Leadership
ADF is managed by an elected Board of Directors called the Mother Grove. Furthermore, each region is tended by a Regional Druid that reports to the Council of Regional Druids. The current members of the Mother Grove and the current Regional Druids are listed below.
Mother Grove
Archdruid: Rev. Jan Avende
They/Them
Rev. Jan Avende is an Initiate and Priest, and has served as in various leadership roles across ADF. They are a talented Bard, Liturgist, and Spiritworker, with a passion for mentoring & supporting others, building resources for pagan families, and making the work that we do as pagans accessible for all. They enjoy talking with others about how they practice paganism and Our Druidry. Jan's service vocation is to meet the needs of the wider ADF and pagan community, working to build a strong online community that all can feel like they are a part of, no matter their physical location or ability to travel.
Locally, Jan serves the Central Ohio pagan community out of Three Cranes Grove, ADF, and professionally they work as a hospital and prison chaplain. Outside of ADF, Jan enjoys spending time with their partner, kids, and many many animals. They are slowly working on turning their yard into a little suburban homestead with a thriving garden, orchard, and some small livestock. They spend a lot of time in nature, but also enjoy various fiber arts, martial arts, and playing D&D, board games, and video games.
Vice Archdruid: Rev. Diane Cacciato
Rev. Diane Cacciato is a solitary Ordained Priest, a Bardic Circle 1 Essayist, Poet, Orator and Storyteller, and Circle 2 Poet. She is also a Circle 1 Liturgist and a Circle 1 Naturalist. Diane was the Regional Druid for Canada West from 2019 to 2022 and the Grove organizer and priest for the Garry Oak Protogrove. She is a queer, Canadian woman who has lived in several countries and has travelled widely. Diane lives in a small village in the mountains of Sicily, where she and her husband grow olives using sustainability and permaculture practices.
Secretary: Mike Bierschenk
Mike Bierschenk is a member of Three Cranes Grove in Columbus, Ohio, and has been an ADF member since 2015. He is currently the Mother Grove Secretary and the Chief of the Bardic Guild, and within Three Cranes he serves as webmaster and grove bard. His work in ADF aligns with his professional expertise: during the workday he manages a digital innovation lab within Ohio State’s Department of English, as well as supervising the department’s communications across web, email, and social channels. (Which, to answer his grandfather’s question 20 years ago, is apparently what you do with degrees in French, linguistics, and creative writing.)Beyond administration, Mike is a composer, arranger, and performer. Within ADF, he composes and performs music for both ritual and performance purposes, and has twice held the Wellspring Bardic Chair. Outside ADF, he is a poet and essayist, a long-time member of the Columbus Gay Men’s Chorus, and a choral arranger specializing in TTBB arrangements.
Treasurer: vacant
This position is currently vacant.
Member’s Advocate: Torre Journey
Hi my name is Torre Journey (He/Him/His)! I am an environmental science researcher, Pagan-interfaith Minister, public speaker, and essayist. I am currently working on my Bachelor's degree in both Environmental Sciences and Mechanical Engineering. I can tell you — knowledge, spirituality, and community are my absolute passions! In my everyday life, I work as a non-profit coordinator where I train everyday people to see, think, and analyze environmental issues and sustainability practices to leverage environmental health outcomes! My life quote is "Be the change you wish to see in the world" Within ADF, I have had the pleasure of serving as the ADF Member's Advocate on the Mother Grove since December 2025. As a voice for our membership, I am always willing to listen, provide space, and support your needs in ADF!
Council Chief (Senior Druids): Tasha Smith
Tasha (She/Her) has been a member of ADF since 2019, her path brought her to Druidry through Thornhaven Grove, ADF in Inkerman, ON. She is a polyamorous, bi, widowed mother with invisible disabilities. People in her immediate family members have visible and invisible disabilities, and several of them are also represented under the 2SLGBTQIA+ umbrella. Her focus as a leader is matriarchal, where care, support and protection are the core reasons of the why and how. Her goal in the Council is supporting a community of leaders in their role welcoming members and the public to groves and protogroves because leaders need care too. As a member of several marginalized groups, Tasha brings an accessibility and inclusivity lens to her approach to supporting folks.
Council Chief (Regional Druids): Dave "Thexalon" Kleinschmidt
Dave joined ADF in 2009 as part of Stone Creed Grove, ADF, in northeastern Ohio. He has served as secretary, treasurer, and now senior druid of Stone Creed Grove, and has been an officer of the ADF Hellenic Kin and Bardic Guild. He was first elected to the role of Regional Druid for the Heartland Region in 2019, and became chief of the Regional Druids in 2026. Dave's vision for the Regional Druids is to provide a primary point of contact for solitary ADF members, provide assistance to and assist with oversight of groves in their regions, and to promote the growth of ADF as a whole. Dave has a lifelong love of the performing arts, particularly music, and has been writing songs for every seasonal high day ritual he has attended for over a decade, as well as arranging songs for and directing choral performances in ADF rituals and festivals. For his bardic work, he was recognized as the Wellspring Bardic Chair in 2012 and ADF's Bard Laureate from 2022-2024. His solo music and writings are available at his blog The Joy of Thex, and he also performs with The Mickey's and for the northeastern Ohio contra dance community. Professionally, Dave's work has been primarily in software engineering, but he has also spent time working for summer camps, and was the founding president of a small environmentalist non-profit in northeastern Ohio. He aims to direct his efforts towards building sustainable living and social justice as an alternative to exploitative social and economic structures.
Non-Officer Directors: Aimee Brannon
Aimee has been a member of ADF since 2016. ADF stood out when she was exploring Pagan groups to join because of its openness regarding personal belief and its emphasis on scholarship. She served as Regional Druid for the Southwest region during COVID, and subsequently took on the responsibilities of a Non-Officer Director on the Mother Grove. She completed her Dedicant Path in 2020 and has been affiliated with and then a member of Chokecherry Grove since 2016. Aimee also enjoys contributing to the ADF journal Oak Leaves, and is an avid reader of Pagan and Pagan adjacent books.
Non-Officer Directors: Rev. Michael J Dangler
(He/Him/His) I’ve been a member of ADF for well over half my life, joining in 2001 and founding Three Cranes Grove, ADF in 2002. Over the lifetime of my involvement in ADF, I have served in a variety of support roles for administrative functions, including wearing various ADF Preceptor hats, Council of Senior Druid hats, and ADF Office and other administrative hats. I’m also an ADF Senior Priest, ordained in 2006 and becoming a Senior Priest in 2010. I completed my Dedicant Path work in 2003 and became an ADF Initiate in 2009. These days, I spend a lot of my time seeking additional training outside of ADF. I also co-own a brick-and-mortar spiritual shop called The Magical Druid.
Non-Officer Directors: Matthias Dolgner-Trampnau
My name is Matthias Dolgner-Trampnau, born 1975 and living in Berlin, Germany. Married to Cordula since 2004 and owner of two cats.
I have been a member of Ár nDraíocht Féin: A Druid Fellowship, Inc. since 2017 and am the founder of Protogrove Holuntar-Hain. I have been active in interfaith dialog in Berlin for over 10 years and regularly attend the Long Night of Religions Berlin every year as part of the Pagan Paths Berlin event, now Pantheon e.V.
Non-Officer Directors: Clinton Burn
I’m Clinton (He/Him)! I’ve been a practicing pagan since the age of 15 and a practicing Druid since 2012. Having worked with OBOD for many years I found ADF while exploring practices that better aligned with my own Druidic practice. ADF has underpinned the development of my practice since 2021, and I haven't looked back. I work with local pagan community groups and have presented at various camps and festivals over the years, even producing a podcast for a number of years which was called 'Shove it up your Awen' (a bit tongue in cheek).
Administration
Beyond the Mother Grove, ADF depends on members for day-to-day operations, management, and administration. These appointed roles include:
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Role
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Administrator |
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Office Manager |
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Information Manager |
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PR Manager |
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Preceptor |
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Chronicler |
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Webmaster |
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Listmaster |
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Regalia Manager |
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Social Media Manager |
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Volunteer Coordinator |
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Librarian |
ADF Regions
Each region elects a member to the position of Regional Druid. The ADF regions are: