About

Our Team

Who We Are

Cape Fear River Watch is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization founded in 1993 and incorporated in 1994 by a group of local citizens concerned about the future of our River and our Region.  This small grassroots beginning was dedicated to improving and preserving the health, beauty, cleanliness, and heritage of the Cape Fear River basin. We aim to protect and improve the water quality of the Lower Cape Fear River Basin through education, advocacy, and action.

Environmental Education Manager

 

Marissa Blackburn
marissa@cfrw.us

Marissa grew up in Baltimore, Maryland and after falling in love with the coast, moved to Wilmington in 2009, where she has remained firmly planted. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology from UNCW and a Master of Arts in Biology from Miami University. After completing an internship with the Cape Fear River Watch in 2013, she spent five years in marine science education at the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher, followed by two years leading education efforts at the Bald Head Island Conservancy. Marissa is a certified NC Environmental Educator and Interpretive Guide and is passionate about sharing the outdoors with others through educational experiences. She received the 2021 Outstanding Environmental Education Practitioner Award from Environmental Educators of North Carolina. Marissa is thrilled to be a part of the Cape Fear River Watch team, working to encourage sustainable behavior and improve water quality through education. In her spare time, Marissa enjoys traveling, hiking, birding, and spending time with her husband, her son, and her two dogs.

RIVERKEEPER®
 

Kemp Burdette
kemp@cfrw.us

Kemp Burdette is the Cape Fear Riverkeeper and he works to protect and improve the water quality of the Lower Cape Fear River. He is a Wilmington native who grew up exploring the waterways and swamps that make our area so special. Kemp has lived and traveled around the world as a US Navy search and rescue swimmer, a Fulbright Scholar, and a Peace Corps volunteer. At home and abroad Kemp has always been interested in the way humans interact with their environment.
His academic background is in geology and history, graduating from UNCW magna cum laude with honors, and he holds a Master of Public Administration (MPA), also from UNCW. He also holds a certificate in nonprofit management from Duke University.
Kemp spends most of his free time with his two daughters Olivia and Caroline, working in his garden, or tinkering in his workshop, or exploring the waterways and swamps of the Lower Cape Fear Region.

Part-time Environmental Educator
 

Ayla Busch
ayla@cfrw.us

Ayla grew up in upstate New York near Lake Ontario. Her love for all things water brought her to Wilmington, where she graduated from UNCW in 2020 with a B.S. in Marine Biology and a B.A. in Spanish. Since then, she has stayed in Wilmington to earn a Master of Public Administration and a Master of Science in Environmental Studies from UNCW in 2023. In her work, Ayla enjoys communicating with the public about environmental issues and how we can work together to solve them. She is excited to be part of the CFRW team! In Ayla’s spare time, you can find her scuba diving, hiking, or birding.

Water Quality Programs Manager
 

Rob Clark
rob@cfrw.us

Rob Clark graduated from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington with a B.S. in Environmental Science with a specialization in conservation. He has experience in both the private and public sectors of the environmental field. He has worked from the mountains to the coast and everywhere in between. He feels strongly about the environment and is looking forward to being able to serve his community as well as its ecosystems. In his free time he enjoys reading, trail running, biking, and playing disc golf.

UNCW Health Equity Bonners Fellow

 

LJ Hammer
lj@cfrw.us

LJ Hammer is from a small town outside of Charlottesville, Virginia, and is currently a freshman at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. She is hoping to study Marine Biology and go into a conservation based field working with wetland vertebrates. She is a part of the Health Equity Bonner Fellowship at UNCW and is working with CFRW as a 4 year intern through the fellowship program. LJ is passionate about making positive and effective environmental changes here on the East Coast and hopes to make that into her career. She loves to spend her time paddle boarding, scuba diving, hiking, looking for shark teeth, and hanging out with friends.

Outreach & Engagement Manager

Seanna Jobe
seanna@cfrw.us

Seanna grew up in Western New York, south of Buffalo, and moved to Wilmington for graduate school in 2020. She received her bachelor’s in environmental biology from Houghton University, and her master’s in environmental studies from UNCW. While getting her masters, she did her research capstone on Predator Exclusion Cages as Visual Attractants to Canis latrans. This research was conducted on Bald Head Island, North Carolina, where she was able to collaborate with Bald Head Island Conservancy. When presenting her research at the North Carolina Chapter of The Wildlife Society Conference, she won best student poster. After completing her masters, she was the shorebird technician on Masonboro Island for the 2022 field season. Seanna is delighted to be part of the Cape Fear River Watch team! She is passionate about improving science communication, especially to the Wilmington area about issues related to water quality. In her free time, Seanna likes to go hiking, longboarding, reading, watching good movies, going to concerts, and spending time at the beach.

AmeriCorps Resiliency Coordinator

 

Hannah Nystrom 
hannah@cfrw.us

Hannah Nystrom is a Kansas native. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies and a Bachelor of Science in Journalism from the University of Kansas. While at KU, she worked as a feature and business reporter for the Eudora Times, which is an online newspaper serving the community of Eudora, Kansas. She recently moved to Wilmington with the intention to pursue a master’s degree at UNCW. She enjoys reading a good book in her hammock as well as, traveling, hiking, running and scuba diving! She is excited to serve as an AmeriCorps member with CFRW.

Boathouse Manager
 

Artie Rendina
artie@cfrw.us

Artie was born and raised in Pearl River, New York, about 20 miles north of Manhattan. He graduated from Pearl River High School in 1982 and went to DeVry University from 1982-1984 studying electronics repair. Artie worked for Park Site Construction from 1984-1987 as an equipment operator and was hired in 1987 at Orange and Rockland Utilities as a fleet mechanic, before transitioning into the role of relay technician which he worked until his retirement in September of 2020. In total he worked for Orange and Rockland Utilities for 33 years. He is married to his wife Terri and they have three children, Derek, Vinny, and Angela. He and his wife moved to Leland in December of 2020 and he is proud to be working as boathouse manager for a great organization. In Artie’s free time he likes to camp, fish, hunt, cook, and above all spend time with family and friends!

Executive Director
 

Dana Sargent
dana@cfrw.us

Dana earned a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from San Diego State University, and a Master of Science in Environmental Sciences & Policy from The Johns Hopkins University.  She worked in communications for a large nonprofit out of D.C. for 13 years and moved to Wilmington in 2013 with the intention of transforming her career to align with her passion for the environment. She began volunteering throughout the community and writing freelance and was soon invited to chair the CFRW advocacy committee, before being elected to the Board of Directors. Cape Fear River Watch then hired her to manage an outreach campaign on water quality issues including GenX and industrial agriculture.  She is honored to have been hired in January 2019 to serve as the Executive Director at this small organization that does huge things. She loves music and her two magnificent daughters.

 

With your help, Clean Water is possible.

Cape Fear River Watch  |  617 Surry Street  |  Wilmington, NC 28401  |  Phone: 910.762.5606