Dr. Courtney Di Vittorio is an Assistant Professor at Wake Forest University in the Engineering Department. She earned a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology with a specialization in water resources. Her research broadly focuses on the development of data, models, and tools that can support stakeholders managing complex and uncertain hydrologic systems, often using remotely sensed (satellite) information. Dr. Di Vittorio is also a licensed professional engineer. Since joining Wake Forest in 2019, Dr. Di Vittorio has consistently worked with and supported Yadkin Riverkeeper (YRK) through research and outreach. She is the principal investigator of an Environmental Enhancement Grant from the NC Attorneys General’s Office, and YRK is a collaborator. This project aims to develop a low-cost lake water quality monitoring system using satellite and UAV imagery for High Rock Lake(HRL) Progress and results have been shared with the Yadkin Pee Dee River Basin Association and the NC Division of Water Resources to receive feedback and demonstrate how this information can support a nutrient management strategy for HRL. This project also supported the initial development of the YRK ArcGIS Environmental Justice Story Map. Dr. Di Vittorio regularly supports YRK as an active member. She and her husband, who is a practicing water resources engineer, live in Winston-Salem and have attended YRK fundraisers and enjoy bringing their two daughters to volunteer clean up events. She looks forward to the opportunity to continue to support and guide YRK as a board member, where she plans to make valuable contributions through collaborative research, public outreach and advocacy, K-12 education, and WFU student recruitment.

Nicci Gafinowitz grew up in Johannesburg South Africa and has a Bachelor of Science with Honors double majoring in Botany and Zoology from the University of the Witwatersrand. After several years working in London, she and her family moved to Connecticut in 2000. Finally settling in Chapel Hill 3 years later, she earned a Masters in Information Science from UNC. She and her family have been Badin Lake residents and devoted YRK supporters for nearly 15 years. She has been active in the Protect Badin Lake organization calling for Alcoa to cleanup its hazardous waste sites in Badin.

Steve Ilderton is a lifelong lover of the river, starting with a canoe paddle down the Yadkin in summer camp as a youth (YMCA Camp Cheerio). I live in High Point with my spouse, Christine and recently retired from my family’s business at Ilderton Transportation companies, including Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram, Ilderton conversion company (transportation for the disabled), Ilderton Van conversion and Ilderton emergency lighting and equipment. Father and stepfather to eight children and 15 grandchildren. Past ACA certified kayak instructor and past board chair of the Piedmont Environmental Center and High Point Arts Council, active member and parish council chair for the facilities and property at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church in High Point. Current YRK Board Vice President and ready continue to serve in a leadership capacity in my second three year board term. We need to keep the Yadkin clean and beautiful and work on the future of the river.

Dr. Andrew Jacobson is a conservation biologist who uses geographic information systems (GIS) to research the location and distribution of special species and places on planet Earth. Jacobson attended the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University where he earned his master’s degree and began a specialization in GIS. Jacobson obtained his PhD from the Geography Department at University College London. He became an Assistant Professor of GIS and Conservation in the Department of Environment and Sustainability at Catawba College in Salisbury, North Carolina in 2019. At Catawba College, Dr. Jacobson initiated and runs the Geographic Information Systems & Technology Minor and the drones (UAV) program. He is also the Internship Director for the Environment & Sustainability Department. Dr. Jacobson has been involved with the creation and implementation of a 10-day ‘boot camp’ experience for Catawba undergraduates in partnership with the Waterkeeper Alliance. Led by Waterkeepers Rick Dove and Larry Baldwin, and the Pure Farms Pure Waters campaign, Dr. Jacobson and other Catawba faculty organized and ran an intensive field experience based in New Bern, NC, in May 2023. The boot camp was an eye-opening and nose-wrinkling introduction to the issues surrounding industrial hog farming in eastern North Carolina. The boot camp also served as an opportunity for students to learn about other aspects of the Waterkeepers, such as environmental justice and science-based advocacy. Dr. Jacobson moved from Minnesota to North Carolina in 2008. He has a wife and two young children. They enjoy playing a variety of outdoor sports, bicycling, and getting out on the water in canoes and kayaks as much as possible. His favorite recent hiking spot was Stone Mountain State Park.

Elise Tellez-Aldridge is the Director of Science and Horizons Unlimited with the Rowan-Salisbury Schools. She is originally from Dallas TX and found her love of nature and science at an early age while catching and studying creatures she would find in the mud. Today, Elise still enjoys exploring nature, but what brings her more joy is sharing those experiences with others. She has dedicated her career to science and experiential education through research in the Great Lakes, animal conservation education, and environmental education across Alabama and North Carolina. She is now thrilled to help cultivate curiosity and engage learners in science at Rowan-Salisbury Schools and Horizons Unlimited. When not working, Elise often likes to go on hikes and kayak with her husband Matt and pup Bella, listen to podcasts, and make a mess in the kitchen trying new recipes.