Founder & Chairman of the Board
Henry “Buck” Cox grew up in Fredericksburg, Virginia, where he spent his younger years on the Rappahannock River developing a passion for the natural world. After earning his BS from Virginia Tech, Buck worked with Virginia’s State Water Control Board to monitor pollution sources entering rivers and streams of Northern Virginia. He earned a MS and PhD in Environmental Engineering at Virginia Tech and started a career in environmental remediation. Over his 37-year career, he jointly owned/co-owned and operated three environmental clean-ups companies prior to starting his fourth business, Advanced Oxidation Technology (AOT) in 1998. His initial startup began in 1982 as Environmental Technology, Inc. (later HazWaste Industries) in Richmond, VA. It became one of the fastest growing small businesses in the US with annual revenue of over $50 million when it merged with EarthTech in 1993. His second company, BioSystems Technology, Inc., became a leader in petroleum soil remediation using a unique biological method, trademarked as Biological Enhanced Remediation. This concept resulted in treatment of millions of tons of contaminated soil in eleven biological treatment facilities around the country. Breakthroughs in his fourth start-up, AOT, in the early 2000’s, resulted in 26 patents for advancing treatment of hazardous waste in soil and groundwater as well as treatment of hydrogen sulfide in natural gas and wastewater. Buck is now focused on giving back to the community where he grew up by creating the RIVERE℠ Ecological Center to conserve the Rappahannock River and support the advancement of water quality monitoring, environmental education, and innovative research.
Executive Director of Operations
Mikel Ann Manchester serves as the Executive Director at RIVERE℠. She has more than 20 years of experience managing people with multimillion-dollar retail establishments as well as large groups of volunteers. She also holds the position of Associate Extension Specialist for Water Quality and Community Development in the Agricultural Leadership, and Community Education department at Virginia Tech. She holds her level I and II certification as a Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional. She earned a BA in environmental studies from Virginia Wesleyan University, and a MS in agriculture and life science, plant science and pest management, from Virginia Tech. She has experience in environmental studies, plant and pest management, greenhouse management, landscape design as well as professorial duties at Virginia Wesleyan University and University of Mary Washington. She enjoys public engagement and is passionate about community gardens. Working with consultants, partners and stakeholders, Mikel has guided the team on development of the RIVERE℠ Business Plan. She is currently pursuing her PhD at Virginia Tech in the field of Life Science - Agricultural and Extension Education, with a focus on eco culture and Indigenous Tribes.
Intern
Operations Manager
Danielle Chiacchia is the Operations Manager at RIVERE, where she specializes in shaping the operational infrastructure and strategic partnerships necessary to translate ambitious environmental visions into reality. She holds a MS in Environmental Sciences and Policy from Johns Hopkins University, with a specialization in Climate and Energy policy, and a BS in Marine Biology. Throughout her career, Danielle has built a reputation for her proactive approachmanaging high-stakes logistics, streamlining organizational systems, and leading cross-functional collaborations that deliver measurable results.Driven by a commitment to climate resilience and sustainable innovation, she thrives in fast-moving environments where she applies a sharp analytical lens to complex problem-solving. A Rhode Island native, Danielle grew up in the Blackstone River watershed and spent her formative years exploring Narragansett Bay. She is a witness to the intersection of an industrial legacy and natural beauty, igniting a lifelong passion for ecosystem restoration and resilience that anchors her professional mission today. Danielle manages our day-to-day operational infrastructure, oversees our grant management processes, facilitates communication across our network of partners, and ensures our internal infrastructure can scale alongside our ambition.
Consultant
Lori Blanc has 25+ years of experience with field-based ecological research and management, grant writing, scientific publications, public speaking, academic curriculum design, teaching, and mentoring. She has extensive experience working independently and in collaboration with partners from higher education, government agencies, private business, and public outreach organizations. She holds a Ph.D. in Conservation Biology from Virginia Tech, as well as B.S. and M.S. degrees in Computer Science (Artificial Intelligence and Cognitive Science) from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. After twenty years in academia, Dr. Blanc now works as an independent consultant assisting RIVERE with the development of their business plan, organizational systems and processes, scientific literature reviews, technical writing, project management, and public speaking.
CIMA Consultant, Client Lead
Cynthia Ithier is a strategic nonprofit development professional with over 15 years of experience spanning fundraising strategy, organizational design, public health and environmental policy, and capital campaign preparation. She brings a unique perspective shaped by her experience as both a funder and a fundraiser, having managed grant portfolios exceeding $61.5M at The Pew Charitable Trusts before transitioning to direct nonprofit development leadership and consulting.At Pew, Cynthia led portfolios across government performance and public health, including work on the Health Impact Project, which advanced the use of health impact assessments as a tool for integrating public health considerations into environmental, housing, and community policy decisions. She also contributed to research on the Flint, Michigan water crisis, maternal health disparities, and state fiscal health policy, providing technical assistance to grantees and state agencies and producing strategy research and guidance that informed decision-making at the state and national levels.Prior to joining CIMA, Cynthia served as Director of Development at the American Diabetes Association, where she led fundraising initiatives surpassing $4M in revenue, secured $13M in grant funding, and built corporate partnerships with seven hospital systems. She also founded her own consulting practice, providing fundraising strategy, individual giving, and corporate sponsorship support to nonprofits and social enterprises nationwide. Earlier in her career, Cynthia served as Executive Director of Developmental Connections, where she built a grassroots nonprofit from the ground up to serve children with intellectual disabilities through afterschool and in-school programming in partnership with Loudoun County, Virginia schools. She also spent six years as a special education teacher in Loudoun County Public Schools.Cynthia earned her Bachelor of Business Administration with a minor in Marketing from Saint Joseph's College New York and holds a Teaching License in Special Education from George Mason University. She is currently pursuing a Master of Public Health (MPH) at the University of Maryland. She is passionate about supporting mission-driven organizations at the intersection of environmental stewardship, public health, and community impact.
Director of Systems and Innovation, Client Supervisor
Laura Toscano is a mission-driven leader with 20 years of experience in nonprofit strategy, fundraising, management, and technology innovation. She was selected by Independent Sector as one of 12 NGen Fellows nationwide representing the future leadership of the nonprofit sector.At CIMA, Laura serves on the Leadership Team as Director of Systems and Innovation, where she has built a successful technology consulting vertical serving nonprofit clients, developed AI and automation policy, and created database and front-end technology solutions for both CIMA and its clients. Her client portfolio includes high-impact engagements across development strategy, earned revenue strategy, financial modeling, and strategic planning. In a multi-year engagement with The Trace, Laura helped increase institutional revenue from $4M to $8M, secured several seven-figure multi-year grants, and managed teams of consultants and staff to build institutional funding partnerships.Before joining CIMA, Laura served as Associate Director of Development at Rare Book School and spent five years as Associate Director and Interim Director of Social Entrepreneurship at UVA's Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy, a program selected by Ashoka as one of the top three in the world for social entrepreneurship and changemaker education. She previously served as Director of The Campus Kitchens Project at DC Central Kitchen, where she grew annual revenue by 80%, significantly expanded foundation partnerships, and launched a national Food Waste and Hunger Summit. Laura's earlier career included leadership roles at HandsOn Greater DC Cares, where she managed capacity-building projects for over 900 nonprofit partners, and KaBOOM!, where she created corporate and foundation proposals resulting in over $1M in revenue.Laura holds a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Yale University, where she received the Distinction in Philosophy Award and the Council Award for Service to the College. She is a published author and speaker on topics including social entrepreneurship, nonprofit scaling strategies, and food justice.
Associate Consultant, Development Consultant
Stella Sokolowski is a nonprofit development consultant and grant writer with experience supporting institutional fundraising for mission-driven organizations across the country. Since joining CIMA in 2023, Stella has worked directly with nonprofit clients to diversify revenue through prospect research, funder outreach and cultivation, relationship building, and grant writing.Her client portfolio at CIMA includes engagements with organizations spanning higher education in correctional settings, reproductive health and justice, legal aid, and environmental conservation. Prior to her client-facing work, Stella supported CIMA's internal communications and research operations. She has also served as a Program Associate at MIMA Music, a Central Virginia nonprofit providing youth songwriting and musical improvisation programs, where she organized an 80-person fundraising event that raised nearly $11,000.Stella is a graduate of Princeton University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy with certificates in Jazz Studies and Music Performance, graduating Cum Laude with the Anthony H.P. Lee Jazz Studies Prize. She is currently pursuing a Master of Music in Contemporary Musical Arts at the New England Conservatory of Music. Stella brings a distinctive combination of analytical rigor, creative thinking, and deep commitment to social impact to her work in nonprofit development.
Ava is recent graduate from Virginia Tech with a B.S. in Environmental Science and minors in Watershed Management, Wetland Science, and Green Engineering. During her time at Virginia Tech, she gained hands-on experience in water quality sampling and analysis, soil physics research, riparian buffer zone maintenance, and citizen science project management for restoration of impaired Stroubles Creek in Blacksburg, Virginia. Ava joined the RIVERE℠ team as an intern in January 2021 and now works as a Research Coordinator. Her work includes conducting scientific literature reviews to inform the development of the SmartRiver Initiative involving autonomous sensor networks on the Rappahannock, grant writing, organizational systems development, data management, and assisting with coordination of the RIVERE℠ Research Advisory Board.
Lori Blanc has 25+ years of experience with field-based ecological research and management, grant writing, scientific publications, public speaking, academic curriculum design, teaching, and mentoring. She has extensive experience working independently and in collaboration with partners from higher education, government agencies, private business, and public outreach organizations. She holds a Ph.D. in Conservation Biology from Virginia Tech, as well as B.S. and M.S. degrees in Computer Science (Artificial Intelligence and Cognitive Science) from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. After twenty years in academia, Dr. Blanc now works as an independent consultant assisting RIVERE℠ with the development of their business plan, organizational systems and processes, scientific literature reviews, technical writing, project management, and public speaking. She oversees the development and coordination of the Research Advisory Board with emphasis on developing the SmartRiver Initiative involving emerging technologies, big data, machine learning, and predictive modeling.
Communications Director
Taylor Johnson, a Virginia-native creative professional, brings over a decade of public relations and marketing experience to her role as Communications Director at RIVERE. Holding a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication from Virginia Tech, Taylor has also worked with conservation and wildlife organizations such as the Virginia Zoo and Species360. Since joining RIVERE in January 2021, Taylor has been instrumental in website design, social media management, email marketing, fundraising, and public relations efforts. Beyond her professional pursuits, Taylor is a passionate advocate for conservation and animal education. She finds solace in hiking through the mountains and harbors a fascination for all animals, but particularly frogs. With her blend of expertise, creativity, and unwavering dedication to causes close to her heart, Taylor Johnson embodies RIVERE's commitment to making a positive impact in the world.
Research Specialist
Creative Director
Michele Phillips is a Virginia Tech and University of Nebraska Alumna, holding a M.S. in Forensic Entomology and a B.A. in Education. She is a respected local artist, educator, gardener and naturalist. Michele has been an integral part of RIVERE℠ from its inception, assisting with the development of the Business Plan, originally working with University of Mary Washington students under the direction of Dr. John Burrow. She serves as the Creative Director, demonstrating her expertise in interior and exterior exhibit design to promote and support education efforts by Friends of the Rappahannock. As a well-connected member of the community, her thirty years of experience in education brings extensive knowledge in curriculum design and instructional methods as well as a strong passion for flora and fauna.
Research Technician
Matthew Amato was born in Long Island, New York but raised and currently resides in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Matthew studied at the Fredericksburg Campus of Germanna Community College, graduating Summa Cum Laude with an Associates of Arts and Sciences in Business Administration. He is currently attending Virginia Wesleyan University, seeking a Bachelor’s in Environmental Studies. Matthew has a great passion for the environment and horticulture and mastered the horticultural art of grafting trees, developing a particular interest in bench grafting. In his spare time, he has been working towards the goal of finding fire blight resistant heritage pear varieties and conducts research using USDA donated scion wood. Matthew’s has previous professional work experience in garden centers and retail, joining the team as an intern in 2022, through connections with Virginia Wesleyan University.
