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Staff

Elaine Chiosso Executive Director  chiosso@hawriver.org                                   

Elaine Chiosso has been Executive Director of the Haw River Assembly since 1997.  She also served as the Haw Riverkeeper from 2008 -2017. She studied at UC-Berkeley and UNC-CH and has a B.S in Science Education. She has lived near the Haw River in Chatham County, since 1974 and currently serves on the Chatham County Environmental Review Committee. She is a former member of the NC Sedimentation Control Commission and the NC Water Infrastructure Council. In addition to her role as Executive Director, Elaine continues to work on pollution issues as senior policy advisor.

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Emily Sutton Haw Riverkeeper  emily@hawriver.org
Emily Sutton joined the staff of Haw River Assembly in 2016, managing citizen science projects to watchdog against sediment pollution and monitor the tributaries and main stem of the Haw River. As Riverkeeper, she is now leading the fight against pollution in the Haw River on many fronts, including emerging contaminants, Jordan Lake nutrients, and sediment pollution. Emily grew up paddling rivers in the Midwest, and moved to North Carolina to received her B.A at Appalachian State University in Sustainable Development, where she studied Agroecology, Watershed Ecology, and Outdoor Education. Emily lives in Durham, NC.

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Hannah Welborn-Lewis Event & Volunteer Coordinator events@hawriver.org

Hannah Welborn-Lewis joined the Haw River Assembly in 2023 and is responsible for coordinating various events including the Haw River Learning Celebration in the Fall, the annual Clean-Up-A-Thon, and the Haw River Festival. Prior to working for the Haw River Assembly, Hannah spent time at the City of Greensboro Water Resources Department as a Public Education and Social Media Specialist. Hannah received her undergraduate degree from Western Carolina University and a graduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in Communication Studies.

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Carolyn Paden Office Manager  carolyn@hawriver.org      

Carolyn is fundamental to the functioning of the Haw River Assembly.  She keeps our office running smoothly, provides assistance administratively, brings in cookies on Valentines day and so much more.  She does not like having her picture taken.  We love her anyway.       

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Mike Wallace, Water Quality Specialist & Field Technician  mike@hawriver.org

Mike joined HRA in January, 2023. His position includes combining data collection and fieldwork with bigger picture geographic or spatial analysis. He investigates E. coli levels, monitors stream sedimentation and updating watershed maps and stream delineations. He is finding new ways to deploy and share the data and resources HRA has collected over many years.   Originally from Charlotte, Mike earned a BA in history with a concentration in education studies at Guilford College. He will soon graduate from NC Central University in Durham where he’s completing a master’s in environmental, earth and geospatial science, as well as an internship with the City of Raleigh in Stormwater GIS. Mike loves to play music and hike with his partner Laura and their dog Wendy.

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Anita Lorraine Moore, Communications Manager  anita@hawriver.org

Anita creates and publishes the HRA newsletter, graphic design, social media and other communications-related projects at the Haw River Assembly.  She’s a writer, artist, musician and maker at heart.  At HRA, she gets to create engaging and interactive outreach materials using storytelling, highlighting the wonderful work of our community’s efforts to protect and restore the Haw River.  Anita was raised in Alamance County, currently lives in Saxapahaw while building an off-grid, tiny house in Snow Camp. She earned a Masters of Social Justice in Intercultural Communications, focusing on Policy Advocacy and Community Organizing at the School for International Training (SIT) in Brattleboro, Vermont.  At Appalachian State (Boone, NC) in 2008, she earned a BS in Anthropology and a BA in Religious Studies.  Anita is both an instructor of Critical Thinking and volunteer on the Racial Equity, Diversity & Inclusion commission at Alamance Community College.

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Cynthia Crossen Newsletter Editor

2022-2023 Board Members

  • Jeannie Ambrose, Chatham County
  • Chris Carter,  Alamance County,
  • Crystal Cavalier, Alamance County
  • Lynn Featherstone,  Chatham County
  • Dianne Ford, Alamance County Secretary
  • Katherine Fulbright,  Orange County
  • Nicole Gaines, Guilford County,  President
  • Sharon Garbutt, Chatham County
  • Chris Green, Chatham County
  • David Jester, Chatham County
  • Rufus King,  Alamance County
  • Dr. Janet MacFall, Alamance County
  • Francisco Plaza, Orange County
  • John Runkle, Orange County
  • Jo Sanders,  Chatham County, Treasurer
  • John Wagner, Chatham County,
  • Ayo Wilson, Durham County, Vice President
  •      Mac Jordan, Emeritus Member, Saxapahaw
  •     Omega Wilson, Environmental Justice Advisor, Mebane