Board of Directors
Our board members are business and community leaders whose investment in Mobile Baykeeper goes beyond attending meetings and making donations. They connect the community to our mission by advocating for Mobile Baykeeper in their daily lives. In every community member they see someone who needs and deserves a swimmable, fishable Mobile Bay.
To get involved, please email William Strickland at wstrickland@mobilebaykeeper.org, or call 251-433-4229.
JEP HILL
PRESIDENT
Jep Hill previously served as President of Mobile Baykeeper’s Young Advisory Council before joining the Board of Directors. Jep is a native Mobilian who returned after studying at The University of Alabama. Jep’s professional background includes supporting roles in offshore supply, healthcare software, and automotive remanufacturing, and he recently began as the Director of Finance for McGill Toolen Catholic High School.
TAYLOR NORTON
VICE PRESIDENT
Taylor grew up in Loxley, AL and moved back to Baldwin County to begin his professional career after graduating from Auburn University. Taylor spent the first six years of his insurance career as a property underwriter in Gulf Shores. During that time, he managed four binders on behalf of Certain Underwriters at Lloyds of London and developed skills in insurance sales, claims management, and risk analysis.
Taylor founded South Shore Insurance Agency in November of 2012 and is confident he has put together the best team in southern Alabama. He has had the honor of serving the Alabama Gulf Coast Association of Independent Insurance Agents as a Board Member, Treasurer, Vice President, and President. He has recently traveled to Washington DC on behalf of the Alabama Association of Independent Insurance Agents to lobby for insurance reform in Alabama.
Besides insurance, Taylor’s true passion is our environment and conservations efforts locally and worldwide. Taylor is also the co-founder of the Local Environmental Conservation Alliance, which helped fund the building of a nationally recognized outdoor classroom in Auburn AL. He currently serves on the board of the Alabama Gulf Coast Economic Development Council, the Eastern Shore Ducks Unlimited Chapter, and the Lower Alabama Coastal Conservation Association in addition to his role on the board at Mobile Baykeeper. He is an active volunteer with the Master Environmental Educators and a member of the Gulf Shores Kiwanis Club.
When he is not at the office, he enjoys inshore fishing, wing shooting, eating Pirates Cove cheeseburgers, and training his dog, Gumbeaux.
DAVID GILMORE
TREASURER
David Gilmore is a lifelong resident of Mobile with a deep-rooted commitment to preserving the natural resources that define the Gulf Coast way of life. He holds a degree in Finance from Auburn University and spent the majority of his career in business development within the financial publishing industry. Today, David serves as the CEO of Catalyst Innovation Group, a full-service sales and operations consulting organization specializing in AI integration and workforce optimization for online businesses.
Driven by a firsthand understanding of the vital need for active environmental stewardship, David joined the Mobile Baykeeper Board of Directors to help protect the local waterways he has explored since childhood. In addition to his work with Baykeeper, he is involved with several environmental charities and Light of the Village, a local ministry serving the Alabama Gulf Coast.
An avid outdoorsman, David is most at home in the marsh. He is a passionate hunter and a dedicated saltwater fly fisherman who can frequently be found chasing redfish across the Mississippi Sound. David resides in Mobile with his wife, Kristy, their two sons, Noah and Brody, and their four dogs.
SAM WILKES
SECRETARY
Sam was raised in Opelika, Alabama but has called the Mobile Bay area home for the past 10 years. Sam graduated from the University of Alabama and received his law degree from Cumberland School of Law. He practices with Ryan & Wilkes, PC, handling storm water runoff litigation and an array of other civil matters. When not working, Sam enjoys playing music, fishing, diving, kayaking, and writing. His short fiction has placed in several writing competitions and has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Sam and his wife, Libba, reside in Fairhope with their two young boys and lazy wiener dog, Gus.
LEE WEBB
With over two decades in the banking industry, Lee serves as Senior Vice President for Cadence Bank. An active leader, Lee serves in leadership roles with various local organizations, including the Eastern Shore Chamber of Commerce, M.S. Leadership of Greater Mobile, and as the Chairman of the Industrial Development Board for the City of Fairhope. Lee is a graduate of The University of Alabama, LSU Graduate School of Banking, Leadership Baldwin, and Alabama Leadership Initiative. He resides in Fairhope with his wife and two children. In his free time, he enjoys playing golf, traveling, and spending time outdoors.
SAM ST. JOHN
Sam is the President and CEO of Logical Computer Solutions, Inc., a technology company providing solutions, service and consulting throughout the Gulf Coast region. Mr. St. John graduated from the University of Alabama with a Bachelors degree in Chemical Engineering. Mr. St. John and his wife Linda have a house on Fowl River and they are active in managing and monitoring the Osprey population, storm water and water quality issues there. Mr. St. John is also actively involved in various organizations in the community such as Muddy Water Watch, Coastal Conservation Association, Fowl River Area Civic Association, Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce, Gulf Coast Technology Council, and the Alabama Coastal Foundation where he serves on the Board.
SUMPTER MCGOWIN
Sumpter is an attorney in Mobile practicing in the areas of tax and estate planning, healthcare, and general business transactions at Phelps Dunbar, LLP. He is a native of Greenville, Alabama, studied economics at Ole Miss, obtained a law degree from The University of Alabama Law School, and obtained an LL.M. in Taxation from Georgetown University Law School. Sumpter has a wonderful wife, Dr. Alinda Guynes McGowin, and three small children. He is a mediocre but dedicated fisherman whose best days are spent with his son exploring the rivers, bays, and bayous surrounding Mobile – killing bait and learning lessons the hard way.
GEORGE TALBOT
George was born and raised in Pine Bluff, Ark., and has called the Gulf Coast home since 2000. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Rhodes College at Memphis. George is an award-winning journalist and former top aide to Mayor Sandy Stimpson at the City of Mobile. He currently serves as Director of Government Relations for Volkert, Inc., a 100-year old engineering firm based in Mobile. He also serves on various boards including the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce, Housing First and the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama. George resides in Fairhope with his wife and two children.
RACHEL KNAPP
Rachel Knapp is a former soloist with the New York City Ballet. She began her training at the Joffrey Ballet School and entered the School of American Ballet. While attending the Chapin school, she received a scholarship that allowed her to study at the Royal Danish Ballet. She then became an apprentice with the NYCB and joined the corps de ballet. She has been featured on the Late Show with David Letterman and PBS. Rachel splits her time between New York City and Fairhope.
NICK WILLIAMS
Nick Williams is a lifelong Baldwin County resident. He grew up within walking distance of Mobile Bay on the Eastern Shore, spent a brief stint on the beach side of 182 in Orange Beach, and now resides with his wife, daughter, and Labrador Retriever on the banks of the Tensaw up in Stockton. He holds a Bachelor in Science in Marketing Management from the University of South Alabama, and currently works as the Managing Editor of Great Days Outdoor Media LLC. As part of his duties, he also hosts the Alabama Freshwater Fishing Report Podcast. When he’s not writing or recording, he can usually be found knee-deep in a tributary stream or tupelo swamp, fly-casting for panfish or blowing on a wood duck call.
DALE EMGE
Dale Emge has a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from the University of Missouri, doctoral graduate studies at the University of Texas at Austin, and an MBA from Southern Illinois University. He spent all of his 22-year corporate career in the plastics industry, initially with Dow Chemical and later with the Monsanto Company. His roles ranged from plastics application research to international business and market development (eventually coordinating programs in US, Japan, Mexico, Brazil, and Canada) and finally mergers and acquisitions. In that final role he led acquisitions from British Petroleum and Bayer Chemical and finally in the formation of a joint venture (Advanced Elastomer Systems, Inc.) between Monsanto and the Exxon Corporation. He served as Director of Operations for the joint venture until he left in 1994 to form his own company. In 1994, Dale purchased a small plastic injection molding company with 12 employees and $600k annual sales. He grew Permian Plastics Inc. to a major Midwest group specializing in precision, high performance design and molding with over 100 employees and $10M in annual sales until he sold the company in 2015. In 2016 he joined Clayton Capital Partners, an investment banking firm in Clayton, Missouri, as a Director of Acquisition and Merger for the plastics industry. Dale and his wife Kristin have lived in the area since 2010; but retired as full-time residents in 2017 to their current home in Daphne, Alabama. Dale and Kristin have three children and nine grandchildren.
GRANT BLACKBURN
Grant Blackburn brings a deep love for the Gulf Coast and a decade of legal experience to his role on the board. A native of Bay Minette, Grant earned his undergraduate degree from Samford University and a J.D. from Cumberland School of Law before returning to Baldwin County to practice law. For ten years, he focused on land use and local government issues with Blackburn & Conner, PC, developing a strong understanding of the legal frameworks that shape our communities and coastal environments.
Today, Grant balances his ongoing interest in appellate litigation with life on the water, working as a boat captain in South Baldwin County. He and his wife, Laura, live in Orange Beach with their children, JB and Evie, and are active members of Orange Beach Methodist Church. On his days off, you’ll likely find Grant chasing fish in skinny water somewhere between the Tensaw Delta, Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge, and Everglades National Park.
GEORGE OSWALT
George is a Property & Casualty Insurance Producer for Higginbotham Insurance, formerly Lyon Fry Cadden. He attended Sewanee: The University of the South. After living in Nashville, TN for 5 years, George moved home to be closer to his family as well as to get back to Mobile Bay.
He previously served as President of Mobile Baykeeper’s Young Advisory Council before joining the Board of Directors. He is a graduate of Leadership Mobile’s class of 2020, a devoted member of Government Street Presbyterian Church, and is involved with the Chamber Board of Advisors, AL General Contractors, as well as others. George’s wife, Katie Inge Oswalt, is a fantastic nurse with USA’s Mitchell Cancer Institute. They have a sweet baby girl that will soon be playing in waters from Gravine Island to Gulf Shores and everywhere in between.