The Blue Ridge RC&D Council is governed by 22 voluntary board members, three board members from each county and a representative from the High Country Council of Governments. For each county, members are selected in the following manner: county commissioners appoint one member, local soil & water conservation districts appoint one member, and the aforementioned appointed members appoint the third at-large member. Our board works closely with county residents, local government officials, businesses, educators, and state and federal agencies to secure funding and implement projects. Our success would not be possible without the tireless efforts of our board and partners.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Jonathan Hartsell has been the Executive Director of Blue Ridge RC&D since 2014 and has lived and worked in western NC since 2004. Jonathan previously served as a watershed coordinator for the North Toe River watershed, as an environmental consultant, and as a non-game aquatic biologist for the NC Wildlife Resources Commission. Jonathan graduated from UNC Wilmington with a BS and MS in Marine Biology. Jonathan and his wife (Tressa) and two kids (Cade and Laurel) live in Burnsville and love spending time outdoors exploring nature.
HIGH COUNTRY PROGRAM DIRECTOR
Jessica Janc has been with Blue Ridge RC&D since 2018. She works primarily in the New River and Watauga River Watersheds. Originally from Ohio, Jessica earned a B.S. in Environmental Geography and Biology from Ohio University. She is a certified North Carolina Environmental Educator and drone pilot. Previously, Jessica worked for a company that manufactures and designs water quality monitoring equipment and for a watershed group in Southeast Ohio. Jessica and her family now live in Boone where they spend as much time as possible on the New River, hiking, and traveling.
TOE-CANE WATERSHED PROGRAM DIRECTOR
David Zietlow is the watershed coordinator for the upper Nolichucky watershed comprised of the North Toe, South Toe, Toe and Cane rivers. David moved to this watershed when he was a small boy and the damage from the flood of 1977 was still apparent. Before joining BRRC&D, he worked for the US Forest Service as a hydrologist at the Hubbard Brook Ecosystem Study in New Hampshire, a research technician at the Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory in Otto, North Carolina, and a naturalist at Mt. Mitchell State Park. David earned a BA in Physics from Bard College and a MS from NCSU with a co-major in Forestry and Environmental Resources and, Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. His free time is best spent exploring woods, wildlife and waterways with his family, Kim and Kobe.
SOUTHERN BLUE RIDGE PRESCRIBED BURN ASSOCIATION COORDINATOR
Zac O'Donnell is the Coordinator for the Southern Blue Ridge Prescribed Burn Association. He works in eight counties to assist landowners with prescribed fire on private land. Zac graduated from Appalachian State University with a BS in Building Science, is a certified EMT, and a volunteer firefighter. Zac grew up and lives in the South Toe valley with his wife, and spends most of his free time mountain biking and hiking with their dogs.
