Board of Directors

Thomas H. Adams, Ph.D. is a retired professor emeritus from the College of New Jersey, where he taught educational psychology and environmental awareness for education majors and taught extensively in third world countries. In 1988 he retired and moved to St. George Island, FL where he has fought to preserve the environmental quality of Apalachicola Bay through public advocacy and, where required, litigation. He has been on the Board since 1999.

Don Ashley, is the president of Ashley Associates, a wildlife consulting business specializing in sustainable use strategies for crocodilians, international trade and the CITES Treaty. He is a Florida native and naturalist who began a wildlife career as a lecturer at Silver Springs for herpetologist Ross Allen while studying journalism at the University of Florida. As a fish management specialist to Florida's first "Streams Investigation" project he help collect baseline data on the Apalachicola, St. Johns and Suwannee Rivers from 1970-72 with the GFC (now FWC). He continued with GFC as Florida's first wildlife Inspector and was Deputy Director of Wildlife Law Enforcement before entering private business in 1977.

He is a member of the IUCN Crocodile Specialist Group Steering Committee, life member of Florida Wildlife Federation, a Friend of 1000 Friends & a Riverkeeper of Apalachicola Riverkeeper. He co-chaired the St. Johns River Coalition with Florida Audubon in the 1980's to build public support to restore that river's headwater marshes. Rivers have always been an important part of his life--from the Okavanga and Zambezi to the Ochlockonee and Sopchoppy that surround his home on St. James Island. They are the vital link to better public understanding of nature and conservation. The Apalachicola River and the last Great Bay in Florida brings him full circle in 35 years.

Joyce Estes, is an artist, florist, and business owner who lives in Eastpoint, Florida.

Brad Hartman served as Director, Office of Environmental Services (OES), Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) from 1978 to 2002 when he retired. This Office represented the FWC and its predecessor, the Game and Freshwater Fish Commission, in advocating habitat protection for fish and wildlife in a variety of government forums including all levels of wetlands permitting, state development planning, Developments of Regional Impact (DRI) reviews, land acquisition, habitat-related legislation and rule making, and in major state-wide and regional environmental issues.

Hartman worked on Apalachicola River issues starting in 1973 when the Corps proposed to further navigation improvements in the upper River. He has been involved in a variety of issues in the Apalachicola River since then.

Since retirement, Hartman has worked in a series of short volunteer or paid wildlife technician jobs. He and wife Anna Marie are avid bird watchers and naturalists. Other interests include canoe and kayak paddling, and travel. They have lived near Havana in Gadsden County since 1978.

Jeff Ilardi, President of the Board, is a retired attorney who spent 25 years as a Senior Trial Attorney with the Office of the Public Defender in New Jersey. He graduated from Rutgers School of Law in 1973. He has had a long time interest in environmental matters and remembers the original Riverkeeper on the Hudson River and Sandy Hook Bay in New Jersey and the days of the sloop Clearwater and Pete Seeger doing benefit concerts. As a lifelong sport fisherman the condition of the Apalachicola River and Bay are of paramount concern to Jeff. His other interests include acting in the plays with Panhandle Players and is also on their Board of Directors. Jeff has recently started doing a Fishing Report on Forgotten Coast TV and always puts in a plug for good environmental practices for fisherman. He also volunteers at the Riverkeeper store and has worked on grassbed buoy placement, River Cleanup and the first River Expo. Jeff lives in Eastpoint with his wife Carolyn, three dogs, and an indeterminate numbers of cats, raccoons and possums.

Michael Lister is an award-winning novelist, essayist, screenwriter, and playwright who lives in North Florida. A former prison chaplain, Michael is the author of the "Blood" series featuring prison chaplain/detective, John Jordan (Blood of the Lamb, The Body and the Blood, etc.). His second series features Jimmy "Soldier" Riley, a PI in Panama City during World War II www.FloridaNoir.com.  Michael’s recent literary thrillers include Double Exposure, Thunder Beach, and Burnt Offerings. In addition to fiction, Michael writes a weekly column on art and meaning titled Of Font and Film www.OfFontandFilm.com, which includes reviews of film and fiction. When Michael isn’t writing, he teaches college, operates a charity, and community theater. Born and raised on the banks of the Apalachicola River, Michael considers the river basin not only his natural, but spiritual home, and uses his art to honor and protect the fragile ecosystem. His website is www.MichaelLister.com.

Jim Lycett is a commercial fisherman (with two Gulf shrimp boats) who lives in Carrabelle, FL.

Patti McCartney grew up and raised her children in the river town of Selma, Alabama. Summers were spent enjoying the beauty of the Alabama River where she developed a concern with the obvious pollution of the river. After graduating from the University of Alabama, also in a river town, Patti taught school and was Vice President of her family boating and recreation business. After leaving Alabama in 1985, Patti was the Director of Religious Education in several churches in Alabama and Florida. The McCartneys built their home on the bay on St. George Island in 1996 and Patti soon became one of the permitted turtle nest monitors. Living adjacent to a significant wetlands and becoming an advocate for wetlands protection has created a new passion in her life; environmental stewardship and education. Having 4 children and 5 grandchildren keeps Patti active and she is looking forward to being a mentor in Franklin County’s “Take Stock In Children” Program.

John Robert Middlemas is a long-time resident and community leader in Panama City, FL. He is a vice president of Peoples First Insurance Agency in Panama City, has been politically active, and a close friend of Senator Bob Graham and served in several capacities for him when Graham was Governor of Florida. He is a proponent of environmentally-aware development and maintenance of the quality of life in marine environments. John Robert has been especially active and effective in stopping the ruinous dredging on the Apalachicola and beginning a well-managed program for resource restoration. He has served on the Board since 2000.

Nancy Caire Miller, Secretary has a long history of involvement as an advocate for environmental protection and stormwater management. She has an M.S. in Biology and an M.S. in Urban and Regional Planning from Florida State University. Since moving to Tallahassee in 1985, Nancy has fought to preserve the unique water systems of the Big Bend region, participating on a number of citizens’ advisory committees related to water resource protection and growth management. In Tallahassee, she was a member of the group that produced the Blueprint 2000 report, inspiring the passage of a local penny sales tax which currently funds greenway, stormwater management and transportation infrastructure improvements. Nancy works as Project Coordinator for the City of Tallahassee’s TAPP – Think About Personal Pollution Campaign and does environmental consulting with Wendy Grey Land Use Planning. She represents the Apalachicola Riverkeeper on the Big Bend Environmental Forum.

Christopher H. Moran CPA, Treasurer, is a partner of Purvis & Gray accounting firm in Tallahassee, FL. He has long been familiar with the Apalachicola River, basin geography, and the history and politics of the region. He is active on several boards in the Tallahassee social, musical and art worlds. Chris has been very active recently in sponsoring a chapter of Apalachicola Riverkeeper for over 150 members resident in the Tallahassee area. Chris serves faithfully as financial adviser and Treasurer to the Board. He has served on the Board since 2000.

C. Chadwick (Chad) Taylor, Vice-President of the Board, was born (1952) and raised in Jacksonville, Florida. He's a lifelong resident of North Florida. He attended public education, including the University of Florida (B.S. Psychology) and Troy State University (M.S. Counseling and Psychology). He moved from Jacksonville to Greenwood, Florida in 1980 and to Marianna, Florida in 1993. He manages an irrigated row crop farm west of Greenwood, Florida, and forestland throughout Jackson County. He maintains an active State of Florida Certified Building Contractors License and is completing final State of Florida requirements as a Licensed Mental Health Counselor.

He is a spokesperson for and is on the Steering Committee of the Chipola River Economic and Environmental Council (CREEC). He has been a Board member since 2000, and serves as the Upper River Steward of Apalachicola Bay & Riverkeeper. He is Chairperson for Imagine Jackson, the Jackson County countywide twenty-year vision process. He is married to Frances Harris Taylor, of Marianna, Florida, has one son, Coakley Taylor, 17 years old, 11th grade, Marianna High School. His personal interests include: community involvement, ecological forestry, reading, “messing around with boats”, fishing, camping, beaches, environmental and social issues, and family.

Staff

Dan Tonsmeire (Dan@apalachicolariverkeeper.org), Riverkeeper, was recruited to fill the Riverkeeper position for the Apalachicola Riverkeeper organization in February 2004. His rich skill set and experience made that selection a critical one. He has spent 15 years as a water resource planner with the Northwest Florida Water Management District where he was the principal planner for the development and implementation of the Northwest Florida Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) Program on the Apalachicola Bay and River. In prior years Dan was resident manager for the 1,250-acre Jeff Lewis Wilderness Preserve on Dog Island, Florida where he facilitated and coordinated research and Program Development for The Nature Conservancy. In addition he has had hands-on experience as a backcountry guide in Idaho, a commercial fisherman in Alaska, and an owner and operator of a small construction company in Alabama and Florida. Dan graduated in Civil Engineering from Auburn University and currently holds a USCG Ocean Operators license and Florida Real Estate license. His technical experience on issues pertinent to and dedication to the preservation, protection, and restoration of the Apalachicola River and Bay will increase the Apalachicola Riverkeepers capacity and determination to get it right on this last great river and bay.

Andrew Jubal Smith (Andy@apalachicolariverkeeper.org), Executive Director and Past President of the Board, , worked for many years as a whitewater guide on the Chattooga, Ocoee, Green, and Colorado Rivers. In 1993 he graduated from the Florida State University College of Law, was admitted to the Georgia and Florida bars, and worked for the Legal Environmental Assistance Foundation (LEAF), focusing on litigation, education, regulation, and legislation to protect human health, preserve vital natural resources and achieve environmental justice in Florida and Georgia. Following LEAF, he spent several years in private practice. He has a degree in geology from Georgia State University. Andy co-founded the Apalachicola Riverkeeper with Bill Hartley and Susan Anderson, has served as legal advisor since the inception of the organization, and was elected President of the Board in 2006.

David McLain, Senior Policy Director, has, in the past, served the Board as Executive Director and Riverkeeper. He is a retired army Colonel, a former West Point instructor, and a Viet Nam veteran. He has a Masters Degree from the University of Pennsylvania and attended the Royal College of Defense Studies in the UK. In 1996 he founded a company, First Response, to train and provide emergency management to major petroleum companies faced with the risk of a damaging accidental spill in the environment. He has participated as a stakeholder in the Tri-State River Compact negotiations from the outset.

Kayd Selden (kayd@apalachicolariverkeeper.org), Operations & Outreach Coordinator, joined the Riverkeeper as a volunteer early in 2007, and came on staff in March 2007.  Kayd is a determined staff member who’s always learning new computer and office skills to better serve our staff, volunteers, members and general public.  Among dozens of tasks at the Riverkeeper office, Kayd maintains the Riverkeeper’s donor database and coordinates the volunteer program.  She has spent most of her career in retail sales and marketing and is now working to sell and market the protection and preservation of the Apalachicola River & Bay.  Her past positions include managing Riverlily in Apalachicola, Florida and the Cades Cove Visitor Center in Smoky Mountains National Park.  She also worked as the assistant manager at the Moses Cone House Arts/Crafts Shop on Blue Ridge Parkway and as the Zookeeper and Native Plant Keeper at The Nature Center in Asheville, North Carolina.  She has been a stained glass artist, teacher, shop owner, and proprietor of The House Warmer, a home service company.  Kayd plans to do more fishing and paddling to better understand, enjoy and protect Apalachicola’s wonderful local environment.

Katie Herzog (accountant@apalachicolariverkeeper.org), Bookkeeper, is a retired educator from Wisconsin.  She was employed by Racine Unified School District for 29 years and worked as both an elementary school social worker/counselor and high school counselor.   She has a master’s degree from University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee in Educational Psychology.   During her summers, she spent multiple weeks in Central and South America with a program called Save the Rainforest.   The program is designed to give high school students an opportunity to learn about rainforests and marine environments.   She recently completed a Master Gardener program through the University of Florida Extension and continues to volunteer time to the community.