
Heather Beard
Heather was born and raised in Durham, North Carolina. She earned a B.A. in Business Administration at Meredith College and an M.A. in Environmental Policy at Tufts University. Heather worked with the Neuse River Foundation to establish the first Upper Neuse River Foundation program. She came to EarthShare North Carolina in 2001 and has served as Executive Director since 2006. Outside of work, Heather spends her time backpacking in the NC and VA mountains, cooking, and silversmithing.
Laura Baker
Raised in a small town in rural Iowa, Laura’s early passions included animals, music, time on her grandparents’ farm, and reading. After high school, Laura joined the US Marine Corps to serve our country, while getting her college education. After the Marines, she found her way to the nonprofit world where she discovered her passion for helping others. Eventually, she landed in North Carolina where she began to work for the State Employees Combined Campaign in 2005, connecting charities to state employees. Laura & her son Marcus have called Raleigh home for 15 years now. She still enjoys playing the piano, reading, and working in her small garden, but when the opportunity strikes, she loves to travel, exploring historical sites near and far.

Elizabeth Wurtzel
Homegrown in North Carolina, Elizabeth was born in Wilmington and raised in Chapel Hill. She holds a B.S. in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing from William Peace University and brings experience from both the private and nonprofit sectors, where she’s helped grow platforms and develop sustainable strategies. With a passion for purpose-driven work, she’s excited to support fellow North Carolinians through EarthShare NC and SECC impact-focused programming. In her free time, she enjoys gardening, playing the sitar, and hiking the NC state parks with her husband and children.

Loren Weiss
Raised in Raleigh during the peak of its growth, Loren attended Appalachian State University to hone her skills in ethical communication, graduating with her B.S. in Public Relations in 2024. During her degree and since then, she has utilized digital communication as a vehicle for growth in the non-profit sphere, working to amplify the causes that benefit the communities around her. In her free time, Loren loves dancing, creative writing, and going thrifting with a coffee from a local cafe!