greenbrier.org

Board of Directors

President: Jenna Breeckner               Vice President: Ed Swepston            Secretary: Willow Kelly   

Treasurer: Elizabeth Clark                  Coordinator: Louanne Fatora

 

Members

  • John Walkup
  • Chris Chanlett
  • John Farrell
  • Autumn Crowe
  • Deni Elliott
  • Laura Izzo
  • Thomas Hayes
  • Thomas Saladyga
  • Sarah Simonton

Meet our members:

President, Jenna Breeckner is originally from Columbus, Ohio. She received a bachelor’s degree in Soil Science from West Virginia University and currently works as an Environmental Scientist at Greenbrier Environmental Group. Jenna’s work involves environmental site assessments, GIS mapping, and USEPA/WVDEP brownfields project reporting.
 
Jenna serves as a board member for the West Virginia Environmental Council and the Meadow River Valley Association. Jenna is passionate about advocating for legislation that prioritizes West Virginia’s public lands and waterways. In her free time, Jenna enjoys taking her dogs to the Greenbrier River and exploring local caves.
 
Ms. Breeckner joined our Board of Directors in 2023.
 
 

Vice-President, Ed Swepston was born in Ronceverte, with an early memory of going out on the Greenbrier River at night with his Granddad catching large Carp. He moved to Florida where he graduated from high school and was an avid surfer, water skier and diver. Ed joined the Air Force and spent some time in Vietnam, then returned home to West Virginia working for the Greenbrier River Campground at Fort Spring conducting guided fishing and whitewater canoe trips. He has spent a lot of time canoeing and is familiar with floating the Greenbrier River from Cass to Barter Springs near Hinton, and white water racing on the New and Gauley Rivers as well.

Along the way, Ed became an accomplished spelunker and is the President of the WV Cave Conservancy. A long time board member for the GRWA since 2000, Ed says “The water quality of the Greenbrier River and protection of it is important because so many people fish, swim, and canoe it. Many communities take their drinking water from the river and I’m happy that our organization continues to monitor and test monthly to keep it safe for all.”

Secretary, Willow Kelly has been a board member of GRWA since the autumn of 2004. She was invited to attend a meeting by a former GRWA Vista, Marcy. Marcy and her twin sister were some Willow’s best friends growing up and lived in downtown Fort Spring. Willow spent many days on or in the river for a decade, and so naturally The Greenbrier River shaped much of her character. She went on to get a well-rounded education in geography/geology, biology, and Appalachian Studies, and completed three semesters of graduate studies in Environmental Studies. While in college, she served as an environmental consultant for several organizations that were opposed to the 765k APCO powerline that was proposed for our region. While they ultimately “won” that battle, Willow became sadly disillusioned with both government and industry and pursued an entirely different career path.
 
Serving on the GRWA board allows Willow to fulfill her inherent desires to be part of the ripples that help affect greater positive environmental protections. Willow enjoys the camaraderie of like-minded folks who are part of the GRWA board, and appreciates the educational opportunities these members provide. She look forward to GRWA providing educational outreach and service to our beloved river for many years to come.
 
 
Treasurer, Elizabeth Clark has a love of the sound of moving water and a lifelong dedication to conservation and health issues paved the way to joining the Greenbrier River Watershed Association. As a Board member, I have been especially proud of the way the GRWA is mindful of both the health of the watershed and the health of the communities closely linked with the Greenbrier River.
 
 
 
 

As a fifth generation West Virginian, our Coordinator, Louanne Fatora’s love for the natural environment, wildlife and all animals began on her creek in Doddridge County. After obtaining a degree in Veterinary Technology from Fairmont State University, she and her husband lived in Lewisburg, often canoeing the Greenbrier river on weekends. They then moved to Colorado where she became a licensed wildlife rehabilitator, with a federal permit for the rescue, treatment and release of migratory birds.

In 1997, they bought a dilapidated cabin on the Greenbrier River to maintain their ties to the region. Visiting the cabin every summer with her three children, laid a foundation for a love of the natural environment and a commitment to care for it.  Along the way, Louanne has worked and volunteered for many non-profit organizations often as a grant writer to secure funding.  As a board member for the Watoga State Park Foundation, she assisted in the park becoming the first Dark Sky International Park in the state of WV. She had been a long time member of the Greenbrier River Watershed Association and when the coordinator position came open in 2021, it coincided with her permanent move back home in WV.

“It has been a pleasure to work with all of the GRWA board members and volunteers who are just as dedicated as I am, in keeping the Greenbrier River Watershed healthy and clean for us, our children and our future.”

John Walkup joined the GRWA when it was established in 1992 and has served as a board member for several years since that time. He is a life long resident of Greenbrier County and manages his family’s bicentennial farm which borders the Greenbrier River one mile south of Renick.  John’s pastimes on the river include kayaking, camping, and photography.  His current focus as a board member is to increase membership to address the association’s need for volunteers.
 
John’s service on the board over the years has made him realize that perpetual commitment to maintaining water quality in the watershed is mandatory to deter continuing degradation issues. “I am grateful for the opportunity to serve with such a dedicated board in the protection of this prominent river that so profoundly defines our rich quality of life.”

Chris Chanlett moved to a farm in Summers County in 1975 and still farms there most everyday.  With his wife he operated Groundworks Nursery near the Greenbrier River for 30 years. He participated in the founding of the GRWA; then worked with Friends of the Lower Greenbrier for many years until it folded back into GRWA.

He has coordinated Adopt-a-Highway for Route 3 along the river since 1998. Chris wrote an environmental history of the Greenbrier River that appeared in the summer 2023 Goldenseal magazine.

 

 

 

 

John William Farrell is a West Virginia born photographer, the product of seven generations farming the Big Bend of the Greenbrier River, in Summers County. Although he moved with his parents to New Jersey when young, he never lost connection with his West Virginia roots. He began photographing while in his teens, in order to share the wonders of his farm life in West Virginia with his suburban schoolmates.
 
John attended Montclair High School while working for a local camera store.  After graduation he attended Rochester Institute of Technology, transferring to New York’s School of Visual Arts to study photography with Gary Winogrand. In New York City, John became a professional photographer of modern corporate architecture, and up-and-coming celebrities including Sandra Bullock, Melanie Griffith, Bob Marley, Jon Bon Jovi and T-bone Burnett. He provided visuals for magazine editorials and advertising, contributing to Vogue, The New Yorker, New York Times, High Times, Metropolitan Home, Details Magazine, and the West Virginia Quarterly, among others. An exhibit featuring the Pence Springs Resort, a West Virginia collaboration with the German artist, Stefan Roloff, was held at Thread Waxing Space, New York City, in 1995, and published by MIT’s architectural journal, Assemblage.  His photograph, Windows at Dawn, another collaboration with Roloff, was included in the exhibit ”The Photography of Invention, Pictures of the 1980’s” at the National Museum of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, in 1989, and resides in the permanent collection of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art.
 
After twenty successful years in New York City, John returned to his family home to restore the land of his ancestors.  Since then, his photographic work has focused on West Virginia subjects, documenting the construction of Tamarack, the Darby Collection of Native American Artifacts at Davis & Elkins College, his life on the farm, and West Virginia current events.  He collaborated with author, Phillip Bagdon, providing photography for Essential Cass, a book about the Cass Scenic Railway, designed to facilitate a new West Virginia tourist economy. A landscape architect on a grand scale, his farm’s lush organic panorama is his camera’s favorite subject. His passions for nature and photography blend together in an intimate way, inspiring photographs that represent a communion with the earth of West Virginia. His landscape photography speaks of his deep bond with the land and its stories; a vision he is compelled to photograph in order to share.
Autumn Crowe grew up swimming and fishing in the waters of the Greenbrier River where she gained her love of nature and desire to protect the environment. She obtained a BS in Environmental Protection and a MS in Soil Science from West Virginia University. Her experience as an environmental scientist includes wetland delineations, environmental site assessments, and permitting.
 
Autumn also served as the Environmental Coordinator for an Alaska Native Tribe and later worked for a nonprofit providing technical assistance and training to Tribal environmental programs state-wide. After 5 years in Alaska, she served as the Environmental Director for a Nevada Tribe. Autumn returned home to West Virginia in 2015 and combines the skills she gained while working out-of-state with her love and knowledge of West Virginia to protect the State’s valuable rivers and headwater streams. When not working, Autumn enjoys activities that allow her to spend time outdoor whether
its hunting, fishing, hiking or biking.

 
Deni Elliott has been a GRWA board member for several years. “I have been an environmentalist all my life (my mother is an environmentalist). I have lobbied in DC for environmental groups and lobbied against the MVP. The GRWA was a good fit when I moved to Lewisburg.”
 
As a retired teacher, Deni likes to help educate people about our watershed and our many projects. You will likely see her at our table at the Freshwater Fish Festival, or the Capitol in Charleston in the early spring during E-Day.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Laura Izzo is the team leader for section 4 on the Greenbrier River Watershed water quality study, obtaining samples and readings once a month. Laura moved to West Virginia in 2013 to work at her family’s beloved Irish Pub in Lewisburg and joined the board in 2018.
 
After many years in New Orleans, Laura moved to the West Coast to make maps and conduct stream & soil surveys with the US Forest Service. She has also worked on several small farms and orchards and is dedicated to the development of sustainable agricultural practices.
Through advocacy, education and the use of maps as tools, her personal commitment is to promote stewardship of our environment, especially human-impacted watershed ecosystems.
 
 

Thomas Haley joined us in the Fall of 2023. Thomas and his wife Wendi are helping monitor the river in the Pence Springs area.

Born in Kissimmee, FL, Thomas Haley Jr was destined to become one with nature. From his early years in Central Florida, to his teenage years in Tennessee, even his military years in Washington state and Iraq, he has strived to assist in the preservation and conservation of the environment.

Thomas moved to West Virginia in 2019 and proudly claims Greenbrier County as his one true home. While he has an extensive resume with so much to offer, he feels his determination and dedication to the preservation of nature is his primary purpose in life

 

Tom Saladyga is a professor of geography at Concord University in Athens, West Virginia where he has been teaching courses in environmental geography and geographic information systems (GIS) since 2011.

As a researcher, Tom’s interests include Appalachian fire ecology and forest management, dendrochronology (tree-ring science), and environmental history. Over the last 20+ years, he has worked and conducted research in various locations across the eastern U.S., the Ozarks, and Mongolia.

Tom is also dedicated to providing applied research opportunities for his undergraduate students, including a project that resulted in the recognition of a previously undocumented old-growth forest at New River Gorge National Park and Preserve (Burnwood: A Legacy Forest). Originally from Pennsylvania, Tom has been a resident of West Virginia since 2007 and has traveled and explored extensively throughout the state. He lives with his family in Fayetteville, West Virginia.

Dr. Saladyga joined our Board of Directors in 2024.

 
Sarah Simonton is a proud Appalachian and lifelong lover of all things outdoors. While getting her BS and MS in environmental science from Marshall University, she began her career in biological consulting with a focus on bats. In more recent years, she has focused her professional efforts on environmental site assessments, field work, data analysis, and NEPA projects. Sarah is based in White Sulphur Springs and works as a senior scientist at Greenbrier Environmental Group, in addition to serving as a board member for the Meadow River Valley Association.
 
Using passion, curiosity, and community engagement, Sarah aims to propel positive changes across the Greenbrier River Watershed and beyond. On a typical day off, you can find her in the forest with her beloved puppy or enjoying the endless outdoor recreation WV has to offer.