Who We Are: Regional Staff
Don Barger – Regional Director - Southeast Regional Office
Before joining NPCA, Don worked as a community organizer for Save Our Cumberland Mountains, a highly respected citizens’ organization in the coalfields of Tennessee, and directed the Citizens Mining Project for the Environmental Policy Institute/Friends of the Earth. He also holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Tennessee.
Don Barger founded NPCA’s Southeast Regional Office in 1992. His work in the region since that time has resulted in a groundswell of public attention to the issue of air pollution at Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Don shepherded a joint petition by NPCA and the City of Middlesboro, KY that resulted in protection of the Fern Lake watershed adjacent to Cumberland Gap NHP. In another watershed nearby, Don was instrumental in stopping a proposal for a water supply dam upstream of the Obed Wild and Scenic River, forcing local utility districts into regional planning, and creating an ongoing Eastern Steams program that has set important precedents at the Buffalo National River and elsewhere.
Don was recognized by the National Park Service for his role in assuring the renovation of the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site in Atlanta. In addition, he was commended on the Congressional Record by Senator Max Cleland (D-GA) for his efforts to preserve two-thirds of the remaining private land to the Cumberland Island National Seashore.
Emily Jones, Program Manager
Emily Jones came to NPCA after working for the Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Emily has a BA from the University of Tennessee and attended graduate school at the University of Hawaii at Manoa in Social Work. Emily's work in non-profit development and education has honed a deep appreciation for diversity in people and cultures. Her background includes promoting and implementing employee directed workplace giving programs, bilingual curriculum development, electronic books, biological inventories, as well as supporting just and sustainable rural community development.
Emily’s work at NPCA focuses on building momentum within local communities in conjunction with garnering congressional support in the southeast to ensure our National Parks become a national priority as we move toward celebrating the Centennial of America's National Parks in 2016.
Bart Melton, Program Analyst
Bart Melton has an MS in Public Administration concentrating in Natural Resource Policy with a Graduate Certificate Degree in Not-for-Profit Management from the University of Oregon. He also holds a BS in Political Science from the University of Tennessee. Prior to and during graduate school, Bart worked for IdleAire Technologies as a Strategic Affairs/Government Relations Analyst, serving on both the East and West Coasts. While at IdleAire, Bart worked closely with policy makers on a variety of projects concerning air, energy, and climate change.
Bart Melton's work at NPCA focuses on air and climate projects including: supporting the National Parks Service's "Climate Friendly Parks" program, addressing the threats that newly proposed coal-fired power plants pose to national parks, evaluating proposed changes to the Environmental Protection Agency’s ozone standards, and encouraging legislation that will better mitigate the effects of mercury pollution in parks. Bart’s also helps with the Eastern Streams program in the southeast region by addressing natural resource extraction based threats to the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, evaluating adjacent development threats, and preventing increased point-source pollutants such as mercury.
Outside of NPCA Bart spends his spare time running, backpacking, and doing just about anything else that afford him the opportunity to get outdoors.
Alissa C. McMahon, Senior Program Coordinator
Alissa joined NPCA in July 2007 after working for TVA as a Watershed Representative. She holds a BS in Forestry with an emphasis in Resource Management from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and an MS in Environmental Science from Alaska Pacific University, Anchorage. Her studies at APU focused on the effects climate change is having on the vegetation of the front ranges of the Chugach and Kenai Mountains. During her studies in Alaska, she gained extensive experience with ArcGIS while working for HDR Inc. producing Environmental Impact Statements. She also enjoyed spending time at the Alpenglow non-profit ski area where she promoted volunteer development and community based outdoor recreation.
Alissa has always been drawn to protecting and enhancing the environment around her. One of her favorite sources of inspiration continues to come from The Lorax, by Dr. Seuss, "But now, says the Once-ler, Now that you’re here, the word of the Lorax seems perfectly clear. UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not." Her work at NPCA focuses on community and volunteer outreach, especially as these relate to transportation and park-adjacent development issues. While not advocating to protect the national parks, Alissa can be found cooking, running, or backpacking with her husband Patrick.
Tracy Kramer, Program Coordinator
Tracy Kramer joined NPCA with a wealth of experience gained during a dozen years of marketing and development work for several area nonprofits. Over the last four years, Tracy has been working as an artisan jeweler selling her work to regional galleries and jewelry stores.
Her passion for preserving history and the environment stems from her journey growing up in an Air Force family and experiencing natural beauty and cultural heritage across the United States and Panama. “I remember visiting the U.S.S. Arizona monument as a third-grader on a field trip and decades later the significance of that watery grave continues to grow,” she says. “Leaving our national treasures unimpaired for future generations is important work and I’m excited to be a part of it.”
She studied biology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. While at UT she studied genetics, and then earned a B.S. degree in Marketing. She now lives in North Knoxville with her two cats Ohtoo and Ilikai spending her free time camping, relaxing at the lake, or visiting local music and art galleries.
