Directors
Jo Ann Rudy has lived in Prince William County for over 40 years. She & her husband, Roger, currently reside in Dumfries. In 2015, Jo Ann retired from Prince William County Community Services after 21 years. During her time there she served adults with mental health and intellectual disabilities & was the founder & supervisor of the Horticultural Therapy Program. She continues her passion for supporting the participants of this unique &helpful program through volunteering on the FOHT Board, which she joined in 2015.
Brenda Kerner is retired from the USPS where she worked as a Rural Letter Carrier in Stafford, VA for over 30 years. She is an active member of St. William of York Catholic Church. Brenda is the sister of Richard Sauchuck, who was a participant in the Horticultural Therapy Program for many years, and she has recently joined the FOHT Board of Directors. Brenda has remained mindful of how much the HT Program helped her brother to achieve stability, a sense of worth and belonging, and accomplishment. She would love to see as many as are in need of the HT resources to achieve the same success that Richard did. The realization of a Horticultural Therapy Center at Shenandoah Park would provide the participants a lasting and equipped environment where change is possible.
Claudia Strock has lived in Prince William County since 1980, except for three years in Virginia Beach, VA and three years in Okinawa, Japan. Claudia earned her Bachelor of Science in Psychology at Old Dominion University, and she has had a varied career, notably with Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Company, AT&T, Northrop Grumman, and McCauley Brown, in addition to several other career building positions. Claudia learned of the Horticultural Therapy Program when a relative of hers was a participant and found that the program significantly enhanced and enriched her relative’s life by giving her sunshine, friendship, and learning opportunities in the natural world that she had never before enjoyed. Claudia and her relative recently attended a Christmas brunch sponsored by the Friends of Horticultural Therapy, and Claudia was able to observe first-hand her relative’s ability to interact with old, current, and new friends in a warm, inviting, and happy environment.
Jim Strock is a retired Marine Corps officer who spend 28 years on active duty followed by 14 years as a federal employee supporting the Marine Corps at Quantico, Virginia. He received his bachelor’s degree in Journalism from The Ohio State University, and he earned a Master of Arts in Human Resources Management from Pepperdine University and a Master of Science in Systems Management from the University of Southern California. He first served as an infantry officer, then as a logistics officer and operational planner at all levels of command and staff from the infantry battalion level to Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps. His interest in the Horticultural Therapy Program follows that of Claudia in seeking ways to better support an extremely worthwhile program that can provide much-needed therapeutic care and assistance to those in our community who need the greatest possible range of social services to help them live productive, fulfilling lives.
