OUR BOARD
Dale Evarts
Dale Evarts grew up in Orange County with lots of family and got his start organizing local farmers markets in NC. For 30 years, he worked with the Environmental Protection Agency to reduce air pollution and make it possible for everyone to breathe healthy air in the U.S. and around the world. More recently, Dale has worked with NC WARN on energy justice, with Durham officials on renewable energy, and with international peer-counseling projects that seek to end the climate crisis while addressing racism and other forms of division and prejudice. He and his wife, Betsy live in Durham where they enjoy tending her grandmother’s garden and hiking the Eno.
Ziyad Habash
Ziyad grew up in Charlotte, studied at UNC Chapel Hill, and moved to Durham in 2020. He previously served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Indonesia teaching English for two years, and is currently employed at the US Environmental Protection Agency. In his free time, Ziyad works on environmental, labor, and anti-war causes.
Anna Henry
Anna studied Environmental Studies at UNC Wilmington and has lived in the Durham area since 2010. She previously worked for NC WARN for 6 years and currently works in the renewable energy industry. In her free time, Anna is an avid distance runner and reader.
Beth Henry, Board Co-Chair
Beth is a retired lawyer who received both her undergraduate and law degrees from Wake Forest University. She has three children and two grandchildren. In retirement, Beth has volunteered actively with groups working on climate change, biodiversity, voting rights, and racial and gender justice. She enjoys gardening for birds, butterflies, and other wild creatures.
Bobby Jones
Bobby Jones is a lifelong community organizer and advocate for social and environmental justice. He is retired after a 30-year career at the NC Department of Health and Human Services. Among many other community roles, Bobby serves as the President of the Down East Coal Ash Environmental and Social Justice Coalition, which advocates for the black, brown and poor white communities in eastern NC living in harmful environmental conditions due to their race or economic status. The Down East Coalition addresses corporate bullying by Duke Energy, Enviva and others, and the weak regulatory oversight by our state Department of Environmental Quality and the federal Environmental Protection Agency. Watch Bobby talk about the Energy Justice NC Coalition on Now This News.
Keval Kaur Khalsa
Keval Kaur Khalsa lives with her husband and dog in a solar-powered home in Durham, NC. She joined NC WARN shortly after moving to Durham in 1989 and rejoined the Board in 2022. A retired professor from the Dance Program at Duke University, she is passionate about the role that movement can play in bringing people “home” to themselves and connecting with the earth. Mother of four and grandmother of nine, Keval is also a yoga teacher/teacher trainer, social and environmental justice activist, and avid cyclist and blueberry-picker.
Charly Lowry
Charly Lowry is an artivist from Pembroke, NC. For over a decade, Charly has established a career as a professional singer-songwriter. She is the front-woman for the band, Dark Water Rising, and serves in a variety of capacities with other musical endeavors. Charly is proud to be an Indigenous woman belonging to the Lumbee/Tuscarora Tribes, and is passionate about raising awareness around environmental issues that plague underdeveloped and underserved communities. Listen to Charly’s interview and music on The State of Things.
Hyun Pak
Hyun Pak (she/her) brings a varied background in recruiting, sales, and youth yoga education to her role on NC WARN’s Board of Directors. With a deep commitment to truth, justice, and healing, Hyun aligns closely with NC WARN’s mission to support communities impacted by environmental and social harm. She is passionate about community connection, honoring ancestral roots, and restoring dignity to people and places that have long been overlooked or oppressed. Her perspective is shaped by years of self-study, personal transformation, and a belief that inner awareness and collective responsibility go hand in hand.
Jim Warren
Jim is a native of Graham, North Carolina, and earned a degree in Business Administration with Accounting from UNC-Chapel Hill. He has been active in public interest issues for 35 years and executive director of NC WARN since 1993.
Ayo Wilson, Board Co-Chair
Ayo serves as Director of Clean Energy & Climate Justice at the West End Revitalization Association (WERA). In 2013, he traveled to Liberia, where he analyzed and provided recommendations for a national land records digitalization project managed by Liberia’s Center for National Land Documents and Records Agency funded by the World Bank. He holds a B.S in Communication, Electronic Media/Broadcasting from Appalachian State University and a Masters in Public Administration, cum laude from NC Central University. He also serves on the Board of Directors of Haw River Assembly.
OUR STAFF
Jim Warren, Executive Director
Jim is a native of Graham, North Carolina, and earned a degree in Business Administration with Accounting from UNC-Chapel Hill. He has been active in public interest issues for 35 years and executive director of NC WARN since 1993.
Rita Leadem, Senior Strategist
Rita Leadem, former Assistant Director of NC WARN for 10 years, is back with the organization part-time to help with visioning and long-term capacity planning. She left NC WARN to pursue an education in herbalism at the Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine. When not working for NC WARN, she is in the garden, making herbal teas and tinctures, and helping people bring healing plants into their daily lives.
Elijah Brunson, Climate Justice Organizer
Elijah Brunson, is a Queer, Black Yogi from South Carolina, with over a decade of service to climate justice in the Carolinas. Upholding Rachel Carson’s ethics, Elijah honors the sacredness of all things. He uses embodiment practices (i.e. Kundalini yoga, Theatre of the oppressed) to further investigate the human self and its relationship to nature, which informs his community building practices. He supports social justice movements offering mentorship, technical assistance, and coaching. His continual quest of self-discovery and enlightenment has transformed his relationship with Mother Earth, prioritizing reduction habits to curb his environmental footprint while encouraging the same. Elijah has served in several roles from leadership team member for NC Climate Justice Collective to chairing the board of Rural Advancement Foundation International-USA—highlighting his commitment to the planet, its caretakers (farmers), and its creatures.
Evan Cobey, Office Manager
Evan is a life-long environmental advocate, steward, and thought-leader from Fredericksburg, Virginia. He holds a double-major Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies and Spanish from the University of Lynchburg, followed by a Master of Sustainability Solutions degree from Arizona State University. Cultivating deep-rooted human-nature relationships drives his continual pursuit of knowledge and dedication to serving the planet. Evan has held a myriad of professional roles, from working on culturally responsive Native American education grants in the Southwest, overseeing biomimicry design laboratories in university environments, and protecting nature preserves in Panama, to teaching youth about Botany and developing perennial grain crops to combat climate change. Most recently, he has served as the Environment & Safety Manager for the resort concessioner in Shenandoah National Park. Evan is excited to join the NC WARN team to grow the network of community partners and people-power in North Carolina so that communities can stand up to the companies doing the most harm to their health and the planet. In his free time, Evan loves to be outdoors hiking, fishing, rock climbing, nature-bathing, writing, doing yoga, birding, identifying plants, and meditating.
Daniel Deceder, Operations Manager
Daniel graduated from Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor’s degree in psychology and worked in the mental health industry for 8 years before making the career change to environmental work. Daniel is invested in educating others on the connection between the corporate greed and the destruction of our planet. He is grateful to have the opportunity to work at NC WARN and be on the front lines of our critical transition to a better and cleaner world.
Shreya Dwibedy, Administrative Assistant
Shreya has a Studio Art and Government degree from Smith College and joined NC WARN in 2023. She has always had a passion for social justice and is happy to contribute to the important work NC WARN is doing in the climate justice movement.
Sara Heilman, Energy Policy Coordinator
Sara studied Public Policy and Environmental Science at Duke University before joining NC WARN’s team in 2023. Born and raised in Chapel Hill, NC, she feels a deep reverence for her home state’s environmental justice history. In the face of the climate crisis, Sara is grateful to work with NC WARN toward a more equitable environmental future.
Gabriela Paterson, Climate Justice Coordinator
Gabi earned her Master of Public Health in Health Policy and Management from UNC-Chapel Hill in May 2024 and joined NC WARN shortly after. Born and raised in Colorado, she grew up spending her time skiing, hiking, and camping outdoors, which developed her love for the environment and her commitment to protecting it. In this role, she particularly looks forward to working with historically underserved communities, including the Latinx population, who have often been excluded from environmental discussions despite being among the most heavily impacted. Through NC WARN, she will continue to pursue her passion for addressing racial inequity and creating a healthier future for all.
Matthew Quinn
Attorney
Bill Powers, P.E.
Senior Advising Engineer
Rao Konidena
Engineer