Our Board meets on the third Monday of each month at 5:00 p.m. Board meetings will take place both in person and virtually via Zoom and are open to the public. Anyone who wishes to attend can contact Hannah Johnson at hannah@athenslandtrust.org.
Note: The January 2026 board meeting has been moved to Monday, January 26th, 2026.
Sarah Yates Sutherland
Interim President
Sarah has over four decades of construction experience, including development, general contracting, historic restoration and construction program management for non-profit clients. She also serves as Vice President of Wholesome Wave Georgia’s Board of Directors. She currently serves on the Housing, Development, and finance committees.
Kirrena Gallagher
Vice President
Kirrena is a lifelong resident of Athens. She has served on several community-based boards, authorities and committees. She volunteers as an advocate for students and parents in the Athens community and has served as a parent educator and coach for over a decade. She now owns and operates her own in-home childcare facility, Ms. Kirrena's, serving preschool-aged children.
Nancy Stangle
Treasurer
As co-Founder and former Executive Director of Athens Land Trust, Nancy played an essential role in the formation of ALT in 1994 as one of the few organizations in the country that is both a conservation and community land trust. She currently serves on the Finance and Development committees.
Charley Hill
Secretary
Charley has worked in commercial real estate in Atlanta, Georgia for the past thirty seven years. As a University of Georgia alumnus, he and his family have maintained a strong connection and love for Athens. He sees his work with Athens Land Trust as an important way to give back to the city and its people.
Chip Brown
Attorney George W. “Chip” Brown III is an Athens residential and commercial real estate transactions lawyer at Blasingame, Burch, Garrard and Ashley, P.C. After graduating from Furman University, he attended the University of Georgia School of Law and fell in love with Athens. He and his wife have also founded and run ReDux Equine Rescue, Inc., a non-profit horse rescue. He lives by the philosophy that, while real estate purchases are often the largest investments people will make, they don’t need to be overwhelming and frightening. Instead, Chip helps clients understand the process of purchasing, selling, or refinancing real estate while making the legal side of the process fun and enjoyable.
Gail Cowie
Gail has over thirty years of experience in environmental management with a focus on water policy and public participation. She currently holds a research position at the Georgia Water Planning and Policy Center at Albany State University. She previously held positions at the Georgia Environmental Protection Division and on the public service faculty at the University of Georgia. Gail has been an Athens resident for over forty years and is pleased to support Athens Land Trust in its important work at the intersection of community and environment. She serves on the Conservation Committee.
Vanna Cure
Vanna joined the Athens Land Trust Board in October 2020. As the Associate Director of Advocacy for Prosperity Now (Washington, DC), she works to advance federal and state policies for equitable financial stability and wealth building. She has a history of grassroots political activism and organizing. She seeks to leverage this experience, as well as her deep ties to the Athens community, to support ALT's mission and programs. In 2024, Vanna served as ALT's Interim Executive Director before returning to the Board of Directors.
Shakeeta Daniel
Shakeeta has been an Athens Land Trust homeowner since 2018. She is pleased to bring this perspective to the board, along with her experience in finance, human resources, and management.
Andrew Salinas
Andrew has two decades of nonprofit and higher education experience. He also serves as Finance Chair of the Athens-Clarke County Center for Racial Justice and Black Futures. Andrew has long admired ALT's comprehensive approach to land stewardship and serves on the Development Committee.
Durrell Smith
Durrell Smith is an Atlanta, Georgia native, visual artist, conservationist, bird dog handler/trainer, and podcast host. He is the co-founder, along with his wife Ashley, of the Minority Outdoor Alliance, a nonprofit that works to encourage people from diverse walks of life, ethnic backgrounds, and cultures, to make the outdoors an integral part of their lives. Durrell serves on the Conservation Committee.
Lara Mathes
In memoriam