Rick Savage (Rick.savage@carolinawetlands.org)

Executive Director

Rick worked a wetland scientist for the North Carolina Division of Water Resources from 2004 until 2015.  In 2016 after the state government ended the wetlands monitoring program, Rick helped to form the Carolina Wetlands Association. He served as the Board president until he was hired as Executive Director in November 2021. Rick has an MS degree in Systems Engineering from Virgina Tech and a Masters of Natural Resources from NC State University.

Katie McClean

Project Coordinator

Katie has spent most of her career out in the field doing ecological research and monitoring. She has an MS in Ecology and the Environment from UNC Chapel Hill and has closely studied plant and avian communities, invasive species, habitat restoration and conservation. She has a passion for conserving our beautiful  etlands, and she enjoys sharing that passion with others doing community outreach and learning what value wetlands bring to others and their communities. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her kids and doing just about anything outdoors like hiking, birdwatching, and camping.

Aaron Ellis (pronouns she/her)

Project and Finance Coordinator

Aaron has had a unique career, based in project administration for environmental and engineering firms since 2004, intermingled with 14 years of active and reserve duty with the US Coast Guard in logistics, finance, and procurement. She is the Project Coordinator for our Volunteer Wetland Monitoring Program, Parker Creek, and other projects. Aaron is also responsible for our general financial procedures. She is also an avid hiker, camper, kayaker, and equestrian.