Board Members

Jenny is a former corporate executive with business and human resources management expertise. Holding a BS in business administration from The Ohio State University, she spent 25 years with Procter and Gamble Company in Cincinnati, OH. There she held a variety of positions, culminating in Director of Global Executive Compensation. In this capacity, she supervised the delivery of executive compensation payments to 14,000 executives in 80 countries. While at Procter and Gamble, Jenny presented extensive training on a variety of matters including leadership and diversity/inclusion. Her board experience includes serving as president of the Walnut Hills High School Parent Association, member of the Walnut Hills High School Alumni board of trustees, and on the compensation & benefits advisory committee to the board of directors of Cincinnati Boys Hope Girls Hope. Jenny and her spouse Ed moved to the Asheville area after retiring in 2017.

Chuck is a retired attorney, who has a long history of service to the community including: Asheville City Council member and Vice Mayor, RiverLink Board Member, Asheville Parks and Greenway Foundation, Big Brother/Big Sisters, Blue Ridge Public Radio, Asheville Downtown Assn, Asheville Humane Society, NC National Park, Parkway, Forests Development Council, National Parks Conservation Assn, National Advisory Council and Buncombe County Land Conservation Advisory Board. He has expertise in Legal, Contracts and Networking, and Historical RiverLink connection. Chuck is a long-term whitewater kayaker with a keen interest in river protection.

Lisa leads the internal sustainability team within the US Deloitte Purpose Office, with primary responsibility for activating the organization to achieve Deloitte’s WorldClimate ambition. WorldClimate includes Science Based Targets-approved emissions reduction goals, embedding sustainability throughout the organization’s policies and practices, empowering individuals to take climate action, and engaging ecosystems. 

Lisa has over a decade of experience as a corporate sustainability and nonprofit strategy consultant, working with organizations across sectors on issues related to strategic growth and operational sustainability. In addition to serving clients, she has also served in a Chief of Staff role for Deloitte’s social impact consulting practice, the Monitor Institute by Deloitte, managing talent and financials for the team. Lisa began her career as a bioenvironmental engineering officer in the US Air Force, ensuring compliance with EPA and OSHA regulations. 

Lisa holds a joint MBA/MS Environment & Resources program at Stanford University and a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from Princeton University. 

Danielle is an experienced CPA with a keen interest in RiverLink’s mission. She has served on our Finance Committee since January 2024, providing useful feedback on our financial management issues. She has experience in Finance/Accounting and Management/Administration, working with a variety of small businesses and nonprofits.  Danielle is currently employed as an accountant and CPA by DMJPS, PLLC.

Eric is a former Town of Woodfin City Manager and key player today for Woodfin Greenway and Blueway as special projects.  Eric’s background includes having been the Buncombe County Finance Director and he currently serves as the Town of Woodfin Special Projects Manager. He is instrumental in Woodfin Greenway Blueway and knows the project as well and is Tim Love’s (Buncombe County Director of Governmental Affairs) partner on all things WGB (financially, contractually, funding, TDA/TPDF presentation, etc.).He has an MBA from UNC-CH and a graduate of Leadership Asheville and former Board member of the Franklin School of Innovation.

Doug recently retired as environmental scientist and Associate Vice President with Hazen and Sawyer in Atlanta after 35 years working across the country on water resource planning and permitting, watershed and stormwater management, and environmental assessment and permitting, and ecosystem restoration projects. Based on his experience, it was RiverLink’s focus on the restoration of the French Broad River watershed that drew him to the organization. His daughter has lived in the Asheville area for over 10 years and he and his wife, Wendy, have been coming to the Asheville area to visit and enjoy the outdoors ever since. He hopes that his previous work on riverine corridor restoration on the Chattahoochee River near Columbus, Georgia and the Arkansas River near Tulsa, Oklahoma will help the Riverlink team with future projects on the French Broad River. He also volunteers for the Environmental Quality Institute’s (EQI) Volunteer Water Information Network (VWIN) and Stream Monitoring Information Exchange (SWIE) programs which support water quality and macro benthic invertebrate sampling on a routine basis. Doug and Wendy are avid hikers and spend much of their free time exploring the western North Carolina mountain trails. He is working on his fly-fishing technique and transitioning from a flat water (coastal) paddler to a more proficient white-water paddler.

Professionally, Jennifer serves as the Government and Community Relations Manager for Duke Energy serving seven WNC counties.  In this role she has partnered with RiverLink to connect us to government and community resources as well as to Duke Energy grants.  She currently serves on the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce, Economic Development Coalition, Haywood County Advancement Foundation and the Haywood County Chamber of Commerce.  In her prior role at Duke she was responsible for the development and operations of recreational access and facilities. Jennifer’s education is in Parks, Recreation and Tourism and she has a personal interest in land and water conservancy.  She brings experience in grants, conservancy, management/administration, outdoor education and local networking.

Ken is a strong environmental advocate with deep connections to local, regional, and national political communities.  A retired corporate executive, he holds a BA and MBA from Texas Tech University.  Since moving to Asheville in 2008, Ken has served local nonprofits in key positions including as chair of the board (and chair of the finance committee) for BPR Public Radio, and as chair of the finance committee for the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville.  Ken is the current political chair of Sierra Club of WNC and past chair of NC Sierra Club Chapter board.  He is on the steering committee for the Solarize Asheville/Buncombe Campaign and member of the Neighbor-to-Neighbor subcommittee to fund solar on low-and-moderate-income homes.  Ken is a member of the French Broad Water Quality Task Force and chair of the subcommittee to ban single use plastics and Styrofoam. 

Rob has worked as an engineering consultant in WNC since 2015 and is now a Senior Water Resources Engineer at Wildlands Engineering. A native of Australia, Rob grew up on a 200-acre cattle property before earning bachelor degrees in Environmental Engineering and Natural Resource Management, and later a Master of Engineering Management (with a minor in Renewable and Sustainable Energy) from the University of Colorado Boulder. Rob’s early career combined agricultural engineering projects across Australia with his passion for international development, particularly improving self-reliance in subsistence-living communities. He spent a year in Cambodia and nearly two years in East Africa implementing permaculture solutions, followed by 14 years serving as a volunteer on the board of the Australian-based nonprofit, FoodWaterShelter.

Rob has been a valuable partner with RiverLink and our community, especially since Helene, providing project management and technical services for projects including high-hazard dam management, lake dredging and restoration, and stormwater system assessments.Rob brings experience and passion for conservation, education, river recreation, and nonprofit work, along with a strong local network.

Coral has lived in Asheville for over 20 years and founded her Asheville-based PR and Digital Marketing Firm, Darby Communications, in 2008. Coral and her team partnered with RiverLink for the 2024 RiverLink Reduce Rain Runoff campaign and is very familiar with our work. She serves on Woodfin’s Recreation Advisory Committee and regularly volunteers with the Chamber’s business incubator program, Venture Asheville. She has expertise in marketing, public relations, communications, fundraising, special events, entrepreneurship, management/administration, and nonprofits. Coral loves the river and the region.

John was the CEO of Diamond Brand Gear Company before the business was destroyed by Helene.  He served on the Board of the Autism Society of NC and is a former Board Member of the Center for Craft.  He has a BA in Mathematical Methods in the Social Sciences and Economics from Northwestern University, and an MBA from the University of Chicago.  John is a successful entrepreneur and has been very involved in giving back to the community.  Sustainable water management is his passion – which makes sense given his strong commitment to sustainable manufacturing practices during his years of owning and running Diamond Brand Gear.  John provides experience in Finance/Accounting, Fundraising, Education, Entrepreneurship, Management/Administration and networking.

David is the retired CEO and General Manager of Blue Ridge Public Radio. In addition to RiverLink, he also serves on the board of Thrive Asheville. David previously was on the board of ArtsAVL and co-founded the Leadership Asheville Executive Director Roundtable. He worked in both domestic and international journalism for his entire career, including major roles at CNN, Reuters, and Nebraska Public media.

Linda has been doing urban, rural, and regional planning work for 27 years, with most of her experience in the Asheville region.  An advocate for safe and connected pedestrian/bike/transit transportation infrastructure, she is passionate about creating more livable, walkable, and sustainable communities.  She is a strong advocate for creating affordable housing options for people of all ages and income levels, and supporting the local economy.  She worked in local government and at Land of Sky Regional Council for 20 years and is now providing community planning, planning for aging in place, project management, facilitation, and community engagement consulting services.  Linda enjoys learning and staying current on planning and related issues and policies.  She is certified by the American Institute for Certified Planners (AICP) and a member of the American Planning Association.  She has a M.A. degree in Geography from UNC Charlotte and a B.S. degree in Computer Science from Duke University.

An avid kayaker and avowed river lover, Liz lives in Madison County in the Shelton Laurel community. For over 30 years, Liz and her ex designed pre-engineered hazardous material storage buildings to provide secondary containment of chemicals and prevent groundwater contamination for Fortune 500 companies. Liz is enjoying a second chapter with her partner in Laurel where she serves as President of the Laurel Community Center Organization, a non-profit that serves the local community. She also serves as Vice Chair of EMYS (Empowering Madison Youth to Succeed) an organization providing tutoring and mentoring to Madison County Public Schools. “We ALL live downstream”

Marc has previously served on Asheville’s City Council and is a very active member of the Asheville community.  He has experience in finance, land resources/conservancy, nonprofits and strategic planning.  He is a very well-known whitewater activist, land conservation advocate and the primary instigator for the Woodfin Greenway Blueway project and Taylor’s Wave – named in memory of his son.  He is very well connected with local community leaders and fully understands the complexities of working with multiple municipal and private sector entities on implementation of community-oriented projects.  Marc has experience in fundraising/special events, entrepreneurialism and nonprofits and has an extensive local network.  He is actively involved with the discussion of the potential removal of Craggy Dam.  He has extensive local history, incredible drive and a focus on recreational opportunities in the French Broad River watershed.

Christina has over 28 years of professional experience as a public servant in local government, including direct social work practice, child welfare supervision, program management, human services planning evaluation and local government performance management. She has experience and expertise in project management, data analysis, program analysis, facilitation, strategic planning, quality assurance, business process improvement, innovation, organizational change and budget development and support. She has lived in the area for 30 years, working for Buncombe County Government and Buncombe County Health and Human Services.  Christina served as the facilitator for RiverLink’s retreat in August 2024 and has assisted the Executive Committee in post-Hurricane Helene problem-solving.

Antanette has deep roots in the Asheville area, where her family has resided for more than five generations.  A practicing lawyer for more than 20 years, Antanette is currently associated with the law firm of Alston and Bird.  Antanette graduated from the Asheville School, earned her undergraduate degree at UNC Chapel Hill, and her law degree from Georgia State University.  From 2016-2019, she served as Director of Resource Development for Mountain Housing Opportunities, Inc.  In 2020, she was appointed to the Asheville City Council.  She is active in many local organizations including serving on the City of Asheville’s African American Heritage Commission and as a Board Member of the Verner Center

Woody is a gastroenterology specialist, who currently practices part time at the Asheville VA Medical Center.  He received his BS from Tufts University and his MD from the State University of New York Downstate Medical School.  Before relocating to the Asheville area, he managed a large, single specialty medical office and ambulatory surgical center practice in Albany, NY.  Woody has been recognized as Physician of the Year by the Capital District Chapter of the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation and was a member of their Scientific Advisory Board for many years.  His past positions include serving as Chief of Gastroenterology for St. Peter’s Hospital (Albany, NY) and as Chief of the Medical Staff at Albany Gastroenterology.  He has been a frequent lecturer and speaker for medical associations and has served on a variety of medical and health insurer committees.  

Upon arriving in Asheville in 1975, Susan began volunteering for Asheville Greenworks (then Quality Forward).  She became that organization’s Executive Director in 1983 and retired in 2013.  She has worked tirelessly to improve the environment and has been referred to as the “Tree Lady.”

Over the years, Roderick has done everything from helping to build playgrounds and celebrate beautiful trees to battling the litter problem. She’s partnered with countless other community organizations. In short, she’s been a persistent force.

Susan has considerable experience in Sustainability, Environmental Awareness, Non-profits, Grant writing, Public Policy and Community Outreach as well as an extensive network of connections within Asheville and the surrounding areas.