Our Mission & Story

  • The mission of the Foxfield Preserve is to provide our community with an environmentally friendly alternative to modern burial, while preserving natural lands and providing sustainable funding for conservation and nature education programs.

  • Foxfield Preserve sets the national standard in conservation burial and leads a cultural sea-change in Ohio toward a more sustainable and meaningful approach to deathcare.

  • All operational and strategic decisions are grounded in conservation principles as our primary goal, and promise to the families we serve, is to preserve and restore this land.

Meet the Team

  • Hannah Mann

    Hannah Mann

    ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR

    Hannah Mann joined the Foxfield team in October 2021. Her educational background includes a Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Humanities from Hiram College and a Master’s degree in Medical Ethics from Northeast Ohio Medical University. Her thesis work focused primarily on expanding palliative care skills across medical specialties. What Hannah values most in her educational background has been the opportunity to listen and share stories with the goal of creating more empathetic care providers.

    Before joining the Foxfield team, Hannah’s experience includes working with the ACLU of Ohio on youth healthcare rights, Advocates for Youth and the effort to expand healthcare education at the federal level, and a variety of social services in the death care and youth development sectors.

  • Barbara Yoder

    Barbara Yoder

    OPERATIONS ASSOCIATE

    Barbara became a member of TWC in 2007 when her family moved to Ohio. She began regularly attending events at The Center with her then three and five-year-old children. Since then, Barbara has viewed TWC as an essential support in raising her children with a love of Nature.

    Barbara firmly believes in the power of nature to soothe and heal. Barbara has personally experienced the potential of the Foxfield Preserve to be a nurturing place for families, as she buried a family member in the Forest area in 2010.

    Her professional career has covered energy policy and research projects, government-led energy efficiency projects, and soil and water conservation. She has an interest in religious studies and anthropology. Barbara is an active volunteer: teacher and leader for a homeschool co-op, a poll worker, a member of the Education Committee for The Wilderness Center, and costume manager for Ballet Wooster. She lives in Wooster with her husband and two children.