About KDC
Our Team
Board of Directors
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KDC Board of Directors

KDC continues to be governed by a volunteer board of directors mostly comprised of professionals in rural development, economic-community development, and education.  They are a hands-on board and regularly assist in KDC projects.

Sonia Wasco, President
Sonia S. Wasco is president and CEO, Grant Heilman Photography, Inc a stock photo library specializing in American agriculture and natural science photography including a significant collection of horticulture, wildlife, lifestyle and travel images. The collection contains over a million high quality images representing the work of more than 100 photographers from around the world.

Sonia has lead the agency to be known as the world’s most complete source of American agriculture imagery. She has nearly 30 years’ experience in the stock photo business and is past president of the industry’s trade association the Picture Archive Council of America (PACA) and served on the Board and executive committee for 20 years.

Sonia is an advocate for the protection of intellectual property rights and serves as an expert witness on legal issues in the photography industry. Sonia is a frequent speaker and presenter at photo industry events. She is an avid conservationist and serves on the Board of Directors for the Lancaster County Conservation District and as a volunteer for the Lancaster County Youth Conservation School for more than 35 years. She was a member of the Lancaster County Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s agriculture committee and served as its chairperson and was an active participant for 8 years.

Sonia taught agriculture at the high school level for ten years before moving to Grant Heilman Photography. She holds a B.S. in Animal Husbandry from Delaware Valley College and M.S. in Agriculture Education from Pennsylvania State University. She and her husband Frank reside in Lancaster County, PA.

Lela Reichart, Vice President

Lela’s experience encompasses an extensive 25+ year career in food and agricultural marketing, with a passion for agricultural business/market development.  She has successfully managed industry relations to assist in the growth and development of new business initiatives within almost every segment of Pennsylvania’s $76 billion agricultural industry. 

She was most recently the Director of Marketing and Economic Development for the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture where she led efforts to strengthen the message of agriculture and food to consumers, retailers and interest groups.  While there she facilitated the creation of several industry partnerships that have led to increased economic development, while invigorating the state’s leading economic enterprise.  Reichart was also heavily involved in strengthening the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s commitment to domestic and international trade.

She joined the Bureau of Market Development in 2008 as the USDA Specialty Crop block grant administrator for the Commonwealth of PA.  She played a key role in bringing critical funding for both agricultural marketing and research to farmers across PA as well as research institutions such as the Pennsylvania State University. Under Lela’s leadership, the Department has expanded participation in the Specialty Crop Block Grant program. She also worked as a Program Director for the Mid-Atlantic Milk Marketing Association (MDA), Corporate Category Manager for Rutter’s Convenience Stores, and Extension Coordinator for Penn State University Agricultural Extension. 

Lela holds a Master of Business Administration degree and a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing, and is a 2012 Pennsylvania Governor’s School of Leadership (LDI) graduate.

In her new role at Sterman Masser Inc., Reichart will be responsible for marketing SMI’s growing product line. She will also work closely with Keystone Potato Products to help market fresh cut potato products to restaurants and small food service providers. In addition, she will be responsible for the company’s social media platform, company branding across the US, in-store promotional events with major retailers, and new product development and research.

Charlotte Davis, Secretary
Charlotte Davis has over 20 years of professional experience in government, advocacy and political consulting. She has spent over ten years working within the Maryland General Assembly, most recently as Chief of Staff for a Committee Chair. She has experience in non-profit management, managing a small organization dedicated to educating and advocating on behalf of Montgomery County, Maryland. In the fall of 2012, Charlotte was a part of the successful campaign to change Frederick County’s form of government from Commissioner to Charter. Currently, she serves as the Executive Director for the Rural Maryland Council, an independent state agency, which seeks to improve the quality to life while preserving the cultural heritage of Maryland's rural communities. Charlotte holds a BA in Government and Politics from the University of Maryland and a MA in Government from Johns Hopkins University. She lives in Middletown, Maryland with her husband and two sons.

Stephen R. McHenry
Executive Director, MD Agricultural & Resource-Based Industry Dev. Corporation

Steve McHenry has served as the Executive Director of the Maryland Agricultural and Resource-Based Industry Development Corporation (MARBIDCO) since December 2006. Prior to this, he held the positions of Executive Director of the Rural Maryland Council and Director of Government Affairs for the Maryland Municipal League. Steve’s professional career was focused for many years on policy development and advocacy for small and rural communities, and more recently on agricultural business capital and credit availability and food systems development. 

Steve has served on many local, state, and national boards of directors, commissions, and advisory groups related to sustainable agriculture and forestry, rural economic and community development, and agricultural education. Additionally, he is a member of several trade and professional organizations, including the Maryland Farm Bureau and the Maryland Economic Development Association. Steve holds undergraduate (St. Mary’s College of MD) and graduate degrees (UMUC Graduate School of Management and Technology), and was a member of the 2000 Class of LEAD Maryland, the agricultural and rural leadership development program and the 2002 Class of Leadership Maryland, a statewide executive leadership development program.

Bill Walker
Bill is an experienced agricultural marketing specialist with 30 years of accomplishments in identifying and developing markets for agricultural and seafood products, organizing unique promotions, and effectively communicating with industry representatives and market target groups.

He works extensively with the NJ supermarket industry to develop and conduct market development and merchandising programs to expand public awareness and promote the usage of Jersey Fresh agricultural products.

Bill also works with NJ farm marketers. He assists local governments and community organizations to develop community farmers markets. Bill works with the NJ Department of Health & Senior Services & the USDA Food & Nutrition Service to improve the redemption rate of fresh fruit and vegetable vouchers & SNAP benefits.

Bill works with the NJ hospitality industry to promote the usage of all NJ agricultural products. He has conceived Departmental economic strategies for the NJ agri-tourism industry to develop and promote agricultural operations as tourism destinations.

Bill serves on the Advisory Board of the NJ Farm to School Network to promote school gardening, nutrition education, and the sourcing and utilization of local farm products by local schools for their cafeteria foodservice operations. Additionally, as a certified teacher of agriculture and former teacher, Bill serves as chairman of the NJ Agricultural Education Advisory Council.

Willie Lantz
Extension Educator-Agriculture and Natural Resources - University of MD Extension

Willie is the Agriculture and Natural Resource Extension Educator for the Garrett County office of University of Maryland Extension. Willie grew up in nearby Preston County, WV on a dairy farm. Willie received his BS and MS degrees in Agriculture Education from West Virginia University. Willie taught high school agriculture at Hedgesville High School in West Virginia for 5 years. Willie then took a position with the University of Maryland, Institute of Applied Agriculture teaching in a newly formed two year Agriculture Program at Garrett College in McHenry, MD. Willie transferred to the University of Maryland Extension in 2004. In Willie’s current position, he works with farmers in western Maryland with a focus on small farms, forage based livestock production and fruit and vegetable production. 

One area of specialty has been working with season extension using high tunnels and local marketing of fruits and vegetables. Willie helped create Garrett Growers Cooperative which is a producer cooperative that focuses on marketing local produce to restaurants and grocery stores in western Maryland. In his spare time, Willie and his family operate a 100 acres farm in Garrett County producing vegetables in high tunnels and raising beef cattle. Willie is married to Arlene and has two sons, Aaron and Levi. Aaron attends Frostburg State and Levi is at UMBC.

Cheryl Cook, ex-officio
Cheryl Cook returned to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture in March 2015, following a six-year stint in the federal government under the Obama Administration.  She was appointed to serve as the United State Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Chief Information Officer from April 2012 to March 2015, after serving as Deputy Under Secretary for USDA’s Rural Development Mission Area from March 2009 to April 2012.  From April 2003 to March 2009, Cook served under former Agriculture Secretary Dennis Wolff as Deputy Secretary for Marketing and Economic Development. Secretary Redding appointed Cheryl Cook as Deputy Secretary for Market Development in January 2017, following nearly two years as the Agency’s Chief Innovation Officer.  As a Deputy Secretary, Cook oversees the Bureaus of Farm Show, Farmland Preservation, Food Distribution, and Market Development.

A lawyer by training, Cook’s career has included a range of service to production agriculture and rural communities.  She has served in a variety of roles, from cooperative development as Executive Director of the Keystone Development Center to Pennsylvania State Director for USDA’s Rural Development programs.  She has also served as the Assistant Director of the National Farmers Union’s (NFU) legislative staff in Washington, DC and Assistant to the President of NFU’s Pennsylvania chapter.  She returns to the department with 30 years of experience and a commitment to advance the department’s diverse missions.

​Cook received a 2017 Meritorious Service to Agriculture Award from National Farmers Union for outstanding leadership and service to family agriculture and to Farmers Union.  She also was named by Federal Computer Week magazine as one of the “Federal 100” in 2015, an annual award recognizing government and industry leaders who have played pivotal roles in the federal government IT community.