Board of Directors

Tom lives on Porterfield Run, his watershed address on a small tributary to the South River in Augusta County. He is Professor Emeritus at James Madison University’s School of Integrated Sciences and serves as a trustee on the board of the Virginia Museum of Natural History. He enjoys fishing, hiking, and traveling.

Stephanie lives and works in the South River Watershed. She is currently the Project Manager for Parks and Recreation where she works to create and improve recreational spaces and programming within the City of Waynesboro. When she’s not working she enjoys spending time with her family, gardening, and recreating in the area’s many parks and waterways.

Max grew up and still lives near Sherando Lake, in the upper reaches of the South River Watershed. His family owned Waynesboro Nurseries, a third generation family business nestled along the South River just upstream from the City of Waynesboro. He loves hiking with his dog and paddle boarding, as well as local theater and live music.

Bradley works in the South River Watershed. An Old Dominion University alumnus and professional geologist, he is currently the Environmental Compliance Leader for The LYCRA Company in Waynesboro, VA. When he’s not working, he enjoys soccer, outdoor activities, and spending time with family and friends.

Tommy has lived in the watershed since moving here 20 years ago, 9 years in Waynesboro and 11 years ago he moved to the banks of the South River in Crimora, VA. He has worked 17 years at Blue Ridge Beverage in Waynesboro. He enjoys his family and the outdoors.

Mary Katharine lives and works in the South River watershed. Her bookstore, Stone Soup Books, is located on the banks of the South River and focuses on books about the natural world and regenerative farming. Growing up in Iowa on the Mississippi river, she has a passion for spending time with rivers whether on foot, raft, or kayak.

Sean has been a Waynesboro resident for 14 years. Sean works with local businesses to help promote a healthy community across multiple aspects. An avid outdoor recreational enthusiast, Sean splits his time between local headwaters as well as their tidal regions.

Jim is a family physician and owns a farm on Christian’s Creek, on which, with the help of the USDA, he has done decades of work to remove invasive species and replant native trees and shrubs to better nurture the waterways and the wildlife. He lives with his family in Waynesboro on the South River where it joins Back Creek.

Nancy has spent most of her life near Pine Run in the southern headwaters of the South River watershed. She is a freelance writer, historian, and a former Augusta County Board of Supervisors member representing the Riverheads District. She enjoys travel, hiking, and outdoor photography.

Mac Swortzel lives on his family’s 400 acre Virginia Century Farm, originally purchased by his great grandfather in 1904, which straddles the South River near Greenville. He and his family raise purebred Angus cattle and Suffolk sheep, utilizing fenced streams and practicing intensive rotational grazing. When not farming, Mac enjoys volunteering with his church and spending time with family.

Catie has lived in the watershed for 22 years, raising three children in Waynesboro. She currently resides along the South River with her husband, three dogs, and a backyard full of wildlife. She works in commercial property management and interior decorating. She enjoys the outdoors, art, road trips, and spending time with family and friends.

Amy Allamong has over 15 years of experience working in the nonprofit sector, with a background spanning affordable housing, asset and property management, community engagement, volunteer leadership, and outdoor recreation. Amy is excited to reconnect with her community through her role on the SRWC Board and to support an organization dedicated to water health, environmental education and helping people safely enjoy and care for the natural spaces around them. She is passionate about the outdoors and can often be found enjoying a perfect spring hike when the wildflowers are starting to bloom or a kayak trip down the river in the summer.

Michala lives and works in the South River watershed. Since moving to the Shenandoah Valley in 2020, she has advocated for watershed protection in her workplace, a large manufacturing facility that shares a one-mile border with the South River. Michala is passionate about habitat restoration and conservation, having grown up on the shores of Lake Erie with family connections to the ecological recovery of the infamous Cuyahoga River fires and creation of the EPA. A lover of the outdoors, Michala enjoys hiking, walking the Greenway, and identifying species she spots along the way.

Greg Holsinger lives on South River where his family has operated a dairy farm since 1954. The Holsingers operate their farm for production under nutrient management plans and other best management practices to control runoff along nearly two miles of the river on their property. In 2015, their farm was recognized with the “Shenandoah Grand Basin Clean Water Farm Award” by the local soil and water conservation district. As a farmer, Greg has experienced the destruction caused by floods as well as the benefits of nearby waters for irrigation during droughts. He and his family believe that clean waterways are essential to producing local food as well as sustaining a healthy local environment.