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HRWC BOARD OF
DIRECTORS

The Board of
Directors of the Hiwassee River Watershed Coalition, Inc. is made up of
appointed representatives from the Cherokee, Clay, and Blue Ridge
Mountain Soil & Water Conservation Districts and the Cherokee, Clay,
Towns and Union County Commissions. The eight appointed representatives
then appoint at least one At-Large Director. Additional At-Large
Directors are appointed to ensure adequate representation of the
communities served by the Coalition, as long as geographic diversity is
not compromised and Directors residing in one county do not constitute a
majority. The total number of members shall not exceed fifteen (15).
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OFFICERS |
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Robert Head,
Chairperson
Representing the Union County
Commissioner
Robert Head and his wife
Stacy live in Union County where generations of his family
have lived. Robert received a B.S. degree in Aerospace
Administration with a Minor in Business Management from
Middle Tennessee State University in 1991. For eleven
years afterward, he owned and operated Mountain Building
Supply in Blairsville. In 2003, he sold the business
and returned to school. Robert is currently attending
Cleveland State Community College in Tennessee to obtain
A.A.S. degrees in Architectural and Civil Engineering
Design. He also owns and works part-time for Butternut
Creek Land Company. Robert was appointed by the Union
County Commissioner to the HRWC Board of Directors in
February 2008. He also serves on the construction and
site selection committees of Habitat for Humanity in Union
County. Robert agreed to serve on the HRWC Board of
Directors in order “to help make more people aware of how
important clean water and water conservation are” to our
communities and future prosperity.
Email:
Robert Head |
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Anne Mitchell,
Vice-Chairperson
At-Large, Towns
County
Anne Mitchell was
appointed to the the HRWC Board of Directors in September 2007. Anne has
been a supportive, active member of the Hiwassee River Watershed
Coalition for many years. In fact, she helped prepare and print
the first HRWC newsletter in 1997! And, she has been a part of
the Lake Chatuge Ani'ama' team (volunteer monitoring) since it
began in 2002! Anne has been a Towns County resident for more
than 20 years and generations of her family have lived here
before her. She has a Master’s Degree in Social Work and is a
retired family counselor. Anne served on the Towns County school
board for 11 years. Currently she is an active member of the
Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd and the League of Women
Voters. Anne says she is happy to serve. "I believe protecting
our water resources through education and action is essential."
Anne has three children and six grandchildren.
Email:
Anne Mitchell |
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Nancy Troxler,
Secretary
At-Large, Cherokee County
A
Cherokee County, NC resident for more than 30 years, Nancy
Troxler joined the board in September 2009 to “play a more
active role in protecting and improving the wondrous natural
resources of these mountains.” After retiring from the nursing
profession, Nancy has immersed herself in volunteerism,
including 11 years on the board of directors at the John C.
Campbell Folk School and 17 years as a Girl Scout Troop Leader.
Nancy is also involved with the Cherokee County
HouseRaising Volunteers,
Hinton Rural Life Center’s
Samaritan's
Promise, and the Murphy Riverwalk. She and her husband, Brian
Mitchell, have two children. In 2004, Nancy and Brian
participated in an HRWC restoration project along Little
Brasstown Creek designed to minimize bank erosion and improve
riparian buffer habitat. As for goals associated with her
service to the board, Nancy’s interests lie in helping HRWC
promote awareness of environmental issues to the next
generation.
Email:
Nancy Troxler |
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Brenda Hull,
Treasurer
At-Large, Clay
County
Brenda Hull has been a HRWC Board member since 2003. Brenda lives in
Clay County, but works full time as a Biology/Ecology Professor at Young
Harris College in Towns County. Brenda's primary professional interests lie in the field of
ecology, ethology and ornithology. She enjoys traveling, photography
and gardening in her spare time.
Email:
Brenda Hull |
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Top |
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MEMBERS |
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Silas Allen
Representing the Cherokee
County Commission
Silas Allen and his wife Bobbie live in Cherokee County where
Silas has lived his whole life. The land he lives on has been
owned by his family for more than four generations. Silas has
been serving on the HRWC Board since shortly after HRWC's
incorporation. He is also a member
of the NC Homebuilders Association, the NC Codes Enforcement
Association and the NC Association of Floodplain Managers.
Silas works full time as a Cherokee County Building Inspector
and Watershed & Floodplain Administrator. In his spare time, he
likes to golf, fish, play tennis and work with his horses. When
asked what he would like people to know about himself, Silas
said, " I care about water quality deeply. It saddens me... to
see the streams and lakes fill up with silt."
Email:
Silas Allen |
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Truman Barrett
Representing the Towns County
Commissioner
Truman Barrett is a
Towns County native and generations of his family have lived
there before him. Truman has over 40 years of experience in
business or public service and has served on more than 25
boards. In addition to HRWC, he currently serves on the NE
Georgia Red Cross Board. Soon after graduating from Towns County
High School, he served in the U.S. Army as a Military Policeman
and in the U.S. Air Force as a Security Policeman. During that
time he took business classes at Georgia State University. After
serving in the military he became the Director and President of
SW North Carolina Farms Co. Op. Later he served the community as
Probate Judge (1984-1985) and Sole Commissioner for Towns
County, GA (1985-1989). He has been the President and CEO of KB
Health Tech, Inc., ERTH Group, Inc. and Envirotech Intl., Inc.
Currently, Truman is a business consultant working with start up
and troubled companies throughout the U.S. and internationally.
He agreed to serve on the HRWC Board because of his “concern for
the water quality of the Tennessee Valley.” He desires to help
in the areas where his strengths lie. Truman is a life long
member of Union Hill United Methodist Church where he serves as
Lay speaker and choir member. Truman and his wife Wanda of 30
years have two daughters, Amber and Rinday.
Email:
Truman Barrett |
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Jim Dobson
Union County
representative of Blue Ridge
Mountain SWCD
Union County resident for more than twenty-five years, Jim
Dobson served as Vice-Chairperson of the HRWC Board from 1995 to
2004 and as as interim vice-chairperson in 2007. Jim
is involved with many other community organizations: Kiwanis,
Masons, Shiners, Union County Chamber of Commerce serving two terms as Interim Director, Union/Blue Ridge SWCD (of
which he serves as Chairperson) and RC&D. Jim is retired from
agriculture research and administration; he served as
Superintendent of the Georgia Mountain Research and Education
Center for much of his career. Jim spends most of his free time
being of service to others. He has been given many awards for
his participation in various community projects. Jim desires to
"make [his] retired years productive." He believes that "an
organization with a plan and technical service can do much to
reduce erosion and pollution and improve water quality." He
feels strongly that "education is the most vital force in
protecting the environment." |
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Deb Edwards
Towns Co.
representative of Blue Ridge Mountain SWCD
Deb Edwards was appointed in 2009 by the
Blue Ridge Mountain Soil and Water Conservation District to
serve as its Towns County, GA representative. With both a
master’s and specialist degrees in Education, Deb is a part-time
science lab teacher to third, fourth, and fifth graders at Union
County Elementary School. Expanding on the theme of learning,
Deb feels that water quality education is imperative for keeping
a balance between community expansion and resource protection.
One of her goals is to achieve a closer partnership between HRWC
and the City of Young Harris, for which she currently serves on
the Planning Commission.
Email:
Deb Edwards |
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Mark Kephart
At-Large, Eastern
Band of Cherokee Indians
Mark Kephart joined the
HRWC Board of Directors in April 2008 as an At-Large
representative from Cherokee County, N.C. Mark is the Cherokee &
Graham County Housing Services Manager for the Eastern Band of
Cherokee Indians and, as a National Guardsman, is a veteran of
the war in Iraq. He and wife, Angela, live on Hanging Dog Creek.
Mark is an avid fisherman.
Email:
Mark Kephart |
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Gilbert (Gil) Nicolson
Representing the Clay County
Commission
Clay County
resident, Gil Nicolson, was the first staff person HRWC ever had! After working for four years, he and his wife, Amy,
went abroad with Habitat for Humanity. Upon Gil’s return in 2003
he was appointed to the Board and has served as Chairperson
since the beginning of 2004. Gil and Amy, have five children
and one grandchild. Gil enjoys contra dancing and hiking. A
retired consulting engineer, Gil now volunteers as a
carpenter/house builder. Gil shares that he wants help make "our
part of the world" sustainable. "I believe that being a
caretaker of our environment is an important legacy to pass on
to the next generations."
Email:
Gil Nicolson
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John Strawn
Representing the
Cherokee County SWCD
John
Strawn and wife, Pam, own Hanging Dog Valley Nursery in Murphy,
a local wholesale nursery specializing in native trees, shrubs
and plants. John’s experience as a botanist,
naturalist, and former USDA district conservationist make him a
strong representative for the Cherokee County Soil and Water
Conservation District. He and Pam have lived in Cherokee County
for more than 30 years and have raised two children in the
area. John joined HRWC, first as an individual, then as a
business member, in order to be part of the active protection of
our watershed. He can often be found hiking and enjoying the
paths at Murphy Riverwalk.
Email:
John Strawn |
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Barry Varian
At-Large, Union County
Barry joined the HRWC board
as an At-Large representative of Union County, Georgia in
June 2009. Since retiring from Steris Corporation as Director of Health Care/Europe in 1997, Barry and his wife, Lynn have been
active residents of Union County. Barry also volunteers his time
with the Lake Nottely Improvement Association, First United
Methodist of Union County, and the local Humane Society. As a
father of five and grandfather of eleven, Barry
understands the considerable significance of improving water
quality for future generations.
Email:
Barry Varian
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Previous Members of the HRWC Board of
Directors
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