The Chestnut Hill Conservancy has elected three new members to its board of directors: Karren DeSeve, Andrew Moroz, and Henry Trapnell. Each brings professional experience and longstanding interests aligned with the Conservancy’s mission areas of preservation, conservation and history, as well as with the community engagement priorities outlined in its 2025–2030 strategic plan.

Karren DeSeve, a retired immigration attorney, returns to the board after previously serving from 2008 to 2020, including a term as vice president. During that period, she led the Conservancy’s efforts to obtain its first Land Trust Accreditation Commission accreditation and chaired the Conservation and Easements Committee. She also guided the board through the organization’s name change from the Chestnut Hill Historical Society to the Chestnut Hill Conservancy.

DeSeve practiced immigration law for more than 30 years before retiring from the firm of Baumann, DeSeve & Landau in 2010. After graduating from Temple University Law School in 1977, she established and managed the Immigration Law Division of Philadelphia Community Legal Services. In 1980, she co-founded Baumann and DeSeve, now Landau, Hess, Simon, Choi & Doebley, the oldest Philadelphia law firm specializing in immigration and nationality law. She has served as immigration counsel to corporations, medical centers, universities and individuals.

While living in Washington, D.C., she completed certification courses in historic preservation law at the National Trust for Historic Preservation. She and her husband, Ed, donated a façade easement on their 19th-century townhouse. She served on the Sheridan-Kalorama Historical Association Board, the D.C. Spanish Steps Restoration Project, and the Historic Call Box Restoration Committee. She also owns a farm in the Poconos that participates in The Nature Conservancy’s Family Forest Carbon Program.

Andrew Moroz has lived in Chestnut Hill with his wife, Lois Mathison, for 31 years, after previously restoring a pair of 18th-century trinity houses in Center City. As a longtime resident, he has valued the neighborhood’s walkable character and the natural beauty of the Wissahickon Valley. He served for many years on the Chestnut Hill Community Association Land Use, Planning, and Zoning Committee. He represented the Conservancy on the working group that drafted a preservation and conservation zoning overlay for Germantown Avenue.

Moroz has been a licensed architect for more than 40 years, with experience ranging from single- and multi-family residences to $100 million laboratory buildings. Much of his work has focused on contexts with strong collective identity, including university campuses, museum complexes, and historic urban environments. He has taught architecture at Temple University and served as a design critic at all Philadelphia architecture schools. He is also an accomplished wood engraver, printmaker and bookbinder whose work has been exhibited, purchased and recognized with awards.

Henry Trapnell is a venture capitalist with F-Prime Capital, where he works at the intersection of technology and finance. He has strong interests in community development, historic preservation and sustainability, including gardening, local ecology and outdoor spaces. He is a graduate of Boston University and Stanford University, where he earned his MBA, and brings both a global perspective and an appreciation for local history to his work in Chestnut Hill.

Trapnell and his husband, Judson, reside in a Wissahickon schist home built in 1783. His ongoing restoration and stewardship of their historic property reflect a commitment to maintaining Chestnut Hill’s architectural heritage. His passion for restoring and maintaining their home echoes a broader commitment to preserving the neighborhood’s architectural heritage and fostering conversations around sustainability and community character.

The Conservancy will hold its Annual Meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 3. The meeting will provide members, partners, and the public with an opportunity to meet the new Directors and learn more about the Conservancy's ongoing and upcoming projects.