Dr. John E. Wear, Jr.

Dr. John E. Wear, Jr., is the Founding Director of the Center for the Environment at Catawba College and Associate Professor of Biology and Environmental Science. During his tenure at Catawba, he assumed responsibility for establishing the college's Environmental Program, coordinating the faculty's creation of four different degrees.

He has committed his energies to environmental initiatives at the local, regional and state level. His leadership has been instrumental in launching a number of sustainability initiatives in the state relating to air and water quality and land conservation.

In the 1990's he served as the Founding Chairman of the N.C. Watershed Coalition, which, at that time, held the second largest statewide watershed conference in the nation. He was also a founding board member and past president of the LandTrust for Central North Carolina and the founding chairman of one of North Carolina's only countywide Sustainable Community Development Commissions. He was instrumental in the development and acquisition of the South Yadkin Wildlife Refuge and in the creation of one of the Southeast's first higher education "green" buildings, the Center for the Environment facility, for which he provided design oversight. He has served on a number of state and regional boards and commissions including the North Carolina Smart Growth Alliance; "Connect," a regional sustainability initiativeof the Centralina Council of Governments; and other regional planning initiatives. He serves on the national board of the "Simple Living with Wanda Urbanska" television series.

Dr. Wear recently contributed a chapter called "Creating the Educational Foundations for Change" to the book Less is More: Embracing Simplicity for a Healthy Planet, a Caring Economy and Lasting Happiness. He is a fellow of the American Leadership Forum and was named the 2003 N.C. Conservationist of the Year by the Governor's Conservation Achievement Awards Program; a 2002 "Guardian of the Earth" by The Charlotte Observer; and the 2001 Green Builder of the Year by the Carolina Recycling Association (the nation's largest recycling organization). In addition to these awards, the Salisbury Civitan Club recognized him in 2001 for work in his community with the Citizen of the Year Award.

He teaches college courses that focus on environmental concepts, issues and the creation of sustainable solutions. He also lectures broadly on a variety of environmental topics, including shifting communities toward more ecological thinking and fostering leadership to advance sustainable solutions.

Dr. Wear holds a Bachelor of Science degree from North Carolina State University; a Master of Science degree from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte; and a Ph.D. from Wake Forest University.

Jay Laurens

Jay serves as Director of Resource Development at the Center for the Environment, focusing on fund-raising. Formerly Executive Director of the non-profit multi-agency Ada Jenkins Center in Davidson, Laurens has 18 years of non-profit management experience and was, for eight years, the executive director of Rowan Homes Inc. in Salisbury.

He received his education from Clemson University, Pfeiffer University, Lenoir Rhyne College and Duke University, where he studied non-profit management.

Shelia Armstrong

Shelia Armstrong joined the Center for the Environment staff in 2009 as the air quality outreach coordinator. Her responsibilities include working with the executive director to coordinate the Campaign for Clean Air’s educational planning and outreach team, speaking to groups about the campaign and providing various organizations and groups information that might assist them in their efforts to improve air quality.

Armstrong graduated from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry. She has worked for the last 21 years for national environmental services companies as a manager in technical sales and marketing. Her role, in that capacity, included the design and implementation of nationwide training for large groups as well as the development of various educational materials. Prior to this position, she was a laboratory supervisor in new product development and research for an international chemical company.

Kurt Cribb

Kurt Cribb serves as the Center's special projects coordinator. In that capacity, he supervises the daily operations and maintenance of the Center facility and surrounding landscape; supervises contractors, volunteers and students during work projects around the building and on the wildlife refuge and ecological preserve; and serves as a liaison with community and environmental organizations that hold meetings and workshops in the building. He has responsibility for the daily care of nearly 800 acres of wildlife habitat.

Mr. Cribb is a graduate of Catawba College. He has worked for his alma mater since 1998 and for the Center since 2000.

Cathy Holladay

Cathy Holladay serves as the Center's event coordinator as well as coordinator of the Center's faith-based programs. Additional duties include serving as the chief photographer, helping to plan the Center's activities, assisting with the creation of newsletters and other printed materials and coordinating many volunteer activities.

A graduate of Mary Baldwin College, Ms. Holladay, has been associated with the Center for the Environment since 2007, initially working as a volunteer.

Amanda Lanier

Amanda Lanier, a 2007 graduate of Catawba College's Environmental Science Program, is the coordinator of programming and operations. Her areas of responsibility include further development of the Friends of the Center and work with the various educational and outreach programs the Center offers. She worked with the Center throughout her college years, conducting research and working with Catawba administrators on energy- saving projects through the Campus Greening Initiative.

Dan Robertson

Dan Robertson is the Center for the Environment’s outreach specialist. He coordinated the development of the Campaign for Clean Air website and works with technology-related communications. In addition to his work with the Campaign for Clean Air, he helps coordinate student-led research necessary for LEED certification of the Center building.

Robertson was the first graduate from Catawba College’s Sustainable Business and Community Development degree program. He also holds a degree in Environmental Science. While an undergraduate, he served as director of Volunteer Catawba, on the Lilly Center for Vocation and Values leadership team and as an active volunteer with the Center for the Environment. Before accepting his current position, he served as the Center’s air quality intern. His salary is paid, in part, through a grant from Duke Energy Company.

Juanita Teschner

Juanita Teschner serves as director of communications for the Center for the Environment. She writes and disseminates information to the media on the various environmental initiatives of the Center. She also serves as the editor and primary writer of the Center's newsletters, websites and brochures. A graduate of Missouri State University, Ms. Teschner has worked for Catawba since 1985 and exclusively for the Center since 2001.

Pamela Thompson

Pam Thompson, Department Chair of the Ketner School of Business, assists the Center with its social media, marketing and IT educational initiatives, particularly as they relate to the Campaign for Clean Air. She also played a primary role in the development of the Sustainable Business and Community Development major.

Ms. Thompson holds an MBA from James Madison University and is currently in the Ph.D. program in Information Systems at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Sherry Walker

Sherry Walker joined the Center staff in 2009 as marketing coordinator. She has more than 20 years’ experience in business-to-business and consumer markets. She recently led efforts to develop and commercialize green building materials and advance environmental sustainability in a building products company as the firm’s vice president of marketing and innovation.

Ms. Walker holds a bachelor of science degree from Ohio Northern University and an MBA with a concentration in marketing from Miami University. She serves on the N.C. Sustainable Energy Council, the board of the Piedmont Environmental Alliance and the advisory board of the N.C. Department of Commerce Green Fund. She has had numerous roles in marketing, management and product development, which have led to work in the U.S. and in international markets, primarily the Americas corridor.