LEADERSHIP

Tom retired from Davidson College in 2017 after spending 23 years as the Dean of Students and Vice President of Student Affairs. He failed retirement and accepted a position as the Dean of Student Affairs for the inaugural undergraduate class at Duke Kunshan University in China. Tom is an avid outdoorsman having hiked, biked, or walked the greenways all over the area. He is excited to play a role in preserving and expanding the public land use options in the area. He has been married to Anne for 40 years and they have 3 grown children (and three grandchildren!) who live in the Charlotte area.

As the grandchild of a dairy farmer and an advocate of parks and natural spaces, Mendy is excited to join the DLC Board. She is a graduate of West Virginia University with a degree in interior design, and is the Director of Facility Operations for Truist. Mendy has been a member of numerous non-profit boards, including the United Way of Forsyth County, and is a current member of the Town of Davidson Planning Board and on the Architectural Review Committee for the St. Albans neighborhood. As a 4+ year resident of Davidson, she has a huge appreciation of all the Town and its surrounding areas has to offer residents including greenways, parks and the Davidson Farmers Market where she is a long standing CSA member with a local farmer. Mendy is an active fiber and watercolor artist, and spends her spare time traveling the world, playing with her Great Dane Emma and vegetable gardening.

Sarah grew up in wild, wonderful West Virginia where her love of the land and its natural beauty were nurtured from an early age.  College at N.C. State brought her to North Carolina followed by early years of her career in the textile industry while living in Charlotte.  In 1992, Sarah and her husband, Brian, and their two boys moved to Davidson where they quickly became involved in support of the community.  She has served as an Elder, Deacon and on numerous committees at Davidson College Presbyterian Church, Davidson Elementary PTA, started what has now become Holidays for Hope and Housing in the McConnell neighborhood and served on the board of the Boys and Girls Club at Ada Jenkins in its early years.  As the Town of Davidson has experienced much growth, Sarah and her family have developed a keen interest in finding ways to sustain the open spaces and rural landscapes that make the town such a wonderful place to call home.  She retired as the Athletics Business Manager at Davidson College in 2023 and looks forward to the commitment on the DLC board.

Bonnie is a 25 year resident of Davidson, North Carolina and a graduate of Clemson University with a degree in Ornamental Horticulture and Landscape Design. She currently works as managing partner with Berkley Group LLC and SVP of Real Estate Partnerships with Airwavz Solutions both in the wireless infrastructure industry enabling connectivity for mobile phones and devices to networks. Bonnie and her husband Mike and three sons lived in Runneymede and were part of the committee working with the Conservancy for land conservation. Currently, they live on a small farm in Davidson which is conserved with an easement held by DLC. Bonnie’s passion is in connections and protection of special people and places. Davidson is top of the list of special places, but it goes on because if we protect land here in Davidson, we can influence protecting land elsewhere.

Dr. Norman Holmes is a graduate of Wake Forest University, where he earned degrees in both Chemistry and Economics. He attended The Ohio State University for medical school and went on to finish his residency at the University of Virginia. Following his residency, Dr. Holmes established his medical practice in the Charlotte region. Dr. Holmes, along with his wife Mia, a ballet teacher at Davidson College, have had a home in Davidson since 1990. Outside of practicing medicine, he previously played for the Charlotte Rugby Club and continues to enjoy running and mountain biking on the local trails. He strongly believes in preserving natural spaces and habitats, and considers Davidson and surrounding areas fortunate to have such a quality effort as the DLC  to work towards this goal.

Chris grew up near Chattanooga, Tennessee. His love of wild places and his joy in sharing them with others grew over years of hiking, camping, and paddling in East Tennessee, North Georgia, and Western North Carolina. Chris and his family came to Davidson in 2002. He spent 23 years as a faculty member, associate dean, and fundraiser at Davidson College. In addition to the DLC board, Chris serves on the board of the John and Ruth McGee Foundation, a family foundation that supports community development and education in Charleston, West Virginia.

Matt joined the DLC Board in early 2024 in response to his love of Davidson and its lands and natural features. Matt is a graduate of Davidson College, where he was baseball captain. He earned his law degree from the University of South Carolina, where he served as an editor of the Southeastern Environmental Law Journal. Following law school, Matt worked as a litigation attorney in boutique law offices handling complex civil litigation and later in a large multi-state defense litigation firm. He now practices law in Davidson. Matt is a dedicated and highly competent contributor to the community. He served as a member and chair of the Davidson Planning Board and Board of Adjustment, as well as on Davidson’s Board of Commissioners where he was respected for his preparation diligence, his commitment to deeply understand issues, and his highly respectful leadership. Matt serves as an Elder at Davidson College Presbyterian Church and has helped chair its Endowment Committee. Matt lives with his wife and their two sons in Davidson.

Taft grew up in Reidsville, North Carolina, before coming to Davidson as a student. He developed a love for the outdoors through years of weekend camping trips with the Scouts of America. By volunteering at the Davidson Community Garden during his college experience, he realized his passion for plants and environmental sustainability. In addition to studying Environmental Studies and Computer Science at Davidson College, he is involved with club tennis and is a Bonner Scholar. Some of his hobbies include playing guitar, gardening, playing tennis, and spending time with friends, family, and his dogs, Louie Blue and Scout. 

Chuck Latham grew up in rural North Carolina and learned to value the outdoors at a young age. He has been a Davidson resident since 1996, has great appreciation for the greenspaces in the Town and surrounding areas, and is pleased help the DLC preserve the natural beauty and ecosystem of the community. Chuck is a retired financial executive and in addition to his work with DLC serves as the Treasurer of the North Carolina Baroque Orchestra. He is out daily with his dogs and often cycling the greenways.

Jennifer Morell is a seasoned real estate and land acquisition professional with over a decade of experience across the nonprofit and public sectors. She currently serves as Director of Land Acquisition and Development for Habitat for Humanity of the Charlotte Region, where she oversees strategic land use, acquisitions, entitlements, and development initiatives that expand affordable homeownership opportunities. She is a native of the San Francisco Bay Area who moved to North Carolina as an AmeriCorps volunteer 20 years ago. Jennifer brings a deep understanding of both regional context and long-term community needs. Her background includes leading real estate transactions and negotiating land acquisitions for Mecklenburg County and Novant Health. Jennifer holds a master’s degree in Urban & Regional Analysis, is a licensed North Carolina real estate broker, and actively participates on Davison’s Livability Board and the City of Charlotte’s Development Services Technical Advisory Committee. Jennifer and her husband Philip are recent Davidson residents and have three boys – Elijah, Sean and Michael.

Katie is a Net Zero Strategy Manager within the Global Environmental Group at Bank of America. In her role she is responsible for implementing the bank’s Net Zero before 2050 strategy, which involves calculating greenhouse gas emissions for financing activities and setting 2030 science-aligned targets for emissions reduction. Prior to her role at Bank of America, Katie worked for the City of Charlotte managing their municipal greenhouse gas emissions reduction plan. She has also worked in the environmental space within the energy and pharmaceutical industries. She graduated from Sewanee: The University of the South, majoring in Environmental Studies and minoring in Business. Katie is passionate about environmental protection and conservation and aims to align her lifestyle to these values. She lives in Charlotte with her husband and enjoys running, gardening, and hiking.

Scott serves as vice-president of sustainability and co-founder of the Center for Energy Efficiency & Sustainability at Trane Technologies (CEES) and is responsible for forward-looking sustainability initiatives aimed at transitioning to more efficient and climate-friendly solutions, and minimizing resource use within company facilities. He serves as a thought leader in linking public policy, economic impacts and a value-stream approach to sustainability. Most recently, the company received the World Environment Center’s Gold Medal for Sustainable Development. Scott holds graduate and undergraduate degrees in environmental science and ecology from Livingston University. He serves on the Advisory Council of the Corporate Eco Forum; as the board chair of the World Environment Center; as the chair of the US Business Council for Sustainable Development (USBCSD); and on the North Carolina Energy Policy Council.