Edna Chirico was part of the group that launched the Catawba River District three years ago and served on the executive committee until becoming Executive Director this summer. Edna has served on numerous public and nonprofit boards including the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners. She and her husband, John, operate the Green Moose LLC consulting company and live at Pine Island Country Club in northwest Mecklenburg County.
Rich Haag joined the Catawba River District in January 2010 to help with communication. Rich worked with The Charlotte Observer and its magazine division for nearly 30 years. Rich has a passion for preserving nature that began with the Boy Scouts and month-long family camping trips in the 1960s. He has ridden bicycles more than 100,000 miles, including hundreds of bike commutes to work starting in 1972. He belongs to the Sierra Club and the Appalachian Trail Conservancy.
The Staff
Edna Chirico
Executive Director
704-562-8847
Rich Haag
Communications
Phone: 980-875-7528
The Executive Committee
The Executive Committee consists of a core group of founding members and will guide the organization through its formative years. All have volunteered hundreds of hours over the past two years to establish district boundaries, carefully craft a new- and existing-building certification process to encourage environmentally sustainable development, and to build crucial alliances with community leaders to turn this vision into reality. The committee makes major decisions regarding the Catawba River District and ensures their alignment with the organization's Vision and Mission.
Bill Daleure
President
Avant Garde Real Estate Consulting, LLC
704-995-4981 • Email Bill
Dan DuVall
Vice President
Group Five Sales Inc.
704-547-0683 • Email Dan
Ann T. Danzi
Secretary/Treasurer
Mount Holly Community Development Foundation
704-820-0891 • Email Ann
David Fogarty
N.C. Cooperative Extension Service
704-992-2130 • Email David
Robb Little
Sustainable Development Services
704-728-8379 • Email Robb
Dale Stewart
LandDesign
704-333-0325 • Email Dale
Burt Philips
Attuned Marketing
704-516-9101 • Email Burt
Executive Committee President Bill Daleure, left, and Rusty Rozzelle, chair of the River District Certification Committee. Photo courtesy of the Montcross Chamber.
The Board of Advisors
The Board of Advisors provides input to the Executive Committee on developing the Catawba River District, including planning, programs, implementation and operation. The board represents a cross-section of the River District's governments and business community.
Chris Barnard, Clariant Corporation
Alice Battle, Area Resident
Terri Bennett, DoYourPart
Karen Bentley, Presbyterian Healthcare
Kathleen Besson, CaroMont Health
Ann Browning, Catawba Lands Conservancy
Joe Carpenter, Gaston County Commission
Jennifer Covington, Huber Technology, Inc.
Brian DuPont, Mount Holly Planning
Pam Friedl, Mount Holly Cotton Mill
Jim Garges, Mecklenburg County Park & Recreation
Tim Gause, Duke Energy
Joel Gilland, Southern Projects
Ted Hall, Montcross Area Chamber
Dan Hansen, Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick
Donny Hicks, Gaston Economic Development
Greg Beal, City of Mount Holly
Helene Hilger, UNC Charlotte IDEAS Center
Fred Jackson, American & Efird
Barbara Lawrence, Mount Holly Community Development Foundation
Tom McKittrick, ReVenture Eco Industrial Park
David Merryman, Catawba Riverkeeper
Adrian Miller, City of Belmont
James Mitchell, Charlotte City Council
Heath Prior, Charlotte Chamber – Northwest Chapter
Brad Richardson, Charlotte Economic Development Department
Brad Rivers, Gaston College
Jennifer Roberts, Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners
Rusty Rozzelle, Mecklenburg County Land Use & Environmental Services
Laura Shidal, NC Forest Service
Blair Stanford, Charlotte Chamber
Joe Stowe, Lake Wylie Marine Commission
Tom Warshauer, Charlotte Neighborhood & Business Services Department
Tom Waters, Provident Development
Craig Wyant, A Fine Line Design
