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 Governance
Laura Bowles
Vice Chair Audit
Jeff Wallace
Vice Chair Finance & Investment
Sagar Rathie
Vice Chair Education, Experiences & Innovation
Tracy Kerrins
Vice Chair Human Capital
Stefanie Holland
Secretary
Rich Campbell
DPN Campaign Chair
Charlie Morris
Frank Chatman
Lindsay McCullough
Nazy Weeks
Reem Anani
Paul Camuti
Emily Henson
Ryan Fagan
Ben Pysch
Sushma Walker
Jason Bernd
Todd Gorelick
Linda Redding
Lindsay Gates
Marty Foley
Marla Reschly
Dennis Gada
Victoria Watlington
Kimberly Eul
Board of Trustees
Stephanie Sadowski
Board Chair
Aditya Bhasin
Vice Chair Governance
Laura Bowles
Vice Chair Audit
Jeff Wallace
Vice Chair Finance & Investment
Sagar Rathie
Vice Chair Education, Experiences & Innovation
Tracy Kerrins
Vice Chair Human Capital
Stefanie Holland
Secretary
Rich Campbell
DPN Campaign Chair
Charlie Morris
Frank Chatman
Lindsay McCullough
Nazy Weeks
Reem Anani
Paul Camuti
Emily Henson
Ryan Fagan
Ben Pysch
Sushma Walker
Jason Bernd
Todd Gorelick
Linda Redding
Lindsay Gates
Marty Foley
Marla Reschly
Dennis Gada
Victoria Watlington
Kimberly Eul
Thank You to Our Capital Campaign Donors
Laura Owens Visionary Society
C.D. Spangler Foundation
Albermarle Foundation
The Leon Levine Foundation
Howard R. Levine Foundation Fund—Howard and Julie Levine
Wells Fargo Foundation
Anke and Casey Mermans
Novant Health
Conservancy Circle
Aditya Bhasin and Catherine Lamont
NCFI/ Barnhardt Foundation
Sam, Laura, Addie and Erskine Bowles
Rob and Lindsay Carter
The Charlotte Knights
Crescent Communities
John Crosland III
Dowd Foundation
Duke Energy Foundation
Martin and Leah Foley
William & Patricia Gorelick Family Foundation
Guild of Discovery Place
Jim and Bev Hance
Emily Henson
Michael and Wendy Kahn
The Kerrins Family
Luther and Jane Lockwood
Movement Foundation
Nucor Charitable Foundation, Inc.
Philip L. Van Every Foundation
Stephanie Sadowski
The Sean and Andrea Smith Family Fund
Ann and Wellford Tabor
Piedmont Patrons
Anonymous
Maggie Adams
Cisco Adler and Naomi Burns
Akers Foundation
Dotty Alexander
Mitchell Alvarez
James and Mary Lou Babb
The Bailey Chipps Family Foundation
Elizabeth Baker
Joclyn and John Balanda
Christopher Baldwin
Lewis and Kimberly Barnhardt
Terrie Beattie
Anna and Matthew Benjamin
Tiffany & Jason Bernd
Kumkum Bhasin
Saitej Bhushan
Blumenthal Foundation
Boeing
Steve Boland
Crandall Bowles
Erskine Bowles
Stuart and Bryan Boyd
John Braun
Ty Buckner
Stoke and Julie Caldwell
Rich and Tracey Campbell
The Camuti Family Trust
The Cannon Foundation
Annie Carvalho Spanjers and Matthew Spanjers
Allison and Frank Chatman
Katherine and Louise Chatman
Jessica and Ian Clarke-Pounder
Kevin and Christine Collins
Elizabeth Daly
J. and Anne Davant
The David M. Herskovits Foundation
Ken and Susan Davidson
Bryan Delaney
Deloitte
Alicia and Michael DePalma
Joseph and April Dodge
Marcy and Fred Dumas
Frank and Margaret Dunn
Jere and Patsy Drummond
Charles Earp
Doug and Kim Esamann
Glenn & Stacey Eisenberg Family Foundation
Ryan and Julie Fagan
Sara and Andrew Faircloth
Douglas Faris
Adam Farlow
Bill and Linda McFarland Farthing
Yuri and Damien Faulks
Heidi and Lee Fite
Flying Fish
Roberta and Brian Fox
Matthew and Lauren Freund
Michael Gart
Lindsay and Scott Gates
Lisa and David Gilleland
Goodman Family Foundation – Chelsea Lawson
Patrick and Dabney Graney
Elizabeth Gregg
Ervin Gourdine and Ranisha Clendenning
The Guild of Discovery Place, Inc.
Chris Guin
Dale F. Halton Foundation
Richard B. Hanes (In memory of Mary B. Hanes)
Jane Harrell
Cammie and W. Hauptfuhrer
Justin and Jennifer Havis
Arielle and Brian Heeke
Emily Henson
Del Helton
Laura and Dexter Hobbs
Catherine Horne
Linda P. Hudson
Brittany Imbarrato
Caci Jaeger
Marc and Shirley Jarmosevich
Sean Jones
Rebecca Jordan
In Memory of Marjorie Koconis
Anonymous
Evangeline Bozikis
Norman and Katherine Evanich
Ray and Gail Fernandez
Steve and Brenda Stavrenos
Paul Lacey
David Lavins
Cameron, Cristy, Olivia and Laura Lee
Scott and Robin Lipe
Lucy and Kyle Livingstone
Lowes
Steve Maciag
Gerard and Lisbeth Mack
Josh and Annie Mallett
Stewart Malter
Robert Mansfield
Terry and Brenda Mareski
Michael and Leslie Marsciano
Kerri and Patrick Mast
Anita and Anil Matai
Joan Lorden and Larry Mays
Jennifer and Jason McConnell
Anna and John McCoy
Lindsay and Stanton McCullough
Mike and Kate McDermott
Lee McEntire
Mark McGoldrick
Hunter and Jamie McLawhorn
Nancy and Michael McNelis
Sarah Medearis
Mary Merlin
Alejandra and David Miller
Kaitlyn and Sar Miller
Susan Mitchell and Richard McCracken
John K. Moore
Caton and Charlie Morris
Lynette and Bill Morrissett
Margot & Charlie Brinley/Morrison Foundation
Harold M. and Adeline S. Morrison Family Foundation
Deven Murrell
R. and Elizabeth Neale
Hayley Nelson
In Memory of Eleanor Nichols
Heather Norton and Elizabeth Fleming
Lindsay Offutt
Caitlin and Russell Owens
Les and Robin Passa
Pulak and Jay Patel
Natalie Paturzo
Christopher and Nicole Perri
PNC Bank
Larry and Dale Polsky
Joe and Christine Price
Walter S. Price
Cameron Presley
Ben and Cori Pysch
The Ramirez Porges Family
Pinkney and Josephine Rankin
Sagar Rathie and Devanshi Patel
Marla and Scott Reschly
Jane Revollo and William Boynton
Russell and Sally Robinson
Patricia Rodgers
Jeffrey and Ginny Runge
Megan Schute Mckeever
The Shea Family
The Sherrill Family and SteelFab, Inc.
The Marc and Mattye Silverman Family Foundation
Debra and Peter Smul
Heidi and Hart Squires
Cecil & Kim Stodghill
Amelia Sutton and Erik Peterson
Dan Streelman and Lizzie Rock
Holly and Matthew Stubbing
Eric and Annette Telljohann
Irka Templeton and Ryan Welsh
Krista and Paul Tillman
Taryn and Joe Thompson
Erica Tomashitis
Troy and Anna Tozzi
Jonathan and Nicole Umpleby
Vaulted Oak Brewery
Holly and Jeff Wallace
Sushma and Eric Walker
Coleman Wombwell
Ed Weisiger Jr. and Betsy Fleming
James and Judy Wyckoff
Tom and Mary Zweng