Our Staff

Jacob R. Day, Assoc. AIA

Director

A native of Maryland’s Eastern Shore, Jake returned to the land of pleasant living in 2008.  Before arriving at Eastern Shore Land Conservancy, he served as national President of the American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS) and later as Editor-in-Chief of Crit, journal of architecture. A Richard Upjohn Fellow, Jake served on the AIA national Board of Directors and in various capacities with ACSA, NAAB, NCARB and Urban Dialogues.  He earned a Master of Science in Nature, Society & Environmental Policy from Oxford University where he graduated with distinction for his dissertation on transforming the American lawn.  Jake also earned a Master of Urban Design from Carnegie Mellon University and a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the University of Maryland. An Officer Candidate with the U.S. Army, Jake will commission this September as a Lieutenant with the 158th Cavalry.  Jake is an adjunct professor of Environmental Policy at Salisbury University, a commissioner on the City of Salisbury/Wicomico County Planning Commission, the Salisbury Board of Housing Appeals and chair of the Wicomico County Natural Resources Conservation Advisory Committee.

Jake’s work has been honored with the 2007 ULI Gerald D. Hines Urban Design Competition Honorable Mention and in publications including Urban Trialogues and Strategies for the Reuse of Vacant Urban Land.  Jake was also featured in the 2007 book – Becoming an Architect, by Lee Waldrep, Ph.D.  Jake recently authored place work[s]hop, a book about ESLC’s community design process published in 2010. You can reach Jake at 443.988.8815.

Sarah Abel, SEED, Assoc. AIA

Community Design Manager

Sarah is a community designer and organizer who comes to Center for Towns with an interest in the communities ability to live off the land in a cohesive built environment. She is a Chicago native who great up around public service, with a father as a fireman. Sarah pursued a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Oklahoma, graduating with leadership distinction in 2010. Sarah has served as a National Director for the American Institute of Architecture Students while working at the lead design firm in Oklahoma City, Elliott + Associates. After graduation, Sarah knew she wanted to pursue architectures ability to engage the public in the shaping their future communities. She has spent the last few years working with the leading centers in community design, having organized critical conversations in advancing architects resourcefulness to serve the public interest.

Sarah is a certified SEED professional, the professional design metric in social, economic, environmental and design practices. She currently serves as the Vice President of the Association for Community Design. Sarah looks forward to joining the Center for Towns at the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy to built capacity by enfolding community engaged design on the Maryland Eastern Shore.  You can reach Sarah at 410.829.9187.

Brad Rogers

Community Projects Manager
Brad is ESLC’s Community Projects Manager. He has had a varied career in the fields of environmental preservation and community economic development. Brad was the Eastern Shore director of 1000 Friends of Maryland, and later went on to found a series of social enterprise companies focused on green building. As a green designer, developer, and builder, he helped create a wide range of cutting-edge homes and businesses. Brad has both a law degree and Masters of Environmental Management. But, most importantly, he was an ESLC intern back in the summer of 1997. You can reach Brad at 410.493. 0852.