The Foothills Land Conservancy Team
We’ve spent nearly four decades’ connecting people and resources to preserve land.
OUR STAFF
Bill Clabough
Executive Director
Seasoned Preservation Enthusiast
Bill Clabough is a Blount Countian through and through. A graduate of the Blount County School system and UT Knoxville, he spent more than 30 years in the retail grocery business and 10 as an elected representative in the Tennessee House and Senate. He became FLC’s executive director in 2006.
Bill’s passion is moving the Foothills Land Conservancy forward on land protection partnerships, land stewardship, and community outreach—and he’s a hands-on leader for all the projects and initiatives we manage.
Elise Eustace
Outreach Director
Intrepid Smoky Mountains Explorer
Elise Eustace joined the FLC team in 2009 and is our resident strategist, fundraiser, event planner, and communications expert. She’s a graduate of Southwestern University in Georgetown, TX.
As outreach director, Elise connects FLC to local and regional communities, raising the visibility of our mission and programs through strategic partnerships, engagement events, and philanthropic initiatives. She has also served on the City of Maryville’s Tree Board, the Smoky Mountain Planned Giving Council Board, and the Great Smoky Mountains Hiking Club Board of Directors.
A graduate of the Experience Your Smokies leadership program, Elise enjoys visiting the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and discovering other unique natural areas across the region.
Cliff Robins
General Counsel
Connoisseur of the Outdoors
Cliff Robins joined FLC in 2024 as general counsel. Born and raised in East Tennessee, Cliff grew up just over a mile from FLC’s Harris Farm!
Cliff and his wife, Abbie, returned to their hometown after Cliff’s service with the U.S. Army JAG Corps as associate general counsel to a two-star general and also as an Army prosecutor. Now, he oversees FLC’s legal initiatives, from drafting conservation easements and contracts to ensuring landowners comply with their agreements.
Cliff loves the outdoors—that’s what drives his passion for working for FLC. Whenever he has down time, he can be found hiking, biking, golfing, snowboarding, or running (though he won’t turn down sitting by a fire with a good book).
Shelby Lyn Sanders
Director of Natural Resources
Unabashed NASCAR Fan
As director of natural resources, Shelby Lyn Sanders oversees all aspects of FLC land management in the office and in the field.
An Oklahoma native, Shelby earned a wildlife and fisheries science degree from UT Knoxville with a focus on management. Her background includes studying the ecology of grassland birds for UT’s Center for Native Grassland Management, and she also spent a year working for the Southern Research Station of the USDA Forest Service, helping collect data on upland hardwoods.
Shelby is a wholehearted native plant enthusiast and works to increase awareness about the value of native plants in the landscape. In her free time, Shelby enjoys birding, botanizing, hiking, and watching any kind of racing, especially NASCAR.
OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Our Board of Directors are dedicated volunteers who work to advance our work and mission. Responsibilities include fundraising, policy making, long range planning, land protection, and a range of specialized volunteer activities. Individual members may serve two consecutive, three year terms.
Charlie
Barnett
Jim
Campbell
Outreach Committee Chair
Edward
Caudill
Land Protection Committee Chair
Madge
Cleveland
Kevin
Ironside
Craig
Jarvis
FLC Vice-President
Dr. Sharon
Jean-Philippe
Mark
Jendrek
FLC Board Secretary & FLC Properties Foundation Secretary
David
Long
Billy
Minser
Robert 'Bob'
Morris
Treasurer/Finance Committee Chair
Mike
Parish
FLC Board President & FLC Properties Foundation Board Member
Beth
Pearson
John
Proffitt
FLC & FLC Properties Foundation Board Member
Mike
Suttles
Mike
Twardy
Lynn
Waters
FLC PROPERTIES FOUNDATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The FLC Properties Foundation, a separate but supporting organization for the Foothills Land Conservancy, accepts gifts of land, cash, or other assets to establish a fund to benefit land preservation efforts through land conservation, land acquisition, and land stewardship programs. The FLC Properties Foundation is designated as a 509(a)(3) supporting organization for the Conservancy.
Dan
Barnett
Mark
Jendrek
FLC Board Secretary & FLC Properties Foundation Secretary
Mark
King
FLC Properties Foundation Treasurer
Mike
Parish
FLC Board President & FLC Properties Foundation Board Member
John
Proffitt
FLC & FLC Properties Foundation Board Member
