Board & Staff
People, Partners, Projects, Progress
The Alabama Association of RC&D Councils is a non-profit organization that is made up of volunteers who identify the unmet needs in their communities and create solutions across Alabama.
State Board of Directors
Our state board is made up of volunteers from across the state.
They are committed to helping Alabama grow and prosper.
Nick Williams
Chairman
Ala-Tom RC&D Council
Chris Langley
Vice-Chairman
Coosa Valley RC&D Council
Marianne Leigh
Secretary-Treasurer
Northwest RC&D Council
William A. Hodge
Past Chairman
Mid-South RC&D Council
President, National Association of RC&D Councils
Terry Martin
Coosa Valley RC&D Council
Don Sherrod
Tombigbee RC&D Council
Allen Pickens
AMRV RC&D Council
Randall Hastings
Gulf Coast RC&D Council
Monica Carroll
Wiregrass RC&D Council
Craig Sizemore
President, Southeast Association of RC&D Council
Sheila Baker
Cawaco RC&D Council
JO Norris
Mid-South RC&D Council
Mike Roden
At-Large Board Member
Non-Profit Specialist
State Staff
Our state staff works hard to implement state-wide grant projects, provide support to our statewide Councils and promote the mission of Alabama RC&D.
Katie Conner
Executive Director
Katie Conner is the Executive Director for the Alabama Association of RC&D Councils. She began working for RC&D in 2013 as the Office Manager for the Tombigbee RC&D Council and was hired as the Operations Manager for the Alabama Association of RC&D Councils in 2015. She was hired as the Executive Director in the spring of 2022.
Katie is from Trussville, Alabama, and graduated with her Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Alabama in 2012. It was there that she completed her degree in Communication with a concentration in Media Production and a minor in General Business. She went on to receive her Undergraduate Certificate in Accountancy in 2017, and her Master’s Degree in Accountancy in 2020 from Auburn University. She has aspirations of one day completing a Doctoral Degree.
Katie serves as the Secretary-Treasurer and workshop facilitator for Your Town Alabama. She is also involved in the Junior League of Montgomery where she is the Co-Treasurer for Market 1926, a fundraiser within the Junior League.
Katie and her husband Caleb live in Montgomery with their two sweet dogs, Maggie and Bailey. She loves spending time with friends and family and finding outlets for creativity.
Clara Tapplin
Operations Manager
Clara Tapplin is the Operations Manager for AARCDC. Clara started as an assistant with RC&D in the fall of 2016 after her senior season of soccer ended at Huntingdon College. Upon graduating in 2017 from Huntingdon with Bachelor’s in Communications Studies she was offered a full-time position and grew within the organization from there. While at Huntingdon she met her fiancé, Lake Romine. Clara and Lake live in Wetumpka, Alabama with their son, Porter, and two dogs, Winston and Gemma.
Clara loves working for RC&D and enjoys being able to help so many different people. She is inspired by all the wonderful things happening across the great state of Alabama.
Mary Kendall Dixon
Communications Specialist
Mary Kendall Dixon is the Communications Specialist of AARCDC. She joined the state team in April 2022 after gaining experience in association management and marketing. She has a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Communications and Agribusiness from Auburn University. She is a life-long native of Lee County, Alabama where she lives on her family’s cattle and row crop operation with her dog, Lucy, and cat, Toothless.
Mary Kendall’s favorite thing about RC&D is that it is local people, working together to solve local needs.
