul savors family time at home in Simi Valley and kayaking out of Oxnard harbor.
Manager, Site & Operations
Teah Vaughn Piscopo
Teah discovered the opportunity to volunteer in summer of 2019. Trained as a horticulturalist and wildlife interpreter, she has worked and volunteered in the Santa Ana and San Gabriel mountains since 2014, focusing on habitat and historical preservation, and making the outdoors more accessible to all. She enjoys a hands-on approach to being a “trail-angel,” and good steward of the forest, and spends as much time on local trails as possible. When not in Camp churning out fresh baked muffins and cookies for hikers, she can be found throwing clay at her pottery wheel, or barefoot and talking to the plants in her garden.
Manager, Guests & Hospitality
Kelly Davidson
Since childhood, Kelly grew up spending every weekend or available time hiking around Big Santa Anita Canyon. Her passion for being in the canyon led to a volunteer position at Adams’ Pack Station, where she helped with store operations for nine years. Kelly currently works in the demanding field of property management, and brings those skills to the work of the Board and Camp operations. When she’s not in the Canyon, she spends her spare time as an avid VW/Audi enthusiast at automotive events such as Cars & Coffee and at the race track; she also enjoys gardening, reading a good book and relaxing on the beach. But hiking is her favorite activity because it leaves her with a clear mind and full cup of appreciation after spending time in nature. She is excited to continue volunteering and help give back the Camp as a special historical place that feels like a home for so many.
Recording Secretary & Bookkeeper
Brent Pepper
As a Mountain Ultra Trail runner, it’s only fitting that Brent’s first introduction to camp was during a training run. He soon joined the Camp’s volunteer ranks during the water-tank-hauling campaign of Fall 2021 and keeps coming back for more. Well-skilled in the use of a McCleod, Brent also brings a load of talent in digital media development and management to the Camp’s business needs. He sees the time serving on the Board and in Camp as his way of paying forward the opportunity for others to come into the canyon, make that four-plus mile trek to Camp, and enjoy the beauty and the solitude of the mountains. If he’s not in the Canyon, you can find him volunteering at endurance running events across Southern California, enjoying trails throughout the Angeles National Forest, or at home with his wife, son, and daughter in Ventura County.
Director/Member at Large
Jennifer Berry
Jennifer first hiked to Sturtevant in 2013, and immediately fell in love. She joined the Boot Squad as a host, a natural extension of her work as a residential camp director in northern and southern California, a reflection of her lifelong passion for bringing people together in wild places. Most recently, this has included working for the National Outdoor Leadership School in Wyoming. Now back in the LA area, her current work in nonprofits specializes in change management, grant writing, and capacity-building. When not doing beadwork or triathlons, she loves to hike and cycle and kayak and take her dog for romps on the beach.
Director/Member – Treasurer
Sue Burgess
Sue is a founding board member with her daughter Deb, who recruited her into canyon life to help manage the Adams Pack Station. Sue served as the first Board and Finance Secretary, bringing a warm smile and calm hand to the often complex and dicey task of holding everything together.
Member Emeritus
Deb Burgess
Deb is the founding President of the Conservancy, having led the successful effort to purchase the camp and establish it as a stand- alone non-profit. Best known in the Big Santa Anita as “Queen of the Canyon”, for many years Deb owned and operated Adams Pack Station, developing and significantly expanding it into a popular place to go for hot food service, cold beverages, monthly parking lot concerts and more. And all of that while continuing her ‘down the hill career’ in computer systems management. Deb holds a degree in law, is a trail runner, and a cabin owner: sadly, hers was one of the 17 cabins lost to the 2020 Bobcat fire. While she looks forward to rebuilding, she lives in the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas and enjoys learning to paint.
Founding President & Member Emeritus
Wilbur M. Sturtevant
Wilbur’s spirit of adventure and love of the wilderness continues to inspire and guide the Board in its stewardship of his camp. A preacher’s son, soldier, prospector, mule-packer, trail-builder, mountain hermit, resort entrepreneur, and bee-keeper, Wilbur was a popular and well-known regional figure in his day. The camp he founded and built was known nationally, and endures nearly 130 years later as a unique and historic wilderness experience barely 26 miles from downtown Los Angeles. We honor his vision with our boots on the trail and hot coffee for guests and visitors every weekend; come see for yourself.
Founder