The Mecklenburg Soil and Water Conservation District (MSWCD) is a part of the Natural Resource Conservation Service, which is a division of the United States Department of Agriculture. The  Board of Supervisors is comprised of five members (three elected and two appointed).

The Board meets at 6:00 PM on the Fourth Tuesday of every month.  The meetings are open to the public.  Call (704) 336-2455 for more information. 

 

ELECTED BOARD SUPERVISORS:

Gray Newman - Chairman
mecksoilandwater@aol.com or (704) 609-3160

Mr. Newman is serving his second term on the board, being first elected in 2002 and re-elected in 2006.  He is an (almost) native of Mecklenburg, having moved here at age 2 and is a graduate of Independence High School in Mint Hill, NC.  He is also a graduate of Central Piedmont Community College and UNC-Charlotte.  Gray has a Masters Degree in Public Administration with a concentration in Historic Preservation from Georgia State University in Atlanta.

Jennifer Krupowicz - Vice Chairman
JKrupowicz@ci.charlotte.nc.us 

Ms. Krupowicz is serving a second term on the board, being first elected in 2004 and re-elected in 2008.   In the 2008 she received the highest number of votes in Mecklenburg County aside from the Presidential seat.   Jennifer is a Certified Associate Professional Soil Scientist and a graduate of Virginia Tech.

 

John Autry
SWCD@JohnAutry.net

Mr. Autry was elected to the board in 2006.  John  has been a resident of Mecklenburg County since 1982, and he is a native North Carolinian.  John's interest in conservation concerns goes back to his years in Scouting. 

 

APPOINTED BOARD SUPERVISORS:

Michael Entrekin
MGEntrekin@yahoo.com

Mr. Entrekin is serving his first term, being appointed in 2008.  He is a native of Rock Hill, SC and moved to Charlotte in 1997.  He graduated from the University of South Carolina and has a Masters in Environmental Health Science.  His thesis was titled "Storm Flowpaths and Biogeochemistry of a Karst Stream in Southwest Georgia".

Shannon Binns
Shannon.Binns@gmail.com

Mr. Binns is serving his first term on the board, being appointed in 2009.  He moved to Charlotte two years ago from Washington, DC but is a native of Iowa.  He has a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering form Iowa State University and a Master of Public Administration with a concentration in Environmental and Policy from Columbia University in New York City.

GET INVOLVED WITH YOUR MSWCD

Volunteer
Help your county SWCD with legislative awareness programs for local, state and federal officials, conservation programs, urban and agricultural BMPs (Best Management Practices), fundraising, tree sales, rain barrel sales, and youth and adult education events.

Serve as a Supervisor 
Represent your community on the county SWCD board as a natural resource decision maker.  Identify local soil and water conservation issues and develop SWCD programs that provide solutions to these issues.  Become an Appointed Board Supervisor.

Serve as an Associate Supervisor
Attend monthly board meetings and provide input to the SWCD board on local soil and water conservation issues and programs.