Get to know the Catawba Riverkeeper Staff!

Morgan Long - Education Manager

1. Why did you decide to work for Catawba Riverkeeper? I’ve always known that I work best in what are considered ‘non-traditional’ jobs, the ones that allow you to be doing something different on any given day. My work with Catawba Riverkeeper provides that and allows me to combine the things I’m most passionate about (being outdoors, foraging, wildlife interactions, etc) into my wonky workdays. There’s never any telling if I’ll be in the office or in the field regardless of the time of year, and I absolutely love the flexibility and spontaneity of it all. No two days are ever the same, keeping it fresh and exciting all year round.

2. What is your favorite part about your job/what would surprise people about your job/what makes your job different? In my position I have the opportunity to work with individuals of all ages and backgrounds. The programs I host normally revolve around topics related to our basin and consist of an outdoor component whenever possible. I never thought in my lifetime I would say the phrase “please don’t eat that” as many times as I have in the last 2 years but here we are; and this is for both adults and students. My job is never boring, that’s for sure.

3. Anything else you want to include to give people insight into what your role is with CRF? My role with the organization gives me one of the best excuses to get involved in my coworkers’ projects and programs. I invite myself along on many adventures just so that I can gain a high-level understanding of the many things we do. I then get to transform what I learn and experience into programs that anyone can participate in! Most of our education programs consist of topics and issues our science team interact with on a regular basis. Being able to take those things from the field or lab and bring them in a new, more easily accessible form to a classroom or program allows for our community members to get a better understanding of what we do through their own unique experiences.

Lauren Huffstetler -  Volunteer and Community Science Coordinator

1. Why did you decide to work for Catawba Riverkeeper? I grew up exploring the Catawba River and fishing on Lake Wylie with my Grandfather. I knew early on that I loved nature and being outdoors and wanted to contribute to conservation and protection of this land. Through this work, I get to meet wonderful people and engage the community to take ownership of and care for the River I grew up loving. 

2. What is your favorite part about your job/what would surprise people about your job/what makes your job different? My favorite part of the job is working with an awesome team of passionate people that care about making a difference as well as meeting new volunteers and partners that have similar interests to protect our natural resources. I also love the instantaneous, positive results of litter cleanups and community science projects that visibly impact the health of our water. Getting to regularly be in the outdoors is also always a plus! 

3. Anything else you want to include to give people insight into what your role is with CRF? Collaboration among groups and individuals is necessary to get this important work accomplished, so please reach out to us to see what we can accomplish together for OUR River! 

Greg Nance - Engagement Manager

1. Why did you decide to work for Catawba Riverkeeper? My passion has always been the river for both work and play. Nothing makes me happier than getting people out on the water and teaching them how to enjoy it safely and take care of it.

2. What is your favorite part about your job/what would surprise people about your job/what makes your job different? My favorite part of my job is that I get to work with each member of our team by exploring and documenting the river and it’s tributaries. I log trashy areas for future community cleanups, collect water samples at turbid creeks, discharge sites, or harmful algae blooms (HABs) to report back to our protect team, and document unique areas to explore for future engagement with the communities of the Catawba-Wateree Basin. There’s no better venue to talk about the challenges our waters face than getting everyone out there to connect with it.

3. Anything else you want to include to give people insight into what your role is with CRF? I think that covers it. You could throw something in about me completing the Catawba Quest and about how I have paddled hundreds of miles in the tributaries of our basin.

Kaity D'Angelo - Recreation Manager

1. Why did you decide to work for Catawba Riverkeeper? I wanted to return to a work environment that made me happy and allowed me to make a difference. Whether it be many small opportunities to make differences on the water to our guests or one big opportunity to make a difference with a full program, doing work that is impactful is something that I truly cherish!

2. What is your favorite part about your job/what would surprise people about your job/what makes your job different? My favorite part about my work is the people.  Between my co-workers and the public, there are so many wonderful people! As recreation manager, I have just as much behind the scenes planning as actually working on the river with my team. The job also involves lots of internal communication with the engagement, education, and volunteer managers. I love this part!

3. Anything else you want to include to give people insight into what your role is with CRF? I served as a Volunteer Services Intern this past summer and was beyond excited to rejoin the Catawba Riverkeeper team in a full-time position. I have only been in this job for 2 months, but it has been amazing!

Ryan Carter - Policy Manager

1. Why did you decide to work for Catawba Riverkeeper? I love the mission. I’ve always been a passionate kayaker and being on the water has always been a place of refuge for me. Protecting our waters is about protecting a universal resource for everyone. When I graduated college, I moved home to Charlotte and immediately broke my ankle. I had to get out of a real slump and found CRF and volunteered to sit in their office and write policy briefs. Over the six years since then, I continued to follow and support the work of CRF and am so excited to doing the work I love for an organization that I love for a river that I love. 

2. What is your favorite part about your job/what would surprise people about your job/what makes your job different? My favorite part of my job is that it allows me to have inter and intra-community conversations. The flow of our river binds our communities together and we need everyone to cherish this resource! It’s a real joy and honor to work collaboratively with different communities across our basin on shared goals. 

3. Anything else you want to include to give people insight into what your role is with CRF? The vast majority of my job is doing research. It’s hard to get out to every issue area so it’s critical to our advocacy and policy work that CRF supporters download our app and report pollution whenever they see it. 

Harry Warren - Policy Coordinator

1. Why did you decide to work for Catawba Riverkeeper? I always wanted to work in Environmental Policy or Advocacy. This job was the perfect combination. During my four years at Davidson, I  came to appreciate North Carolina and it’s unique ecosystems. Working for Catawba Riverkeeper gives me the ability to advocate for those places I have truly come to enjoy. 

2. What is your favorite part about your job/what would surprise people about your job/what makes your job different? Outwardly, advocacy seems like a lot of talking with people and encouraging them to see our side of things. Luckily, my job consists of these conversations, but also involves deep policy research. I get to research policies that support our organization's goals and help craft an agenda that will protect our river.  Everyone in our state and basin wants to be good stewards of our river, so it is my job to figure out how to do that in today’s political climate.

3. Anything else you want to include to give people insight into what your role is with CRF? This is my first job out of college and I could not be more thankful for the support from Catawba RIverkeeper.  Shout out Ryan and Brandon for being great mentors!

Brandon Jones - Catawba Riverkeeper

1. Why did you decide to work for Catawba Riverkeeper? Growing up in the Scouts and working as a raft guide during my undergrad, I have always been an outdoor enthusiast. During my graduate work in hydrology, I became increasingly aware of the bureaucratic constrictions on environmental regulators and economic pressure on many environmental professionals. Working at a nonprofit allowed me to protect the resources I love with greater insulation from the political cycle and client motivations.

2. What is your favorite part about your job/what would surprise people about your job/what makes your job different? Every day is different and I’m constantly learning. My job touches almost every part of scientific inquiry; problem identification, grant writing, data collection, analysis, reporting, public engagement, restoration design, etc. There is a tremendous amount of autonomy and agency.

3. Anything else you want to include to give people insight into what your role is with CRF? I feel incredibly fortunate and humbled to be your Catawba Riverkeeper. The 5000 square mile watershed is both ecologically and culturally diverse. We cover everything from the Linville Gorge to downtown Charlotte, to rural Chester County, to Congaree National Park. I try to lead our staff, members, and volunteers to effectively protect and restore our waters.

Grant Buckner - Northern Basin Watershed Manager

1. Why did you decide to work for Catawba Riverkeeper? I decided to work for Catawba Riverkeeper to try and contribute to the protection and improvement of our wonderful natural resources. Growing up fly fishing and spending time on the water gave me so much enjoyment and still does to this day. I knew that I wanted to dedicate my life to making sure these precious resources have a voice and can be enjoyed by others. Catawba Riverkeeper has given me that opportunity!

2. What is your favorite part about your job/what would surprise people about your job/what makes your job different?  My favorite part about my job is the variety of things I get to do. From working on restoration projects, collaborating with stakeholders, scouting for trash cleanups, or talking to people about the great things Catawba Riverkeeper is doing the job is never the same two days in a row. That has allowed me to develop new skills and never be bored while at work.

3. Anything else you want to include to give people insight into what your role is with CRF? As a Watershed Manager for the Northern Basin, I work on a lot of different things but my primary goal is to work on restoring streams to improve water quality. It might surprise people to know that in 2023, I will be adding a new piece

into my job, using macro invertebrate testing to monitor stream quality! Currently, there are only a few individuals who are authorized to perform this testing in North Carolina and it will be a huge asset to Catawba Riverkeeper’s ongoing effort to monitor water quality.

1. Why did you decide to work for Catawba Riverkeeper? The position I was in before coming to Catawba Riverkeeper was my first job out of school. It was within the environmental field, but almost entirely a desk job and I didn’t feel fulfilled in my career. I knew that it wasn’t something I wanted for the long term and thus began my search for something more meaningful. I ultimately came across the job posting for my position at Catawba Riverkeeper. When I read that there was a job in which I could work in the field, make a positive difference for our environment, and advance my own knowledge and abilities, I knew I didn’t need to look any further.

2. What is your favorite part about your job/what would surprise people about your job/what makes your job different? - I love that I am able to interact with our watershed so much; for example, being able to take water samples, paddle, and hike all as a part of my job. Our staff all have different backgrounds and strengths, so there’s a lot to learn from each other that is all still relative to the importance of water quality. I suppose it might surprise people that I am not out on the water every single day. There is a lot of behind the scenes work to do, like attending meetings and conferences, researching new problems and solutions, computer mapping, etc.

3. Anything else you want to include to give people insight into what your role is with CRF? My position specifically focuses on the Southern Basin of our watershed, so from the Lake Wylie Dam down to where Lake Wateree meets the Congaree River. Most broadly, I am continually looking for and planning projects to help improve water quality. Ultimately, I (along with any partners) will be implementing the most feasible and prudent projects as they arise, which depends on a number of factors.