Project Leadership
Thanks to our many partners who are working with us realize the vision of a dynamic, world-class Nature Museum for our community.
A Public-Private Partnership
The project to reimagine and bring to life a new nature Museum for our community is a public-private partnership between Mecklenburg County, which owns the property and facility, and Discovery Place, which has operated a Museum on the site in Freedom Park since 1951.
Design & Construction
Design Partners
The Board of County Commissioners of Mecklenburg County approved the selection of Liollio Architecture and Hood Design Studio as the architectural team leading the planning and design. Plans were unveiled to the community in 2022.
Liollio Architecture
Based in Charleston, South Carolina, Liollio Architecture has been providing thoughtful, respectful, creative design since 1956. Their work spans both the private and public sectors, providing sustainable architecture, interior design and historic preservation. Liollio has built a reputation on design through community engagement and collaboration, and their work is rooted in the particulars of place, people and landscape.
Jennifer Charzewski
Jennifer Charzewski believes architecture is about people. The thoughtful development of places to gather, learn, work and play is an opportunity to celebrate the pride and the story of a community. She promotes both the well-being of the Liollio design studio and the communities that they serve. “Liollio is a family, and the talent, enthusiasm and commitment of our team makes our work a joy.”
A graduate of Texas A&M University and the University of Minnesota, Jennifer is a past President of AIA Charleston, a member of the AIASC Disaster Assistance Committee, a volunteer for ACE Mentors and is working with an AIASC group to establish a committee for Equity in Architecture in South Carolina.
Hood Design
Charlotte native Walter Hood is the creative director and founder of Hood Design Studio in Oakland, CA. He is also a professor at the University of California, Berkeley and lectures on professional and theoretical projects nationally and internationally. He is a recipient of the 2017 Academy of Arts and Letters Architecture Award, 2019 Knight Public Spaces Fellowship, 2019 MacArthur Fellowship, 2019 Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize and the 2021 recipient of the Architectural League’s President’s Medal award.
Rodgers Builders
Founded on the principles of strong leadership, ethical business practices and uncompromising standards of safety and quality, Rodgers Builders is nationally ranked and recognized as one of the top general contractors in the Southeast.
Board of Trustees
Stephanie Sadowski
Board Chair
Aditya Bhasin
Vice Chair for Governance
Jeff Wallace
Vice Chair for Audit
Charlie Morris
Vice Chair for Finance & Investment
Sagar Rathie
Vice Chair for Science & Nature
Lindsay Gates
Vice Chair for Discovery Place Kids Network
Tracy Kerrins
Vice Chair for Human Capital
Stefanie Holland
Secretary
Rich Campbell
Campaign Chair
Catherine Wilson Horne
President & CEO
Mauro Atalla
Jason Bernd
Len Botkin
Paul Camuti
Kimberly Eul
Ryan Fagan
Marty Foley
Dennis Gada
Todd Gorelick
Emily Henson
Lindsay McCullough
Gene McLaurin
Ben Pysch
Linda Redding
Marla Reschly
Victoria Watlington
Jennifer Winstel
Board of Trustees
Stephanie Sadowski
Board Chair
Aditya Bhasin
Vice Chair for Governance
Jeff Wallace
Vice Chair for Audit
Charlie Morris
Vice Chair for Finance & Investment
Sagar Rathie
Vice Chair for Science & Nature
Lindsay Gates
Vice Chair for Discovery Place Kids Network
Tracy Kerrins
Vice Chair for Human Capital
Stefanie Holland
Secretary
Rich Campbell
Campaign Chair
Catherine Wilson Horne
President & CEO
Mauro Atalla
Jason Bernd
Len Botkin
Paul Camuti
Kimberly Eul
Ryan Fagan
Marty Foley
Dennis Gada
Todd Gorelick
Emily Henson
Lindsay McCullough
Gene McLaurin
Ben Pysch
Linda Redding
Marla Reschly
Victoria Watlington
Jennifer Winstel
Thank You to Our Capital Campaign Donors
Laura Owens Visionary Society
Albermarle Foundation
Bank of America
C.D. Spangler Foundation, Inc.
Cornelius and Johanna Mermans
Howard & Julie Levine
Novant Health, Inc.
The Leon Levine Foundation
Wells Fargo Foundation
Conservancy Circle
Akers Foundation, Inc.
Andrea & Sean Smith Family
Beverly and James Hance
Blumenthal Foundation
Bryan and Holli Delaney
Cammie and W. Hauptfuhrer
Catherine Horne
Catherine Lamont and Aditya Bhasin
Charlie & Caton Morris
Christopher and Nicole Perri
Christopher Baldwin
Crescent Communities
Dale F. Halton Foundation
Deloitte
Dianne & Brian Bailey
Don and Susan Sherrill
Doug and Kimberly Esamann
Duke Energy Foundation
Edward Weisiger, Jr. and Betsy Fleming
Erskine and Crandall Bowles
Falfurrias Management Partners
Fred and Marcella Dumas
Guild of Discovery Place
Harold M. and Adeline S. Morrison Family Foundation
Harriet Barnhardt
James and Judy Wyckoff
James and Mary Lou Babb
Jason and Tiffany Bernd
Joan Lorden and Lawrence Mays
Joe and Christine Price
John Crosland III
Joyce Waddell
Julianne Marley
Kelly and Paul Camuti
Larry and Dale Polsky
Laura and Dexter Hobbs
Laura and Sam Bowles
Leah and Martin Foley
Len & Kelle Botkin
Linda and William Farthing
Linda Hudson
Lindsay and Stanton McCullough
Lowe’s
Luther and Jane Lockwood
Mesa Associates
Movement Foundation
NCFI/Barnhardt Foundation
North Carolina Foam Industries Foundation
Nucor Charitable Foundation
Patrick and Kerri Mast
Pete Lash
Philip L. Van Every Foundation
PNC
Rob and Lindsay Carter
Stedman Family in honor of Jan Stedman
SteelFab, Inc.
Stefanie Jacobs
Stephanie Sadowski
Stephen Mangan
The Cannon Foundation
The David M. Herskovits Foundation
The Dowd Foundation
The Kerrins Family
The Marsh Foundation
The Robert W. Mansfield Fund
The Tabor Family
Thomas and Mary Zweng
Tracey and Richard Campbell
William and Courtney Hyder
William and Lynette Morrissett
William and Patricia Gorelick Family Foundation
Wilson and Heidi Fite
Piedmont Patrons
Aaron Sarfatti and Laura Orth
Al and Pat Covington
Alejandra and David Miller
Alex Byron Household
Alexis and Benjamin Thompson
Alicia and Michael DePalma
Alison and Jonathan O’Connor
Amanda and Alexander Naon
Andrew and Kara Benjamin
Anita and Anil Matai
Anna and Matthew Benjamin
Anne and Jonathan Ishee
Anne Henderson
Annie Carvalho Spanjers and Matthew Spanjers
Anonymous Donor
Anthony Dang and Rene McLeod
Arielle and Brian Heeke
Arun Mohan and Leena Joseph
Aviva Stein
Barbara Goto
Betty Thomas
Bill and Suzanne Nichols
Billie and Nick Anderson
Brett and Jeanine Sovine
Caitlin and Russell Owens
Callie and Win Kelly
Cameron and Cristy Lee
Cameron Presley
Carly and Greg South
Carolina Integrative Veterinary Hospital
Cary and Pat Campbell
Cassandra Fahey
Cecil and Kim Stodghill
Chalice Golden and Jonathan Sweatt
Charles and Nina Bolliger
Charles Earp
Christie Streelman
Christina Byron
Christopher Leon Guerrero and Meghan Valentine
Coleman Wombwell
Cori and Ben Pysch
Dabney and Patrick Graney
Dan Streelman and Lizzie Rock
Daphne and Dan Capek
David and Amanda Albrecht
David Buffie
David Lavins Household
Debra and Peter Smul
Dennis Gada and Bharti Desai
Dorothy Mothershead
Dotty Alexander
Douglas Faris
Elizabeth and Bernie Funck
Elizabeth and Chris Daly
Elizabeth and Matthew Magan
Elizabeth and Michael Gart
Elizabeth and Terry Davis
Elyn and Michael Dortch
Emily Henson
Eric and Annette Telljohann
Erik Peterson
Erin McCrum and Bobby Harper
Ervin Gourdine and Ranisha Clendenning
Eugene and Tracey Davant
Flying Fish
Frances deWitt
Frank and Allison Chatman
Frank and Margaret Dunn
Gary and Kaitlyn Snyder
Girl Scouts Troop 1447
Glenn and Lisa Sherrill
Glenn and Stacey Eisenberg
Heather Bane and Robert Koch
Heather Norton and Elizabeth Fleming
Henry Keizer
Holly and Matthew Stubbing
Ian Clarke-Pounder
Jamie and Anna Kneisel
Jane Harrell
Jeanette Humphries
Jeff and Holly Wallace
Jeffrey and Ginny Runge
Jennifer Beightley and Kristopher Fador
Jennifer DeWitt
Jennifer McConnell
Jennifer Silvester
Jennifer Winstel
Jenny and Stephen Neill
Jere and Patsy Drummond
Jermaine Scott
Jerry and Marcy Withrow
Jesse Martin
Jim Dierkes
Joan and Scott Philipp
Joclyn and John Balanda
John and Lucile Mackay
John and Patricia Moore
John Broderick and Morgan Coffin
John Wood and Sravanthi Aanga Reddy
Jonathan and Nicole Umpleby
Jose and Cindy Costa
Josh and Anna Mallett
Julia and Jeremy Caslin
Kaitlin Marvin and John Lisy
Karen and Charlie Meyer
Kathleen and Chris Small
Kathleen Hawes
Keith and Anne Butler
Kelly Leech Household
Ken and Susan Davidson
Kevin and Christine Collins
Kevin and Elizabeth Murphy
Kevin and Tricia Smith
Kimberly and Jonathan Eul
Kimberly and Michael Kuhn
Krista and Paul Tillman
Krista Wilson
Kristin Mesa
Kumkum and Harsh Bhasin
Kyle Foushee
Kyle Sable Household
Laura Hughes
Lauren and Wilson McCrory
Lee McEntire
Les and Robin Passa
Leslie and Michael Marsicano
Lewis and Kimberly Barnhardt
Lindsay and Scott Gates
Lindsay Betzel
Liollio Architecture
Lisa Farley Household
Lorin and Geoffry Bent
Lowell and Janet Nelson
Lucy and Perrin DesPortes
Lynn Stock Household
Mallory Warner and Abdou Tazi
Malter Household
Marc and Shirley Jarmosevich
Mark and Anne Tiberio
Mark and Elizabeth Ausbeck
Marla and Scott Reschly
Mary and Daniel Merlin
Mary Jean White
Matthew and Jena Richter
Matthew and Lauren Freund
Megan and John Barlow
Megan Shute Mckeever
Michael and Kate McDermott
Mike and Kate Mitchell
Mike and Katie Lindquist
Mindy and George Webster
Mitchell Alvarez
Nancy and Michael McNelis
Napodano
Neil and Maggie Lukas
Nelson and Michelle Cosgrove
Owen Whitfield
Paige and Erik Johnson
Partners Search Alliance
Patricia Rodgers
Paulette Sherrill
Pulak and Jay Patel
R. and Elizabeth Neale
Rachel and Sean Cusick
Reem Anani
Rich and Kimberly Cerretti
Rinchen Mary Lama and Jahan Mohiuddin
Robert and Kate Newman
Robert and Shannon Hilton
Rolfe and Lynn Hughes
Russell and Sally Robinson
Ryan and Julie Fagan
Ryan Jack
Sagar Rathie and Devanshi Patel
Saitej Bhushan
Sally Harris
Sally Staub Moore
Sam Jorgensen and Harriet Jorgenson
Sarah and Ben Lunka
Sarah and John Callovi
Sarah and Justin Pollock
Scott and Robin Lipe
Sean Jones
Stefanie and Michael Holland
Steve and Meghan Maciag
Steve Boland
Stuart and Bryan Boyd
Susan Farris
Susan Mitchell and Richard McCracken
Taryn and Joseph Thompson
Teddy Hull
Terri and Mark Beattie
The Bierce Family
The Goodman Family Foundation
The Jenner V Foundation
The Marc and Mattye Silverman Family Foundation
Timothy and Staci Broderick
Todd and Kerri Bridges
Tony Chen
Tracy and Neal Karaszkiewicz
Tracy Montross and Jesse Munoz
Troy and Anna Tozzi
Veena Rao
Velva Woollen
Vijay Amirtharaj and Allison Mahone
Vishwa Raj Household
Waldon and Susan Kooiman
Will and Elsie Barnhardt
William and Marcy Choate
William Bullock and Cynthia Carlson
Winter Ginocchio
Yen Duong and Mark Krasniewski
Yuri and Damien Faulks
