Legacy Farms Leadership

Billie Jo Bevan: Director of Operations & Partnerships

Billie Jo has been a voice for those in need her entire life. She’s tirelessly dedicated to improving the lives of young people, particularly for the neurodiverse community.

With over 15-years experience in operations, sales and marketing at Time Warner Cable, she has a contagious energy and a passion to produce results and tackle the most complex projects for Legacy Farms.

Billie Jo oversees the day-to-day operations of the garden, mentor oversight and volunteer coordination. She also develops partnerships with local businesses for distributor relations.

Billie Jo homeschools her teenage son, Liam, who has been identified with Aspergers and Dyslexia. She is an active member of Loudoun County Public School’s Special Education Advisory Committee. Billie Jo has lived in Ashburn for almost 20 years with her husband Warren Smith.

Laurie Young: Executive Director & Program Strategist

Laurie is a strategic consultant with expertise in new program development and launch. She has served in executive-level positions for Silicon Valley start-ups, developed product lines for visionary thought-leaders, and supported local organizations in pioneering new programs. She serves as Legacy Farms' Executive Director, guiding strategic vision and program innovation.

Laurie is an advocate for progressive education and apprenticeship-style learning, with a strong belief in the uniquely valuable contributions that neurodiverse individuals bring as equal contributors to our communities, schools, and workplaces.

Her philosophical beliefs are grounded in personal experience navigating the disappointing limitations in status-quo systems of education and support services for her own son and, in response, tapping into her professional expertise to design better alternative programs with like-minded schools, educators, and therapists.

Laurie and Billie Jo believe that an individual's gifts are best developed within a positive, relational environment--whether that environment is a learning space, workplace, or community. Legacy Farms’ programming is based on creating a mindful, organized, and enjoyable social environment with clear responsibilities that cultivate self-awareness and personal growth while celebrating the sense of achievement that comes with a job well done.

Board of Directors

Martha Schonberger : Chair

Martha Schonberger holds a B.S. in Environmental Studies and Communication from Western Michigan University and a Masters in Environmental Law and Public Policy from Vermont Law School. She has over 20 years’ experience in special education in Loudoun County Public Schools, serving students with ASD and cognitive challenges from ages 5 to 22 and was Shenandoah University Teacher of the Year in 2007. Martha is currently teaching at the high school level, with a strong focus on vocational skills, work experience, and successfully integrating her students into the community.

Martha's interest in Legacy Farms grew from the realization that upon exiting public schools, young adults with ASD did not have many viable opportunities for meaningful therapeutic, residential, community oriented opportunities. Finding several other like-minded teachers and parents solidified Martha's commitment for creating a sustainable farmstead in the Northern Virginia region to meet the needs of her graduating students.

Merrill Ross : Treasurer

Merrill Ross began working with Legacy Farm in 2013, volunteering time and helping with developing the garden at Temple Hall. Merrill has two children, the oldest of which has worked with autistic and learning delayed children. Her youngest child, now 27 years old, is on the autism spectrum. Merrill appreciates the opportunity to foster her son’s work abilities through Legacy Farms.

John Keeling: Business Development

John is a Senior Vice President with the Motley Fool in Alexandria, Virginia. John has over twenty years of experience in consumer online services and enterprise software, including group project management, strategic business planning, and identifying, negotiating and developing strategic business partnerships.

John received his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts from Virginia Tech, and his Doctor of Philosophy from Stanford University.

Michelle Lautenschlager

Michelle Lautenschlager began working as a volunteer for Legacy Farms in 2014. She brings her passion for helping people and service to help Legacy Farms grow and serve the community.

Michelle decided at the young age that she wanted to work with individuals with special needs and she has been doing that in some form or another all of her adult life.

In her free time you will find Michelle either at the baseball field with her youngest son, or working as a Job Coach with her oldest son who was diagnosed with Autism at the age of 4. This is not just a volunteer opportunity for Michelle but a desire to help shape the future for her son and others in the community.

Adam Bell: Member-at-Large, Advocate & Spokesperson

After being an ongoing volunteer, Adam Bell joined the Board of Directors in the summer of 2019. He is a lifetime resident of Leesburg, and an alumnus of Loudoun County High School. For over 20 years, Adam has been employed in the maintenance department at the Ida Lee Recreation Center. He is an athlete representative for Loudoun County’s Special Olympics supporting multiple sport teams, including: bocce, track & field, soccer and volleyball. Adam is a Choir Chaplin and an active member of First Mt. Olive Baptist Church in Leesburg. Adam is described by many as a public relations expert, devoted community member and tireless team player.

Kevin the Destroyer

Meet Kevin! He is one of the many beautiful residents of Temple Hall Farm. Kevin loves strawberries, tomatoes, and blueberries. His girlfriends love taking dirt baths in our garden, sitting on their eggs in our raised beds and, once their young are hatched, showing them around our sunflowers and zinnia beds…sometimes even while we work!

Kevin taught us a lot about sharing during the Summer of 2015. We’d come to the garden in the morning after a previous day’s hard work only to find our neat beds and small seedlings destroyed! It finally dawned on us that we’d planted our garden in his space, moving into the place he and his family used to spend most of their time.

So we learned ways to co-exist, to provide areas they liked in the garden or to work around their activities when needed. We realized that in order to have an amazing garden, we would need to work with nature. Our crops were eventually left unharmed, and we now enjoy the Temple Hall Farm together peacefully.

Now, we share the space with Kevin Jr. and his many brothers and sisters, as well as Snowflake the white peacock, Junior the cat, Dennis Hopper resident grasshopper, many butterflies, turkeys, guinea hens, sheep, goats, llamas, cows and whoever else is hanging out adjacent to the garden. They are always interested to see what we’re doing. They make us feel welcome!