Staff changes: Promotions, welcome, and farewells

Change is afoot this winter at the East Coast Greenway Alliance as we celebrate the promotion of two staff members, welcome our newest employee, and bid farewell to two staff members as they wrap up their service.

Niles Barnes has been promoted to the position of deputy director, taking on new leadership responsibilites along with his work managing our team of regional coordinators. Barnes began at the Alliance in 2013 as our South Atlantic coordinator and moved into the role of Greenway programs director, implementing strategies for advocacy and public policy initiatives while also contributing to organizational operations, program delivery, finance, and technology.  

Debbie West, a seven-year employee of the East Coast Greenway Alliance, has been promoted to our newest position, Development Manager. West has served most recently as membership coordinator and office manager. In her new role, she will work directly with Executive Director Dennis Markatos-Soriano, Alliance staff, and lead volunteers to continue the organization’s dramatic growth. West will continue to manage our membership program while also focusing on increased engagement with foundations, major donors, and corporate partners.

"I'm excited to see Debbie, an outstanding and complementary teammate, focus her skills and passion on a new challenge within our organization,” says Markatos-Soriano. “Her respect and gratitude for our generous supporters mixed with her commitment to the Greenway vision make her the kind of leader who can help unleash our organizational growth potential."

Dominique Pericles joins the Alliance as Office Manager. Pericles has served as an event planner and administrative assistant for a number of Triangle-area organizations, including BidPal, Berkshire Hathaway YSU Realty, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Triangle. She holds a B.A. in communication studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Pericles’ responsibilities will include bookkeeping, human resources coordination, event support, and responding to general inquiries. She lives in Durham, N.C.

"Dominique impressed us with the right attitude and skill set to fill Debbie's big shoes,” says Markatos-Soriano. “We are all excited to work with her to keep the organization's critical operations thriving."

At the end of January we said goodbye to Molly Henry, our New England coordinator since 2014, as she heads to graduate school. During her four years with the Alliance, she oversaw 60-plus new miles added to the Greenway in her region along with installing signage over hundreds of miles. “Molly's strong organizing work has positioned our New England states well for continued progress in the near future,” says Deputy Director Niles Barnes. Bruce Donald, our Tri-State coordinator, is serving as the interim New England coordinator.

We also bid farewell to Mary Beth Powell, who managed our East Coast River Relay over the past year. Powell worked with our regional coordinators and 204 organizational partners to host 57 events on the Greenway, from Calais, Maine, to Miami, Florida, from late August through October. Her remarkable work allowed the Alliance to celebrate our 25th anniversary and strengthen our partnerships.

Read more of our February newsletter On the Greenway