Staff

Scroll down or click a staff member's name to learn more.

• Cindy Lowry, Executive Director
• Mitch Reid, Program Director
• Adam Johnston, Alliance Coordinator
• Katie Robertson Shaddix, Development and Communications Coordinator

Cindy Lowry, Executive Director

Cindy is the executive director of the Alabama Rivers Alliance. She joined the staff in 2005 as Watershed Leadership Coordinator and was promoted to Executive Director in 2007.   

Cindy received her BS degree in Wildlife Science from Auburn University and her Masters of Public Administration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.  After interning with the Cahaba River Society in the spring of 2002, she worked as the Development Assistant for The Alabama Wildlife Center. 

Cindy has over a decade of experience in the nonprofit sector and countless volunteer hours.  She currently serves on the boards of directors for the Friends of the Locust Fork River locally and Clean Water Network nationally. She is also the Vice-President of the UAB MPA Alumni Association.

Responsibilities:

• General Organizational Administration
• Budgeting and Financial Information
• Fundraising and Grants Administration
• Board of Directors Information and Opportunities
• Media or Publicity Opportunities
• Program Development and Guidance
• Personnel Management
• Interfaith Environmental Initiative of Alabama
• ADEM Reform Coalition and Environmental Justice

Mitch Reid, J.D., Program Director

Mitch manages the Alabama Rivers Alliance programs, working with both the state and federal governments towards real and lasting protection of our rivers.  Some of the projects that Mitch is working on include a petition to the Environmental Protection Agency to reform the Alabama Department of Environmental Management's pollution permitting program, the relicensing of several Alabama Power hydroelectric dams under the oversight of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and working with partner groups from around the state to develop protective and sustainable water policies for Alabama.

Mitch hales from Bellwood, Alabama, a small town in Southeast Alabama right on the Choctawhatchee River in Geneva, county.  He graduated from Slocomb High School in Slocomb, Alabama and then went on to pursue his undergraduate degree at West Point and his law degree at the University of Alabama.  After West Point, Mitch served in the Army until 2004.  He was stationed for most of his military career in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, serving with the 82nd Airborne Division and the 16th Military Police Brigade.  During this time, he was deployed to Afghanistan from August of 2002 until March of 2003.  

 During his free time, Mitch and his wife Sarah enjoy paddling and photographing the beautiful rivers and streams of our state.

Responsibilities:

• Technical/policy program planning and implementation
• Alabama Water Agenda and Water Management work
• Alabama Stormwater Partnership
• TriState Conservation Coalition and ACF Stakeholders
•  Hydropower Reform Coalition and FERC program
• Corps Reform Network and Dams
• NPDES permits and Petition to EPA

Adam Johnston, Alliance Coordinator

 Adam works to build, unite, and support the network of more than 50 grassroots watershed guardian organizations in our state. He is an Alabama native, born and raised in the beautiful, northern portion of the Black Warrior watershed along Clear Creek.

Adam graduated from Auburn University with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science.  Upon graduation, Adam joined the U.S. Peace Corps in the Republic of Vanuatu to serve their Department of Forestry as a grassroots organizer in natural resource management.  During his time in Vanuatu, Adam lived and worked with a very remote and isolated clan doing native tree replanting, conservation awareness education, and community water system building.  After completing his service, Adam returned home to Alabama and worked for several years at Camp McDowell's Environmental Center.  Adam is passionate about the preservation of our state’s natural resources and educating others about them.  In his free time, you may find him doing anything and everything outdoors including floating, fishing, hiking, and playing soccer.

Responsibilities:

• The Watershed Leadership Program
• Training and Organizational Support for Grassroots Groups
• Citizen Response Coordination
• Speaking Engagements
• Annual Conference: Alabama Water Rally
• Alabama Water Watch Monitoring/Training
• Grassroots Newsletter
• Grants, Tools, and Training Web Resources
• Watershed Support Network
• Muddy Water Watch

Katie Robertson-Shaddix, Development and Communications Coordinator

Katie handles member relations, coordinates special events, maintains the Alabama Rivers Alliance website, creates the design and layout of the newsletter and e-newsletter, maintains the member and volunteer databases, and manages the office for the Alabama Rivers Alliance. Katie joined the staff in 2007 after eight years working in the private sector.  

Katie received her MA in English Composition and Rhetoric from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and is a University of Montevallo graduate with a BA in English. She learned to swim in Alabama waterways before she learned to walk on land and has enjoyed fishing, kayaking, canoeing, and other river activities ever since. She has been involved with the Birmingham Canoe Club since 1990. She currently serves on the board of Do Dah Day, Birmingham's oldest annual event, and has served on the operations committee of the Alabama Mountain Games. She is also an active volunteer for several animal rescue organizations. In her spare time, she and her husband, David, enjoy spending time outdoors in and around Alabama's rivers with their three dogs.

Responsibilities:

• Education and Outreach
• Member Relations
• News
• Special Events
• Volunteer Information
• Web Design and Development
• Newsletter Design and Editing
• Database Management
• Office Management