Synovia Deas

Synovia Deas serves as Accountant for the Coastal Conservation League, bringing more than 30 years of experience across finance and accounting roles in the aerospace, healthcare, automotive, nonprofit, and education sectors. She holds an MBA from The Citadel and a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Accounting from Winthrop University, and is […]

Lori Cary-Kothera

Lori Cary-Kothera joined the Coastal Conservation League in 2025 as Chief Conservation Officer, bringing more than two decades of leadership in national climate and coastal policy through her tenure at the EPA, NOAA, and the White House Council on Environmental Quality. She holds a B.S. in Biology/Environmental Science from Bowling Green State University and an […]

Yarley Steedly

Prior to joining the Conservation League, Yarley worked for the public and nonprofit sectors, where she sharpened her government relations and lobbying skills advocating for issues in the fields of public health, public education, and higher education. She is a 2013 graduate of Leadership South Carolina and most recently completed the 2024 – 2025 Port […]

Benton Montgomery

Hailing from Newberry, SC and attending the University of South Carolina, Benton cares deeply about enhancing the quality of life for those in the Palmetto State.   Benton joined GrowFood Carolina on Day 1 in 2011 as a part-time driver.  He’s worked his way through the Operations department and was named the Director in October of […]

Elizabeth Gibson

Elizabeth brings over two decades of HR and operations leadership from diverse sectors including healthcare and hospitality including for profit and nonprofit. She holds dual Bachelor’s Degrees in International Business and Spanish from Duquesne University and earned her MBA from Kansas State University. Though her career has taken her around the globe, she has always […]