Staff
Billy Cate, Executive Director
Billy is a retired business executive as well as a farmer and land owner and has served as Executive Director since spring 2008. Prior taking the position of Executive Director, Billy served on the CLT Board of Directors including a 2 year term as President. Billy’s personal experience as a donor of several conservation easements and his extensive knowledge of land issues has made him an invaluable resource to prospective land owners considering conservation easements on their property.
John Cely, Land Protection Director
John joined our staff in 2007 to coordinate conservation efforts for the COWASEE Basin Focus area then took on the responsibility of Land Protection Director in spring 2009. John is a well-known naturalist in South Carolina and has a Masters degree in wildlife biology. He worked for many years for South Carolina DNR where he specialized in research and survey work on endangered or threatened bird species. He has a long history of conservation in the Midlands and was part of the grass roots effort that resulted in achievement of National Park status for the Congaree Swamp.
Monica Upright, Membership and Development Director
Monica is the newest member of our staff as of April 2011. Monica worked for SCETV for over 20 years and retired from Midlands Technical College in 2007. She has been connected to CLT for many years through various friends and enjoys sewing, hiking fly fishing and spending time with her grandson Tyler.