The Mathews Land Conservancy was formed in 1993 as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.
The Mathews Land Conservancy is headquartered at Williams Wharf Landing in Mathews County and is governed by a Board of Directors:
Craig DeRemer, President
Bernadette LaCasse, Vice President
Robb Riddle, Treasurer
Tim Hudgins, Secretary
Jay White, Director
Bernard Moughon, Director
Fred Lyon, Director
Stan Grice, Director
Lynda Smith Greve, Operations Manager and Ex-Officio Director
Bernadette LaCasse, Vice President
Robb Riddle, Treasurer
Tim Hudgins, Secretary
Jay White, Director
Bernard Moughon, Director
Fred Lyon, Director
Stan Grice, Director
Lynda Smith Greve, Operations Manager and Ex-Officio Director
President of the Board – Craig DeRemer brings the Conservancy more than 30 years experience in natural resources and the environment. With an M.S. in Environmental Engineering from Colorado State University, he has provided consulting to cities, States, and the private sector. At the federal level, Craig was staff to the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Water Resources, and was an official for the Army Corps of Engineers, Environmental Protection Agency, and Department of Energy. He has also operated a historic Bed and Breakfast and was President of a federal credit union. Craig enjoys fishing. kayaking, and biking in our beautiful County.
Vice President of the Board – Bernadette La Casse brings over 35 years experience in global corporate operations – including strategic level and consulting positions with manufacturing, financial services and pharmaceutical corporations. Her experience in corporate finance and change management help the Mathews Land Conservancy navigate as a high performing board. In addition, her perspective as a real estate broker and intimate familiarity with the realty, regulatory, locality and waterway information for the county and region help the MLC make key decisions about its resources. Bernadette holds a BS in Mathematics from Potsdam College and an MBA from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. She and her family have lived in Mathews, Virginia, on the beautiful Chesapeake Bay since 2005.
Treasurer of the Board – Robert L. Riddle joins the board with 38 years in the Commercial Industrial Real Estate Industry. As the president of Riddle Associations, founded in 1988 in Chesapeake, VA, Robb provides uncompromising representation to buyers, sellers, tenants and landlords in commercial and industrial real estate transactions, primarily in Southeastern Virginia and Northeastern North Carolina. He has served on numerous boards, including Old Point National Bank, Virginia Air & Space Center and the Economic Development Authority of the City of Chesapeake. Now living in Mathews, Robb enjoys baseball, racquetball, scuba, boating and cruising in his 1959 Corvette.
Secretary of the Board – Tim Hudgins, the son of former MLC director Wayne Hudgins, brings over 35 years of design, construction and project management experience to the Mathews Land Conservancy board. As a registered architect, his expertise in managing large complex design and construction projects in the DC & Baltimore Metro areas brings a unique perspective to the board. A Mathews’ school’s alumni, Tim holds a professional degree in Architecture from Virginia Tech. He and his family have lived in Hallieford on Queens Creek in Mathews since 2010.
Directors:
Jay White brings over 40 years of construction experience to the Mathews Land Conservancy board, with the last 18 years owning a commercial site concrete company named for the East River on which Williams Wharf resides. His experience will further enhance the board’s construction and facilities knowledge to facilitate the completion of the Owens Maritime Center and continue to assist in maintaining the numerous properties under MLC’s care. Jay holds a BS in Physics from Randolph Macon College. He and his family have lived in Mathews along the East River since 2001.
Bernard Moughon is a Mathews native and lifelong resident on the East River. Bernard brings over 36 years of experience in the construction and maintenance of the Electric utility industry. He is an alumnus of Mathews Schools and a member of the first Mathews Crew team. He and his family reside in the Glebe area of Mathews.
Fred Lyon is a native Virginian who has lived in Alexandria, Mount Vernon, Norfolk Charlottesville, Fredericksburg, and now Mathews. He has been a practicing lawyer for over 40 years with a specialty in construction law and contracts. A member of the Virginia, District of Columbia, Maryland, and Florida bars, he has offices in Virginia and Florida. He also is a certified mediator and has written and spoken frequently on issues of contract and construction law. He has been active in preservation and land conservancy organizations in various parts of the country, including Virginia, Florida, and Louisiana. He is a graduate of Duke University with a B.A in history, the University of Virginia School of Law, Rollins College with a masters in liberal studies, and the University of Edinburgh with a masters in history. He is co-author of When Not Performing, a 2012 book describing the lives of New Orleans’s musicians in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. He also is a former officer in the U.S. Navy. He is chair of the Mathews VA250 Committee, created by the Board of Supervisors to organize celebrations of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 2026.
Stan Grice has a forty-year career in health care administration and consulting, with the last 20 years focused on oncology care and advanced diagnostics. He has extensive experience in business development, strategic planning, marketing, and public relations. As an entrepreneur, he created Affiliated PET Systems, which was the first of its kind to offer commercial Positron Emission Tomography Centers in suburban Washington, DC. Following graduate school at Tulane University School of Public Health in New Orleans, he was recruited to Washington, D.C., to work for National Medical Enterprises. In addition to his work, Grice was a member of the Association of Community Cancer Centers, Society of Nuclear Medicine, and the National Press Club. Grice and his wife, Diane, relocated from the Old Town Alexandria area to Mathews to be close to family. Grice recently completed the Extension Master Gardener course and is focused on shoreline stabilization, bioretention rain gardens to combat erosion, and habitat restoration in our community.
Lynda Smith Greve (Operations Manager) is a native of Mathews County and has served as the MLC’s Operations Manager since 1999. She graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. degree in Communications from Christopher Newport University and brings over 25 years of management and administrative experience. As the single employee of the MLC, she handles all day to day operations as well as managing fundraising, marketing, finances, multiple facilities, projects, large events, grants and board operations. Also, in her capacity as Vice President of the Mathews Visitor Center Administrative Board and President of Wickham Enterprises, an entertainment company, Lynda has directed hundreds of events, races, parades, concerts and fundraisers. She also performs in two bands as a vocalist and has six recordings to her credit.
Vice President of the Board – Bernadette La Casse brings over 35 years experience in global corporate operations – including strategic level and consulting positions with manufacturing, financial services and pharmaceutical corporations. Her experience in corporate finance and change management help the Mathews Land Conservancy navigate as a high performing board. In addition, her perspective as a real estate broker and intimate familiarity with the realty, regulatory, locality and waterway information for the county and region help the MLC make key decisions about its resources. Bernadette holds a BS in Mathematics from Potsdam College and an MBA from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. She and her family have lived in Mathews, Virginia, on the beautiful Chesapeake Bay since 2005.
Treasurer of the Board – Robert L. Riddle joins the board with 38 years in the Commercial Industrial Real Estate Industry. As the president of Riddle Associations, founded in 1988 in Chesapeake, VA, Robb provides uncompromising representation to buyers, sellers, tenants and landlords in commercial and industrial real estate transactions, primarily in Southeastern Virginia and Northeastern North Carolina. He has served on numerous boards, including Old Point National Bank, Virginia Air & Space Center and the Economic Development Authority of the City of Chesapeake. Now living in Mathews, Robb enjoys baseball, racquetball, scuba, boating and cruising in his 1959 Corvette.
Secretary of the Board – Tim Hudgins, the son of former MLC director Wayne Hudgins, brings over 35 years of design, construction and project management experience to the Mathews Land Conservancy board. As a registered architect, his expertise in managing large complex design and construction projects in the DC & Baltimore Metro areas brings a unique perspective to the board. A Mathews’ school’s alumni, Tim holds a professional degree in Architecture from Virginia Tech. He and his family have lived in Hallieford on Queens Creek in Mathews since 2010.
Directors:
Jay White brings over 40 years of construction experience to the Mathews Land Conservancy board, with the last 18 years owning a commercial site concrete company named for the East River on which Williams Wharf resides. His experience will further enhance the board’s construction and facilities knowledge to facilitate the completion of the Owens Maritime Center and continue to assist in maintaining the numerous properties under MLC’s care. Jay holds a BS in Physics from Randolph Macon College. He and his family have lived in Mathews along the East River since 2001.
Bernard Moughon is a Mathews native and lifelong resident on the East River. Bernard brings over 36 years of experience in the construction and maintenance of the Electric utility industry. He is an alumnus of Mathews Schools and a member of the first Mathews Crew team. He and his family reside in the Glebe area of Mathews.
Fred Lyon is a native Virginian who has lived in Alexandria, Mount Vernon, Norfolk Charlottesville, Fredericksburg, and now Mathews. He has been a practicing lawyer for over 40 years with a specialty in construction law and contracts. A member of the Virginia, District of Columbia, Maryland, and Florida bars, he has offices in Virginia and Florida. He also is a certified mediator and has written and spoken frequently on issues of contract and construction law. He has been active in preservation and land conservancy organizations in various parts of the country, including Virginia, Florida, and Louisiana. He is a graduate of Duke University with a B.A in history, the University of Virginia School of Law, Rollins College with a masters in liberal studies, and the University of Edinburgh with a masters in history. He is co-author of When Not Performing, a 2012 book describing the lives of New Orleans’s musicians in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. He also is a former officer in the U.S. Navy. He is chair of the Mathews VA250 Committee, created by the Board of Supervisors to organize celebrations of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 2026.
Stan Grice has a forty-year career in health care administration and consulting, with the last 20 years focused on oncology care and advanced diagnostics. He has extensive experience in business development, strategic planning, marketing, and public relations. As an entrepreneur, he created Affiliated PET Systems, which was the first of its kind to offer commercial Positron Emission Tomography Centers in suburban Washington, DC. Following graduate school at Tulane University School of Public Health in New Orleans, he was recruited to Washington, D.C., to work for National Medical Enterprises. In addition to his work, Grice was a member of the Association of Community Cancer Centers, Society of Nuclear Medicine, and the National Press Club. Grice and his wife, Diane, relocated from the Old Town Alexandria area to Mathews to be close to family. Grice recently completed the Extension Master Gardener course and is focused on shoreline stabilization, bioretention rain gardens to combat erosion, and habitat restoration in our community.
Lynda Smith Greve (Operations Manager) is a native of Mathews County and has served as the MLC’s Operations Manager since 1999. She graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. degree in Communications from Christopher Newport University and brings over 25 years of management and administrative experience. As the single employee of the MLC, she handles all day to day operations as well as managing fundraising, marketing, finances, multiple facilities, projects, large events, grants and board operations. Also, in her capacity as Vice President of the Mathews Visitor Center Administrative Board and President of Wickham Enterprises, an entertainment company, Lynda has directed hundreds of events, races, parades, concerts and fundraisers. She also performs in two bands as a vocalist and has six recordings to her credit.
OUR MISSION
The Mathews Land Conservancy's core mission is to preserve and protect waterway access for public use, benefit, and education.
WHO WE ARE: 400 YEARS IN THE MAKING
We are a non-profit 501(c)3 organization that relies on donations, grants and use fees for general operations expenses. No local tax dollars are received from Mathews County.
And we came into being as a result of a foreclosure!
The history of the Wharf includes centuries of use as a trading center and port of call for sailing ships and steamboats. In the 1930s, seafood businesses thrived, especially with oysters, and mountains of oyster shells formed a waterfront skyline. In the 1950s, with the seafood industry in decline, oil companies moved in with a dock and trucking activities.
But by the 1990s, these businesses, too, closed their doors. Following the closing of the oil business, and a bankruptcy hearing, the property went to foreclosure with a judge at the federal courthouse in Norfolk in 1994.
The top bid was from a company that wanted to turn Williams Wharf into a gravel storage and distribution center. As you can imagine, this kind of use may have had a significant negative impact on the waterfront and the surrounding areas, as well as the road, since heavy traffic and trucking would be involved.
Fortunately for the neighborhood and future generations of rowers, tourists and families, two representatives from a small, newly created non-profit in Mathews County showed up with a different idea.
After it seemed there was no chance for them to prevail, their offer was accepted, and Williams Wharf became the home of the Mathews Land Conservancy and the Mathews High School crew team. Marine contractor and Mathews resident, Jim Smith, and Mathews High School crew coach, Tim Ulsaker, the founders of the Mathews Land Conservancy, had created a new chapter in the history of Williams Wharf.
Their vision was to preserve and protect the land and to build facilities for public access to the waterfront and educational and recreational activities related to Mathews’ maritime history and culture.
Working with this vision, a board of directors began to seek donations and grants. Progress began and continued after receiving more than $2 million in state and federal grants, $2 million from individual donors and foundations and a total of more than $4 million from the William F. and Catharine K. Owens Foundation over nearly 20 years.
Today, after over $8 million in investments, the shoreline and environmental damage has been repaired and an activity building, fishing pier, floating dock, pavilion and walkways provide a place for residents and tourists alike to enjoy rowing, kayaking, sailing, fishing and special programs.
The Owens Maritime Education and Rowing Center construction has been paused, but when complete, it will serve as a regional educational and recreational center for waterfront and maritime education activities that will benefit Mathews’ residents and visitors for generations to come.
And we came into being as a result of a foreclosure!
The history of the Wharf includes centuries of use as a trading center and port of call for sailing ships and steamboats. In the 1930s, seafood businesses thrived, especially with oysters, and mountains of oyster shells formed a waterfront skyline. In the 1950s, with the seafood industry in decline, oil companies moved in with a dock and trucking activities.
But by the 1990s, these businesses, too, closed their doors. Following the closing of the oil business, and a bankruptcy hearing, the property went to foreclosure with a judge at the federal courthouse in Norfolk in 1994.
The top bid was from a company that wanted to turn Williams Wharf into a gravel storage and distribution center. As you can imagine, this kind of use may have had a significant negative impact on the waterfront and the surrounding areas, as well as the road, since heavy traffic and trucking would be involved.
Fortunately for the neighborhood and future generations of rowers, tourists and families, two representatives from a small, newly created non-profit in Mathews County showed up with a different idea.
After it seemed there was no chance for them to prevail, their offer was accepted, and Williams Wharf became the home of the Mathews Land Conservancy and the Mathews High School crew team. Marine contractor and Mathews resident, Jim Smith, and Mathews High School crew coach, Tim Ulsaker, the founders of the Mathews Land Conservancy, had created a new chapter in the history of Williams Wharf.
Their vision was to preserve and protect the land and to build facilities for public access to the waterfront and educational and recreational activities related to Mathews’ maritime history and culture.
Working with this vision, a board of directors began to seek donations and grants. Progress began and continued after receiving more than $2 million in state and federal grants, $2 million from individual donors and foundations and a total of more than $4 million from the William F. and Catharine K. Owens Foundation over nearly 20 years.
Today, after over $8 million in investments, the shoreline and environmental damage has been repaired and an activity building, fishing pier, floating dock, pavilion and walkways provide a place for residents and tourists alike to enjoy rowing, kayaking, sailing, fishing and special programs.
The Owens Maritime Education and Rowing Center construction has been paused, but when complete, it will serve as a regional educational and recreational center for waterfront and maritime education activities that will benefit Mathews’ residents and visitors for generations to come.