Citizens for Fauquier County Welcomes Four New Directors

WARRENTON, VA — During the second half of 2023, Citizens for Fauquier County (CFFC) elected four new directors to expand its board’s capacity to deliver on its mission. The organization, the oldest in the county focused on conservation, depends largely on its board for everything it accomplishes. Five new directors joined CFFC’s board in 2022, and the organization now has a dedicated group of 21 directors to drive its preservation and conservation efforts throughout Fauquier.

Steve Dahllof spent 26 years with Ogilvy PR, a leading worldwide public relations firm, as the global head of strategy and planning before assuming responsibility for the Asia Pacific region. He directed branding and marketing communications efforts for numerous business clients and other organizations including Nestle, LG Electronics, and Sun Microsystems. Dahllof also helped develop public health communications programs for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health. He lives near Middleburg and is on the Board of Directors of the Piedmont Environmental Council.

Sophie Langenberg grew up in Fauquier County before earning a degree at the University of Virginia in 2014. As a communications professional, she wrote for several area publications, joined the Middleburg-based public relations firm Bendure Communications, and became Land Trust of Virginia’s first communications staff member in 2021, with responsibility for promoting land conservation across the state. Langenberg is also involved with Virginia United Land Trusts, the Piedmont Symphony Orchestra, the MOC Beagles, and is a Master Gardener of Fauquier and Rappahannock counties.

Jean Perin was born and raised in Cincinnati but fell in love with the Virginia Piedmont region in college. Perin worked with a number of conservation organizations until she was introduced to the Piedmont Environmental Council in the 1990s. She joined the PEC Board in 2000, and later became co-chair from 2014 until this past fall. Her conservation accomplishments include being a valued member of the Route 50 Traffic Task Force, which successfully implemented traffic calming measures on this scenic roadway through Aldie, Middleburg, and Upperville. Perin also was a leader in saving Gilbert’s Corner and permanently protecting the gateway to rural western Loudoun and northern Fauquier.

Ali Zarabi immigrated to the United States from Iran in 1978. After attending schools in the Tidewater and Richmond areas, Zarabi began a successful career in the beauty industry in Washington, D.C., and has owned and operated his salon in Old Town Warrenton for over 28 years. Zarabi was the senior member of the Warrenton Planning Commission for 22 years and retired at the end of 2022 having served as the vice chair for three years. Zarabi previously served as a board member and secretary of the Mental Health Association of Fauquier County and is currently completing his sixth year on the Board of Trustees at Highland School in Warrenton.

“Our new directors bring a wealth of knowledge about our county and the skills and passion to advance our ongoing conservation efforts,” said CFFC President Kevin Ramundo. “In the past several years, in addition to strengthening our board, we have taken on new threats to Fauquier’s rural traditions including data centers, utility-scale solar, and overly ambitious growth plans for Warrenton, and increased our membership by at least a third. We are increasingly well positioned to stay on top of our mission to protect Fauquier’s future.”

Photos courtesy of Citizens for Fauquier County.

Posted on: February 14, 2024