Meet the Friends of Hominy Creek Greenway’s Board of Trustees
Emma Castleberry
Emma has been an Asheville resident for nearly 8 years, but a recent move to West Asheville dramatically increased her use of the Hominy Creek Greenway, where she walks daily with her rescue puppy, a husky mix named Spunj. As a freelance outdoor writer and reporter, Emma has an appreciation for all things nature, with a particular reverence for accessible wild areas like the greenway. She joined the board at the beginning of 2024 and feels passionate about protecting and enhancing this vital, unique public resource that makes our community – locally and globally – a better place to live.
Jack Igelman
Jack is a founding trustee of the Friends of Hominy Creek Greenway and a resident of West Asheville since 1999. He rejoined the board in 2022 after serving from 2012 to 2018. He teaches economics at Warren Wilson College and is the lead environmental reporter for Carolina Public Press, covering environmental topics throughout the state of North Carolina. Jack and his wife Elizabeth have two teenage boys.
Lewis Lankford
Lewis landed in Asheville just in time for Belle Chere in 1996 and no one has yet been able to make him leave. He was a founding member of West Asheville Development, LLC and helped turn the Bledsoe Building into the commercial and social center of Haywood Road. He currently works as Finance Manager for Ginger’s Revenge in Asheville and joined the board as Treasurer in 2022. Any sunny afternoon is likely to see Lewis out on a trail, hiking or biking with his wife Krista and trail dog Alli. Linville Gorge is his favorite place, but Hominy Creek is a lot closer to home.
Tim Watkins
Tim is a cyclist, climber, runner and all around nature lover. Previously an outdoor recreation instructor, he is enthusiastic about teaching proper trail etiquette and Leave No Trace principles. He is passionate about protecting our existing greenway network, and supporting the expansion pedestrian focused infrastructure. As one of many who transitioned to remote work during the pandemic, Tim knows the value of our urban greenspaces, such as the Hominy Creek Greenway, that provide a much needed escape from the monotony of remote work.
Holland Youngman
Holland is a lover of mountains, trees, streams, rocks, clumps of moss and so on. She enjoys spending time exploring area trails on foot and on bike with her friends and her trusty canine sidekick. A wildlife biologist by profession, she has a passion for creatures (great and small), ecological conservation, and for learning about and sharing the natural wonders of the world with others. She is also enthusiastic about supporting walkable and bikeable trail systems as a way to promote healthy lifestyles, community interaction and connection with the living world; thus her love of the Hominy Creek Greenway.
Edward Schwartzman
Edward is a botanist/ecologist and the owner of Joe Pye Ecological Consulting. Ed, a long-time volunteer with the Friends of Hominy Creek Greenway, has been crucial in our invasive removal and native planting efforts. His favorite spot on the Greenway is the delta at the bottom of Cornbread Junction where a small beach offers a chance to spot a blue heron or let your dogs clamber around. Ed views the greenway as vital to our community’s physical and mental health, seeing connection with nature as a healing activity.
Josh Kelly
Josh is a field biologist and the Resilient Forests Director at MountainTrue. A devoted supporter of the Greenway and all regional forests, Josh brings extensive experience with public space advocacy and education and professional experience in biology, botany, ecology, and ecological restoration. Josh lives in the Hominy Creek Watershed and enjoys walks, runs, and bike rides on the greenway. He’s also a native of the region with a lifelong passion for biology and ecology, and he sees great potential for Hominy Creek Greenway to serve as both a recreation area and an ecological preserve.