Clay Robinson
Although a resident of Carrollton, Georgia, Clay has spent much of the last 20-plus years in Apalachicola. An avid outdoorsman, Clay enjoys hunting, fishing, paddling, and generally spending time outside—especially on the water. Clay has been a supporter of Riverkeeper for many years and was able to participate in RiverTrek 2017 – the second time he’s paddled the entire length of the Apalachicola River. In addition to the Apalachicola River, Clay has paddled long stretches of the Chipola and Suwannee Rivers in Florida, as well as the Chattahoochee River in Georgia. “The Apalachicola Bay has become my home-away-from-home and I will do as much as I can to protect it. Participating in RiverTrek gave me a great opportunity to raise awareness here in Georgia of the perils faced by the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin watershed. As a Riverkeeper board member, I hope to have an even greater impact in protecting this wonderful treasure.”
Clay is an investment advisor in Carrollton, where, in his free time, he enjoys spending time reading on the front porch or lounging around the pool.
Charley Kienzle
A resident of Apalachicola, Charley has worked in executive management operations and staff positions with corporations such as Ryder, Aviall, Boeing and he has served on non-profit boards such as Patrons of the Apalachicola Library Society, Texas State Technical College Foundation and the Wake Forest School of Business. Being a long-time member of the AR board, Charley feels that “the beating heart of the entire region is the Apalachicola. It is so unique. It has not yet been compromised beyond recovery, so positive results are possible. You can make an impact!”
Craig Diamond
Craig Diamond (based in Tallahassee) has been an active, long-standing contributor to land and water conservation through volunteer organizations such as Apalachicola Riverkeeper and his professional work in local, regional and state government and the state university system. He is currently Regional Manager/Economics (emeritus) for The Balmoral Group. Resource protection and enhancement of the Apalachicola has been of particular interest to him for more than 25 years. He’s participated in RiverTrek, paddled the Chipola and Spring Creek enough times to turn his sons into competent outdoorsmen, and – keeping the watershed in mind – has hiked the tributaries of the upper Chattahoochee annually since the late 1970s. “The Apalachicola Bay and Riverkeeper team remains the best tool we have to promote and protect the system.”
David Hilton
David has been an educator for thirty-three years teaching anatomy, biology, conservation and ecology and has served as an academic dean for the last eight years at Chipola College. “The greatest thing about teaching is helping students see something they have never seen before.” Hiking with students on the Garden of Eden trail, paddling Spring Creek and the Chipola River, or removing invasive plants and replacing native trees on campus after Hurricane Michael – students enjoy doing and learning about this area. Raised in Jackson County, David and his wife Renea have lived outside of Marianna, Florida for the past 35 years. They both enjoy fishing in the bay, duck hunting and almost anything on or near the water. “We are so blessed to call Northwest Florida home, and that should compel us to invest our time and resources in an effort to preserve and protect this unique place.”
Dodie Alber
The Apalachicola River guided Dodie Alber to the river and bay community of Apalachicola five years ago, where she now makes her home in the historic “Hill” neighborhood. A Midwesterner by birth, Dodie was born in Evansville, Indiana, another river town on the banks of the Ohio River. Her interests have led her to study and work at various times as a science teacher, civil engineer, florist and mother. She has pursued the important and necessary work of conservation for decades.
Dodie feels extremely fortunate to live near this beautiful and ecologically significant estuary. The river, floodplain and bay support an intricate web of species that evolved in tandem with the river. She supports Apalachicola Riverkeeper in its mission to improve and maintain the environmental integrity of the whole system.
Dodie kayaked the Apalachicola River in 2020 as part of RiverTrek, a major fundraiser for Apalachicola Riverkeeper. She sees RiverTrek as a major educational opportunity to learn more about the river first hand. She will join the RiverTrek team again in the fall of 2021 to soak up some more of the river’s wisdom.
Ivo Marcich
Ivo, his wife Heather and their pets moved from Pinckney, Mi to their home on the Apalachicola river at the end of 2017. This has given them a deep and daily appreciation of the tremendous biodiversity and mysterious beauty that the Apalachicola river offers. “Our goal is to clean, preserve and better understand the intricate balance of this wonderful ecosystem, so helping with the Apalachicola Riverkeeper team is important and a great fit.”
Ivo graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a BA in Economics and International Relations and an MBA in Finance and International Business. During his career, he has worked for Ford Motor Company, Gelman Sciences, and, lastly, TMD Friction where he was CFO of TMD USA and Vice President of Finance for the Americas (USA, Mexico and Brazil). This hands on role required active global engagement and allowed Ivo to learn and use several foreign languages. “What is most striking and unique to me about the Apalachicola River is the incredible amount of life (manatee, dolphins, sharks, gators, otters, snakes, flounder, crabs, mullet ….) that you can see if you take the time to observe.”
Jeff VanderMeer
A self-described “five-lined skink who won’t take up much space in a kayak,” Jeff VanderMeer is considered one of the foremost writers of weird fiction in the world. His bestselling books explore themes related to the environment, animals and the future of humanity. His first novel, Annihilation, was made into a movie by Paramount in 2018. A current resident of Tallahassee, Jeff grew up in the Fiji Islands and has traveled extensively through Asia, Africa and Europe.
Kim Kelling
Kim came to Tallahassee in 1995 after having worked in Los Angeles and New York City for over 15 years. It felt like coming home. The coastal salt marshes, piney forests and beaches reminded her of growing up in southern New Jersey – an area once famous for its oysters. Having lived in some of the most urban landscapes in this country, Kim has a deep appreciation for the biodiversity of the local ecosystem, something we all must work to protect and preserve. This region is often a source of inspiration in her position as director of content and community partnerships at WFSU Public Media
Kim Sash
Kim Sash grew up in Wisconsin where a love of wildlife and the outdoors was fostered by her veterinarian father and farm-girl mother. She attended UW Madison and majored in Wildlife Ecology and traveled south to escape frigid winters in search of reptiles and amphibians which came to be the focus of her graduate degree at the University of Georgia. She currently works at Tall Timbers Research Station & Land Conservancy where she continues to study wildlife and assist with conservation easements. Kim believes the best way to get people to appreciate nature is to get them out in it; she enjoys guiding field trips in the Red Hills to teach others about the nature and biodiversity in our area.
More than anything Kim enjoys exploring the wilderness with her husband, Pierson Hill, and 3 adventurous dogs. Those exploits often include looking for snakes while dipping a paddle in the water. While at home she enjoys caring for her chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, and garden at her little farmette, Itchy Ankle Acres, in Gadsden County. Kim paddled the entirety of the Apalachicola River as part of RiverTrek in 2017. She has been on the board of Apalachicola Riverkeeper since 2018 and President of the Board since March 2020.
Lynn Wilder
Lynn Wilder slowly worked her way south from Wisconsin to Apalachicola. She’s now a full-time resident and is determined to help our river and bay thrive. Her career progressed from Superfund emergency response work at the Environmental Protection Agency, to working with communities exposed to chemicals in their environment at the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, and directing science at the Center for Disease Control’s National Center for Environmental Health. Lynn has degrees in chemistry, industrial hygiene, and environmental and occupational health.
The Apalachicola ecosystem captured her heart when she first visited the area several decades ago. She’s been to many areas of the country that have been less fortunate with environmental pollution and overdevelopment and feels passionately that this area needs to be preserved. Lynn wants to ensure that people from all walks of life understand how irreplaceable this unique treasure is and how we can all make a difference in keeping it healthy. The Apalachicola Riverkeeper walks this walk and much more.
Other loves include dogs, art, good music, fishing, and birding…and she is a St George Island sea turtle patrol volunteer and a member of the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve “Friends of the Reserve” board.
Rebecca Jetton
A resident of Tallahassee who worked at the Department of Community Affairs for more than 30 years, Rebecca provides voluntary assistance and oversight for AR in regards to local government comprehensive planning, land development regulations, and land-based water quality issues. She is concerned about the reduction of water volume and long-term impacts to the Apalachicola Bay ecosystem, marine fishery and local economy.