Board Members

A native of Southern Maryland, Will Williams holds an Associate’s degree
in Parks and Recreation from Prince George’s Community College and a
Bachelors degree in Natural Resources Management from the University of Maryland. Will served with the DNR - Forest Service from 1985–2005 as a Forest Ranger and Education Specialist, and gained statewide and national experience as a conservation educator, trainer, and wildland firefighter. His firefighting work started with the Yellowstone fires of 1988 and has served as Crew Boss and national media spokesperson as a U.S Forest Service Type I (Complex Incident) Information Officer. In 2005 he pursued his passion for teaching as an Outdoor Educator with Anne Arundel County Public Schools at Arlington Echo Outdoor Education Center, where he taught both students and adults through their highly successful Chesapeake Connections program. He retired from AACPS in 2015 and is a Past President of the Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education (MAEOE) and is a Certified Arborist. Will has a long history with the Natural Resources Careers Camp (NRCC), having served a Counselor, Curriculum Director, and currently Deputy Director. He also has been involved with the Envirothon program for nearly 30 years, developing Forestry training and testing materials for numerous
County and State competitions, and has led the Forestry competitions for 3 National Envirothon events (1992, 2003, 2017). He lives in Accident near
Bear Creek and In his leisure time enjoys fly fishing, nature study, and is an accomplished Native American flute player.

Bill is a semi-retired civil engineer and land surveyor. He grew up working in the woods in the winter months on his family's farm to supplement income. During that time, he learned about forestry and wildlife habitat management from his father. Bill is an active forest landowner in Garrett County and has participated in the Forest Stewardship and Tree Farm programs for almost 40 years. In 2019 Bill and his wife Tina were recognized as the Maryland Tree Farmers of the Year and the Northeastern Area Tree Farmers of the Year for their work on their Rocky Resolve Tree Farm! He has conducted forest harvests on his property including timber stand improvement, commercial thinnings and clear cuts. As a Board member, he hopes to share his experiences as a landowner with others to promote forest management.

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Bill graduated from WVU in 1972 with a degree in Economics and is a retired Field Services Representative for West Virginia Farm Bureau where he worked with county Farm Bureau’s in leadership development, policy development, legislative issues, safety and women’s programs, political education, agriculture in the classroom and various education programs.
He and his wife Becky, a school nurse, live on their 200 acre farm in Accident.  The majority of their cropland is rented to a neighbor.  They raise vegetables, cut flowers, Indian corn and make Christmas wreaths. Bill actively manages the woodland on their farm.

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Mike has a background in forestry including a BS in Forest Resource Management from West Virginia University and a Masters in Agriculture. Prior to joining the Forestry Board, he worked for the Department of Natural Resources and private industry. From the mid-1980’s until his retirement, Mike worked for USDA Farm Services Agency. He has been active in promoting the Natural Resources Careers Camp program with local high school students. Mike also serves on the Potomac-Garrett State Forest Advisory Committee and is involved with the Boy Scouts.

Fred has a degree in Electrical Engineering from Clarkson University in Potsdam, NY.

He joined General Electric and trained as an Application Engineer in Industrial Computer Systems. In the Air Force he was a System Program Manager in the Electronic Systems Division at Hanscom Field, MA. With Corning Glass Works he designed Fiber-optic cable systems for the military applications. He continued with developing fiber optic systems with Optelecom and with Verizon

He is a Network Systems Integration Specialist with over 15 year experience in telecommunications. After retiring and moving to Oakland, MD he has worked with Habitat for Humanity and the Garrett County Forestry Board.

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Commissioner Tichnell's family owns and operates a 500 acre farm South of Loch Lynn and are proud to have five generations represented here and now. In addition to Commissioner Tichnell's agricultural background, he is very familiar with the importance of the tourism industry and Deep Creek Lake. He has been affiliated with Mountaineer Log and Siding in McHenry for over 25 years as an independent sales representative and construction consultant. Commissioner Tichnell's involvement includes being a trustee of the White United Methodist Church and a certified lay speaker for the district and church charge, Board of Trustees of of Christian Crossings and their thrift, a long standing member of the Garrett County Fair Board, a Farm Bureau member, and he has served in various capacities with 4-H and Little League for over 45 years.

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Siera Wigfield is Garrett County Government's Senior Planner. Her planning specialties are transportation, recreation, and land preservation planning. She is a life-long western Marylander and graduate of Frostburg State University.  Siera resides in close to Maryland's high point with her loving husband, Brandon, where they are like to have campfires and make new trails with their kids Jasper and Carmelita.  Siera is an accomplished baker and also an avid crafter and designer.

John is retired from Frostburg State University where he is professor emeritus in the political science department.  He was educated at Montgomery  College, Frostburg State University, WVU, and the University of Maryland.  John served in the United States Marine Corps and is a Vietnam Veteran.  He has been an active forest landowner since 1986 and has participated in forest stewardship and Tree Farm educational activities with his wife Karen. Their family owns Rock Creek Forest Tree Farm. John was recognized as the 2022 Garrett County Tree Farmer of the Year! He has served on the Governor's Task Force on State Parks and Forests, the Governor's Commission on Trees, and volunteered with the Friends of New Germany State Park.  John is a former mayor and state senator representing Garrett County.

Melissa is the Garrett Project Manager for the MD DNR Forest Service and serves as the secretary and Forest Service advisor to the Garrett County Forestry Board. She attended the NRCC program as a student in 2002 and counselor in 2007. Melissa studied at Allegany College of Maryland and graduated in 2008 with an A.A.S in Forest Technology and Letter of Recognition in Leadership Development. She also attended West Virginia University and graduated in 2010 with a B. S. degree in Forest Resource Management. Melissa has previously worked for the MD Forest Service at Green Ridge State Forest and as a Watershed Forester in the Western Region. Melissa enjoys hunting and training her coonhounds and squirrel dogs and is active in several local, regional, and national sportsmen groups. She and her husband Kenny live in Grantsville.

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Ken studied botany and plant pathology at the University of Vermont and the North Carolina State University. From 1960 to 1968, he was on the faculty of South Dakota State University and the University of Vermont, where he conducted research on soil borne plant diseases and served as the Extension Plant Pathologist. Ken moved to Washington, DC, and during the next 27 years, conducted reviews & analyses of biological and medical research. He also taught botany and microbiology at Montgomery College from 1969 to 1985. Following retirement, Ken served as a consultant for several federal agencies evaluating needs for and outcomes of research programs. Ken and his wife Lee manage a 25 acre forest in Bittinger that is in the Forest Stewardship program. He is also a volunteer for Habitat Humanity, Christian Crossings Thrift Shop and Salem School.

Derek is a Garrett County native who spent time hunting, fishing and recreating on his family Tree Farm and in surrounding local forests as a youth. From a young age, the forest was his classroom, where he learned about dendrology and silviculture. He attended the 2001 Natural Resources Career Camp, where he developed an interest in urban forestry and arboriculture. After serving in the military, he returned to his forestry interest as a climber with an arborist in Oregon, and became an ISA Certified in 2014. He returned to Garrett County in 2017 and in 2020 started ArborTech Tree Care LLC to service the local area. Derek is invested in the well being of the county's public and private forests. He is a member of the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture and the Backcountry Hunters and Anglers.

Mike Graduated from West Virginia University in 1976 with a BS in Forest Resources Management. Mike has also completed additional graduate work for Masters in Agriculture. He has worked with DNR and also private industry until 1983. He started working with USDA/Farm Service Agency and continues in that position to the present. He is on the Potomac/Garrett Forest Advisory Board; Garrett Forestry Board; Assistant Scoutmaster for Boy Scout Troop 1 in Oakland, MD; Assistant Soccer Coach and as an Adjunct instructor of Forestry At Garrett College from 1978 to 1999.

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Linda graduated from WVU in 1973 with a BS degree in education. She moved to Howard County, taught for 5 years, and started a new career as the Financial Administrator of a commercial real estate firm in Baltimore.  Linda and her husband Jim retired in 2006 and moved to Garrett County where they purchased 20 wooded acres, built their house, and now live in peaceful quiet surrounded by thousands of acres of forest and plenty of wildlife. Together they manage their property for aesthetics and wildlife. The outdoors and gardening have always been important to Linda. She has a greenhouse and potting shed that her husband built for her where she starts many native plants from seed, that she plants in her own gardens or uses for community projects of her garden club. She is currently the Co-President of the Mountain Laurel Garden Club and has been the chair of the conservation committee for 10 years. Her and her committee have planted meadows and rain gardens at several of the local state parks and schools in Garrett County. They are currently working on landscaping projects at Garrett College with native flowering shrubs and trees. Linda is a Maryland Master Naturalist, has taken several landscape design, gardening, and forestry courses, and is an avid reader of these special topics.