Annual NCBGF Membership Meeting
Friday, November 17, 2023
1 – 2 p.m.
Virtual, Zoom
Join online: https://unc.zoom.us/s/92157457373
Join by phone: 1-305-224-1968 Enter Meeting ID: 921 5745 7373
Membership Meeting (Virtual for Members)
1 p.m. Welcome & Introduction of New Board Directors – Anne Harris, President
1:10 p.m. State of the Garden – Dr. Damon Waitt, Director
- Lisa Hicks, Director of Business Operations
- Jennifer Peterson, Director of Communications & Visitor Experience
- Dan Stern, Director of Horticulture
- Joanna Massey Lelekacs, Director of Learning and Community Engagement
- Mike Kunz, Director of Conservation
- Dr. Alan Weakley, Director of Herbarium & Research
- Stephen Keith, Director of Development
2 p.m. Adjourn
At the beginning of the annual meeting, new Board Directors will be introduced and recognized.
Slate of Directors (2024-2026)
Ted Teague
BA Political Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
JD and MBA, Wake Forest University
Ted has spent his career as a lawyer helping individuals and small businesses solve problems, grow, and resolve controversies. He has also worked as UNC’s Associate General Counsel for Business Affairs and Real Estate. William Lanier Hunt, who was instrumental in founding the Botanical Garden Foundation, first introduced him to the natural areas surrounding the NCBG. Ted lives in Saxapahaw and serves on the boards of the Paperhand Puppet Project, the North Caroliniana Society, and the UNC-Chapel Hill Friends of the Library.
Thomas Thornburg
JD, The University of Michigan Law School
MPP, The University of Michigan
BA Political Science, Earlham College
Tom is a retired professor and senior associate dean of UNC’s School of Government with scholarly expertise in North Carolina public law. He has served as Secretary and Treasurer of the SOG Foundation and currently chairs the Earlham College Board of Trustees. He counts the Mason Farm Biological Reserve among the North Carolina Botanical Garden’s many treasures and once spotted a bobcat there.
Josie Walker
BS Agricultural & Environmental Systems with Concentration in Urban & Community Horticulture, NC A&T State University
BS Mathematics, UNC Charlotte
With over 16 years of professional experience as a garden educator, Josie Walker has partnered with schools, libraries, and farms across eastern North Carolina to instill environmental stewardship and agricultural education among diverse audiences. Her grassroots initiatives actively address food insecurities by fostering community access to accurate information and essential resources, with a focus on growing edible plants. Josie is the co-founder of the Black Seed Saving Collective and was recognized in 2020 as a Plant Champion by Seed Your Future. She also serves on the advisory board of the North Carolina Community Garden Partners (Southeast Region) and contributes her leadership skills to the North Carolina Native Plant Society, Central Coastal Plains Chapter.
Julie Furr Youngman
BS, MA in Environmental Law Studies and J.D., Duke University
Julie is a Senior Attorney with Southern Environmental Law Center in Chapel Hill. Her cases involve protecting water quality and quantity, coastal resources, and endangered species, and promoting environmental justice. She graduated from Duke Law School, where was managing editor of the Duke Law Review and served as president of the Environmental Law Society. As a tenured professor of business law, she created the Law, Justice and Society program at Washington & Lee University. A former U.S. Army Officer, Julie’s current and past board service includes the Forest Restoration Alliance, the Rockbridge Area Conservation Council, and Friends of Bolin Creek, as well as her children’s school organizations.
