Dr. Dan Abel
A native of the South Carolina lowcountry, Dan is founding director of the Sustainability Initiative and a marine scientist at Coastal Carolina University, as well as Senior Fellow with the U.S. Partnership for Education for Sustainable Development. He is the author of two environmental science textbooks, and writes an environmental column for the Myrtle Beach Sun News.
John Beal, Chair
Discovered the Dogwood Alliance in 2001 after moving to Atlanta from Colorado, and joined as a member. Soon realized the effectiveness of the Dogwood Alliance in preserving our precious (privately held) southern forests from unsustainable forestry practices. I joined the Dogwood Alliance Board Fundraising Committee as a volunteer in 2003, and have remained actively working to raise funds and awareness. Elected to the Board in 2005. One of the organizers of the annual Decatur (GA) Green Fest hosted by Dogwood Alliance.
Ginger Dollar, Vice-Chair & Treasurer
Employed as the Program Administrator at The Community Foundation of WNC where her primary responsibilities are to administer the foundations competitive grant programs and it’s capacity building initiative. Ginger has served as Treasurer and Chair on previous Dogwood boards and recently chaired the Strategic Planning committee to help the organization complete it’s current 5 year strategic plan.
Laura Floyd
Laura is a native coastal South Carolinian who has been a lifelong outdoor enthusiast and has held leadership positions and participated in environmental advocacy for over thirty years. She has a degree in Physical Education and Recreation, taught at the high school level and coached championship teams. She and has owned and operated a bookkeeping & business consulting business since 1982.
Neville Handel, Board Development Chair
Neville is an Ecologist and Conservation Planner for The Nature Conservancy in Southern Pines, North Carolina. His work focuses on protecting and restoring Longleaf pine forests in the North Carolina Sandhills. He has been a member of the Dogwood board for four years and has held the roles of Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, and Board Development committee chair.
Robyn Williams Heeks
Robyn is an architectural designer with Tise-Kiester Architects in Chapel Hill, NC. She specializes in green-building design and certification. She is a Northerner by birth, having grown up in New Jersey and attending Princeton University, but following a year of training with Green Corps as an environmental organizer she discovered southern forests and will never look “north” again. She lives with her husband and son in Durham, NC. In her free time she is a trainer and recruiter for Clean Energy Durham and helps out on harvest days at her husband’s market farm.
Eva Hernandez, Program Chair
After graduating from University of Kansas with a BS in Environmental Policy, Eva worked with GreenCorps and several electoral campaigns before going to work full time for Dogwood Alliance as Organizing Director, working to build a grassroots base to protect Southern forests. Currently, Eva is a Field Organizing Manager for Sierra Club based in Austin, Texas. She also serves on the Environmental Advisory Board for City of Austin, and on the board of directors for Environment Texas.
Germane James
Germane is a native northeasterner, who found her way to North Carolina by way of the Colorado Rockies. She currently works as the Development & Outreach Director at the Haw River Assembly, a non-profit citizens’ group working to restore and protect the Haw River and Jordan Lake. She attended Eugene Lang College – The New School University of Liberal Arts in New York City where she studied literature and writing but moved on to complete her degree in Management at the Art Institute of Colorado. She enjoys spending time with her playful dog Bud, exploring the natural and urban highlights of Durham, NC.
Gary Phillips
Gary Phillips is a writer, naturalist and entrepreneur in Silk Hope, North Carolina. He has a special interest in conservation easements and other land-protective strategies. Gary co-founded Weaver Street Realty and Auction Company in Carrboro over a quarter of a century ago and still has an office there. He lives in a rammed earth house with his wife, Ilana Dubester. Gary avidly reads anthropological science fiction and many other things, studies amphibian activities on full moon nights and was once chair of the Chatham County Board of Commissioners.
Stephanie Powell
photo coming soon
As the Executive Director of the Southern Energy Network, Stephanie spends her days working with Southern youth to combat climate change, advance renewable energy, and promote a smart, just energy economy. Stephanie first became involved with the Dogwood Alliance volunteering on the Staples, OfficeMax, and Victoria’s Dirty Secret campaigns when she was a student at the University of Georgia. Stephanie also serves on the Energy Action Coalition Steering Committee.
Scott Reese
Scott is a small business owner and an Asheville transplant, where he lives with his wife Laura near the Blue Ridge Parkway. An avid fan of music, he left his career in the music business in NYC and has focused on creating smaller, more conscious marketing, manufacturing, and promotional techniques for independent musical artists and their merchandise. He is active with the Dogwood Alliance and Surfrider organization, and is focused on packaging, distribution and sustainable consumption within the music and art industries.
Tami Schwerin
Tami Schwerin helped to found Chatham Marketplace, a co-op grocery in Pittsboro, NC. From there, she helped found a new non-profit, The Abundance Foundation, focusing on local food, renewable energy and community. Her expertise in community organizing, sustainable agriculture and biodiesel has been very helpful in furthering the community’s sustainability. She also focuses on her two boys, two stepdaughters and excitable husband. Tami hopes to be a farmer one day.
Rod Streeper, Secretary
Rod is a 20 year veteran of the entertainment industry, specializing on the packaging sector. Rod has worked with Sony Playstation, Sony Music and Universal Music designing and purchasing packaging, as well as working with retailers and trade groups on responsible packaging initiatives. Rod is currently Director of North American Operations for Redshift Software, a Boy Scout Scoutmaster and returned Peace Corps Volunteer.
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