Fauquier FISH’s leadership team brings a range of experiences and backgrounds to our mission to end hunger in Fauquier County. Our leadership team consists of an Executive Director and a Board of Directors.
Charity Furness was appointed Executive Director of Fauquier FISH in 2021, after volunteering with FISH for over six years. Charity is an Orange County High School graduate with a degree in Nuclear Engineering from Purdue University. She and her husband Steve have called Warrenton home for over a decade. Charity brings a wealth of leadership experience to Fauquier FISH, having served as Executive Director of Experience Old Town Warrenton (EOTW) between 2018 -2021. Charity is the founding director of Fauquier FISH’s Weekend Power Pack program and served as the volunteer Executive Director of FISH from 2015-2018 and board member from 2018-2021.
Our Board
Elaine Harris, Treasurer
Management Accountant, Small Business Support Services
A Warrenton resident since 1984, Elaine is an Accountant, a QuickBooks Coach and owner of Small Business Support Services. Elaine has volunteered with Fauquier FISH since 2000. Elaine was the driving force behind FISH’s 2015 transformation of the ‘food bank’ into the nutrition focused Fauquier FISH Food Pantry. She is the creator of the DASH (Delicious, Affordable, Simple, and Healthy) food pantry meals program.
Julie Jones, Director of Senior Services
Retired Insurance Analyst, Inova Health System
Julie Jones has called Fauquier County her home for the last 40 years. Julie first volunteered with Fauquier FISH in 2017, maintaining a consistent presence at both food pantry and Weekend Power Pack (WPP) sessions. In September of 2021, she began leading FISH’s monthly Senior Supplemental Nutrition Program in partnership with the Department of Social Services. Her husband, Gordon also volunteers with the organization. Julie also devotes her time to Northern Virginia Food Rescue and the Hylton Performing Arts Center.
Maggie Massie, Director of Food Procurement
Radiography Instructor, Northern Virginia Community College
An instructor at Northern Virginia Community College and resident of Fairfax County, Maggie commutes to FISH two to three times per week. Having joined the ranks at FISH in 2012 as a coupon shopper, she now serves as the Food Procurement Specialist and is responsible for making sure the food pantry shelves are full each week to serve clients.
Megan Oakley, Board Chair
Staff Member, Fauquier County Public Schools, Fauquier Reaches for Excellence in School Health (FRESH)
A graduate of Fauquier’s Liberty High School, Megan moved back to Fauquier County in 2013. After nearly two decades in the field of criminal justice project management, overseeing millions of dollars in externally funded projects, she took a position within the county’s school system. In her current role, Megan writes grants supporting nutrition, movement, and literacy programs for Fauquier children. Megan began volunteering with FISH in January of 2014, serves as Co-Director of the Weekend Power Pack Program, and handles all of the organization’s grant writing, reporting, and volunteer recruitment.
Erin Smith, Secretary and Director of Children’s Services
Web Developer, CSW Superior IT Solutions
Erin moved to nearby Jeffersonton in Culpeper County in 2011. She has spent the last ten years raising her three children and doing consulting web development for a local IT firm. Erin began volunteering with Fauquier FISH in 2015 assisting with open sessions at the food pantry, Weekend Power Pack deliveries, and website design. In August of 2017, Erin became Director of the Weekend Power Pack Program.
Chelby Steadman, Director of Family Services
Chelby Steadman is a Tennessee native who has called Warrenton her home since 2020. Chelby has always been passionate about helping others. She and her husband Kyle were a Navy family from 2010-2020. During this time they looked after many of the single sailors who lived on the same base, while also raising their own two children. During deployments, Chelby acted as a liaison to families, providing information and support, while also arranging for the assembly of care packages for shipment overseas. She is currently working towards her Bachelors in nursing and hopes to one day work for the Veterans Affairs Hospital. Chelby has volunteered with FISH since 2022, naturally rising into a leadership role at the Food Pantry and joining the Board in January of 2023.