About the Board of Directors
WakeUP is a board-led organization. Our board members bring many decades of leadership skills and relationship building experience to the issues facing Wake County. The board is composed of experts on housing policy, transportation, urban planning, land-use, environmental stewardship, and related subjects.
As the longest standing voice at the intersection of social, economic, and environmental sustainability in our area, WakeUP spearheads local efforts to engage a broad spectrum of citizens and leaders to work together to create a thriving future for all.
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Executive Committee
Roberta Fox
Executive Director
Roberta Fox, AIA, ASLA is the founder, owner, and lead designer of Catalyst Design PLLC, which focusses on strategic planning, project delivery, and transportation architecture and the people-centered spaces around them. She currently serves as Vice Chair of the Raleigh Planning Commission. Bert was also Assistant Planning Director of the Raleigh Department of City Planning and the Civic Design and Implementation Manager of the Raleigh Urban Design Center. She earned a Master of Landscape Architecture from Louisiana State University.
Tom Barrie
Chair
Thomas Barrie, FAIA is a Professor of Architecture at the School of Architecture at NC State University, where he directs the Affordable Housing + Sustainable Communities Initiative. He is an Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture Distinguished Professor and a member of the NC State Academy of Outstanding Faculty in Extension and Engagement. In 2024, he received the NC State Alexander Quarles Holladay Medal for Excellence. Tom earned a Master of Philosophy from the University of Manchester (UK) and a Master of Architecture from Virginia Tech.
Hattie Gawande
Treasurer
Hattie Gawande is a policy expert who was the Senior Policy and Intergovernmental Affairs Advisor at the NC Department of Health and Human Services for more than four years. She is dedicated to serving Raleigh communities and currently is an officer in the Raleigh Police Department. She earned a BA in Economics from Stanford University.
Rodney Swink, FASLA PLA
Secretary
Rodney Swink, FASLA, PLA is a licensed landscape architect and Professor of the Practice in the Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning Program at NC State University. He is Senior Associate for Planning and Development with PlaceEconomics, a Washington, DC-based real estate and economic development consulting firm. He also directed the North Carolina Main Street program for 24 years. Rodney earned a BA in Economics and a Master of Landscape Architecture from NC State University.
Board Members
Jonathan Blasco
PLA, ASLA
Jonathan Blasco is a landscape architect and Senior Project Manager at WithersRavenel. He has a Master of Landscape Architecture from North Carolina State University, where he has also served as an Assistant Professor of Professional Practice in the Landscape Architecture Department. He served multiple terms as chair of the Garner Planning Commission.
Eric Braun
Eric Braun is a lawyer whose practice focused on land use regulation, zoning, litigation, and municipal law. He is founder and Executive Director of RaleighForward and serves as Chair of the Raleigh Housing Authority and the Triangle Family Services Board of Advisors. He also served six years on the Raleigh Planning Commission (two years as chair). Eric has taught municipal law and land use planning for the Master of Public Administration program at NC State. He is a graduate of Wake Forest University.
Audrey Galloway
Audrey Galloway is an advocacy and government relations strategist and the Manager of Outreach and Advocacy for AARP NC. Prior to joining AARP, she was a Government Relations Specialist for the NC Association of Educators. Audrey earned a BA in English from NC State University.
Chris Herndon
Chris Herndon is the NC Chapter Director of the Sierra Club. He has served as the Chief Operating Officer for United Way of the Greater Triangle, as well as Interim Executive Director of WakeUP Wake County. Prior to his nonprofit roles, Chris spent 16 years as a sports executive, overseeing marketing and programming for a downtown Indianapolis stadium. He has also chaired the Town of Cary’s Greenway Committee; is a member of Cary’s Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Resources Advisory Board; and is a member of the Dix Park Community Committee. Chris is a graduate of Ball State University.
David Meeker
David Meeker is the Managing Partner of Carpenter Development and Trophy Brewing. He is on the board of Healing Transitions, as well as the advisory boards of Lotus and Dogwood Bank. He also serves on the Capital Campaign Committee for the Healing Transitions expansion and the WakeMed Mental Health Hospital. David was previously on the boards of the Raleigh Chamber, Downtown Raleigh Alliance, Dix Park, Artspace, Common Cause, North Carolinians for Redistricting Reform, and the Raleigh City Museum.
Nils Peterson
Nils Peterson is a professor in NC State University’s Fisheries and Wildlife Program of the College of Natural Resources. His work focuses on unravelling the drivers of environmental behavior—on which global sustainability depends—through environmental education, conservation development, environmental conflict, and responses to climate change. Nils earned a BS and an MS in Wildlife Ecology from Texas A&M University.