Staff

Camilla Herlevich , Executive Director
Camilla spent her childhood exploring the waterways and woods around Wilmington. After college and law school, she travelled around the country with a national conservation organization for which she worked as staff attorney. After a decade, she came back to the Carolina Coast to raise her family. She spent one (miserable) year with a law firm before quitting to join 3 friends to found the Coastal Land Trust. She lives in Wilmington with her husband, and has three grown children and two grand-children. Her favorite Coastal Land Trust projects are Springer's Point Preserve at Ocracoke, BW Wells Savannah, Bird Island, Pettiford Creek, and all the projects of Town Creek and the lower Cape Fear corridor.

Janice Allen , Deputy Director
Janice joined the North Carolina Coastal Land Trust in 1997 and is responsible for advancing the land trust's efforts to protect priority natural, scenic, and/or historic areas in the coastal plain of North Carolina. Her interest in the work of the Coastal Land Trust stems from her vast background in wildlife biology and natural resources
conservation. Before joining the Coastal Land Trust, Ms. Allen spent over ten years working for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service with time served at the Roanoke River National Wildlife Refuge in North Carolina, at the Asheville, North Carolina Field Office and at the Southeast Regional Office in Atlanta, Georgia. Ms. Allen received her Bachelor of Science degree in Natural Resources from the University of Michigan and a Masters of Science degree from Auburn University in Wildlife Biology. Outside of work, Ms. Allen enjoys hiking and working at the family farm with her husband, Dave and riding horses with her daughter Cora.

Lee Liedy, Northeast Region Director
Lee joined the Coastal Land Trust in 2002, after having represented the Coastal Land Trust in conservation acquisitions while in private practice. She loved the work, professionalism, mission, and people of North Carolina Coastal Land Trust – so much so that she eventually left private practice to join the Coastal Land Trust as a staff attorney and the northeast region director. Lee works out of the northeast office in Elizabeth City. In private practice, she focused on residential and commercial real property transactions.
This practice engendered a special appreciation for the fragile balance which exists between economic, and, in turn, political demands and environmental concerns – particularly in the state’s coastal plain. Lee received her B. A. degree in Biology from Wake Forest University and her J. D. degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She lives in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, with her husband and their two children. Lee loves running, hiking and playing at the beach. Her favorite Coastal Land Trust projects are Springer’s Point Preserve, Bray Hollow, Sample, Rayburn, and Jubilee Farms.

Jesica Blake , Director of Stewardship
Jesica joined Coastal in 2002 as the first stewardship staff member. She holds a BS in Environmental Science/Natural Resources from Johnson State College as well as a Certificate in Forestry and Wildlife Conservation. As Director of Stewardship, Jesica oversees the monitoring and enforcing of all conservation properties (both preserves and private lands) as well as the management of preserves. She currently sits on the Masonboro Island Local Advisory Committee and is the Southeast Region's Stewardship Leader/Liaison for the Land Trust Alliance. She spends her free time
outdoors in NC, and the Adirondacks, and is also a chauffeur for her 3 children. Her favorite NCCLT preserve is going to be Everett Creek- Allen.

Jennifer Rogers Avesing , Stewardship Biologist
Jennifer has been with the NC Coastal Land Trust for four years, providing GIS skills and on the ground conservation knowledge. Jennifer comes from a biology background with a degree in Wildlife Management and seven years of experience working with both government and non-profit environmental organizations. Her favorite NCCLT preserve is Everett Creek Allen located in Onslow County, because of the Longleaf Pine ecosystem located on the preserve.

Vann Pearsall , Director of Development
Vann oversees the marketing, fundraising, and outreach activities of the land trust, building relationships with our current members and educating the community about the importance of investing in coastal conservation. Vann joined the land trust in 2010, returning to Wilmington after 10 years as a non-profit executive in Bethesda, Maryland and Wilson, NC. A 1996 Graduate of UNC-Wilmington, Vann grew up in Pender County, where he spent many days swimming and fishing on the Northeast Cape Fear River with his family and friends and many nights Scouting in the fields and forests of southeastern NC.
Vann's wife and two kids keeps him pretty busy outside of work, but he still finds time to play around on the guitar and attend concerts and festivals. He loves cooking, camping, and is an avid sports fan. His favorite NCCLT preserve is the BW Wells Savannah, located about 5 miles from his childhood home.

Nancy Preston , Outreach Coordinator
Nancy handles special events, membership recruitment and renewal, press releases and events, and most print publications for the land trust.
When she's not working she's surfing, training for a triathlon, reading, drinking a good beer, or traveling. She once tried to live in a place other than coastal North Carolina but that didn't work out so well for her. Her favorite place protected by the Coastal Land Trust is the one that she can host a dedication on and share with the public.

Beth Steelman, Development Associate
A Wilmington native, Beth White Steelman, earned the highest award in Girl Scouting without ever camping in the woods. However, she does own hiking boots, which she wore while exploring Siberia and the Kamchatka Peninsula. Beth agrees with Scarlett's daddy: "Land, Katie Scarlett, 'tis the only thing that lasts." She and her husband Ben have traveled to six of the seven continents. Beth and her family have placed a conservation easement on their land in Pender County, and they are actively reforesting a portion of the land with long leaf pine.
Beth has a degree in Psychology and Spanish from Salem College and most recently supplemented her degree with studies in Russian and anthropology at UNCW. She has worked with non-profits in the areas of communications, marketing and fund development for more than 20 years. She has been on the Board of Directors for the Coastal Land Trust and now thinks that having the opportunity to work on staff is the perfect "almost retirement" job.

Kristen Howell , Conservation Education Specialist
Kristen has been with the NC Coastal Land Trust for almost 4 years providing conservation education, and promoting land protection. Kristen has been an ecologist for over 14 years, working for state government, private consultants, and non-profits. Currently she is working on the Green Growth Toolbox project and the Waters of Waccamaw project. In her free time, Kristen likes to spend time outdoors gardening and camping.

Cassie Gavin , Attorney/Land Protection Specialist
Cassie Gavin has been with NC Coastal Land Trust since 2006 after a summer legal internship with the organization in 2004. She acts as legal counsel on land ownership issues, prepares conservation easements, educates landowners about land protection tools and financial incentives and works with stewardship staff to ensure enforcement of protected lands. Cassie is a 2006 graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill School of Law and is a member of the NC State Bar and a Notary Public. Cassie's interests include kayaking, hiking, travel and reading.

John Napecek, Business Manager