The Mecklenburg Soil and Water Conservation District (MSWCD) is a governmental subdivision of the state of North Carolina, and a public body, corporate and politic, organized according to the Soil and Water Conservation District Law, operating within the powers set forth in the Law.
Each soil and water conservation district is administered by a five person board of supervisors. Three of these supervisors are elected at the same time as the regular election of county officers. This election is nonpartisan and is conducted by the respective county board of elections. Two supervisors are appointed by the North Carolina Soil and Water Conservation Commission upon the recommendation of the local district board of supervisors. All five supervisors serve four year terms of office.
Barbara Bleiweis, Chair
Barbara Bleiweis has over 35 years of professional business experience in helping public sector customers solve their business problems. In the last 13 years, Ms. Bleiweis spearheaded coaching training and development programs as well as fundraising campaigns for youth sports organizations. Since her retirement in 2013 and her relocation to Charlotte, NC, Bleiweis has focused on civic engagement and public service. She served as president of her homeowners association and negotiated with the developer to resolve irrigation and storm water infrastructural issues. She is a member of the League of Women Voters of Charlotte Mecklenburg and from 2017-2018 served as a Board member and chair of Fair Elections where she advocated for redistricting reform. Bleiweis is in her first term of serving on the Charlotte Water Advisory Committee representing neighborhoods.
Nancy Carter, Vice-Chair
Nancy Carter was appointed to the Board in January, 2012, elected in 2014 and has served as MSWCD's Vice Chair and Chair, as Area 8's (12 county area) Vice Chair and Chair and so sat on the NC Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts' Executive Committee in that capacity and as Secretary, 2012-current. She serves as the Association's state Legislative Committee's Vice Chair, advocating in Raleigh and DC for good conservation practices and funding for projects. She has participated in SWCD educational outreach (contests and Envirothons), the Mecklenburg Storm Water Mitigation Task Force and the Mountain Island Environmental Education Center Task Force. She served on the Charlotte City Council, 1999-2011, helping to found its Environment Committee, chaired the Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Committee for the NC League of Municipalities and was the National League of the Cities' Board representative to their EENR after 9 years on that Committee and the Charlotte Sustainable Energy Action Plan Stakeholders group.
Morgan Rinehart, Supervisor
Morgan Rinehart has eight years of work and volunteer experience in the environmental field with degrees in Earth Science (BSc) from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and Soils & Sustainability (MSc) from the University of Edinburgh. He has done research on beaver dam complexes in the North Carolina Piedmont, wetland delineation across Wyoming for the EPA's National Wetland Assessment, and has been a volunteer with the University of Edinburgh's SCI-Fun Traveling Science and Technology Roadshow. These experiences inform his long-held belief that cities of all sizes can exist harmoniously with the environment. As Charlotte continues to grow, the need for, evidence-based policies to maintain the city's quality of life for all residents is a priority. The Charlotte area has been his home since 2001.
Rich George, Supervisor
Rich George is triply equipped to effectively and efficiently build upon Mecklenburg Soil & Water Conservation District's previous success. First, Rich is a certified member of Vice President Al Gore's Climate Reality Project Leadership Corps, empowered to combat our climate crisis globally, and to preserve County resources locally...especially protecting our vital water supply. Second, Rich comes from a family of small farmers (in acreage, not stature), energized to grow small-scale urban agriculture that reconnects Mecklenburg residents with fresh, healthy food through micro-farms, community gardens, and private backyards. Third, Rich serves as a Brand strategist for Fortune 100 companies, equipped to change public and private organizations, by building and maintaining green infrastructure that improves our economic and physical health, especially in disadvantaged communities.
Associate Supervisors
Gray Newman and William Rice