{"id":12,"date":"2025-02-18T16:57:10","date_gmt":"2025-02-18T16:57:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cvbt.local\/?page_id=12"},"modified":"2025-04-09T14:48:38","modified_gmt":"2025-04-09T18:48:38","slug":"about-us","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/cvbt.org\/about-us\/","title":{"rendered":"About Us"},"content":{"rendered":"<section id=\"hero\" class=\"hero container-breakout\">\r\n  <div class=\"swiper\">\r\n    <div class=\"swiper-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"swiper-slide hero-slide\" \r\n    data-swiper-autoplay=\"3000\"\r\n    style=\"background-image:url(https:\/\/cvbt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/CVBT_Display_bachground-2022-2-1-scaled.jpg);background-position:center center;\">\r\n  <div class=\"hero-overlay\"><\/div>\r\n  <div class=\"container-fluid\">\r\n    <div class=\"hero-content\">\r\n      <div class=\"row\">\r\n        <div class=\"col-md-7 col-lg-6\">\r\n          <div class=\"acf-innerblocks-container\">\n<h2 style=\"text-transform:uppercase;\" class=\"wp-block-post-title\">About Us<\/h2>\n<\/div>\r\n        <\/div>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\r\n    <div class=\"hero-pagination\"><\/div>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cvbt.org\/wp-content\/themes\/cvbt\/blocks\/hero\/images\/textured-border-1.webp\" class=\"hero-border\" alt=\"\" \/>\r\n<\/section>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\" style=\"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--80);padding-right:0;padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--80);padding-left:0\"><div class=\"wp-bootstrap-blocks-row row is-style-align-items-center\">\n\t\n\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n\t\t\t\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center has-secondary-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-d6a5e68c31dac0929e3f1b69a6242134\">OUR MISSION<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\" style=\"font-size:24px\"><em>&#8220;The mission of Central Virginia Battlefields Trust is to preserve land associated with the four major Civil War campaigns: Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Mine Run, and the Overland Campaign, including the Wilderness and Spotsylvania.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n\t\t\t\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"402\" height=\"332\" src=\"https:\/\/cvbt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Replacement-for-OUR-MISSION-Tile.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-953\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cvbt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Replacement-for-OUR-MISSION-Tile.jpg 402w, https:\/\/cvbt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Replacement-for-OUR-MISSION-Tile-300x248.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 402px) 100vw, 402px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-cover alignfull is-light object-fit-contain\" style=\"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;padding-top:0;padding-right:0;padding-bottom:0;padding-left:0\"><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-cover__background has-background-dim-0 has-background-dim\" style=\"background-color:#b6a4a5\"><\/span><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"625\" height=\"437\" class=\"wp-block-cover__image-background wp-image-322\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/cvbt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/logo-watermark.png\" style=\"object-position:100% 100%\" data-object-fit=\"cover\" data-object-position=\"100% 100%\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cvbt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/logo-watermark.png 625w, https:\/\/cvbt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/logo-watermark-600x420.png 600w, https:\/\/cvbt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/logo-watermark-300x210.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 625px) 100vw, 625px\" \/><div class=\"wp-block-cover__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-cover-is-layout-flow\"><div class=\"wp-bootstrap-blocks-container container-fluid mb-0\">\n\t\n<div class=\"wp-bootstrap-blocks-row row is-style-align-items-center\">\n\t\n\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n\t\t\t\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\" style=\"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"650\" height=\"432\" src=\"https:\/\/cvbt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Replacement-for-_OUR_MOTTO-pic.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-951\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cvbt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Replacement-for-_OUR_MOTTO-pic.webp 650w, https:\/\/cvbt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Replacement-for-_OUR_MOTTO-pic-600x399.webp 600w, https:\/\/cvbt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Replacement-for-_OUR_MOTTO-pic-300x199.webp 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n\t\t\t\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center has-secondary-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-0603270c6e395c17a00183705c83cf9c\">OUR MOTTO<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\" style=\"font-size:24px\"><em>&#8220;Preserving Dirt and Grass&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\" style=\"font-size:24px\"><em>&#8220;Land Never Forgets&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:100px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cvbt.org\/wp-content\/themes\/cvbt\/blocks\/textured-border\/images\/textured-border-bottom-white.webp\" class=\"textured-border textured-border_bottom\" alt=\"\" \/><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-cover alignfull is-light\" style=\"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;padding-top:0;padding-right:0;padding-bottom:0;padding-left:0;min-height:377px;aspect-ratio:unset;\"><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-cover__background has-white-background-color has-background-dim-100 has-background-dim\"><\/span><div class=\"wp-block-cover__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-cover-is-layout-flow\"><div class=\"wp-bootstrap-blocks-container container-fluid mb-0\">\n\t\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-white-color has-primary-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color wp-elements-19d7fe77f8ce8278918c6e36410856e7 is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\" style=\"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--70);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--70);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40)\"><div class=\"wp-bootstrap-blocks-row row is-style-align-items-center\">\n\t\n\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-8\">\n\t\t\t\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">BECOME A PARTNER IN PRESERVATION<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>We have several membership levels and giving options.<\/p>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-4\">\n\t\t\t\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-a89b3969 wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button is-style-white-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/cvbt.org\/support-us\/\">Become A Member<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-cover alignfull is-light\" style=\"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;padding-top:0;padding-right:0;padding-bottom:0;padding-left:0\"><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-cover__background has-quinary-background-color has-background-dim-0 has-background-dim\"><\/span><div class=\"wp-block-cover__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-cover-is-layout-flow\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cvbt.org\/wp-content\/themes\/cvbt\/blocks\/textured-border\/images\/textured-border-top-white.webp\" class=\"textured-border textured-border_top\" alt=\"\" \/>\n\n\n<div style=\"height:80px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-bootstrap-blocks-container container-fluid mb-0\">\n\t\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center has-secondary-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-0b16f5f50a4cefedcb77130ecd42ee80\" style=\"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60)\">OUR HISTORY<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-bootstrap-blocks-row row is-style-default\">\n\t\n\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-5\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"p-2\">\n\t\t\t\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-secondary-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-9772f4c409c23ca92ae618d965c58550\">THE CHALLENGE:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list is-style-arrow-bullets\">\n<li>Between 1862 and 1864, two great armies clashed in the Rappahannock River region. Their battlegrounds have entered the nation\u2019s memory as Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Mine Run, The Wilderness, and Spotsylvania Court House.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Within an 18 month span nearly 200,000 combatants converged on this small area leaving over 100,000 casualties and a devastated landscape.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Veterans of these battles began to preserve the scenes of their great conflicts in the late 1800s, but it was not until 1927 that a portion of their battlegrounds came under the protection of the National Park Service.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Today, these historic places are seriously threatened by ever-encroaching sprawl, housing developments, data centers, warehouse distribution centers, and traffic congestion. Location, a key element of what brought the contending armies here more than 160 years ago, now encourages residential and commercial development at a staggering pace. Since 1970, the population of Fredericksburg and its surrounding counties has witnessed a growth rate four times that of Virginia as a whole.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>All across America, urban and suburban development threatens to destroy our nation\u2019s most sacred ground. Once it is gone, another vital piece of our nation\u2019s past disappears. No place in the United States is this destruction more prevalent that in Central Virginia, \u201cthe cockpit of the Civil War.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Civil War&#8217;s most famous battlefields\u2014Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, The Wilderness, and Spotsylvania Court House\u2014and many other lesser-known engagements, such as Mine Run are under attack again, not from invading armies, but from shopping malls, industrial parks, and housing complexes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-2\">\n\t\t\t\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-vertical\"\/>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-5\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"p-2\">\n\t\t\t\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-secondary-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-bf3a3ae548e85907b0dd6c23524ee9fa\">CENTRAL VIRGINIA BATTLEFIELD TRUST (CVBT) WAS FORMED:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list is-style-arrow-bullets\">\n<li>A group of concerned citizens in the Fredericksburg, Virginia, area decided it was time to stand up to the senseless destruction of our heritage and to form a historic lands trust organization. The Central Virginia Battlefields Trust (CVBT) was incorporated in 1996 and adopted as its mission the preservation of historic battlefield lands.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Our motto became \u201cDirt and Grass.\u201d Since then, we have helped to preserve nearly 2,000 acres of critical ground on the battlefields of Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, The Wilderness, and Spotsylvania Court House, as well as at Brandy Station to date.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In addition to purchasing land, our mission includes advocacy for battlefield preservation. At the state and federal levels, advocacy is in many cases relatively impersonal. However, at the local level, closer to home and in our communities, advocacy can be more personal, and therefore can become more confrontational. Consequently, CVBT decided early on to work in cooperation with local governments rather than in opposition to them. Over the years, we have joined in partnership with developers, preservation organizations, and local governments on several projects. We are proud of the solutions that have resulted in preserved acreage.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li> CVBT remains proactive, constantly engaged in ongoing projects and negotiations, and with a continuing focus on and commitment to our mission of battlefield preservation. Today our mission also positively impacts our community\u2019s quality of life by creating open green spaces.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>CVBT employs a staff of only two. The President and all CVBT board members are 100% volunteer. Our lean organization structure allows us to invest all of the donations that we possibly can into saving the battlefields.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:60px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cvbt.org\/wp-content\/themes\/cvbt\/blocks\/textured-border\/images\/textured-border-bottom-white.webp\" class=\"textured-border textured-border_bottom\" alt=\"\" \/><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-cover alignfull is-light\" style=\"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--80);padding-right:0;padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--80);padding-left:0;min-height:292px;aspect-ratio:unset;\"><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-cover__background has-white-background-color has-background-dim-100 has-background-dim\"><\/span><div class=\"wp-block-cover__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-cover-is-layout-flow\"><div class=\"wp-bootstrap-blocks-container container-fluid mb-0\">\n\t\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center has-secondary-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-d460d917d80b53f9e4d283792443b423\" style=\"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50)\">THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS<\/h2>\n\n\n  <div class=\"staff\">\r\n                <a href=\"#staff-modal\" class=\"staff-member\"\r\n          data-bs-toggle=\"modal\"\r\n          data-name=\"Thomas Van Winkle\"\r\n          data-position=\"President\"\r\n          data-bio=\"&lt;p&gt;Tom has served on the CVBT Board of Directors and in the capacity of CVBT Communications Director since 2007. Tom was elected President of CVBT in May of 2016. He has served as Newsletter Editor, Battlefield Preservation Director, Membership Director and as a five-term President of the Friends of Wilderness Battlefield in Spotsylvania, VA. He is former Secretary of the Friends of Fredericksburg Area Battlefields. Tom has written historical and preservation articles for The Civil War News, The Free Lance-Star, Culpeper Star Exponent, Wilderness Dispatch, The Skirmish Line, and magazines including On the Front Line and Blue &amp; Gray as well as chapters in several books. Tom is employed by Ally Financial Insurance Division serving as an automotive dealer Fixed Operations Specialist, Loss Cost Control Specialist, Forensic Auditor and Lead Field Staff Trainer in the United States. Tom also served as Producer, Writer, Director and Editor as a partner in Heritage Media, LLC. creating several historical films and a TV series.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\"\r\n          data-email=\"tom.vanwinkle@cvbt.org\"\r\n          data-photo=\"https:\/\/cvbt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/thomas-van-winkle-290x290.jpg\">\r\n        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cvbt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/thomas-van-winkle-290x290.jpg\" alt=\"\">\r\n        <h4>Thomas Van Winkle<\/h4>\r\n        <p>President<\/p>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n                <a href=\"#staff-modal\" class=\"staff-member\"\r\n          data-bs-toggle=\"modal\"\r\n          data-name=\"Eric Powell\"\r\n          data-position=\"Vice President | Education Director\"\r\n          data-bio=\"&lt;p&gt;Eric Powell has been in education for more than 30 years. After graduating from Radford University with a bachelor\u2019s degree in social sciences in 1990, he taught social studies at Stafford High School for 18 years. He was named the 1997 Stafford County Teacher of the Year, the 1998 Region III Virginia Teacher of the Year, and won Brenton S. Halsey Award for Excellence in Teaching from the Virginia Historical Society in 2001. Since 2008, Mr. Powell has served as a Social Studies Specialist for both Stafford and Spotsylvania County Schools, and as the Instructional Coordinator at Post Oak Middle School. He has two master&#8217;s degrees: one in history and one in educational leadership from Virginia Commonwealth University. Additionally, Mr. Powell is an Adjunct Instructor at the University of Mary Washington. He is a member of the 47th Virginia Infantry, Co. I, \u201cThe Stafford Guard\u201d and serves as the Inspector General of Longstreet\u2019s Corps. He conducts numerous living history programs for school children throughout the region.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\"\r\n          data-email=\"eric.powell@cvbt.org\"\r\n          data-photo=\"https:\/\/cvbt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/eric-powell-290x290.jpg\">\r\n        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cvbt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/eric-powell-290x290.jpg\" alt=\"\">\r\n        <h4>Eric Powell<\/h4>\r\n        <p>Vice President | Education Director<\/p>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n                <a href=\"#staff-modal\" class=\"staff-member\"\r\n          data-bs-toggle=\"modal\"\r\n          data-name=\"Kevin Rousseau\"\r\n          data-position=\"Secretary\"\r\n          data-bio=\"&lt;p&gt;Mr. Kevin Rousseau is the former Commandant\u2019s Distinguished Chair for National Intelligence Studies at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Representative to the Combined Arms Center\/Army University. As an Army officer, his assignments included the 82nd Airborne Division, the 3rd Armored Division, and the Joint Staff J-2. After retirement from the Army and prior to serving at the CIA, Mr. Rousseau was an Assistant General Counsel at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. At the CIA, he served as an analyst, instructor, and manager. His most recent assignment at the CIA was as the briefer to the Associate Director for Military Affairs. He has served on multiple deployments to the Balkans and to Afghanistan. Mr. Rousseau has a BS from the United States Military Academy, an MS in Strategic Intelligence from the Defense Intelligence College, a JD from the George Mason University School of Law, an LLM in International Law from New York University, and an MS in Strategic Studies from the US Army School of Advanced Military Studies.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\"\r\n          data-email=\"\"\r\n          data-photo=\"https:\/\/cvbt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/kevin-rousseau-290x290.jpg\">\r\n        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cvbt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/kevin-rousseau-290x290.jpg\" alt=\"\">\r\n        <h4>Kevin Rousseau<\/h4>\r\n        <p>Secretary<\/p>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n                <a href=\"#staff-modal\" class=\"staff-member\"\r\n          data-bs-toggle=\"modal\"\r\n          data-name=\"Michael Greenfield\"\r\n          data-position=\"Director of Lands\"\r\n          data-bio=\"&lt;p&gt;Mike served as a National Park Service ranger from 1974 to 2004, working at Blue Ridge Parkway, Everglades, Assateague Island, Fort Necessity, and Fredericksburg-Spotsylvania. As a field ranger, he actively protected lands and resources and worked at solving survey issues. Mike oversees CVBT battlefield land purchases and manages current property needs.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\"\r\n          data-email=\"\"\r\n          data-photo=\"https:\/\/cvbt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/michael-greenfield-290x290.jpg\">\r\n        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cvbt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/michael-greenfield-290x290.jpg\" alt=\"\">\r\n        <h4>Michael Greenfield<\/h4>\r\n        <p>Director of Lands<\/p>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n                <a href=\"#staff-modal\" class=\"staff-member\"\r\n          data-bs-toggle=\"modal\"\r\n          data-name=\"Dave Bohmke\"\r\n          data-position=\"Treasurer\"\r\n          data-bio=\"&lt;p&gt;Dave grew up in Southern California and graduated from the University of California at Los Angeles in 1980 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics. He has over 40 years of banking experience on both coasts having arrived in Fredericksburg in 1997. A frequent visitor to Civil War battlefields near and far, he sticks to reading books rather than writing them. Dave is a past president and over 20-year member of the Rappahannock Rotary Club.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\"\r\n          data-email=\"\"\r\n          data-photo=\"https:\/\/cvbt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/dave-bohmke-290x290.jpg\">\r\n        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cvbt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/dave-bohmke-290x290.jpg\" alt=\"\">\r\n        <h4>Dave Bohmke<\/h4>\r\n        <p>Treasurer<\/p>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n                <a href=\"#staff-modal\" class=\"staff-member\"\r\n          data-bs-toggle=\"modal\"\r\n          data-name=\"Brent Feito\"\r\n          data-position=\"Partnership \/ Outreach\"\r\n          data-bio=\"&lt;p&gt;Brent Feito is a historian and museum professional based out of Furnace Mountain, Virginia. He discovered his passion for Civil War history as a child touring battlefields in central and northern Virginia with his family, and continues to pursue this passion in his personal life and career. He became involved in Civil War living history at age 9 when he learned to play the fife and drum. In his teens, he mentored the renowned historian Brian C. Pohanka, where he assisted him in the publication of his life\u2019s work on the history of the 5th New York, Duryee\u2019s Zouaves. He attended college at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where he studied history. During this time, he pursued several internships with preservation organizations as well as the National Park Service.&lt;\/p&gt;\n&lt;p&gt;Returning to Virginia after college, he began work at a historical research firm where he performed historical research for various causes in the National Archives, as well as smaller libraries and archives around the country. In 2012 he joined the museum media firm Cortina Productions where he served as a Creative director, leading museum design teams in the creation of new exhibits and programming. Institutions he worked with include the National Museum of American History, Andrew Jackson\u2019s Hermitage, The American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, The National Air and Space Museum, and the National Museum of the United States Army. Brent left Cortina Productions to pursue his passion for history education, and currently works for the Army Historical Foundation. There, he develops programming, tours, and digital offerings for donors and the public in service of their mission to support Army History Education and the National Museum of the United States Army. Recently, he co-led a tour of the Muleshoe Salient with Robert Lee Hodge and Tom Van Winkle as a joint effort between the Army Historical Foundation and the Central Virginia Battlefields Trust.&lt;\/p&gt;\n&lt;p&gt;Brent resides in an 1855 log cabin on the side of Furnace Mountain with his partner, Lara, a librarian at the Library of Congress, and his cattle dog Finn. In his spare time, he plays traditional music of the southern Appalachians on banjo and fiddle, and spends time in his barn where he has a small shoe shop where he hand makes detailed reproductions of Civil War era shoes. He continues to participate in Civil War living history programs, and is an active member of the North South Skirmish Association where he competes in Smoothbore Musket and Rifled Musket target shooting competitions.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\"\r\n          data-email=\"\"\r\n          data-photo=\"https:\/\/cvbt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Brent-Feito-scaled-e1744293440875-290x290.jpg\">\r\n        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cvbt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Brent-Feito-scaled-e1744293440875-290x290.jpg\" alt=\"\">\r\n        <h4>Brent Feito<\/h4>\r\n        <p>Partnership \/ Outreach<\/p>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n                <a href=\"#staff-modal\" class=\"staff-member\"\r\n          data-bs-toggle=\"modal\"\r\n          data-name=\"Robert Lee Hodge\"\r\n          data-position=\"\"\r\n          data-bio=\"&lt;p&gt;Born on Stonewall Jackson\u2019s birthday Robert has had a keen interest in Civil War history since age 4. Robert interned for the National Park Service&#8217;s Civil War Sites Advisory Commission. Robert has worked on films \u2013 from dramas like ABC&#8217;s North and South and TNT\u2019s Gettysburg and Andersonville, to many programs on The History Channel, Arts and Entertainment Channel, and the National Geographic Channel, to his own Civil War documentaries that have won 5 Telly awards and a regional Emmy in 2007. He has been featured on National Public Radio&#8217;s Talk of the Nation, Kojo Nnamdi, and Soundscapes, NBC&#8217;s Late, Late Show, The New Yorker, The Wall Street Journal, Time, the PBS program Going Places, C-SPAN II\u2019s Book TV, and has written for The Nashville Tennessean and The Washington Post. Robert has been a historical researcher at The National Archives, the U.S. Army, and the Library of Congress, working with nationally recognized experts. He was principle researcher on Time-Life Books 18-volume series Voices of the Civil War and The Illustrated History of the Civil War. Robert played a major role in, and appears on the cover of, the New York Times&#8217; best-seller Confederates in the Attic \u2014 hosting Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Tony Horwitz, on a memorable tour-de-force of historic sites.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\"\r\n          data-email=\"\"\r\n          data-photo=\"https:\/\/cvbt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Robert-Lee-Hodge-290x290.jpg\">\r\n        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cvbt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Robert-Lee-Hodge-290x290.jpg\" alt=\"\">\r\n        <h4>Robert Lee Hodge<\/h4>\r\n        <p><\/p>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n                <a href=\"#staff-modal\" class=\"staff-member\"\r\n          data-bs-toggle=\"modal\"\r\n          data-name=\"Peter R. Kolakowski\"\r\n          data-position=\"\"\r\n          data-bio=\"&lt;p&gt;Peter was born in Manhattan, New York City and grew up in St. James, Long Island, New York. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history and political science from Ripon College, Ripon, Wisconsin and a Master of Public Administration from American University. Peter was a resident of Fredericksburg from 1972 to 2020. He and his wife, Jane, now live in Madison, Wisconsin.&lt;\/p&gt;\n&lt;p&gt;Over his 40-year public service career, Peter served in the U.S. Army for five years, six years in executive management positions with the City of Fredericksburg, the last four as City Manager. He worked in executive positions for VDOT for 15 years. His last 14 years before retirement was at the Navy Naval Surface Warfare Center-Dahlgren Division as department head for operations.&lt;\/p&gt;\n&lt;p&gt;Peter is an active participant and member of several nonprofits that preserve land and interpret the Civil War, U. S. Navy and other history of the area and throughout the United States.&lt;\/p&gt;\n&lt;p&gt;With his current residence in Wisconsin, Peter continues to be a history enthusiast and fervent supporter of preservation work.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\"\r\n          data-email=\"\"\r\n          data-photo=\"https:\/\/cvbt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Pete_Kowlakowski.webp\">\r\n        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cvbt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Pete_Kowlakowski.webp\" alt=\"\">\r\n        <h4>Peter R. Kolakowski<\/h4>\r\n        <p><\/p>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n                <a href=\"#staff-modal\" class=\"staff-member\"\r\n          data-bs-toggle=\"modal\"\r\n          data-name=\"Gordon C. Rhea\"\r\n          data-position=\"\"\r\n          data-bio=\"&lt;p&gt;Gordon C. Rhea received his B.A. in history from Indiana University, his M.A. in history from Harvard University, and his law degree from Stanford University Law School. He served as Special Assistant to the Chief Counsel of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Activities for two years and as an Assistant United States Attorney in Washington D.C. and the United States Virgin Islands for some several years. He has been in the private practice of law since 1983. Gordon has recently been appointed to the position of Attorney General of the U.S. Virgin Islands.&lt;\/p&gt;\n&lt;p&gt;Mr. Rhea has written eight award-winning books about the American Civil War, including The Battle of the Wilderness, The Battles at Spotsylvania Court House and the Road to Yellow Tavern, To the North Anna River, Cold Harbor, On To Petersburg, Carrying the Flag, In the Footsteps of Grant and Lee, and Stephen A. Swails: Black Freedom Fighter in the Civil War and Reconstruction. He has lectured across the country at the invitation of numerous historical societies, universities, and historic preservation organizations on topics of military history and the Civil War era and has served on the boards of several historical societies, history magazines, and historical preservation organizations. Mr. Rhea conducts tours for organizations that raise funds to purchase and preserve historical sites related to the Civil War era, including the Civil War Trust, the Central Virginia Battlefield Trust, the Blue and Gray Education Society, and the Friends of the Wilderness Battlefield. He has also appeared multiple times as a historian and presenter on nationwide television programs, including productions by The History Channel, A&amp;E Channel, Discovery Channel, and C-Span.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\"\r\n          data-email=\"\"\r\n          data-photo=\"https:\/\/cvbt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/gordon-c-rhea-290x290.jpg\">\r\n        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cvbt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/gordon-c-rhea-290x290.jpg\" alt=\"\">\r\n        <h4>Gordon C. Rhea<\/h4>\r\n        <p><\/p>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n                <a href=\"#staff-modal\" class=\"staff-member\"\r\n          data-bs-toggle=\"modal\"\r\n          data-name=\"Eric J. Wittenberg\"\r\n          data-position=\"\"\r\n          data-bio=\"&lt;p&gt;Eric J. Wittenberg is an award-winning historian, speaker and tour guide. His specialty is Civil War cavalry operations, and much of his work has focused on the Army of the Potomac\u2019s Cavalry Corps and on the Gettysburg Campaign. He is the author of 22 published books on the Civil War and more than three dozen articles that have appeared in various national magazines. He is also deeply involved in battlefield preservation work, including his work with both the American Battlefield Trust and the CVBT. He presently serves as the program coordinator for the Chambersburg Civil War Seminars and Tours and served as a member of the Governor of Ohio\u2019s Advisory Commission on the Sesquicentennial of the Civil War. He is a native of southeastern Pennsylvania and was educated at Dickinson College and the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. He is an attorney in private practice. He and his wife Susan and their golden retrievers reside in Columbus, Ohio.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\"\r\n          data-email=\"\"\r\n          data-photo=\"https:\/\/cvbt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/eric-wittenburg-200x290.webp\">\r\n        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cvbt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/eric-wittenburg-200x290.webp\" alt=\"\">\r\n        <h4>Eric J. Wittenberg<\/h4>\r\n        <p><\/p>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-cover alignfull is-light\" style=\"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;padding-top:0;padding-right:0;padding-bottom:0;padding-left:0;min-height:319px;aspect-ratio:unset;\"><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-cover__background has-quinary-background-color has-background-dim-100 has-background-dim\"><\/span><div class=\"wp-block-cover__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-cover-is-layout-flow\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cvbt.org\/wp-content\/themes\/cvbt\/blocks\/textured-border\/images\/textured-border-top-white.webp\" class=\"textured-border textured-border_top\" alt=\"\" \/>\n\n\n<div style=\"height:80px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-bootstrap-blocks-container container-fluid mb-0\">\n\t\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center has-secondary-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-a701906246be90a0c5b09193d90e8490\" style=\"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50)\">STAFF<\/h2>\n\n\n  <div class=\"staff\">\r\n                <a href=\"#staff-modal\" class=\"staff-member\"\r\n          data-bs-toggle=\"modal\"\r\n          data-name=\"Terry Rensel\"\r\n          data-position=\"Executive Director\"\r\n          data-bio=\"&lt;p&gt;Terry has Bachelor of Arts degrees in History\/Political Science and Broadcast Communications from the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford in Bradford, PA. and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Alaska Southeast in Juneau, AK. He also writes for the Emerging Civil War blog. Before joining CVBT in July 2019 he spent 12 years living in Homer, Alaska where he most recently was the General Manager of KBBI, the local public radio station.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\"\r\n          data-email=\"executivedirector@cvbt.org\"\r\n          data-photo=\"https:\/\/cvbt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Rensel-01-2022-scaled-1.webp\">\r\n        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cvbt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Rensel-01-2022-scaled-1.webp\" alt=\"\">\r\n        <h4>Terry Rensel<\/h4>\r\n        <p>Executive Director<\/p>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n                <a href=\"#staff-modal\" class=\"staff-member\"\r\n          data-bs-toggle=\"modal\"\r\n          data-name=\"Tim Talbott\"\r\n          data-position=\"Chief Administrative Officer\"\r\n          data-bio=\"&lt;p&gt;Tim has over 15 years of experience in the public history field serving at the Kentucky Historical Society in Frankfort, Kentucky, and at Pamplin Historical Park and the National Museum of the Civil War Soldier in Petersburg, Virginia. Tim has bachelor\u2019s degrees in Communications (Milligan College) and History (East Tennessee State Univ.), and a M.A. in Public History (Appalachian State University). His passion for Civil War history dates to a trip to Perryville, Kentucky, as a youth. Tim is the founding member and President of the Battle of New Market Heights Memorial and Education Association, and he maintains the \u201cRandom Thoughts on History\u201d blog. He is an avid reader and researcher and has published Civil War-era related articles in both book and scholarly journal format. Tim researches and writes all CVBT &#8220;History Wire&#8221; publications and has been featured in several magazines.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\"\r\n          data-email=\"chiefadministrativeofficer@cvbt.org\"\r\n          data-photo=\"https:\/\/cvbt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/tim-talbott-290x290.jpg\">\r\n        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cvbt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/tim-talbott-290x290.jpg\" alt=\"\">\r\n        <h4>Tim Talbott<\/h4>\r\n        <p>Chief Administrative Officer<\/p>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n                <a href=\"#staff-modal\" class=\"staff-member\"\r\n          data-bs-toggle=\"modal\"\r\n          data-name=\"Lisa Van Winkle\"\r\n          data-position=\"Special Events Coordinator (Volunteer)\"\r\n          data-bio=\"&lt;p&gt;Lisa has a long history in volunteering in the battlefield preservation community. She served on several committees for the Friends of Wilderness battlefield inclusive of Board Enhancement committee, Events Coordinator, Ellwood committee. She currently serves as the volunteer Special Events Coordinator for CVBT overseeing many aspects of our Annual Conference and other programs. Lisa also assists CVBT President Tom Van Winkle in several areas.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\"\r\n          data-email=\"\"\r\n          data-photo=\"https:\/\/cvbt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/lisa-van-winkle-290x290.jpg\">\r\n        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cvbt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/lisa-van-winkle-290x290.jpg\" alt=\"\">\r\n        <h4>Lisa Van Winkle<\/h4>\r\n        <p>Special Events Coordinator (Volunteer)<\/p>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:60px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-cover alignfull is-light\" style=\"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--80);padding-right:0;padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--80);padding-left:0\"><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-cover__background has-background-dim-0 has-background-dim\" style=\"background-color:#d4d3d2\"><\/span><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"949\" class=\"wp-block-cover__image-background wp-image-254\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/cvbt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/bg-newsletter.webp\" style=\"object-position:0% 50%\" data-object-fit=\"cover\" data-object-position=\"0% 50%\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cvbt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/bg-newsletter.webp 1920w, https:\/\/cvbt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/bg-newsletter-600x297.webp 600w, https:\/\/cvbt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/bg-newsletter-300x148.webp 300w, https:\/\/cvbt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/bg-newsletter-1024x506.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cvbt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/bg-newsletter-768x380.webp 768w, https:\/\/cvbt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/bg-newsletter-1536x759.webp 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" \/><div class=\"wp-block-cover__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-cover-is-layout-flow\"><div class=\"wp-bootstrap-blocks-container container-fluid mb-0\">\n\t\n<div class=\"wp-bootstrap-blocks-row row\">\n\t\n\n<div class=\"col-12 col-lg-8 col-xl-6\">\n\t\t\t\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-secondary-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-85c7d92082cbcb1c1778aa1cc0fba753\">NEWSLETTER SIGN-UP<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60)\">Join our community! Sign up for our newsletter to receive exclusive updates, event information, and preservation news directly to your inbox.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-white-background-color has-background is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\" style=\"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50);padding-right:0;padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50);padding-left:0\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\" style=\"border-left-color:var(--wp--preset--color--primary);border-left-width:3px;padding-top:0;padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50);padding-bottom:0;padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50)\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-secondary-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-fa304b406033074fcef43ccb648fc039\">STAY UP TO DATE<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/cvbt.dm.networkforgood.com\/forms\/email-sign-up\" style=\"height:590px;width:630px;\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-12","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cvbt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/12","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cvbt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cvbt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cvbt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cvbt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cvbt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/12\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cvbt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}