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
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.
Land Protection, Farmland Program, and Stewardship
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.
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.
Travis Bordley
Seasonal Roan Ecologist
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.
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.
Tamarya Sims (she/they)
Community Farm Associate
tamarya@appalachian.org
Tamarya joined SAHC in 2020. They graduated from UNC Asheville with a degree in Environmental Studies, and after college pursued environmental education and learning how to grow food. They served at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park through American Conservation Experience and at the Durham Public Schools Hub Farm through CTNC AmeriCorps. Tamarya loves teaching, photography, gardening, herbalism, beekeeping, raising chickens, and driving the SAHC tractor. Most of all, they are passionate about food justice and making farm and garden education accessible to all people.
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
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.
Lauren McTigue
Nature Experience Director
lauren@appalachian.org
Lauren joined our team in 2017 to manage facilities on conservation properties and help advance our goal of ‘Connecting People with Land.’ Formerly from New Jersey, she made the move to Asheville to put down roots and is excited to share her passion for conservation. Lauren previously served as the Outreach and Agriculture Coordinator with Grow It Green in Morristown NJ. She brings with her years of experience in Ecotourism, environmental education, and program development.
AmeriCorps
Cici Wood
Project Conserve Communications and Community Engagement Member
CiCi is from Athens, Ohio and is a recent graduate of Canisius College where she obtained her degree in Animal Behavior, Ecology, and Conservation. She spent the past few years working as a Program Facilitator Specialist for the Girl Scouts of Western New York where she taught STEAM to budding scientists in Title I schools. Her passions are social justice, writing, community-based conservation, and her rescue pup, Ruby.
Shaylyn Sargent
Project Conserve Conservation Education & Volunteer Outreach Member
sargent@appalachian.org
Shaylyn graduated from Mars Hill University this past May with a major in History and a Minor in Environmental Studies. During his time at Mars Hill, Shaylyn was honored as a Bonner Scholar. His volunteer experiences range from addressing food security in rural Appalachia to hosting historical talks, to trail building, and habitat restoration following hurricanes. Shaylyn is a lover of Astronomy, and his senior thesis was on The History of the Universe.
Hannah Stuart
Project Conserve AmeriCorps Land Protection & Education Member
stuart@appalachian.org
An Asheville native, Hannah graduated from UNCA in May with a degree in Environmental Studies. She was a student athlete on the swim team, which she also managed. Her research and work experience include water quality monitoring, due diligence analysis and easement renewals. Hannah is also a dog whisperer and avid foster parent to puppies through Brother Wolf.
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Hanna Peterman
Project Conserve AmeriCorps Stewardship & Volunteer Member
peterman@appalachian.org
Hanna joins us from Chapel Hill, after graduating from Washington University in May with a double major in Environmental Biology and Spanish and where her accolades include Environmental Studies Award for Academic Achievement, Louis G. Zelson Award, and Tyson Research Center Coles Fellowship. Her research includes wildlife monitoring, invasive plants management, and tick and mosquito sampling. She also spent a semester abroad in Chile and is fluent in Spanish.
Stephanie Long
Project Conserve AmeriCorps Stewardship & Volunteer Member
Stephanie graduated from Smith College in 2019 with a degree in Environmental Science and Policy and a concentration in Conservation Ecology. While at Smith, Stephanie was involved in ecophysiology and spatial analysis research and is the recipient of the Amy Randall Brown Prize in Botany and the Florence Augusta Merriam Prize for innovative and collaborative approaches to solving environmental and sustainability problems. Stephanie is coming to SAHC after spending a year in Vermont serving with the Vermont Land Trust. She plans to obtain her Remote Pilot Certification to look into using drones to help monitor conservation easements.
