Staff Members

Kate Brown – Executive Director

Kate grew up in the Appalachian mountains of Pennsylvania where she went squonk hunting and creeking regularly. She attended St. Joseph’s College of Maine where she earned a degree in Theology. At St. Joe’s, she developed a deep passion for Catholic Social Teaching and worked on a sheep/goat farm. After graduation, she told Jesus, “Send me wherever You want!” Jesus answered her prayers. She’s ministered in Louisiana, Indiana, Washington State, California, and Virginia, primarily walking alongside inner-city youth. 

The God of surprises and miracles then called Kate to serve in West Virginia at Nazareth Farm. She brings to the farm a servant-leader heart, a deep love for Jesus and neighbors, and just a little bit of punk rock. When she’s not directing the farm or doing her grad school homework, you can find her telling stories on the front porch with her pup, at a Penn State tailgate, or riding with the jeep windows down listening to a metal cover of “Take Me Home, Country Roads”.

Dan Conover – Project Coordinator

Dan joins the Farm’s staff with so much joy and love for this place. Growing up and living in Syracuse, New York, Dan had his first encounter with the Farm when he was a high school student and has returned multiple times in a variety of roles, including (but not limited to) Sojo Supreme™, oft-disputed volleyball champion, and tomato-growing enthusiast. When Dan graduated from Excelsior University in December of 2022, he decided to commit to joining the incredible Nazareth Farm staff community.

Dan loves Our Lady of Guadalupe, good music, making the world’s best pepperoni rolls, trying to work on cars, playing Spikeball, and spending time with people. His severe FOMO means he is always willing to sacrifice hours of sleep in the name of community building. Dan’s fellow community members regularly feel the need to remind him to “stay nervous,” but all he really wants to say is “stay safe, stay blessed” and, most importantly, “if you can’t be great, be unforgettable.”

Bobby Schimmel – Staff Member since August 2023

Bobby joins the staff here at Nazareth Farm fresh off of graduating from THE University of Wyoming (sko pokes!) where he studied every -ology under the sun — mainly kinesiology, physiology, and psychology. While excited to use the things he has learned, Bobby instead thrives and more than occasionally is burned by living life on a whim and has been inspired by the lives of saints such as Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati and St. Teresa of Calcutta to be a part of a mission like the Farm’s. He can often be found chasing the next cool sunrise spot, eating everything in sight, or wondering where he misplaced something. When he isn’t busy conquering large rocks in God’s creation (pictured here), Bobby also enjoys reading, conquering smaller rocks in God’s creation, learning new things, getting too competitive playing any sport regardless of how new he is to it, talking about those sports like he’s a professional, “playing” the ukulele and the harmonica, and sharing life with others.

 

Ashley Bound – Staff Member since October 2023

Ashley finally joins the staff community after four warm summers as a sojourner and one snowy January as a college volunteer. Hailing from Old Forge, Pennsylvania (the self-proclaimed Pizza Capital of the World), her adventures have led her across the Northeast, where she settled for college and work before returning home to Nazareth Farm to follow in the footsteps of her prayer partners and the most inspirational, influential individuals she has ever met – Erin, Max, and Allyson.

Ashley majored in environmental studies and minored in creative writing and psychology at Colgate University (go GATE!) in central New York. There, she was able to nurture her love for the great outdoors through her work on a small vegetable farm and her hikes in the Adirondacks.

Ashley has an innate zest for life and easily finds hidden joys in the world around her. When she isn’t playing with the dogs, petting the cats, baking bread, or wandering through the garden looking for cool bugs, you can find her crocheting, reading poetry, thinking about baking more bread, flipping over rocks in the creek, and trying to live every day as if it were her last.

 

Gracie Seely – Staff Member since April 2024

Gracie joins staff here after her first summer as a sojourner. She graduated in May of 2023 from the University of Wyoming, (SKO POKES) with a degree in Speech Language Pathology and Disability Studies. There she was able to nurture her love for the outdoors and living in rural communities. She loves to read, cook, occasionally write poetry and is always down to discover new music. She loves to go on spontaneous adventures, especially when there is a body of water to jump into or big rocks to climb.

Brendan Foerster – Staff Member since June 2024

Hi my name is Brendan but I’m trying to get people to start calling me boom boom. I joined staff in June of 2024 after sojourning in the previous two summers. I’m originally from camp hill, Pennsylvania and went to Colgate University where I studied applied math. A few fun facts about me: I have been to roughly 5% of all sheetz locations in the United States (hopefully 7% by the end of 2025), I am a part owner of the Green Bay Packers, and I can play the shire theme song on the tin whistle sometimes. My other main interests are sports, potatoes, and waves. If you’re ever looking for me, I’m likely in the creek thinking about these things.

Morgan O’Regan – Staff Member since June 2024

Morgan joins staff here in June after just graduating from Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire in May where she studied Social Work and Sociology. There she was able to engage in service in a variety of ways which eventually led her to Nazareth Farm as a volunteer then for the following summers as a sojourner. Morgan originally grew up in Connecticut where she learned to love hiking, snowboarding, cooking, and living with pets including many chickens and a dog, + the occasional black bear. But her love of rural West Virginia and the community at Nazareth Farm are one of the many reasons she came back to join us on staff. You can often find her spending time chatting in the living room, at a meal, or any car ride, embracing community or maybe attempting to play the harmonica. She loves a new adventure and is always willing to go and explore somewhere new such as the foundation of the farmhouse or the attic of the mega barn.

Rachel Greiner – Staff Member since January 2025

Hey, my name is Rachel and I joined the staff at Nazareth Farm in January 2025. I am from Toms River, New Jersey which is right along the ocean. I graduated from the University of New Haven in May 2024 with a degree in Criminal Justice with a concentration in investigative services and a minor in communications. I was introduced to the farm when I was in high school through my parish’s youth group CYGNUS. I fell in love with the farm my first time as a volunteer and continued to volunteer two more times after that. To find a place as beautiful as West Virginia and a community that nurtures my faith has been a blessing which I will be eternally grateful for.