President

Steve retired from North Carolina State Parks in May of 2018. He began his career as a Ranger at Falls Lake Recreation Area in 1990 and was promoted to the first Park Superintendent of Gorges State Park in June 1999. He holds an A.A.S in Forestry / Outdoor Recreation from Paul Smiths College and a B.S in Parks and Recreation Management from Slippery Rock University in PA.

Vice President

Growing up in Western North Carolina, Chris has enjoyed a lifetime of exploring our trails and streams.

He is the cofounder/owner of Charlotte based Cluck Design Collaborative and the Spoke Easy Bike Shop. Most weekdays Chris can be found working from his home a few miles from Gorges State Park.

When not consumed by the architecture profession, chances are that he’ll be knee deep in cold water successfully catching tree limbs while casting for wily trout.

Vice President

Aly is a local to the WNC Mountains and has called Gorges State Park a second home her whole life. After moving to the area in ’98 when the park was started, Aly spent her entire childhood traversing these southern Appalachians, which provided the groundwork for her adventurous spirit in adulthood.

Since graduating from UNC Asheville with a BS in Environmental Ecology, she has continued to work with the land through local food production, forestry, and native landscaping. Aly currently works in clinical research for Duke University at a standing desk overlooking the Black Mountain Range and South Toe River valley.

Secretary

From her days as a newspaper reporter to working within government agencies, Chamber of Commerce and financial services, Susan retired after a 38-year career in public relations and communications in early 2022. It didn’t last long and she came out of retirement to work as a Seasonal Staff member at Gorges State Park in the Visitors Center a few months later.

Susan has served on various boards and support organizations throughout her career (American Red Cross, United Way, Dress for Success Charlotte, etc.) and recently joined the Friends of Gorges Board of Directors. Susan and her husband Tim love spending time with their family and friends, especially their grandchildren, and hiking with them to adventures in the woods and visiting waterfalls wherever they can.

Treasurer

Ruth was born and raised in WNC and is an alumni of UNC Asheville, having earned a B.S. in Ecology. She pursued conservation work for various governmental and higher education organizations in seven states along the east coast. During this time, she gained a passion for botany, prescribed fire, and GIS. In addition to serving as a board member for Friends of Gorges State Park, she enjoys mountain biking and hiking with her Coonhound.

Ex Officio Board Member

Bob retired from Deloitte in 2009 after spending almost all of his 30+ year career in client service. He tackled complex, large-scale, integration programs where the most pressing challenges were often human, not technical, in nature. For a time, Bob served in the human resource function of Deloitte serving its partners, principals, and directors, both domestically and internationally. Bob and his wife Micki are Founding Members of the Friends of Gorges State Park where Bob served as Board President from 2012 through April of 2021.

Board Member

Julie Yao is a nature person - she loves hiking to waterfalls and the tops of mountains. In particular she has a passion for wildlife, particularly the black bear. While volunteering at the Vince Shute Wildlife Sanctuary, Julie got up close and personal with black bears, as well as provided visitor information on safety in the woods.

Throughout her life, Julie has traveled to 10 different countries playing women’s soccer. She has also previously served as a Girl Scout Leader for 20 years and worked the summer camps where she taught crafts, camping skills, outdoor cooking, and more. For 20 years, Julie also served as a substitute teacher. Julie has hiked over 800 miles of the Appalachian Trail with hopes of completing it one day.

Board Member

Bill Weir is a long-time area resident, who loves animals. An avid hiker, he is interested in all aspects of Gorges State Park, especially hands-on work and events.

Board Member

Christian McLauchlin graduated from Western Michigan University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design. Following graduation, Christian was hired by the global publishing firm Dorling Kindersly in London. Ultimately, Christian landed in Chicago where he worked at a design firm for several years before falling in love and moving to North Carolina.

Before joining the PLATT team, Christian owned a design firm, Octane, inc. with a partner in Hendersonville, NC. He landed a big fish with TrueFlies, LLC, a lifestyle clothing company where he was marketing director. Concurrently with TrueFlies, Christian ran his own company, Loop Creative. He has worked in this field for more than thirty years; his work experience covers the gambit from intern to creative director.

Christian and his spouse, Maggie, consider Brevard the perfect place to raise their two sons. They love the outdoors and enjoy multiple activities: cycling, fly fishing, wing shooting, paddling, hiking and camping, just to name a few. Christian prefers “kudos” to “likes.” His cycling friends call him “Big C” or “Catnip,” depending on the day. They would tell you that his car and bikes are too clean all the time.