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.
Martha Eberle
Martha Eberle is a Senior Landscape Architect with Biohabitats’ Southeast Atlantic Bioregion Office in Raleigh, NC. She has more than 20 years of experience in design and planning, with a focus on the successful integration of high-performing ecological systems within urban, suburban, and rural environments.
Through partnerships with academic, institutional, and governmental clients, Martha has worked on award-winning projects throughout the United States and beyond. Her experience ranges from large-scale coastal resiliency and brownfield restoration efforts to small-scale urban interventions tailored to community character. In addition to her design background, Martha is skilled at community engagement, policy development, funding procurement, and landscape operations. She is passionate about creating high-functioning, equitable, and beautiful places rooted in ecology and community.
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.
Eric Lamb
Eric Lamb is a plangineer with STV, Inc. with more than 30 years of experience in the management and development of transportation projects and programs. His career includes 22 years with the City of Raleigh, most recently as Transportation Planning Manager, where he was responsible for the development and oversight of a multimillion-dollar Capital Improvement Program for Transportation, including five successful transportation bond referenda.
Eric helped develop concepts and secure grants for Raleigh Union Station and served as the principal liaison to NCDOT for numerous major transportation projects in Raleigh. He oversaw the development and implementation of the City’s first bicycle and pedestrian plans and successfully implemented the City’s first bikeshare system in 2019. Eric holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and a Master of Civil Engineering from NC State University, and he is currently registered as a professional engineer in North Carolina. He is a Fellow with the Institute of Transportation Engineers and is active with its North Carolina Section (NCSITE).
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.
Dwight Otwell
Dwight Otwell earned a BS in Forest Management and an MS in Natural Resource Management from NCSU and currently works as a Goespatial Program Leader and Project Manager for Moffatt & Nichol Engineers in Raleigh, NC. Dwight served 6 years on the Raleigh Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission, including 2 years as the Commission Chair. He is currently in his second term as a commissioner on the Raleigh Planning Commission and is the chair of the Planning Commission Text Change Committee.
Dean Rains
Dean Rains is a Principal and Project Manager at LS3P with three decades of experience shaping the spaces where we live, work, and play. Since starting his career in Indianapolis in 1995 and moving to the Triangle in 2008, Dean has focused his passion on civic architecture, community-centric design, and the art of placemaking. Deeply committed to the local community, Dean’s leadership extends far beyond the drafting table. He spent a decade serving the City of Raleigh—six years on the Appearance Commission and four on the Planning Commission. He’s also an active voice in the industry, having served on various American Institute of Architects committees and currently contributing to the Urban Land Institute Triangle Programs Committee. Dean is a proud graduate of the University of Cincinnati’s DAAP School of Architecture and Interior Design.