Lake Gaston Association Executive Director

The LGA added the Executive Director position to its staff on July 1, 2005. It is the only paid LGA position, part time at 20 hours/week, and was established primarily to provide continuity of effort and resident expertise for the Board of Directors who, as volunteers, experience considerable turnover. Moira Underwood has held the Executive Director position since its inception and is considered the glue that holds the organization together on a daily basis. Early into her tenure, she established a permanent LGA office in the Town Center in Littleton, NC giving the LGA its first ever base of operations. From there, she is effectively able to respond to queries and concerns from members and other lake property owners, as well as administer her many other duties and responsibilities. She was also able to eliminate the need for a separate Communications Committee by assuming responsibility for publication of the bi-monthly LGA Bulletin, oversight of the organization’s web site, and providing timely communication with the LGA’s members through pertinent emails, letters, a monthly newspaper column, and numerous public service announcements. Additional duties include oversight of the membership data base, preparation and mailing of member renewal letters and reminders, preparation and mailing of solicitations for new members using county tax listings, preparation of displays for use at meetings and area festivals, development and administration of member surveys, and administrative and advisory support of the LGA Board and its Committees. The Executive Director reports directly to the President in the execution of her duties. She may be reached (252) 586-6577 or toll free at 1-888-586-6577, or at email address execdir@lakegastonassoc.com or info@lakegastonassoc.com.

Moira was born and raised in England, where she met her husband Jack at her work location at IBM’s Hursley Laboratory. They subsequently married, and she emigrated to the US in 1982 as Jack returned from assignment. They continued their careers with IBM in Raleigh. Both worked with colleagues who talked (especially Monday mornings) about their weekend homes on Lake Gaston. Moira saw the movie ‘On Golden Pond’ and she had to see Lake Gaston. They became weekenders in 1983, full-timers in 1995 and Moira joined Jack in retirement. A year later with time on her hands Moira answered an ad for a columnist with The Littleton Observer, a weekly newspaper in Littleton. After two columns, she took the offer to become a reporter, and started her second career! Besides writing her column, news and feature stories, covering bake sales etc, her duties included typing copy, laying out the newspaper on boards with wax, and subsequently becoming editor of the newspaper. She was enjoying a second retirement when the LGA opportunity presented itself. Moira has been a performer at Lakeland Theater Company, Mosby Ave., Littleton since 1997; has had a weekly radio program called “Moments with Moira” on 90.1 & 90.5 FM since 2000 thanks to her air sponsor Lake Gaston Supply; volunteers at the John 3:16 Center as the after school piano and guitar teacher; and when she met Jack in England, Moira was still competing in track and field events – discus and shot put.

From the Desk of the Executive Director...
  One of my favorite tasks to do is pull together our bi-monthly Bulletins. It’s definitely a team effort. I couldn’t produce the copy without the Committee Chairs articles about what their Committees have been doing since our last Bulletin. As well as the other organizations that provide important information for you.

As you’ll see from the front page we have a new President, Don Carson; Mozine Lowe is now our immediate Past President; Brian Goldsworthy is Vice President; Jack Saunders is still Treasurer; and we will need a Secretary to replace Brian, hopefully that will be resolved by our August 7th LGA monthly meeting

We have seven Committees: Lake Environment, Public Safety, Government Relations, Education, Lake Clean-Up, Marketing & Membership and Nominating (as needed). I get involved in all the committees in one way or another.

 

For instance, this year Virginia will be holding elections. It’s my job to contact both Brunswick and Mecklenburg county General Registrars to get a list of who filed in June for those county positions. The LGA is planning Candidate Forums, probably for early October, for both counties. We also invite State level candidates.

Our Candidate Forums are generally well attended by the candidates as well as the voters. Don Carson has been our moderator for several years now. When the voters arrive for the Forum they have the opportunity to write down their question(s) on 3x5 cards – there are no questions taken from the floor unless they are on a 3x5 card. The 3x5’s are vetted before they are given to the Moderator. Voting will occur on November 5.

 

I have to say I do like to take part in the Lakeside Learning Days that are put on by the Education Committee in the Spring. Each LLD is at a lakeside location and has a local school participate from one of the five counties. They typically have seven stations set up for each group of students to cycle through: normally addressing Hydroelectric Power (LGA), Aquatic Plants (NC State University), Water Analysis (LGA), Lake Fish (VA Department of Games & Inland Fisheries or NC Wildlife); Water Safety (Lake Gaston Water Safety Council); and Buoyancy (LGA). And, at most of the LLDs Adam Fields is available to demonstrate wakeboarding, and he also talks to the students on land.

 

Each LLD ends up with the opportunity to teach the students how to cast a fishing line. We do not use hooks on the lines as we can have up to 60 or more students. What I like to see is the students that know how to cast a line will stop and help those who are holding a fishing rod for the first time, and nothing is going right for them. Yes, we have fishing rods & bobbers for 60 some students courtesy of Brunswick County who loan them to us when we have a LLD. A great time is had by both the students and their teachers.

 

If you’d like to volunteer to be on one our committees – they are all very interesting – check out our committee articles and go sit in on one or two of them. You’ll see when they meet at the bottom of each article. It’s worth a try. How about it?

 

Moira