Board & Staff

My name is Susan Graham, and I joined the team as the new Chief Development Officer, and I am beyond grateful to be here. I've been in the non-profit industry for over ten years, fundraising for national and local organizations.

My career started at the Alzheimer's Association managing events in West TN. I then joined ALSAC/ St. Jude fundraising for their endurance team. While at St. Jude, I managed their Signature Event program which consisted of 12 national endurance events with a $3M portfolio. One of my favorite accomplishments at St. Jude was taking the program internationally. After St. Jude, I joined the Regional One Health Foundation fundraising for a local non-profit hospital. I managed corporate and foundation relations and used my networking skills to drive new business opportunities.

Ryan holds a bachelor’s degree in forestry from Mississippi State University and a master’s degree in city and Regional Planning from Clemson University. He is also a registered forester in Mississippi. This unique education allows him to assess the most important habitats for conservation. Ryan has grown his passion for protecting these special places over his tenure at Wolf River Conservancy. He particularly enjoys working alongside other passionate, mission-driven people and the challenge of each real estate transaction, which are often as unique as the landowners’ personalities.  

Ryan is a loving husband to his wife, Haley, and proud father to his daughter, Cypress, who challenges him daily and gives new meaning to his work. In his free time, he enjoys hiking and paddling with his family and their dog, Pepper

Findley is a Civil / Environmental Engineer with an Undergraduate Degree in Engineering from Vanderbilt University. He has experience across a wide variety of projects, including greenways, parks, canoe trails, masterplans, wetland and stream restorations, habitat protection plans, brownfield redevelopment, and flood reduction efforts. Findley has previously worked with the Wolf River Conservancy in 2014 on the Boat Ramp Access study and recently helped the Conservancy with engineering design for the new Epping Way boat dock. His past projects include work on the Big River Trail and Park in West Memphis, the Five-Mile Creek Greenway in Birmingham, the Jefferson County (Alabama) Bike / Ped Masterplan, and development of a 350-acre recreational park in Oxford, Alabama. Findley assumed the role of Wolf River Greenway Coordinator January 1, 2020. His responsibilities will include oversight of design, permitting, construction, and coordination with our local partners, the City of Memphis Parks Division and Shelby County.

He is active in the community and currently serves Memphis Leadership Foundation Board and is a past Chair of the Exceptional Foundation of West Tennessee Board. In his free time, he enjoys being outside with his wife, three children and his dog.

In December of 2011, Jim answered an advertisement from the Conservancy for “free beer and pizza”. This event was the opening effort to expand their River Guide program. At that time, Jim was both a fair paddler and had been a member of the Conservancy since 2006. Jim was an active volunteer in the program for the next four years. During this time, he transitioned from paddling a kayak to an open canoe and discovered that he truly loved the slow rhythm of the waters of the Wolf River. Upon the retirement of Dale Sanders in 2015, Jim accepted his current position as our Director of Outreach.

Jim holds a Bachelor of Science in Engineering Technology from Memphis State University as well as a Master of Science from Christian Brothers University. His conservation roots are a result of his childhood among the trees, fields and streams around the east Memphis home where he was raised in a family of 5.

Matt is a native Memphian and graduate from Christian Brothers University with a degree in International Business and Management.

Natalie has been paddling the Wolf River since her art school student days in 2010 and is passionate about connecting people to the river and strengthening community support for conservation efforts.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Photography with a minor in Art History from Memphis College of Art. She brings over a decade of experience in social media, marketing, and community engagement to her role at the Wolf River Conservancy.

Since joining the Conservancy in 2023, Natalie has managed marketing and communications strategy, including social media, email campaigns, and digital content creation. She also oversees event planning and execution for signature events such as the Greenway Soirée and the Discover the Greenway 5K.

Guided by Mary Oliver’s advice, “Pay attention. Be amazed. Tell about it”, she strives to share stories that inspire others to care for the river and the lands that surround it.

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