South Region Leadership Team
West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky, and Tennessee
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James Brown
District Manager, Aquatic Specialist
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Collin Brown
District Manager (NC, SC, and GA)
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Trent Batson
Operations Manager, Environmental Scientist
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Brandie Cantrell
Operations Manager (Northern VA, MD, Northeastern WV)
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Tyler Meighan
Fisheries Project Manager, Fisheries Scientist
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Peyton Woods
Fisheries Project Manager, Aquatic Scientist
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Chase Kalacanic
Operations Manager (SC, NC, & GA)
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Jay Griffin
Operations Manager
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Kim Niesel, CMCA
Senior Business Development Consultant (Eastern VA & Eastern NC)
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Sianne Verde
Business Development Consultant (Northern VA)
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Kevin McCurley
Business Development Consultant (Northern VA)
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Colton Parker
Business Development Consultant (SC)
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Grace McCormick
Business Development Consultant (NC)
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Jay Bagley
Business Development Consultant (TN)
James Brown
District Manager, Aquatic Specialist
James Brown is an Aquatic Specialist and District Manager serving SOLitude in the eastern region. He helps oversee the maintenance and installation of floating fountains and submersed diffused aeration systems to help improve water quality and circulate client waterbodies.
James earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Public Safety and Emergency Management from Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, AZ, in 20213. He has extensive experience leading small and large teams in various operation environments ranging from emergency operations security, logistics, and customer service.
James has been serving in the military for the last 22 years. He started his military career in the Army serving as a reconnaissance specialist. Since 2002 he has been serving with the Arizona National Guard. Most of the time was spent in a military law enforcement capacity, with an emphasis on Force Protection. Most recently he has been serving as an Operations Manager for a Civil Engineer Unit. His job there involved the maintenance, restoration, and sustainment of National Guard Facilities. James has deployed to the middle east four separate times in support of military operations.
Raised in Phoenix, Arizona James spent all his time outdoors playing soccer, baseball, football. He taught martial arts in the Phoenix area for over 15 years. James recently earned his 4th degree black belt in Taekwondo. James and his wife, Lydia are raising their 4 kids, two boys and two girls.
Collin Brown
District Manager (NC, SC, and GA)
Collin Brown is the District Manager for the southeast region. Collin has been in the lake and pond management industry for several years and enjoys inspecting waterbodies, conducting water quality tests, and managing water quality issues like algal blooms and invasive plant growth. He is passionate about providing our clients with the best lake and pond management solutions including aeration, algae and weed control, erosion repair, and nutrient management to help them reach their goals for their lake or pond.
Trent Batson
Operations Manager, Environmental Scientist
Trent Batson is an Operations Manager and Environmental Scientist in the Hampton Roads area, stretching from Williamsburg, Virginia, to the Outer Banks, North Carolina. He is passionate about helping our clients receive efficient and effective service. Trent has several years of experience helping lake and pond owners and managers reach their goals of beautiful, healthy water.
Trent is originally from Lewes, Delaware, and graduated from Virginia Wesleyan University with a degree in Environmental Science. In his free time, Trent likes to spend time with his family and friends. He also enjoys spending time outside where he likes to hunt, fish, kayak, and hike.
Brandie Cantrell
Operations Manager (Northern VA, MD, Northeastern WV)
Brandie Cantrell is an Aquatic Specialist and an Operations Manager based out of Northern Virginia. Brandie oversees pond and lake management as well as fountain and aerator operations in all of Northern Virginia, the District of Colombia, southern and western Maryland, and northeastern West Virginia. She ensures her clients are taken care of while also providing a healthy ecosystem for all living things to enjoy.
Brandie obtained a bachelor’s Degree in Meteorology from Virginia Tech and another bachelor’s Degree in Marine Science from Coastal Carolina University. She taught high school students in South Carolina the importance of environmental science as well as the physical sciences. Before teaching, Brandie managed security teams traveling internationally for humanitarian and non-profit organizations.
As an admirer of the outdoors, Brandie enjoys fishing, kayaking, hunting, and gardening. Brandie can also be seen enjoying the occasional storm chase when there is a local outbreak.
Tyler Meighan
Fisheries Project Manager, Fisheries Scientist
Peyton Woods
Fisheries Project Manager, Aquatic Scientist
Chase Kalacanic
Operations Manager (SC, NC, & GA)
Chase is an Aquatic Specialist and the Operations Manager for South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia. He helps ensure our clients are receiving the best lake and pond care promptly.
Chase has been with SOLitude Lake Management since he graduated from Coastal Carolina University with a degree in Marine Science in 2022. He began as an aquatic technician providing lake management services to bodies of water stretching from northeast NC to the southernmost part of SC. In 2024 he was appointed to the Operations Manager role where he focuses more on team management, role development, team engagement, and helping out on projects.
Jay Griffin
Operations Manager
Jay Griffin is an Aquatic Specialist and Operations Manager for the southeast region. After graduating from Virginia Tech with a degree in Fisheries Science in 2003, Jay immediately got into the lake and pond management industry. He now has over 20 years of experience helping lake and pond owners or managers achieve their goals for their waterbody. Jay enjoys working on new bodies of water and improving their health and appearance.
In his free time, Jay is an avid tournament bass fisherman and competes in events across the state throughout the year. Jay also loves just spending time at home with his partner, Katrina, and their three boys. working in the yard, his garden, and playing with their dog, Brandy.
Kim Niesel, CMCA
Senior Business Development Consultant (Eastern VA & Eastern NC)
Kimberly Niesel is an Aquatic Specialist and Senior Business Development Consultant with more than a decade of experience in the freshwater management industry. She is responsible for educating communities and stakeholders about environmentally-friendly tools to sustainably manage community lakes and stormwater ponds. Kim maintains several certifications and memberships with organizations across the country, and has a unique expertise in her field; the early part of Kim’s career was spent in property management, working first with a property developer and then transitioning to the management team of a large-scale community. She has worked closely with property managers since 2008.
Sianne Verde
Business Development Consultant (Northern VA)
Sianne Verde is a Business Development Consultant for our Northern Virginia area. Her diverse background, coupled with a deep-rooted commitment to wellness and environmental stewardship, fuels her dedication to making a positive impact in the aquatic management sphere. She is driven by a passion for environmental sustainability and is committed to staying informed on the latest industry trends and best practices to deliver exceptional results for her clients.
Kevin McCurley
Business Development Consultant (Northern VA)
Kevin McCurley is a Business Development Consultant in northern Virginia. With over 30 years of experience in environmental consulting, Kevin has a diverse background in horticulture and lake and pond management. In his early career, he worked in plant propagation, wetland management, and aquatic plant products. For the last decade, Kevin has helped communities, local municipalities, businesses, and private landowners effectively manage their lakes and stormwater ponds. He has extensive knowledge of fountains, aeration, buffer management, and mosquito management solutions. Kevin studied Geography and Environmental Planning at Townson University in Maryland.
Kevin is originally from Maryland but now resides in northern Virginia with his wife and son. He is an avid genealogist and avocational archaeologist. Kevin volunteers his time with several local non-profits as a Certified Archaeological Technician, teacher, and historic site guide. He currently serves as the Vice President of the Archeological Society of Virginia.
Colton Parker
Business Development Consultant (SC)
Colton Parker is an Aquatic Specialists and Business Development Consultant for the South Carolina region. He is responsible for educating stakeholders and building relationships with property managers and communities throughout South Carolina. In addition to providing clientele with lake and pond management solutions, Colton takes pride in truly understanding which solution will be best for the environment.
Colton has been involved in the outdoors for a multitude of years including in the Boy Scouts of America where he ultimately earned the rank of Eagle Scout. He has had a multitude of sales positions spanning from vehicle sales to telecommunication. SOLitude combines both passions, being able to build long-standing relationships and then protecting the environment with the best-known resources SOLitude can provide.
Grace McCormick
Business Development Consultant (NC)
Grace is an Aquatic Specialist and Business Development Consultant for the North Carolina region. She graduated from Auburn University with a major in Marketing and Sales and has spent the last four years working in recruiting and business development. Prior to attending Auburn, she lived in Nashville, TN, and now resides in Charlotte, NC.
Grace has a passion for the outdoors, especially being on the water, as well as for sales. She enjoys working with clients to help them build a sustainable management plan to help them achieve their goals for their waterbody.
In her free time, Grace enjoys running, playing tennis, walking her dog, and gardening.
Jay Bagley
Business Development Consultant (TN)
Jay Bagley is a Business Development Consultant based out of SOLitude’s Nashville, TN office. He helps ensure the goals of SOLitude’s Midwestern clients are exceeded and serves as a helpful resource for colleagues in the execution of large and high-profile water resource management projects.
Prior to joining SOLitude, Jay worked in the industry with a private firm that served clients in Georgia and South Carolina. Jay has several SePRO and Aquamaster certifications and maintains close relationships with many industry partners valued by SOLitude.
Outside of work, Jay enjoys spending time outdoors and can often be found hunting and fishing.
