Board of Directors

Valley View Foundation is an Ohio non-profit corporation. Just like for-profit corporations, Valley View has a Board of Directors that makes decisions, sets policy and and identifies the strategy for Valley View to implement its mission of conserving land, preserving history and sharing it with the community.

Valley View began with a five member Board of Directors with Bob Laudeman serving as our first president. Today we have the following members on our Board.

 

Chris Habel, President of the Board of Directors

Chris was instrumental in the founding of the organization and our efforts since 2002 to raise over $2 million to purchase and secure the land. He serves many roles for the organization. Chris is an attorney with a degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering. Chris is a partner in the Environmental Practice Group at the law firm Frost Brown Todd LLC in Cincinnati, Ohio. He is a former construction worker and very involved in the management of his law firm. Chris brings all those skills to bear on behalf of Valley View with discipline and fiscal responsibility. He has made substantial financial donations to Valley View especially at times when it seemed like Valley View would never become a reality. He has committed countless hours of his professional time as well as time with his truck and tools from his construction days to stabilize and restore our barns, construct our community garden and spearhead numerous property improvement efforts. He lives in Mt. Lookout with his wife Angela and their three children.

Andy Dickerson, Vice President

Andy was involved in the efforts to protect this land long before Valley View was formed. Andy is a resident of South Milford and has extensive experience "putting conservation on the ground" through land protection, prairie and wetlands restoration projects. He serves as Chair of our Land Management Committee. Andy received a B.A. in Zoology from Miami University and a Masters of Environmental Science and Policy- Ecosystem Management from the University of Wisconsin. Andy works as a private consultant on habitat and conservation issues across North America, with a particular focus on migratory birds.

Dave Liles, Treasurer

Dave and his wife Jen became involved in the efforts to protect the land long before Valley View was formed. At that time, Dave and Jen were involved in the leadership of the South Milford Neighborhood Association, the neighborhood adjacent to Valley View. Dave is an avid outdoorsman and Jen is our main link to Pattison Elementary School. Dave serves on our Finance and Development Committee. He lives in Milford and works for Fidelity Investments.

Cathy Gatch, Secretary

Cathy's ancestors have lived in Milford since the early 1800s. As a resident of South Milford, Cathy was active in efforts to protect the land for many years before Valley View was formed. Cathy is passionate about growing Valley View to serve many needs in the community including educational programming. She also knows many people throughout Milford and Clermont County and is active in the League of Women Voters and several other organizations. She serves as Co-Chair of our Outreach Committee. Cathy owns The Milford Pottery which operates out of a historic barn on land overlooking Valley View.

Bob Laudeman

Bob is our immediate past president and founder. He represents the sixth generation of his family to live and work near Valley View. His ancestors farmed a large portion of the Valley View site and built the historic barns. Before his family was forced to sell the farmland for financial reasons in the early 1960s, Bob worked the farm with his father and grandfather. He has a vivid memory of how the farm was operated and an extensive collection of family photos, memoirs and artifacts that have been passed down for generations to document the activities on the land for almost 200 years. Bob retired from General Electric Aircraft Engines after almost 30 years of as a purchasing and contract manager.

Tom Wagner

Tom has been an important donor and volunteer with Valley View for many years. In 2006 he joined our Board. He lives adjacent to Valley View and is passionate about improving the property through proper management techniques. While he has currently conceded defeat to the deer and groundhogs that have devoured his crops in years past,

Mike McCurdy

Mike joined our Board in 2009. Mike has been a key member of the Milford community for years. He's a retired teacher from Milford High School. He is a Board Member of the Milford Schools Foundation, former board member of  the Greater Milford Area Historical Society, and active in numerous civic and community efforts. Mike brought his crew from Habitat for Humanity to Valley View between homebuilding projects to work on the restoration of our historic barns.

Michele Buck

 

Karen Huff Wikoff

Karen Wikoff is the Executive Director of the Milford Miami Township Chamber of Commerce. She has lived in Milford Miami Township since 1966. She is a 1984 graduate of Milford High School and Scarlet Oaks, ( Horticulture-Floriculture). She was a manager and floral designer for over 22 years. In 2005 she became the Executive Director of the Milford Miami Township Chamber of Commerce. Karen has been involved with many local organizations. She joined the Valley View board in 2012 and also serves on the Live Oaks Business Advisory Board. Karen also served on the Historic Milford Association board, Milford Schools Business Council, and the Milford Schools Foundation.  

Lee Owens

Lee lives in the Milford area and first became involved as a volunteer with Valley View.  He joined the Board in 2012.  He is proud to be part of the restoration and new building projects and brings extensive experience in the construction industry to the table.  His children will attend Pattison Elementary School where they will be able to experience the natural environment we call Valley View.  Lee is also an avid outdoorsman and works for Messer Construction.

Bob Smith

Bob Smith taught high school science for 40 years and retired in 2011.  Bob’s last 27 years were at Milford High School where he taught Biology, Human Anatomy, and Environmental Science. He also coached Football and Wrestling at MHS. Bob loves hiking and fishing in the outdoors. Since his retirement Bob has done work for Habitat for Humanity and worked on various projects at Valley View.