John Searby

John Searby serves as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the collaboration between Catawba Riverkeeper and Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden. In this role, he is the Executive Director of both organizations. 

John is responsible for the overall leadership of Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden & Catawba Riverkeeper and serves each as their primary visionary, strategic leader, and relationship developer. He leads a senior management staff responsible for the joint operation of both organizations that includes a Chief Financial Officer and Chief Administrative Officer charged with developing administrative economies of scale, joint programming, and enhanced missional impact for two of the Charlotte region’s most important environmental non-profits.

John’s passion for the outdoors influences everything he does. He grew up in Central Illinois where his love of nature began while bird hunting with his grandfather. Inspired by the mountains of East Tennessee where he attended college, John has developed a love hiking, trail running, mountain biking, kayaking, and camping that finds him spending as much time outside as possible.

John brings a diverse background in coaching, athletic administration, fundraising, design, marketing, sponsorship planning, and sales management to his work. He leverages these experiences to build organizations that inspire a love of nature and its beauty through unforgettable experiences to motivate the public to join in the work of preserving, protecting, and restoring our region’s vital natural resources.

John attended Milligan University in Johnson City, TN, where he was a 3-year starter and captain of the basketball team. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in History and English from Milligan and a Master’s Degree in English from Tennessee Tech University. After college, John embarked on a ten-year basketball coaching journey at Gardner-Webb University, Tennessee Tech University, Lincoln Christian University, and Auburn University before working in athletic administration at Bradley University. Following his time in athletics, John worked in the business world for XOS Digital, Downstream Design, and Adams Outdoor Advertising. In April, 2019 John became the Executive Director of Catawba Riverkeeper and assumed that same role with Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden In March, 2023.

John currently resides just minutes from Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden on the banks of the South Fork River in Belmont, NC with his wife, Jessi, and two children, Jack (18) and Josie (15). John also serves the Charlotte region as the President of the Catawba-Wateree Relicensing Coalition, a member of the Gaston County Travel & Tourism Board of Advisors, a member of the Pharr Family YMCA Board of Advisors, and as Chairman of the South Fork Collective. He also proudly serves the State of North Carolina as a gubernatorial appointee to the Catawba Indian Nation Foundation Board of Directors.