Diving into the 2024 Election Season

Ryan Carter • December 4, 2023

Your Role in Protecting Our Waters

The day has come. The official start of the 2024 election is here. In North Carolina, candidate filing (the first day candidates can fill out the paperwork to run for office) is Monday, December 4. 

For the primaries, South Carolina will be up first with the Democratic Presidential Preference Primary (PPP) on February 3, followed by the Republican PPP on February 24. Then, North Carolina has its general Primary on March 5. Back to South Carolina, candidate filing for Congress, State Legislature, County Council, and a host of other positions starts on March 16, and the actual primary will be in June. This all leads up to the general election on November 5, 2024.  

I don’t know about you, but I am already exhausted just thinking about this!  

There is much work to be done before the November election. Before the Catawba Riverkeeper legislative agenda priorities can even be considered “legislation,” they must be campaign priorities. This is where we need your help.  

Over the course of this election cycle, we will be rolling out content of all sorts to help our community better understand how our advocacy priorities directly impact everyone and how to engage our candidates for office in these critical issues.  

To give you a preview of what we’ll be talking about, below is a list of our priorities in both North and South Carolina. 

North Carolina 

Legislation that empowers local communities to address stormwater from preexisting paved surfaces that have out of date stormwater controls. 
Additional funding for state staff to help farmers with waste management plans. 
A state definition of what a wetland is and what protections it has. 
Funds for public access to navigable waters. 
Funds for communities to quickly access to remove failing dams.

South Carolina 

Publicly accessible information on pollution discharges. 
Funding for the preservation of State Scenic Rivers. 
Further legislative efforts to deter tire dumping.

This is a big election year. We will have many new faces in newly elected positions. We have a chance to make new connections and new friends. We have a chance to really make a difference for our river. Let’s make this year count. 

We hope you will join us on Facebook live on December 5 at 6 p.m. for a more in-depth discussion and have a chance to ask our Policy Manager, Ryan Carter, your questions.

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Catawba Riverkeeper Welcomes Dr. Mo Drinkard as New Executive Director

December 17, 2025

Catawba Riverkeeper is pleased to announce that Dr. Mo Drinkard has been hired as their new Executive Director. A standout among over 100 applicants, Mo was offered the position by the Catawba Riverkeeper Board of Directors search committee on Thursday, November 20th, and she assumed her role as leader of the organization on Monday, December 1st, 2025. Catawba Riverkeeper Brandon Jones, who participated on the search committee, shared that “Mo’s education, experience, and passion are directly aligned with the organization’s mission and needs. We are excited for her perspective and leadership in continuing the critical work of protecting our waters.” Mo is a mission-driven non-profit leader, professor, and scholar with a passion for building strong organizations, nurturing future leaders, and tackling big challenges in conservation, equity, and education. With over 20 years of experience spanning academia (Kent State University, Brevard College, Miami University), community partnerships, and environmental science, she's worn many hats: executive director, grant writer, program architect, DEIB strategist, faculty and student mentor, and not often enough, field biologist in muddy boots. Mo's work lives at the intersection of applied research and social change. She specializes in transforming great ideas into funded, functional, and impactful programs, whether that’s designing experiential learning curricula, guiding strategic organizational turnarounds, or helping community-based groups access the resources they need to thrive. From leading national workforce development initiatives to restoring urban watersheds (Doan Brook Watershed Partnership) and mentoring the next generation of environmental scientists, Mo brings an entrepreneurial spirit and deep subject matter expertise in biology, ecology, sustainability, and inclusion. Mo believes that science is for everyone, and that real change happens when we build spaces where all voices can lead. “I am honored and excited to offer leadership for the next chapter of Catawba Riverkeeper’s work. I believe deeply in the mission and am fully invested in the health and future of this watershed. I look forward to getting to work supporting the waterways, communities, and people that make up this expansive and impactful basin,” Dr. Drinkard said. Catawba Riverkeeper, currently one of the ten largest riverkeeper organizations in the United States, boasts over 8,000 members across the 26 counties of North and South Carolina where the waters of the Catawba flow. As the fifth Executive Director of the organization, Mo will bring new and innovative ways to advance the work of her predecessors and the mission of the organization in this new chapter of Catawba Riverkeeper’s leadership. Mo will be supported by 11 full-time staff and 22 volunteer board members to preserve, protect, and restore the Catawba River so that it sustains plentiful, clean water for generations to come.