BOard & Staff

Staff

Bailey Slice Parker, Executive Director

Bailey Slice Parker is a Midlands Master Naturalist, an active member of the Columbia Audubon Society, and serves on the boards of Friends of Congaree Swamp and Canoeing for Kids. Her interest in the natural world led her to leave a 17-year career as a church music director to become the Executive Director of the Gills Creek Watershed Association (Jan., 2023).

Whether working or volunteering, she spends as much time as possible outdoors, birding, biking, botanizing, studying water quality, and engaging others to do the same. She is passionate about conservation and making the world a better place for wildlife and humans.

  Haylie Davenport, Community Liaison

Haylie is a Community Outreach specialist from Bean Station, TN. She studied Sport and Leisure Management at East Tennessee State University.  In her free time, you can find her with her nose in a book, trying new recipes, or loving on her two wonderful cats. Haylie is passionate about conservation education and will talk to anyone who will listen about invasive species.

Board of Directors

  Mark Robertson - President

Mark recently retired as Executive Director of The Nature Conservancy, and is widely regarded as both a conservationist and expert in non-profit management. Background that will be particularly relevant to the Gills Creek Watershed Association includes experience in fundraising and non-profit finances, as well as in the use of an array of land protection devices. Mark lives on Carey Lake.

Second Term Expires: 2026

  Frank E. Robinson, III - Vice President & Stewardship Committee Chair

Frank E. Robinson, III enjoys the outdoors whether he’s fly fishing in a river or salt water, hunting with his dogs for upland game and spending time with his family. He is married to Katherine Robinson, and they have 2 grown children, Kate and Frank, IV.

First Term Expires: 2026

  Lauren Megill Milton - Secretary

Lauren Megill Milton began working as a staff attorney for the South Carolina Environmental Law Project in 2019. She is one of three SCELP employees based in the Columbia area. Lauren graduated from Anderson University and earned her J.D. (Juris Doctor) from Charleston School of Law. She represented plaintiffs in construction litigation at Lucey Law Firm before joining the SCELP team. She loves the outdoors, which inspired her to work for SCELP, and is happiest hiking, kayaking, or climbing - and watching Gamecock football!

First Term Expires: 2026

  E. Wrenn Barrett, PE - Technical Committee Chair

Wrenn Barrett, PE, is a Vice President at JMT Consulting Engineers and is the Area Manager for the Midlands and Upstate regions of South Carolina, offering engineering services in project management, transportation roadway and bridge design, subsurface utility engineering, utility coordination, and construction management. Wrenn has 35 plus years’ experience in civil engineering and has worked in both the public and private sectors. Wrenn has lived in the Gills Creek Watershed (on the pond in Kaminer Station) since 1994 and has a vested interest in the current and future health of the watershed.

First Term Expires: 2026

Andrew Melanson

Andrew Melanson is an energy analyst with Siemens Industries, and is an Accredited Commercial Energy Manager (SC designation) and a Certified Energy Manager (national designation.) He has lived and worked in Columbia for the past 20 years, and three years ago moved to a home above the Gill’s Creek flood plain near the Timberlane properties. He served on the steering committee for the Timberlane project and also is a member of the technical committee.

Second Term Expires: 2028

  Rob Robertson

Rob Robertson has served on the Board in the past, and created the Wine for Water fundraiser. He has continued to provide inspiration, energy—and wine!—for the event ever since. He has lived in the Gills Creek Watershed most of his life. Currently, Rob and his family live very close to the Creek in King's Grant. He is the SC State Manager for Brittany Sales Company, a beverage brokerage based in Miami, FL. He especially enjoys time in the watershed while kayaking and fishing

First Term Expires: 2025

  Beata Dewitt

Beata Dewitt is an Environmental Justice Associate at the South Carolina Department of Environmental Services. Beginning as an intern, Beata has participates in the EJ Strong Program, which empowers underserved and minority communities through environmentally just initiatives. She also serves as the Environmental Chair for the South Carolina Public Health Association and Member-at-Large on the Congaree Biosphere Region Advisory Council. Beata recently earned her Master of Public Health in Environmental Health Sciences from the University of South Carolina and holds a Bachelor of Science in Public Health from Benedict College.

First Term Expires: 2027

  Curtis Derrick

Curtis Derrick spent 43 years on multiple levels of academia, teaching and in administration. He retired from Midlands Technical College in 2016. In the 1970s with help from Dr. Jackie Jacobs and the SC Wildlife Federation, he wrote and piloted environmental education curriculum for Kershaw County’s gifted and talented program. The curriculum was disseminated by the SC Dept of Education to other gifted and talented programs across the state. Later as curriculum director for two school districts in Maine, Derrick enlarged the curriculum with support from the University of Maine at Fort Kent and the Quebec-Labrador Foundation.

First Term Expires: 2027

  Courtney Cannon

Courtney Cannon is a Staff Attorney at the Center for Heirs Property Preservation (CHPP), currently awaiting her South Carolina Bar License. She is licensed to practice law in North Carolina. Courtney earned her bachelor's degree from Lander University and her J.D. (Juris Doctor) from North Carolina Central School of Law. From a young age, she has been passionate about the environment, which inspired her to pursue a career focused on environmental and land justice. Before joining CHPP, she worked as an Environmental Justice and Equity Specialist, helping South Carolinians understand the importance of environmental justice and assisting communities affected by environmental harms. In her free time, Courtney enjoys working out with her husband, spending time with her beloved dog, Kai, attending live music events, or hiking.

First Term Expires: 2027

  Namita Koppa

Raised in Irmo, South Carolina, Namita Koppa brings over 20 years of experience leading and facilitating strategic collaborations across sectors. By combining visionary leadership, actionable planning, and emotional intelligence, Namita has led projects building resilient food systems in higher education; creating workforce development partnerships between global hospitality companies and local governments; guiding health care leaders toward ethical leadership and organizational governance; and rapidly co-launching the South Carolina Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Center, where community clients were awarded over $500k in grant funding in just 15 months. She is a proud graduate of Duke University, where she earned a B.A. in Environmental Science & Policy and a minor in Dance as a Benjamin N. Duke Leadership Scholar. She also holds an M.A. in Development Studies as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar to the United Kingdom.

First Term Expires: 2028

  Chris Johnson

Chris Johnson is Senior Vice President and Partner at Lourie Life & Health and a graduate of the University of South Carolina. A lifelong South Carolinian, he is passionate about giving back to his community by preserving and protecting the land and water where he lives, works, and plays. Chris lives in Forest Acres with his wife and two children and enjoys spending time outdoors, traveling for his kids’ activities, and cheering on the Gamecocks.

First Term Expires: 2028

  Steve Cunningham

Steve is a retired electrical engineer who spent 37 years involved in power generation with electric utilities. He lives on Spring Lake in the Gills Creek watershed where he is currently the President of Spring Lake Company. Steve was involved in the response to the 2015 flood including managing the repairs to the Spring Lake dam. His interests include sailing, golf and travel.

First Term Expires: 2028