Meet Our Board
Our volunteer board members bring passion, experience, and deep community commitment to advancing our mission. Their leadership helps guide and strengthen the work we do every day.
Our board is intentionally rooted in this community. Our members were raised here and bring lifelong knowledge of these forests, waterways, and mountain communities. We believe local stewardship and lived experience are essential to caring for the land and shaping its future.
Shannon Galloway
A lifelong native of the Western North Carolina mountains, Shannon Galloway founded Rivers Edge Conservation & Wildlife Rescue to turn a lifetime of outdoor expertise into action. Having spent his youth exploring the Pisgah National Forest and the French Broad River, Shannon spent over 15 years as a professional guide and wilderness survival instructor. For the last 30 years, he has operated a family farm along the French Broad, where he witnessed firsthand the increasing impact of flooding and river pollution. An arborist and climber with over 12 years of experience as owner of Top Branch Tree Service, Shannon has seen the devastating loss of the region’s hemlocks and the fragmentation of wildlife habitats. At Rivers Edge, he leads the charge to combat invasive species, restore native ecosystems, and protect the wildlife forced into ever-shrinking patches of forest.
Brandon McGaha
Brandon McGaha is a native of Western North Carolina with deep roots in the outdoors and a lifelong appreciation for the mountains, rivers, streams, and wildlife that make the region special. His love for the outdoors has shaped both his personal life and his commitment to preserving North Carolina’s natural resources for future generations. As a board member, Brandon supports efforts to protect local waterways, preserve mountain landscapes, and promote responsible wildlife rehabilitation. He believes conservation and outdoor heritage can work hand in hand, including respect for ethical hunting, responsible land stewardship, and the rehabilitation of injured or displaced wildlife.
Brandon holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration and a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice. He has spent his career in public service, policy advocacy, nonprofit work, and employee representation, with a focus on fairness, accountability, and practical solutions for people and communities.
His professional background has given him extensive experience working with local and state government officials, community leaders, public agencies, and nonprofit organizations. Through that work, Brandon has developed a strong appreciation for collaboration, responsible decision-making, and the importance of protecting both people and the places they call home.
Known for his practical approach, commitment to service, and deep connection to Western North Carolina, Brandon brings a balanced perspective to conservation, public policy, community leadership, and nonprofit service.
Brandon is married to his beautiful wife, and together they have four daughters and one granddaughter.
Harold Galloway
A lifelong resident of the North Carolina mountains, Harold Galloway brings decades of leadership and local perspective to the Rivers Edge board. A Vietnam Veteran, Harold Galloway served in the U.S. military during the Vietnam War, an experience that shaped his lifelong sense of discipline, resilience, and public service.
After his service in Vietnam, Harold founded and operated a prominent masonry business in Hendersonville for over 45 years, grounding him in the practical realities of land use in our region. Beyond his professional career, Harold is a true steward of the land; he is an experienced farmer and naturalist with a lifelong passion for raising livestock—ranging from horses and cattle to his prized homing pigeons.
As Treasurer, Harold is dedicated to preserving what remains of our natural forests and wildlife habitats, driven by firsthand witness to the massive changes and urban sprawl that have reshaped the mountain pastures of his youth.
Harold has 4 children, 9 grandchildren, and 9 great grandchildren.
Angela Nulph
Angela serves as Operations & Systems Manager / Administrative Coordinator for Rivers Edge, where she helps build and manage the organization’s communications, reporting, administrative systems, and operational needs.
Born in Scotland to missionary parents and raised in a family deeply involved in nonprofit ministry work, Angela developed an early understanding of service, community support, and the behind-the-scenes work required to sustain mission-driven organizations. Angela has lived in the Blue Ridge region for 32 years and has long appreciated the natural beauty and ecological importance of the Southern Appalachian mountains. Through years of hiking and camping throughout Western North Carolina, she developed a deep love for the region’s forests and waterways, particularly the eastern hemlock and the vital ecosystems it supports. Witnessing the decline of hemlock populations across the mountains strengthened her passion for conservation and environmental stewardship.
Angela is also deeply concerned about the decline of honey bees and other pollinators and believes local conservation efforts play an important role in protecting the long-term health of mountain ecosystems and communities.
She has over 25 years of experience in administration and operations. Throughout her career, she has led complex operational projects, coordinated executive teams and events, managed reporting systems and CRM data, and helped organizations improve internal processes and communication. She holds a Bachelor's in Business Administration and a Data Analytics certificate from the University of South Carolina Aiken. Her skill set includes data reporting, visualization, and systems analysis. In addition to her role at Rivers Edge, she currently works in nonprofit administration and has supported community recovery and relief coordination efforts in Western North Carolina following Hurricane Helene.
Angela feels privileged to support Rivers Edge’s work to preserve and restore the natural resources of Western North Carolina for future generations.
Garrett Woodall
A Western North Carolina native, Garrett Woodall has spent his 25 years immersed in the rugged beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains. An avid outdoorsman and lifelong explorer, Garrett’s connection to the land is personal; he can often be found deep in the Pisgah National Forest or kayaking the currents of the French Broad River. His passion for conservation is driven by a desire to ensure our native habitats remain healthy, beautiful, and—most importantly—accessible. Deeply attuned to local wildlife, Garrett also has a strong personal commitment to rescuing and caring for injured or orphaned animals whenever possible.
On the Rivers Edge board, Garrett focuses on waterway health and habitat preservation, working to ensure that the rivers and trails he grew up on remain pristine for the next generation of North Carolinians to enjoy.
Shelia Chandler
A lifelong resident of the Western North Carolina mountains, Sheila Chandler brings over 60 years of local ecological knowledge to the Rivers Edge board. As a dedicated naturalist and floriculturist, Sheila’s expertise in native wildflowers is matched only by her deep history with the land; in her younger years, she accomplished the feat of hiking nearly every trail in the Pisgah National Forest. An award-winning photographer, she has spent decades documenting the rare beauty of our local flora through her lens.
At Rivers Edge, Sheila is a fierce advocate for land conservation, working to protect our private forest lands from urban sprawl and ensuring that North Carolina’s natural "wildflower cathedrals" remain intact for future generations.