about us
who we are
Lighthouse was founded in response to:
The urgent need for community-led climate resilience planning.
The complementary need to identify diverse and sustainable funding sources to implement these visions.
Lighthouse Environment Partners is a newly established non-profit dedicated to increasing climate resilience and financial support in coastal North Carolina communities. Facing extreme weather, rising seas, heat, fire, and drought, communities require urgent support. Lighthouse leverages the expertise of its staff and board to serve as an anchor organization, providing crucial assistance through our Community Resilience Program.
Our small but experienced and passionate staff and board have deep relationships with partner organizations and the communities we serve. In addition to our passion for relationships and working towards common goals and climate justice, our individual staff have specific expertise that is helping us build the foundation to be a trusted and effective anchor organization to communities.
our team
Kelly Garvy
Executive Director and President of the Board
Kelly is the executive director and founded Lighthouse in 2023 after a diverse career in grassroots organizing, social and political campaigns, environmental policy and advocacy, and technology.
Kelly is passionate about the environment and working with people. She loves the hard but crucial work of organizing partners and communities. Before starting Lighthouse, Kelly worked at the North Carolina Coastal Federation building state-wide support for the state’s Coastal Habitat Protection Plan and facilitating community engagement with the South Atlantic Salt Marsh Initiative. Prior to her work at the Federation, Kelly started Upstate North Carolina, a state legislation tracker. She was the digital director for a successful congressional campaign in 2018, and led a number of successful grassroots campaigns in opposition to fossil fuel expansion and efforts to raise energy bills in the state. Kelly received her masters of environmental management in environmental economics and policy from the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University in 2015 and her undergraduate degree in environmental sciences from the University of Notre Dame in 2010.
When she isn’t wearing many nonprofit hats at Lighthouse, she enjoys fishing, diving, surfing, hiking, and reading.
Justin Wallace
Community Resilience Coordinator
I'm Justin Wallace, a North River, North Carolina native. Growing up surrounded by the salty air and the rhythm of coastal life ignited a deep love for my community and the natural world. My educational journey took me from Beaufort Elementary to Carteret Academy, where my fascination with the marine environment began to take shape. I graduated as salutatorian from Cape Lookout Marine Science High School, a pivotal point that solidified my connection to the ocean.
Seeking to deepen my understanding of the natural world, I attended Carteret Community College, where I studied horticulture. During this time, I also developed a passion for photography, capturing the beauty of all life through my lens.
During Covid, my career path took an unexpected turn as I transitioned into the realm of collaborative leadership and learning. At the Eastern Carteret Collaborative, I had the opportunity to bridge gaps and bring people together to strengthen our community. This experience was invaluable in preparing me for my current role with Lighthouse Environment Partners, an organization that aligns perfectly with my values and aspirations.
I’m excited about the future and the chance to contribute to the well-being of our coastal environment. My roots in North River, combined with my professional experiences, have shaped me into the person I am today, and I'm eager to continue making a positive impact on my beloved community.
Todd Miller
Board Member
Todd Miller is the founder and former executive director of the North Carolina Coastal Federation, a nonprofit with over 16,000 supporters working for a healthier North Carolina coast.
A coastal North Carolina native from the community of Ocean in Carteret County, it was here in 1982 that Miller found his passion—working to keep the coast a great place to live, work and play. Forming partnerships and rallying volunteers, Miller grew the organization from a one-man (and a dog) venture in a back room of his house to three offices covering the North Carolina coast. With more than three dozen staffers and a multi-million-dollar budget targeted for educating the public, advocating for a clean coastand restoring water quality and shorelines, the Federation takes on projects, and partners with others in hundreds of endeavors that influence these priorities.
A graduate of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, from which he holds undergraduate and master’s degrees, Miller was selected as a distinguished alumnus by the university in 2013 and honored with a 2015 “Hero of the Seas” award by the Peter Benchley Ocean Awards. Along with numerous other awards and recognitions, Miller is a founding board member of Restore America’s Estuaries and currently serves on the Board of Visitors for the UNC Institute for the Environment. He has also actively served on the Leadership Committee for the Albemarle-Pamlico National Estuary Partnership for decades prior to stepping down as Executive Director of the Federation on January 31, 2024.
our partners
North River/Laurel Road Ladies Outreach
The North Carolina Coastal Federation
Eastern North Carolina Sentinel Landscape Partnership
Eastern Carteret Collaborative
Let’s connect
Building relationships is at the heart of what we do. Connect with us to explore how we can work together.