Julie Moore

Nature Expert | Longleaf Pine

She is the author of “Managing the Forest and the Trees,” a guide for longleaf forest landowners funded by TNC, the LLA, and the Southern Group of State Foresters. She was with the NC Natural Heritage Program for over a dozen years as a botanist and ecologist specializing in fire dependent systems and working with private landowners. 

Damon E. Waitt, Ph. D.

Dendrological Expert

Dr. Damon Waitt is Director of the North Carolina Botanical Garden in Chapel Hill, and former Senior Director at the Lady Bird Wildflower Center in Austin, Texas. Waitt holds a Ph.D. in Botany from the University of Texas in Austin, an M.S in Botany from Louisiana State University Baton Rouge and a B.S. in Biology from Tulane University.

Lisa T. Thomson

Nature Expert | American Chestnut

A lifelong conservationist, Lisa is the President of the American Chestnut Foundation. Her previous experience includes 28 years at The Nature Conservancy, serving in leadership capacities in conservation land management and fundraising.

Derek Alan Rowe

Creative Director | Immersive Tech Expert

Derek has been the creative director of Doctrine Creative for over 10 years, working on commercial projects with Disney, Nickelodeon, TLC and producing many independent projects including three feature films. In 2015, Derek founded WildEyes, a virtual reality initiative dedicated to capturing the US National Parks in Virtual Reality.

Mike Cuales

Immersive Tech Expert | Educator

Creative Director with a passion for 360º spherical video production, virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) applications. Extensive experience producing engaging educational media solutions and managing creatives. A background in Business Management, Marketing and Industrial Design provides a solid foundation for success in multimedia production. 

Joe Halper

Unreal Expert | Game Design Consultant

Joe is a 20+ year game development veteran having worked on countless projects in entertainment, serious games, simulation, and training. Some of the award-winning projects he has been part of were with clients such as NASA, Epic Games, Autodesk, EA’s DICE, and many others. He has founded and or managed multiple studios in both New York City and Raleigh, NC. He is the owner of Grit Games in Raleigh, NC and serves on the board of the NC Triangle IGDA.