Carl Silverstein
Executive Director
carl@appalachian.org
Carl joined the SAHC staff in 2000. He graduated from Stanford University in 1984 with a BA in History, and the University of Alabama Law School in 1988. Carl practiced law in Seattle before moving to Asheville in 1995. Carl serves on the Claims Committee of Terrafirma Risk Retention Group. Terrafirma is a charitable risk pool created by the national Land Trust Alliance to insure its members against the legal costs of defending conservation interests.
Kristy Urquhart
Associate Director
kristy@appalachian.org
Kristy Urquhart has been Associate Director for SAHC since 1997 and has served on the staff since 1991. She graduated from King College with a BA in Business/Economics and worked in orchard management in Ithaca, NY, before moving to Asheville in 1991. Kristy is very active with the Asheville Humane Society.
Lisa Fancher (she/her)
Finance Compliance Director
lisa@appalachian.org
Lisa joined the SAHC staff in 2011. She has a BSBA in Accounting from Mississippi College, and has 15 years of for-profit experience, including 9 years in the area of consumer finance. She relocated to western NC in August 2010. Lisa oversees the financial accounts of the organization.
Jay Leutze
Senior Advisor to the Board
Jay joined the SAHC team in 2004 as a member and then chair of the Land Protection Committee. Prior to that he led hikes on Big Yellow Mountain for SAHC members. He served on the SAHC Board of Trustees from 2007 to 2012, and again from 2013 to 2019, and as board president. He currently serves the board as senior advisor while continuing to support the Land Protection Program and the Roan Stewardship and Nature Experience programs. He also leads our government relations effort, working on policy and funding for our state and federal projects. He grew up in Chapel Hill and Avery County. He holds a BA in English Literature from UNC-Chapel Hill and a law degree from UNC School of Law. He is the author of Stand Up That Mountain.
Land Protection and Farmland Preservation
Michelle Pugliese
Land Protection Director
michelle@appalachian.org
Michelle joined the SAHC staff in 2007. Michelle previously served as the St. Simons Land Trust Director of Land Protection. She graduated from Lafayette College with a BA in Biology and from the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University with a Masters of Environmental Management degree. Michelle manages the organization’s land and conservation easement acquisitions.
Jess Laggis
Farmland Protection Director
jess@appalachian.org
Jess leads our efforts to conserve farmland. A native of Swannanoa, she grew up on the campus of Warren Wilson College and enjoyed roaming nearby mountains. She earned a BS in neuroscience and a BA in Spanish from Furman University in 2006. Her sense of adventure led her to study and work abroad before returning home to farm in these mountains. Jess joined our staff in 2017, after serving almost 3 years as the Director of the Blue Ridge Forever land trust coalition.
Hanni Muerdter
Conservation Director
hanni@appalachian.org
Hanni joined SAHC in 2007 and currently manages land and easement acquisitions in our Balsam and Smoky Mountains focus areas (Haywood, Jackson, southwest Buncombe and southern Cocke County), as well as stewards conservation easements. As conservation director, she focuses on SAHC’s long-term conservation planning and is the liaison between land protection and stewardship departments. Hanni grew up in Haywood County. She previously worked for Blue Ridge Conservancy in Boone, NC through AmeriCorps Project Conserve; Great Smoky Mountains National Park; Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park; and Neil Smith National Wildlife Refuge in Iowa. She received her B.A. in Biology & Environmental Studies from Oberlin College, OH. She holds a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Duke University and a Geospatial Technology Certificate from Asheville-Buncombe Technical College. In 2016, Hanni was named the Rising Leader of the Year by the North Carolina Land Trust Council.
Kyle Shute (he/him)
Land Protection Associate
kyle@appalachian.org
Kyle joined SAHC in 2022. He graduated from the University of Maine in 2017 with a B.S. in Wildlife Ecology and from Clemson University with an M.S. in Wildlife and Fisheries Biology in 2020. While at Clemson he conducted his Masters research on habitat ecology of threatened bat species, with a focus on private lands in coastal South Carolina. Kyle now works for SAHC’s Land Protection Team coordinating landowner inquiries about private lands conservation.
Stewardship
Sarah Sheeran
Stewardship Director
sarah@appalachian.org
Sarah joined our Stewardship staff in 2014, but has served on the Land Management Committee since 2010 and has been a long-time volunteer. As Stewardship Director, she oversees the organization’s program of monitoring and managing our conservation easements and properties we own, manages SAHC-owned land outside of the Roan Highlands and assists landowners with caring for their property’s natural resources.
Sarah previously received her BS in Biology from James Madison University and her MS in Ecology from UNC-Chapel Hill. With a background in plant conservation and horticulture, she previously worked as a plant ecologist for a local environmental consulting firm and later served as Director of Education and Conservation at an outdoor recreation and adventure company.
Chris Kaase
Stewardship Associate
kaase@appalachian.org
Chris joined SAHC in 2019 to assist with our growing stewardship responsibilities. He is from the southern Appalachians and has conservation experience that includes stewardship roles with the Blue Ridge Conservancy in Boone, NC and the Congaree Land Trust in Columbia, SC. Chris holds a M.A. from the Department of Geography and Planning at Appalachian State University and specializes in thinking about riparian ecosystems in the southeastern U.S.
Highlands of Roan Stewardship
Marquette Crockett
Roan Stewardship Director
marquette@appalachian.org
Marquette joined SAHC in 2014. She grew up on a family farm near Cumberland Gap, TN, where she learned to love nature by following her grandmother through the fields and forests. Marquette earned her BS in Biology from Lincoln Memorial University and her MS in Biological Science from East Tennessee State University. Before joining SAHC, she worked for more than 10 years as a Wildlife Biologist, including managing high elevation spruce-fir, open areas, and wetlands in Canaan Valley NWR in West Virginia. Marquette facilitates SAHC’s Roan Stewardship Program and serves as the primary land steward on SAHC-owned preserves in the Roan.
Park Greer
South Yellow Mountain Preserve Manager
Park was introduced to the Appalachian Mountains at a young age when his father and siblings would backpack extensively along the Roan Highlands. Inspired by the local biodiversity and history, Park soon embarked on a career in conservation. With a BS in Recreation Administration/Natural Resources Management from Eastern Kentucky University, Park went on to hone his stewardship skills working as a park ranger for Tennessee State Parks and later for an environmental land survey company. Park joined SAHC in 2022 as the Manager for the South Yellow Mountain Preserve where he works alongside researchers, SAHC staff, community members, and volunteers to foster a shining example of successful conservation work.
SAHC Community Farm
Chris Link
Community Farm Manager
chris@appalachian.org
Chris manages the operations on the Community Farm, working to grow the infrastructure and the Beginning Farmer Incubator Program. Originally from the eastern shore of Maryland, he holds a degree in planning & landscape architecture from Clemson University. Previously, Chris farmed on a year-round CSA community land trust farm in New England and a small, bio-intensive farm in Bostic, NC.
Kirin Battaglia
Events and Weddings Coordinator
events@appalachian.org
Kirin is a mother of two who prides herself on being able to raise her children while doing what she loves in the events industry. She received her certification for Event Coordination and has six years of experience as an event/wedding coordinator. Kirin says, “Events are my happy place. Seeing everyone come together to celebrate a special occasion and all the love that is shared, it brings me so much joy.” In her spare time she enjoys taking the kiddos outside and going on new adventures. During the summertime they can usually be found in some sort of body of water; swimming is their favorite thing to do!
Development and Engagement
Cheryl Fowler
Membership Director
cheryl@appalachian.org
Born and raised in Waynesville, NC, Cheryl completed an Associate of Applied Science degree in Commercial Art and Advertising Design from Southwestern Community College of Sylva in 1994. Cheryl worked in printing and design, and operated a graphic design business before joining the SAHC staff in 2001. Cheryl coordinates membership, our membership program materials, planning and implementing special events, and public outreach.
Pauline Heyne
Director of Philanthropy
pauline@appalachian.org
Pauline joined SAHC in 2013 to increase our fundraising capacity by connecting with passionate donors. Previously she worked at Arizona State University Foundation as Assistant Director of Women & Philanthropy and as the Development Coordinator at the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation. Pauline received her Bachelor of Arts in Communications at Kent State University and her Masters of Public Policy at Arizona State University.
Angela Shepherd (she/her)
Communications Director
angela@appalachian.org
Angela joined the SAHC staff in 2010. She graduated from the University of South Carolina with a BA in Public Relations, spent 9 years in graphic design for advertising publications, and earned MA in Geography with a Planning Concentration from Appalachian State University. Angela coordinates SAHC’s media relations as well as online and printed communications tools.
LaKyla Hodges
Equity and Education Manager
LaKyla was born and raised in Durham, NC. She has had a lifelong passion for nature and community. These passions led her to Warren Wilson College where she completed a degree in Environmental Studies with a concentration in education. Since moving to Asheville, she has worked with the WNC Nature Center, MountainTrue, AmeriCorps, Bountiful Cities, and more on issues related to environment, community engagement, and EDI. As the Equity and Education Manager, LaKyla works to connect communities to nature and address the inequalities in green spaces.
Travis Bordley
Outings Program Manager
travis@appalachian.org
Travis Bordley was born and raised in Durham, North Carolina. Growing up, Travis was lucky enough to spend every summer in the Western North Carolina hiking in the mountains, plunging into shady creeks, and developing a deep connection with the land. He received a BS in Environmental Science from UNC-Asheville. There he developed his love for the natural world and also a passion for photography. Travis has worked with SAHC since 2016 as an AmeriCorps member and as the Roan Naturalist. As the Seasonal Ecologist he will work to incorporate all his past experiences into one position to best take care of the Roan Highlands.
AmeriCorps Project Conserve
David Hagler
AmeriCorps Stewardship & Volunteer Member
David has strong land trust experience having previously interned with Davidson Lands Conservancy and Lowcountry Land Trust. While a student at Davidson College, he helped with the day-to-day farm operations at Davidson Farm. In his free time, David plays clawhammer banjo and old-time music. David is passionate about the outdoors, community service, and working in Western North Carolina.
Corinna Mokotoff
AmeriCorps Stewardship & Volunteer Member
A graduate from Appalachian State University in Boone, NC, Corinna is a wilderness first responder and has spent several years performing forestry and other natural resource management work. She previously served with AmeriCorps in Colorado with the Southwest Conservation Corps. Corinna loves to engage with her community in a variety of ways, enjoys spending time outdoors, and is an avid mountain biker.
Leigh Johnson Schafer
AmeriCorps Stewardship & Volunteer Member
Leigh hails from Asheville, and is a graduate from Haywood Community College’s Fish & Wildlife Management Technology Program. More recently, she has been attending Oregon State University in pursuit of her Bachelors of Science Degree. She has considerable forestry and field work experience working for AmeriCorps programs through the Nevada Conservation Corps and, most recently, the Camas National Wildlife Refuge in Idaho. Leigh is looking forward to completing her third AmeriCorps term in Western North Carolina where her love of the environment first took root.
