Central Regional Office

MountainTrue's Central Regional Office and headquarters is located in Asheville, serving all 26 counties in our organization's footprint.
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About the Central Regional Office

29 N. Market Street, Suite 610
Asheville, NC 28801
(828) 258-8737

The Central Regional Office partners with and serves communities in Buncombe, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, and Yancey counties through the following programs and initiatives:

 

Central Region Team

Bob Wagner

Bob Wagner

Executive Director

Julie Mayfield

Julie Mayfield

Senior Policy Advisor

Gray Jernigan

Gray Jernigan

Deputy Director & General Counsel

Karim Olaechea

Karim Olaechea

Deputy Director of Strategy & Communications

Anna Alsobrook

Anna Alsobrook

French Broad Riverkeeper

Susan Bean

Susan Bean

Housing & Transportation Director

Adam Bowers

Adam Bowers

Development Director

Hartwell Carson

Hartwell Carson

Clean Waters Director

Amy Finkler

Amy Finkler

Development & Engagement Manager

Jack Henderson

Jack Henderson

French Broad Paddle Trail Manager

Chris Joyell

Chris Joyell

Healthy Communities Director

Josh Kelly

Josh Kelly

Resilient Forests Director

Greg Parlier

Greg Parlier

Marketing & Debris Cleanup Communications Manager

Jon Stamper

Jon Stamper

River Cleanup Coordinator

Sydney Swafford

Sydney Swafford

Development & Operations Coordinator

Linda Tatsapaugh

Linda Tatsapaugh

Organizing Manager

Maddy Watson

Maddy Watson

Communications Manager

Volunteer with us!

We have many regular volunteer opportunities throughout the warmer months – visit our events calendar to view upcoming volunteer opportunities. Please note that volunteer event dates and times are subject to change due to weather conditions with short notice. Follow the MountainTrue Instagram and Facebook Page, as well as the French Broad Riverkeeper Instagram and Facebook Page, or email outings@mountaintrue.org to receive the most up-to-date information on event changes/cancellations.

Central Region News

A Black Naturalists Journal

A Black Naturalists Journal

The serenity of nature is like the hug from a friend we all desperately need. The glow and warmth it leaves me with brings me in touch with this land, our planet, not as we have made it, but as it is. September 23, 2020. Justice was outright denied for the young, lively, human being Breonna Taylor. September 23, 1955. Justice was spit on in the case of poor, young Emmett Till. It is the morning after the ruling in Breonna’s case, I’m sipping coffee, paying mind to how I really feel.

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On Division, Communicating the “Inflammatory”

On Division, Communicating the “Inflammatory”

A hot word: “Divisive.” Here in the United States, we talk a lot about how divided we are. But how do we become divided? Before our divisions are philosophical, they are linguistic. Ask any Facebook user what it’s like to use that platform to engage with others on any important issue or hot topic, and their head just might explode. We all see what’s happening around us objectively: we are in a pandemic, nationwide protests happen almost daily, it is an election year, first Australia was engulfed in flames, then the Western US coast. We are living through the same objective events, and most of us are likely seeking similar outcomes: we want health for ourselves and our loved ones, we want as little loss of life as possible by the end of this pandemic, we want our nation to serve justice, we want our planet to be habitable for future generations. Above all, we keep hearing how important for Americans to once again be united as a people, how we’re all so tired of the division. While we all originate from different backgrounds, cultures, family structures, and we have lived different lives, had different experiences, and possess different goals, I like to think that we’re not as different as we think we are.

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Why MountainTrue Must Fight Racism

Why MountainTrue Must Fight Racism

MountainTrue has been evolving toward a wider focus. Yes to protecting forests and rivers and advocating for better public transit, more greenways, clean energy, and dense development for the environmental benefits, but we are also thinking more broadly about how we can help foster communities where people are truly healthy. And this means communities that are free from racism, and where there is equity in the social determinants of health — housing, transportation, education and jobs. Here are some of the reasons why.

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MT Raleigh Report: General Assembly Convenes For Two-Day Session & Preparing To Vote

MT Raleigh Report: General Assembly Convenes For Two-Day Session & Preparing To Vote

Members of the General Assembly return to Raleigh tomorrow for yet another short – very short – two-day session. While Governor Cooper released an ambitious package of budget priorities including pandemic response proposals and bond measures last week, lawmakers are not expected to take up much of those plans. Instead, look for the legislature to focus on a more limited expenditure of some portion of the state’s still-unspent federal COVID-19 relief funds, including a bump in unemployment benefits and new investments in rural broadband to support the rise of online schooling.

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DEQ: It’s Time to Modernize NC’s Pollution Spill Notification System

DEQ: It’s Time to Modernize NC’s Pollution Spill Notification System

Millions of people across North Carolina take to our beaches, rivers and lakes to cool off, swim, paddle, and fish, but most are unaware that nearly 16 million gallons of untreated sewage spilled into our waterways during a two and a half month period this summer. North Carolina desperately needs to update its public spill notification system. Act now.

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We’re Refreshing Our Look — But Our Mission Remains the Same

Read our blog to learn more.