Staff

Ally Scholle

Museum Interpreter

Ally Scholle is a seasonal Museum Interpreter at Oatlands, where she helps guests connect with the past through research and context. She double majored in Classical Studies and Linguistics at the College of William and Mary. Scholle also works at George Washington’s Mount Vernon, which informs her perspective on the psychological violence of slavery and how she interprets enslaved people’s choices. She is also passionate about language and names, and how people use names to preserve identity.

Hope Conrad

Museum Interpreter

Hope Conrad is a seasonal Museum Interpreter at Oatlands. She is a recent graduate of William & Mary, where she earned degrees in Anthropology and Africana Studies. In collaboration with the University of the West Indies, she has studied Caribbean linguistics in Barbados. Additionally, Conrad researched Native American artifacts from the Chesapeake, concentrating on cookware and foodways. At Oatlands, she connects historical research with public education, making the stories of people and communities accessible to diverse audiences.

Karen Cowan

Visitor Services Assistant

As a Visitor Services Assistant at Oatlands, Karen Cowan enjoys welcoming guests and helping them connect with stories that bring history to life. Before joining Oatlands, she provided compassionate care to families and their pets for over five years as a professional pet sitter and worked in an optical laboratory crafting precision contact lenses. A proud mother of three adult children, Karen has long volunteered in community service roles and believes in creating a warm, inclusive, and informative visitor experience. Her enthusiasm for history and hospitality shine in her work at Oatlands.

Bridget Santos

Gardener

Bridget Santos brings artistry to her work as a gardener at Oatlands, blending horticultural expertise with creative design vision. A former aircraft mechanic in the U.S. Air Force, she approaches landscape care with discipline and dedication. Currently pursuing a B.F.A. in Graphic Design and Fine Arts at George Mason University, she integrates aesthetic principles from her studies into her garden work. Her capstone project—branding for a restaurant and creating a hand-bound recipe book—reflects her multidisciplinary talent for design, storytelling, and craftsmanship.

Larisa Epatko

Communications Specialist

In the role of Communications Specialist, Larisa Epatko leads storytelling and communications across the site, from media relations to digital content, helping to bring Oatlands’ history, landscape, and programs to life for growing and returning audiences. Larisa brings a background in journalism and strategic communications, with experience at the PBS NewsHour and the United States Institute of Peace.

Hannah Schetselaar

Education Assistant

Hannah Schetselaar is an Education Assistant at Oatlands, where she brings to life the stories of people and place through research-driven programs and interpretation. She earned her B.S. in Psychology from Roanoke College and her M.A. in History and Public History Certificate from Virginia Tech. Her experience includes archival research for the Genealogy of Slavery project, documenting Black resistance in the 1600s, and community-based history projects with the Christiansburg Institute. At Oatlands, she combines scholarship and storytelling to make history inclusive and relevant for modern audiences.

Donna Bohanon

Education Associate

Donna Bohanon is the Education Associate at Oatlands, where she develops K–12 programs that connect students with the site’s diverse stories through history, science, and agriculture. Her lessons align with Virginia’s Standards of Learning and inspire curiosity about the past and the environment. A graduate of Northern Virginia Community College’s Public History and Historic Preservation program, Donna transitioned to museum education after a 30-year career in the federal government working in financial management. She previously worked at the Loudoun Heritage Farm Museum, facilitating engaging programs on local heritage and land use. Deeply committed to preserving African American history, Donna chairs the Black History Committee of the Friends of the Thomas Balch Library and represents the Sterling District on the Loudoun County Heritage Commission.

Audrey DeAngelis

Public Historian

Audrey DeAngelis has served as a Public Historian at Oatlands since 2024. A native of Williamsburg, Virginia, she earned her B.A. in Anthropology from James Madison University and has worked in public history and archaeology at Colonial Williamsburg, Historic Jamestown, and the Old Barracks Museum in Trenton, New Jersey. Passionate about immersive storytelling, she brings history to life through living history portrayals from the American Revolution to World War I. At home, Audrey enjoys spending time with her partner and their lively menagerie of opinionated pets: Roxie, an elderly beagle mix; Marie, a spirited teenage cat; and Félicette, a venerable guinea pig—each with strong opinions about history’s unsung heroes.