Carolina Thread Trail Staff

Dave Cable, Executive Director

Dave provides executive leadership to the Carolina Thread Trail and the Catawba Lands Conservancy.  Prior to joining the Conservancy he was with Wachovia Securities, where he was director of real estate research and corporate and investment banking.  He was president of Allen and Cable, a real estate appraisal and consulting company in Vermont before moving to Charlotte in 1998.  Accomplishments at the Conservancy under his leadership include the establishment of the Catawba Society, the strategic re-tooling of staff and volunteer leadership, and the continued preservation of local land in the face of dynamic development.

He received a Master's degree in Natural Resource Planning from the University of Vermont and a Bachelor's degree in Geology and Environmental Studies from Bowdoin College.  He holds both the Members of the Appraisal Institute(MAI) and Counselors of Real Estate (CRE) designations. 

Ann Hayes Browning, Project Director

After a 23-year career at Bank of America where she was a founding partner of the bank's private equity investment group, Ann decided to turn an interest in land conservation into a second career. She joined the Carolina Thread Trail in September 2006 to pursue her passion for preserving the character of her native state of North Carolina. Ann is a graduate of Davidson College, where she currently serves on the Board of Trustees. She received her MBA from the Kenan Flagler School of UNC-Chapel Hill.

Gracie Floyd, Executive Assistant and Project Coordinator

Gracie joins Catawba Lands Conservancy as Executive Assistant and Project Coordinator for the Carolina Thread Trail. She brings strong leadership and community program development from working many years with national and local nonprofit organizations. In her last position, Gracie worked with Gaston Together, the pilot grantee for the Carolina Thread Trail, directly assisting in managing the master planning process for The Thread in Gaston County. Born in Havana Cuba and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, Gracie attended the University of Houston. She is certified in Paralegal Banking and Finance Law from the University of North Carolina-Charlotte, is a former entrepreneur (restaurant/coffeehouse), and also enjoys working with the Gaston Arts Council implementing educational/cultural arts programming. In her spare time she loves to bake gourmet goodies, read, travel, hike, and support her children at tennis/track & field events. She strongly encourages parents to get their children involved in fun physical activities and experience the outdoors.

Randi Gates, Community Coordinator

Randi joins the Carolina Thread Trail as one of two Community Coordinators responsible for the daily activities surrounding the success of the community planning and implementation processes. Randi graduated Summa Cum Laude from Appalachian State University where she concentrated her studies in Geography and Community and Regional Planning. Upon graduation, she returned to her hometown of Gastonia to work as a Transportation Planner for the City of Gastonia and served as staff to the Gaston Urban Area Metropolitan Planning Organization. During this time, she participated on the Steering Committee for Gaston County’s planning grant for The Thread. In her last position, Randi gained much experience in preparing grant proposals and applications to secure funding on the local, state, and federal levels for the City of Gastonia’s greenway system, and hopes to pass along that knowledge to local communities participating in The Thread vision.

Travis Morehead, Community Coordinator

Travis joins the Carolina Thread Trail as one of two Community Coordinators responsible for the daily activities surrounding the success of the community planning processes. Travis is a graduate of Appalachian State University where he concentrated his studies in Town, City, and County Management. Upon graduation from Appalachian, Travis was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in United States Army, where he served as an Infantry Officer with the 82nd Airborne Division. Upon leaving active duty, he has been employed by both local governments and a private planning firm in the Triangle region, of North Carolina. In his last position, Travis served as the Assistant Director of Planning and Entitlements and was responsible for representing citizens, property owners, developers, and local governments in land use related matters across the state. Travis enjoys spending time with his wife, Jennifer and two sons Matthew and Connor, as well archery and bowhunting.

Colleen Sperati, Outreach Coordinator

Colleen joined the Carolina Thread Trail in April 2007, bringing strong communications and organizational skills developed from a career in health care benefits. She has served in various roles, including sales, account management and human resources. Having been fortunate enough to grow up in the NC foothills near Morganton, many of her days were spent hiking mountain trails and canoeing parts of the Catawba River and Lake James with her father. These early experiences, her formal education in Biology from UNC-Chapel Hill and her volunteer work at the Catawba Lands Conservancy have developed and nurtured her passion for the environment and land conservation.