Our Staff

Erica Matheny serves as Tinker’s Creek Watershed Partners Executive Director.  Her role is to lead the vision and mission of the organization, and to oversee the operations, finances and programs while working to protect and restore water quality and habitats in the Tinker’s Creek and Brandywine Creek watersheds through community partnerships.

Erica is passionate about engaging and educating the public to protect the land and water that is foundational to the region and beyond.  She has more than 15 years’ experience teaching and researching urban and environmental studies and science at Cleveland State University, Hiram College, Stark State College, Lorain County Community College, and Lakeland Community College. Prior to joining TCWP, she spent 4 ½ years working with the National Inventors Hall of Fame®, where she conducted impact research, developed National STEM programs, led the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) committee as its Training Coordinator, and spearheaded sustainability efforts, reducing more than 80% of single-use plastic materials used by more than 200,000 program participants.

She holds a PhD in Urban Studies and Public Administration with a concentration in environmental issues. In addition, she has a Masters degree in Ecology, and a Bachelors of Science in Biology. A strong advocate for equity and environmental justice – she recently completed her certification in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Workplace with the University of South Florida.

In her free time, Erica likes to spend time hiking and kayaking with her family and their two dogs and traveling whenever she can!

Alyssa joined Tinker’s Creek Watershed Partners as the Watershed Educator and Coordinator. Before joining TCWP, Alyssa was employed as a naturalist at the Watershed Stewardship Center and Rocky River Nature Center with Cleveland Metroparks. Prior, she worked as a Refugee and Asylee ESL Training Specialist with Cuyahoga Community College. She has a B.S. in Agriculture, EEOB (Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology) from the Ohio State University and is currently completing a M.S. in Plant Health Management, also from Ohio State.

Harry Stark, MPA, CPMSM, RS is  Tinker’s Creek Watershed Partners Finance and Events Coordinator. He previously served as the Executive Director from 2014-July 2023. Mr. Stark’s role is to oversee fiscal accountability and lead the Ohio Stormwater Conference.

Mr. Stark is the Director of Public Services for the City of Aurora and has over thirty years of experience in public administration. Harry is experienced in grant development and management, stormwater management, state, and federal stream and wetlands regulations, Economic Development, Parks and Recreation, capital project oversight, project development, program development and oversight, and employee management and development. Mr. Stark also serves as the Past-President of the Ohio Stormwater Association, Executive Director of the Annual Ohio Stormwater Conference, editorial board for Stormwater Solutions magazine, and state of Ohio representative for Envirocert International.

Mr. Stark has a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of South Florida, Master in Public Administration from the University of Akron, and is a 2012 graduate of Leadership Medina. He has received the Storm Water Professional of the Year from the Ohio Stormwater Association, Distinguished Service Award and Wayne S. Nichol’s Award from the Water Management Association of Ohio, District Director Service Award from the Ohio Environmental Health Association, and Business Advocate of the Year from the Wadsworth Chamber of Commerce.

Angela Brodie joins the Tinker’s Creek Watershed Partners team as the Northern Ohio Watershed Corps (NOWCorps)  AmeriCorps program director. As an AmeriCorps alum and previous AmeriCorps State and National associate director, she is highly experienced with AmeriCorps programs. Angela is well versed in grant management, community development, education, and training and development. Angela earned her BA and MA in Communication from The University of Akron and has worked as adjunct faculty at both The University of Akron and Kent State University. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, gardening, hiking and spending time with her family.

Claire Ilersich is the NOWCorps (AmeriCorps) Member Coordinator. After graduating from the College of Wooster with a degree in art history and philosophy, she joined AmeriCorps for a year and a half, where she worked on trail and environmental restoration crews in California, Colorado, and Washington state. She is able to leverage her past experiences to help current and future NOWCorps members. She continues to focus her efforts on learning about environmental issues impacting Northeast Ohio. In her free time, she enjoys knitting, riding bikes, and surfing (when accessible).

Rachel Clingman recently served as TCWP’sNOWCorps AmeriCorps member. We are thrilled to have her continue with us as our Community Engagement Strategist. Rachel brings a wealth of design, marketing, and education experience with her. She is a self-proclaimed passionate educator, cat lover, and foodie.