Board of Directors
Chad Wilson, President
Paul Sherwood, Vice President
Charles Weil, Treasurer
Gina Swindell, Secretary
Doug Cary
Alecia Gorski
Cheri Heffernan
Sue Newcomb
Kate Pilacky
Dale Preston
Cheryl Wolfe-Cragin
Committee Chairs
Advocacy & Outreach: Rob Swindell
Education
Programs: Gina Swindell
Field Trips: Paul Sherwood
LCCC Scholarship: Cheri Heffernan
Hog Island Scholarship: Charlie Weil
Youth: Alecia Gorski
Conservation: Rob Swindell
Bluebird: Fritz & Penny Brandau
Purple Martin: Meena Poe
BRAS Park: Danielle Squire
Motus: Rob Swindell
WingTips: Chad Wilson
Membership: Dale Preston
Outstanding Speaker: Gina Swindell
Publicity: Cathy Priebe
Social: Vacant
Volunteers: Vacant
Contributors
Facebook: Rob Swindell/Chad Wilson
Website: Rob Swindell
Meet the Board
Chad Wilson, President
Chad Wilson is a lifelong nature enthusiast and has been an avid birder since 2018, when he decided to do his first "Big Ohio". Since then, he has seen over 300 species in Lorain County and currently needs 32 species to get to his goal of 400 for Ohio. Chad joined the Black River Audubon Society in 2021 and has been in charge of producing the Wingtips newsletter since 2022, and became President in 2024. He occasionally leads Black River Audubon nature hikes and can often be found wandering about the Lorain County Metroparks, looking for the next rare bird
Charlie Weil, Treasurer
Charlie was born and raised in the Philadelphia area of Pennsylvania. He graduated from the University of Delaware with a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering. He moved to Ohio for graduate studies in polymer engineering at Case Western Reserve University and has been a resident of Northeast Ohio for the last 58 years.
He started working for BF Goodrich Chemical in 1968 which later became Noveon and then ultimately became part of Lubrizol Chemical Company. In his 41-year career he was primarily responsible for process development and manufacturing management. In his last 4 years with Lubrizol, he was responsible for the technical construction of a manufacturing plant in Shanghai China. He retired in 2009 as a Director of Process Development from Lubrizol.
Charlie is an active volunteer with Friends of Lorain County Metro Parks, Second Harvest and various boards and committees of the Laporte United Methodist Church. Over the last 25 years he has participated in many mission trips both internationally as well as domestically.
Charlie has been a member of the Black River Audubon Society and a blue bird monitor since 2012. In 2020 he joined the Black River Audubon board of directors. In 2021 he took over the responsibility of treasurer for Black River Audubon. For the last five years he has been responsible for the Hog Island Scholarship program and an active member of the college and high school scholarship committee.
Charlie is married to a fellow Black River Audubon member Beth. They have three grown children and six grandchildren..
Staff
Rob Swindell JD, MBA, BS
Executive Director
Rob Swindell is a writer and advocate for conservation and animal compassion. He serves as the executive director of the Black River Audubon Society and writes a “Winging It” nature column for the Chronicle-Telegram. Rob authored 300 columns, titled “Consider This . . .,” for the Amherst News-Times over 15 years. Additionally, he has held leadership positions at Erie Shore Greyhound Adoption of Ohio and the Center for Free Inquiry of Northeast Ohio.
Rob graduated from Leadership Lorain County in 2005 and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science from Baldwin Wallace College, an MBA from Tiffin University, and a Juris Doctor from Concord Law School. In 2024, he received the Great Lakes Audubon Alan Dolan Conservation Advocacy Award. Rob has also made several appearances on the Fox 8 morning show, New Day Cleveland, to discuss bird-related topics.