Calling on dedicated people throughout the basin, CRF has assembled a Board of Directors with a diverse background and reach. We are proud to have these volunteers set organizational policy, make strategic decisions and facilitate community outreach and fundraising. They bring CRF talent, energy and expertise, and we are fortunate to have them on our team!
2017-2018 Board Members
Tyler Richardson
Chairman of the Board
Tyler Richardson is the Associate Director of retail fund operations at Barings and a Lake Norman native. He spent his summers boating, kayaking, swimming and enjoying all aspects of the Catawba River Basin. Tyler graduated a McKissick’s Scholar at the University of South Carolina in Columbia where he studied Finance and Public Relations. After college, Tyler worked for one of the largest mutual fund companies in several roles that took him to Philadelphia before accepting his current position with Barings back in his home state. Tyler has been on the Board of CRF since September of 2016 and serves on the Executive Committee. Along with the Riverkeeper, Tyler is a Heart Math Tutor at Sedgefield Elementary and a volunteer with Habitat for Humanity in Charlotte. In his free time loves to golf, visit Charlotte’s many breweries, and watch the Panthers play.
Shirley Greene
Vice Chair
Shirley earned an undergraduate degree in Economics from Johnson C. Smith University, Charlotte, NC, and a master’s degree in elementary education from Temple University, Philadelphia. In 2004, she retired from the American Cancer Society in Atlanta, Georgia, as National Director of Cancer Control Training and Development. Shirley has been on the Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation board of directors since 2014 and enjoys being a mother, grandmother and disciple of Christ active in various church ministries.
Will Piner
Board Treasurer
Will is a partner with Peter Bell, PLLC in Charlotte, NC. He has been in public accounting in North Carolina for 15 years after graduating from UNC. He is married to Sara and they have three boys, Alex, Jack & Drew. Will has previously volunteered with CRF, Carolina Raptor Center & Hands on Charlotte and served for two years as the Treasurer for the Vermillion Homeowner’s Association. He is passionate about the environment and wants to contribute to keeping our waterways clean for the future.
Katie Forster
Board Secretary
Katie Forster graduated from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte with a degree in meteorology, which fostered her interest in the environment. She was born and raised in the Lake Norman region and knows first-hand the importance of protecting the Catawba River. She has been a member of the CRF Board of Directors since 2015 and is an avid runner – completing the New York Marathon in 2016.
Chad Burel
Chad Burel is the Founder and President of LakeHickoryAdventures.com, a Financial Advisor at Edward Jones Investments, a husband to Lisa Burel, a father to 7 children and a grateful follower of Jesus Christ. He grew up as an Eagle Scout on the historic Eno River in Hillsborough, NC where his love of the water began. Chad earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering at NCSU and was commissioned as an officer in the USAF. He earned his M.S. in Engineering and Environmental Management at the Air Force Institute of Technology, became a Registered Environmental Manager and taught topics including environmental law, regulatory compliance, pollution prevention and cleanup technology at the Air Force Civil Engineer and Services School. Chad moved to Hickory in 1995 to make his home and raise his family on the banks of the Catawba River at the western end of Lake Hickory. With his investments office on the Catawba River Greenway in Morganton, his home on headwaters of Lake Hickory and his yachting business on the main body of Lake Hickory, Chad’s fondest memories and greatest passions flow daily through the Catawba River Valley.
Ellen O. Goff
As a long-time CRF volunteer and community philanthropist, Ellen Goff brings invaluable experience, connections and knowledge to the Board. Ellen Goff served for many years as the Lakekeeper for Lake Wylie. In that capacity, Ellen managed the Lake Wylie Covekeepers, organized Lake Wylie Riversweep (which is one of the largest and most successful cleanup events in the Carolinas), and various other events to raise money and promote awareness of issues affecting the River.
Dr. Bob Dawkins
Raised in a home along the Enoree River, Dr. Bobby Gerald Dawkins is a chemist, philanthropist and family man. Retired from PBI Performance Products, Inc. as a Senior Polymer & Fiber Associate in Research and Development, during his career, he co-authored 16 publications and US chemical patents. His appointments include research positions at Savannah River Laboratory, Celanese Corporation, and Hoechst Celanese Corporation. Bob graduated from Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU) with a B.S. in Chemistry and Cornell University with a PhD in Analytical Chemistry. In terms of synergistic activities, Bob is a member of the American Chemical Society (Carolina-Piedmont) and served on the Mayor’s Chemical Safety “Blue Ribbon” Study Committee and Citizen’s Advisory Council on Hazardous Materials. He engages in numerable JCSU alumnae activities, including community service projects with fortune 500 brands such as Toyota. Bob also collaborates with faculty researchers at the University of South Carolina, JCSU, and researchers at RPI/Troy, NY.
Randy Kelley
Randy, a retired executive from Sonoco Producs, Fenner Dunlop Conveyer Belting Americas, and Caraustar Industries, has been living on Lake Wateree since 2003. He is originally from Hartsfield, SC and is married with two grown children. Randy is active in his community and serves on multiple Boards, such as the Lake Wateree Water Watch Advisory Board (Chairman) and the Fairfield County Zoning and Planning Commission.
June Lambla
June Lambla is on the Catawba River several times a week, rowing competitively and coaching high school rowers from surrounding counties. As an arts curator, she has developed exhibitions documenting the Catawba River and highlighting the importance of this region’s water and natural resources. On the board since 2011, she has witnessed the importance of citizen advocacy on issues that affect our waterways and values the knowledgeable “watchdog” role of CRF.
Michael Lindsey
Michael and his wife Nancy have lived on Lake Norman with their three sons for 27 years. The Catawba River is their home and they are proud of what the Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation has done to protect the River and to ensure clean, plentiful water for today and for the future. Michael has served three terms on CRF’s Board of Directors and is a former Chairman of the Board. He is an avid river recreationalist – Paddle on!
Ron Pfeffer
Ron lives on Lake Norman in Mooresville and is graduate of the University of Connecticut (B.A. Biology), University of Hartford (MBA), and Central CT State University (M. Ed, Educational Technology). Early in his career he was Executive Director of the Farmington River Watershed Association. He moved on to a series of corporate headquarters positions at Northeast Utilities over 18 years. More recently, he was a High School science teacher and an eLearning Instructional Designer.
Susan O. Tompkins
Susan Oast Tompkins grew up in and on the water in Tidewater, Virginia, before moving inland in the late sixties. She lives in the floodplain on Briar Creek with appreciation for water. She was instrumental in getting her neighborhood association to ask the owners of the land fronting Randolph Rd. and Briar Creek to donate 22 acres to the Catawba Lands Conservancy – now the Catawba Urban Preserve. Susan went as a photographer to the BP oil spill off the coast of Alabama in 2010 and continued her service in water on the Mecklenburg Storm Water Advisory Committee for 6 years and one as its Chair in addition to the Charlotte Tree Advisory Committee, the Charlotte Public Arts Commission and the NC Climate Change Commission in Raleigh. Currently she is an art consultant at the Foundation For The Carolinas. She is interested in how to create dialogue with diverse groups about the importance of water.
Bob Webb
Bob Webb is a long-time resident of Lake Norman who cares about the lake, the river and the surrounding environment. He is Chairman of Myers & Chapman where he had also served as CEO until June 1, 2017. Bob is a LEED Accredited Professional and has been advocating for and helping his clients build sustainable, healthy, energy efficient, and water efficient buildings for a number of years. He has also traveled and studied water issues in other areas, including a 2016 trip with an Appalachian State University student group to the Amazon. Bob enjoys time with family and friends and is an avid swimmer, cyclist and gardener. Bob joined the Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation Board in 2017.
Martha Whitfield
Martha Whitfield, a Charlotte native, grew up swimming in Lake Wylie and playing in Sugar Creek in the 1960s. Environmental protection is her passion with board membership and advocacy for the Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation since 2013 and Foothills Land Conservancy since 2011. She is on the executive committees of both organizations. Martha worked at The Charlotte Observer prior to opening a teaching and production art studio in NoDa. Over the years, Martha has volunteered in CMS public schools. Her lifelong passion is creating community among various groups to achieve common goals.
Volunteer Photographers
Nancy Pierce
Volunteer Documentary Photographer
Documentary still photographer Nancy Pierce’s work often reflects her personal interests in land, air and water protection, active transportation and recreation, equality and the common good. A Minnesota native and U of M Journalism School graduate, she has covered the Carolinas for various publications since moving to Charlotte in 1979 as a Charlotte Observer staff photographer. Since then she has worked in most of the 50 states photographing conferences for non-profit organizations, which she enjoys because she can listen in on interesting proceedings without having to sit still.
Tom Carroll
Volunteer Documentary Photographer
After decades of film photography, Tom entered the digital era in 2007 and has since been making a wide variety of imagery including travel, landscape, macro, flower, wildlife, and, during several bouts of cerebral hemorrhage, wedding photography. His primary equipment includes Canon 5D3, 7D2, Fujifilm X-T1, and X-T2 cameras. He has given presentations to numerous photography groups on a variety of topics including the principles of visual design, travel, wildlife, and street photography. His images have been published in national photography magazines, used by BBC-TV, hung in local art galleries, and earned awards in national and international competitions. After 30 years in Minneapolis, he now resides in Davidson, North Carolina.