Our Staff
Travis Morehead
Executive Director
Travis was selected as the Executive Director position in February of 2016. Previously, he worked with the Catawba Lands Conservancy as the operations director of the Carolina Thread Trail project. Prior to that, he served in the military, including a combat deployment in Iraq, and worked as a senior and principal city planner for the town of Cary. Travis grew up in Stanly County and attended high school in Albemarle. He has a degree in political science with a concentration in town, city, and county management from Appalachian State University. Travis is dedicated to the Uwharrie region and the heartland area of North Carolina. In his free time, he enjoys hunting, fishing, and spending time with his family.
Crystal Cockman
Associate Director
Crystal began her time at the Land Trust as a Duke University Stanback Intern in Summer 2005. She enjoyed the job so much that she came back to work part-time her last semester of graduate school, and joined on as a full-time staff member in July 2006. A local girl born and raised in Moore County, Crystal has always had a heart for conservation issues in this region. She graduated from Duke University in 2004 with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science, and minors in Earth and Ocean Science and in English. In May 2006, she received her Master of Environmental Management from Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences, with a focus on Environmental Health and Security. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, backpacking, hiking, fly-fishing, and pretty much anything outdoors.
KATIE STOVALL
Conservation Land Manager
Katie began working with TRLT in November of 2021. She received her master’s degree in Wildlife Science from the University of Tennessee and a bachelor’s in Natural Resource Conservation and Management with a concentration in forestry from Western Carolina University. Katie comes to us with prior experience of working for the N.C. Forest Service and the Tennessee Valley Authority where she provided land management information and technical support to forest landowners and wildlife managers. Katie’s interest and expertise is in prescribed fire, applied habitat management, sound forest management, and blending wildlife and forestry objectives. In her free time, Katie enjoys sharing the conservation ethic with others, especially kids, and promoting the wonderful natural resources that our state has to offer.
MATTHEW WILLIAMS
Stewardship Associate
Matthew joined TRLT in August of 2022. His current role is the Stewardship Associate. In this role, Matthew makes annual contact with landowners that are enrolled in Three Rivers Conservation Easement Programs to make sure there are no easement violations. Matthew graduated from Gaston Early College High School in Dallas, North Carolina where he gained his associate of Arts and Associate of Science degrees. From there he received a Bachelor of Science in Fisheries and Wildlife Biology at North Carolina State University. Matthew has extensive equipment operating experience along with an understanding of land management best practices that can give landowners insight into what they could potentially need to achieve their land management goals. In his free time, Matthew enjoys hunting, fishing, playing the guitar, and spending time with his family and dog named Gunner.
.
Valerie Alzner
Stewardship Associate
Valerie Alzner began working as a Stewardship Associate for the Three Rivers Land Trust in July 2019 when Three Rivers merged with Sandhills Area Land Trust. Valerie began working for Sandhills Area Land Trust in 2007 as a Land Steward Associate. She served in the U.S. Army as a Blackhawk helicopter mechanic/crew chief before getting a degree in Fisheries and Wildlife from Michigan State University in 2005. Since graduation, she has worked as an intern at the U.S. Army Environmental Center and has banded birds in West Virginia for the Institute of Bird Populations. Valerie is a native of Michigan and first came to North Carolina in 1990 with her husband who was stationed at Ft. Bragg. In her free time, she enjoys keeping chickens, hiking, camping, reading and spending time with family.
BARRY Hull
Stewardship Associate
Barry began working as a Stewardship Associate for Three Rivers Land Trust in April 2023. He is a NC native who grew up in the woods and farmlands surrounding his home in rural Iredell County. He learned much about the outdoors through trial and error and Scouting. After graduating WCU, Barry served 11 years in the Active Army. After leaving, he worked for the Army in various capacities and remained in the National Guard until retirement. He has worked land preservation in the area for 12 years. His wife Christine grew on a small farm in western NC and still work for the US Army. They have three grown children, two boys both on active duty and a daughter pursuing her bachelors at UNCW.
EMILY CALLICUTT
Senior Land Protection Specialist
Emily began working as the Land Protection Specialist for Three Rivers Land Trust in February 2021. She attended North Carolina State University where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology in the spring of 2020. Her studies included ornithology, herpetology, and field work throughout North Carolina. She is also a Certified Associate Wildlife Biologist. Before coming to the Land Trust, she worked on wildlife management projects for private companies and managed the hunting program on a wildlife refuge. As a Montgomery County native, Emily is passionate about conserving the natural lands she has been able to enjoy in the region. In her spare time, Emily is an avid birder and also enjoys hiking, paddling, and baking.
KYLE SHORES
Land Protection Specialist
Kyle joined TRLT in June of 2023 as a Land Protection Specialist. He graduated from UNC Charlotte with a Bachelor of Science in Earth Sciences, and a minor in Geology. Kyle has worked in a variety of industries since college, including an environmental specialist, insurance underwriter, and most recently a craft brewer. With a passion for the natural world since childhood, Kyle enjoys almost anything outdoors, including backpacking, hiking, hunting, and seeing live music. Kyle’s conservation story began when he successfully completed a thru hike of the Appalachian Trail in 2016. This 5-month journey over 2,189 miles had such a tremendous impact on his life and really demonstrated the importance of conserving wild spaces, like the A.T. As a native of Salisbury, there is no greater joy to him than being able to work to conserve local lands in the heart of North Carolina.
WILL NEWELL
Development Associate
Will joined TRLT in January of 2023. His current role is the Development Associate. In this position Will is responsible for putting together events from start to finish, and securing sponsorships for said events. Will received his Bachelor of Science from Clemson University with a major in Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management. Before joining Three Rivers Land Trust, Will worked in a number of different roles including sales and account management across a wide range of industries, most recently capped off with a three-year stint as a food truck owner/operator. In his free time, Will enjoys bird hunting, fly fishing, cooking (especially anything he grew or harvested himself), listening to live music, playing guitar and sharing all of the above with his wife and daughters – who aren’t always willing participants but usually find the energy to humor him for an hour or two.
KIKI MIHOK
Communications Associate
Kiki joined the TRLT staff in April of 2023. She is an experienced Science Communicator with a big passion for connecting people back to their inner-child’s wonder for wildlife and wild spaces. Her background is in animal care and conservation education, primarily through work with zoos, nature preserves and conservancies. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, baking, knitting and watching Grey’s Anatomy with her cat, Sylvester. Kiki has followed her passion for working with conservation-oriented groups throughout her career and that passion has led her to Three Rivers Land Trust where she is excited to document and share our conservation stories!
Contact
Phone
(704) 647-0302
Address
204 East Innes Street, Suite 120
Salisbury, NC 28144