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Our Team
Meet Our Staff
Nancy Manning
Executive Director
Nancy Manning - Executive Director
Nancy Manning, JD, current Executive Director of Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning, is an attorney, certified mediator, trainer, manager, facilitator and consultant. Nancy owned the Law Office of Nancy Manning for 25 years, with a primary focus of serving indigent Native Americans in Rapid City, South Dakota. Nancy served on 3 nonprofit boards in Rapid City, including Lifeways, the Restorative Justice Center and the Pennington County Air Quality Control Board. She created the first mediation practice and training center in Rapid City and was the only service provider there for 15 years. Nancy moved to Texas in 2007 and became Executive Director of a conservation nonprofit. As the Executive Director she led efforts to develop, plan & implement a 7-year outreach initiative to engage an ethnically diverse community in conserving a 10-acre habitat on the east side of Austin which engaged local youth in outdoor education. Nancy was recognized for Innovative Environmental Leadership; one of 40 individuals nationwide selected as a 2011 Audubon / Toyota TogetherGreen Fellow to further this east Austin conservation outreach effort, which engaged over 1200 volunteers. Nancy founded her consulting company, Power Your Mission, in 2014 and founded Austin Nonprofit Meetup in 2018 where she provided online monthly meetups for nonprofit leaders nationwide until 2022. She is currently the Executive Director of Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning.
For career highlights, please see: https://poweryourmission.com/career-highlights
Youtube channel: (3) Power Your Mission – YouTube
Peyten Sellers
Membership & Outreach Coordinator
Peyten Sellers - Outreach & Membership Coordinator
Peyten Sellers is a student at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, majoring in Advertising with a minor in Business. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Peyten is actively involved on campus as a member of the Alpha Kappa Psi Business Fraternity, a research assistant at the Social Media Command Center, and a participant in the UT Ski and Board Club. She brings experience in digital marketing tools, graphic and UX design, and consumer research, having worked extensively at the intersection of marketing and technology. Peyten is passionate about leveraging her diverse skill set to drive meaningful engagement and innovation.
Geri Fox
Development Assistant – Outreach Coordinator
Peyten Sellers - Outreach & Membership Coordinator
Geri Fox is a seasoned strategist and consultant with over 28 years of experience in complex permitting and project management. As the founder of Fast Trak Permit Service, she has navigated intricate regulatory landscapes and mastered conflict resolution through thousands of large-scale commercial projects. Deeply committed to environmental justice, Geri actively serves as a member of Ridgeline Voices, where she manages social media and advocacy efforts to resist unnecessary pipeline developments in Tennessee. Her community leadership extends to roles as Vice Chair and Treasurer of various Morgan County and Roane County organizations. Geri is a mentor for the STOP Fellowship program, where she supports the next generation of environmental science leaders. Her unique blend of professional tenacity and grassroots advocacy—spanning water resource protection, forestry management, and indigenous heritage preservation—makes her a vital asset in the mission for a sustainable and equitable future.
Meet Our Board of Directors
Mark Bevelhimer
President
Mark Bevelhimer - President
After 30 years as an aquatic ecologist/fish biologist in the Environmental Sciences Division of ORNL Mark retired in 2019. For years he researched stressors from hydropower stressors from hydropower dams, coal fired powerplants, and toxic contaminants on fish and aquatic ecosystems. He has been filling his retirement with lots of whitewater kayaking, hiking, camping, fishing, spending time at his cabin on Watts Bar, and TCWP!
Michele Thornton
Vice President
Michelle Thornton - Vice President
Michelle Thornton is a GIS Analyst at ORNL with the Environmental Sciences Division. Master’s degree in biology with an emphasis in stream ecology. BS in Biological Sciences. Taught secondary science in public schools in Michigan and natural science programs in Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. Michele spends her free time hiking, biking, and shuttling and volunteering within her children’s various interests.
Joel Freund
Treasurer
Joel Freund - Treasurer
Joel Freund graduated from Auburn University with a degree in accounting and graduated from the University of Central Florida with a master’s in taxation. Joel has been a Certified Public Accountant for 29 years and is also a Certified Fraud Examiner, Certified Valuation Analysis, and Certified in Financial Forensics. Joel spent 12 years in public and private accounting before joining the FBI as a Special Agent for 16 years. Joel is currently working with HHM, CPAs in Chattanooga, Tennessee where he provides Business Valuation, Forensic, and Litigation Support services for a variety of clients. Joel has been married for 27 years and has twins, one boy and one girl. Joel also has one dog and five cats. Joel loves all things outdoors and has been camping in Gatlinburg since he was 10 years old. His favorite hike is Chimney Tops and Mt. Leconte. When he lived in California, he hiked Half Dome and is always looking for a new adventure. Joel is committed to helping preserve wildlife and making sure his kids and grandkids can continue enjoying the outdoors.
Hans Christen
Secretary
Hans Christen - Secretary
Hans Christen has been living in Knoxville since 2000. He retired from Oak Ridge National Laboratory in 2023 after a career that led from materials science to nanoscience and to neutron scattering in various research and leadership positions. Hans grew up in Switzerland, where he studied physics and enjoyed hiking in the alps. Through living, hiking, backpacking, biking, and beekeeping in East Tennessee, he has developed a deep appreciation of the area’s natural beauty and a keen interest in preserving it.
Margaret Cumberland
Director
Margaret Cumberland - Director
Margaret Cumberland is the Flora Field Ecologist at the Appalachians and Cumberland Plateau Domain (D07), and has been part of Battelle’s National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) Program for 9 years. Her role involves leading a team of technicians to collect ecological data, and in particular ensures the accuracy and integrity of the flora-related data products. She has an M.S. in Conservation Ecology and Sustainable Development from the University of Georgia, and B.S.’s in Biological Sciences, Botany, and Zoology from NC State University. Outside of NEON, Margaret enjoys participating in environmental education and citizen science programs (particularly ones involving plants or birds), as well as camping in the local parks or doing various DIY projects.
Erin Cunningham
Director
Erin Cunningham - Director
Erin Cunningham is a Geophysicist at ORNL. She received a PhD in Geology from the University of Maryland in 2019 with a focus on seismic imaging of subsurface structure in the southeastern United States (including the Eastern Tennessee Seismic Zone!). She has enjoyed working with community leaders on groundwater contamination projects. Erin grew up camping and hiking in northern Wisconsin and has led invasive plant removal days and geode fieldtrips in Illinois. She is excited to begin work with TCWP and explore the beautiful eastern Tennessee wilderness!
Kirk Eddlemon
Director
Kirk Eddlemon - Director
A Native Knoxvillian and East Tennessean, Kirk has been exploring Blue Ridge Mountains and Cumberland Plateau for most of his life. He met his wife, Laura, at an Oak Ridge roll practice over 20 years ago, and they began to explore rivers around the world together. After earning his B.S. in Geology from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Kirk worked for a seismic consulting firm, during which time he and his wife brought a son, Alex, into the world. Following his time spent as a geologist, and a brief stint as an adventure guide at Blackberry Farm, Kirk turned his passion into his life’s work, by writing and publishing a comprehensive, two volume whitewater guide to the region titled Whitewater of the Southern Appalachians. From here he began a fulltime career as a whitewater kayaking instructor and guide, which he has been lucky enough to be doing for the last 10 years. Working mainly in the Obed and Big South Fork watersheds, as well as during the summer on the west coast, back home on the Ocoee, and elsewhere, Kirk shares his passion for the art of engaging moving water, and the special environs that rivers wind through. From this experience he has cultivated a desire to be involved in the effort to promote and protect our wilderness areas and is honored to be working with TCWP.
Jimmy Groton
Director
Jimmy Groton - Director
Jimmy Groton – Works on environmental issues (wetlands, threatened and endangered species management and exotic species control) with a Knoxville environmental consulting firm. He worked for the National Park Service for six years. He has an M.S. in forestry and a B.S. in natural resources. He has been a TCWP Board member since 1993; President 1999-2002, 2006-2014; currently board member of Tennessee Invasive Plant Council and AFORR; served on O.R. EQAB for 18 years. Jimmy is active on trails, water, program, Obed, and Cherokee National Forest issues. He enjoys hiking, paddling, and being outdoors.
Jacob King
Director
Jacob King - Director
Jacob King is an Associate Attorney at Young, Williams & Theiss. He graduated from the University of Tennessee – Knoxville with his degree in accounting in 2018 and from Arizona State University with his JD in 2021. As a native of Knoxville, Tennessee, Jacob spent time in his youth exploring the East Tennessee wilderness. Because of these experiences, Jacob’s mission is to ensure that the beauty of East Tennessee is preserved for future generations so that they may enjoy its wonders as he did. In his free time Jacob enjoys hiking, traveling to National Parks, and relaxing with his dog, Hulk.
Tim Partridge
Director
Larry Pounds - Director
Eva Myrth Robbins
Director
Eva Myrth Robbins - Director
Eva Myrth Robbins grew up in Oak Ridge walking the trails all over east Tennessee. After graduating from Indiana University, she began what would be 30 years living abroad from Hong Kong and Norway to Mexico. The last years in Mexico were in a very rural location with almost no state influence or budget. She worked with local residents to build roads, to bring in electrical lines and to encourage educational participation through a nonprofit organization started by Eva. Back in Tennessee for a new chapter she brings a growth-based approach to TCWP communications and branding.
Meet Our Advisory Board
William Chandler
William Chandler
William Chandler retired as a Laboratory Fellow for Battelle Memorial Institute’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. He led carbon emissions control efforts in the United States, China, Russia, and central Europe.
Chandler won the Champion of Energy Efficiency Award from the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy and the Global Climate Technology Leadership award presented by the International Energy Agency. He was a convening lead author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change which won the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.
Chandler taught energy technology and policy for more than a decade as an adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins University. He served two terms as a member of the Board on Environmental Change and Society of the National Academy of Sciences.
Bill was the first Executive Director of TCWP. He holds a B.S. from the University of Tennessee, and an M.P.A. from Harvard University. He lives in Knoxville with his spouse, Holly Gwin, plays classical guitar, and writes music for small ensembles.
Chuck Coutant
Chuck Coutant
Bob Cushman
Bob Cushman
Axel Ringe
Axel Ringe
Shelby Sanders
Shelby Sanders
Shelby is a whole-hearted native plant enthusiast and is involved in several local organizations and initiatives aimed at increasing awareness about the value and use of native plants in the landscape. In her free time, Shelby enjoys birding, botanizing, hiking, and watching any kind of racing, especially NASCAR.