Staff Updates

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Staff Updates

John Searby • March 8, 2024

Meet the new employees and leaders of Catawba Riverkeeper!

Diana Knudsen

VP of Advancement

Jenny Moore

Director of Development

Susannah Bryant

Marketing and Communications Manager

Grant Buckner

Northern Basin Director

Sophie McCarthy

Lake James Program Manager

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Executive Director John Searby recently announced that Catawba Riverkeeper has promoted two employees to leadership positions and added three new employees to the team that works to preserve, protect, and restore the waters of the Catawba-Wateree River Basin for all.

Promotions

The organization’s longest tenured employee, Diana (Daniels) Knudsen, was promoted to Vice President of Advancement. In this role, Diana will lead the organization’s fundraising, marketing, and community engagement efforts. In her nearly 12 years at Catawba Riverkeeper, Diana has held every role in the marketing and development areas. Executive Director John Searby added, “Diana is not only a constant for our members and donors at Catawba Riverkeeper, she has also ensured consistency across our organization’s messaging and communications throughout her tenure across several different Executive Directors and Riverkeepers. This promotion is a recognition of her importance as a senior leader at Catawba Riverkeeper and well deserved.”

Along with Knudsen, Searby also announced that Grant Buckner has been promoted to Northern Basin Director, providing overall leadership to the organization’s efforts in the Northern Basin (above Lake Norman). On Buckner, Searby commented, “Grant came on nearly three years ago as our first Watershed Manager and this model of focusing our scientific staff on a geographical area has proven to be a great model for us. We are proud of the way Grant has grown our work in the Northern Basin and we look forward to continuing to expand our impact in that section of the basin under his leadership.”

New Hires

Additionally, Catawba Riverkeeper announced the addition of three new staff members, two reporting to Knudsen and one reporting to Buckner. Jenny Moore was added to the team as Director of Development and will lead the traditional fundraising efforts for Catawba Riverkeeper. In this role, Moore will oversee the organization’s membership and annual giving programs as well as taking a lead role in fundraising events and campaigns. Prior to joining Catawba Riverkeeper, Moore was a Development Manager for Catawba Lands Conservancy following multiple years in development at the Ruth Bancroft Garden and UC Botanical Garden at Berkley, both in California. Susannah Bryant was recently hired as the Marketing and Communications Manager. Bryant's unique background in environmental science and communications makes her a great fit for sharing our messages to members, volunteers, and the general public. Expanding the Northern Basin team at Catawba Riverkeeper’s office in Morganton, NC is Sophie McCarthy, who joins as the Lake James Program Manager. In this role, Sophie will design, plan, and execute educational, volunteer, and community engagement programs for both Catawba Riverkeeper and Lake James Environmental Association in the Northern Catawba River basin. McCarthy was previously the Executive Director of Lake James Environmental Association and also worked at the Sassafras River Association.

Searby summarized these changes by saying, “It is a testament to the commitment of our members, corporate partners, and supporters all across the basin that Catawba Riverkeeper has continued to grow consistently over the past five years. Our work only expands with additional talented professionals coming on board and existing team members growing into leadership positions. I am very excited to see how these new roles will help us to continue to expand our impact across the entire river basin.”

For more detailed information on all staff, please visit our STAFF PAGE.

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Announcing our NC State Lab Certification in Benthic Macroinvertebrate Sampling!

February 5, 2025

Northern basin lab becomes first state-certified non-profit macroinvertebrate sampling lab in North Carolina

Navigating the Legislative Process: How You Can Help Shape Laws to Protect the Catawba-Wateree River

By Ellie Riggs • January 17, 2025

On January 8th, the Policy Team traveled to Raleigh to kick off the 2025-2026 Legislative Session and celebrate the swearing-in of North Carolina’s 170 new lawmakers. Just a week later, South Carolina’s 126th General Assembly convened in Columbia. Congratulations to all the new legislators! We are excited to work with you to protect the waters of the Catawba-Wateree River. Before we dive into the details of our advocacy work this year, let’s take a step back to your middle school civics class. What exactly is a General Assembly? What is a legislative session? And how does an idea become a law? In both North and South Carolina, the General Assembly is the government body responsible for making state laws. It’s divided into two chambers: the House of Representatives and the Senate. Each member of the General Assembly is elected for a two-year term to represent the constituents from their district—including you! In January of each odd-numbered year, the new NC and SC General Assemblies convene for the first time in Raleigh and Columbia to begin their legislative sessions. During this time, legislators meet with constituents, lobbyists, government staff, and each other to discuss issues and solutions, introduce bills (drafted proposals for new laws), and vote on legislation. The goal of a legislative session is to create and pass laws that address state needs and shape the future of our communities. In NC, the General Assembly meets on a biennial schedule, with a “Long Session” from January to August of odd-numbered years and a “Short Session” in May of even-numbered years to adjust the budget. SC’s General Assembly convenes annually from January to May. So, how does a bill become a law? The process begins when a concerned citizen or advocacy group, like Catawba Riverkeeper, presents an idea to a legislator. If the idea gains support, it’s drafted into a bill and introduced into one chamber, where it’s debated and refined by a committee. If the bill passes the first chamber (in NC, this must happen before May 9th of the Long Session), the process repeats in the second. Once both chambers approve the bill, the governor can sign it into law. However, it’s rarely as simple as the Schoolhouse Rock “I’m Just a Bill” song suggests. Proposing a bill requires a tremendous amount of work, including extensive background research, numerous meetings with legislators, and meticulous conversations and email exchanges to fine-tune the text. Even after this, the bill can face delays, revisions in committee, or a veto from the governor. No wonder “Bill” from “I’m Just a Bill” looks so worn out! There is still one crucial step in the process that Schoolhouse Rock left out, and it involves YOU! As a constituent, your voice can directly influence laws that impact your life. Legislators derive their power from the people they represent, and their decisions are shaped by your concerns. Urging your Senator and Representative to support bills that matter to you is a powerful way to help pass legislation. It’s easy to do! Visit ncleg.gov or scstatehouse.gov to find your lawmakers’ contact information. You can email them to express your support for bills you care about. These websites also let you track the progress of bills as they move through the legislative process. Despite the challenges and complexity of the legislative process, advocating for our river is a central part of Catawba Riverkeeper. Every piece of our 2025-2026 Legislative Agenda and every bill we support has the potential to make meaningful impact on the health of our streams, rivers, lakes, and communities. Advocacy is also a team effort. While the Policy Team is brainstorming new ways to address stormwater runoff, meeting with legislators to discuss the importance of outdoor recreation, and drafting legislation to support disaster recovery, the work of advocating for our waterways requires all our voices coming together to create positive change. We hope that you will join us in being a voice for our waters this legislative session! Visit our Advocacy Page to learn more.