NGLI Inaugural Cohort Alumna • President, North Carolina Association of Soil & Water Conservation Districts • Chair, Mecklenburg Soil & Water Conservation District (N.C.) • NCF Board of Trustees • Chair, North Carolina Soil and Water Conservation Commission.
A longtime business professional and community volunteer, Barbara Bleiweis found her way to locally led conservation through neighborhood problem-solving, first with her homeowners association, then with the League of Women Voters in Charlotte, North Carolina on city stormwater issues and civic engagement. That path led to an invitation to fill an unexpired term on the Mecklenburg Soil & Water Conservation District board. “I figured I would learn something and said, “Sure, why not?”
What began as curiosity quickly became a calling. After meeting local farmers while working on the county’s Voluntary Agricultural District ordinance, “My mind exploded, said Bleiweis. “I have an opportunity to represent a group and give them a voice. I’m in.”
When the National Conservation Foundation (NCF) launched the Next Generation Leadership Institute (NGLI), Bleiweis applied, drawn to the program’s emphasis on policy, farmland, and issues like food security. She recalls appreciating the application’s hard questions about leadership and vision. Being selected from a large pool in North Carolina affirmed that the program welcomed fresh perspectives.
Why NGLI
Inside the inaugural cohort, the small-group model was transformative. “I personally thrive in smaller groups. This group is a safe space for me to say and ask questions without feeling embarrassed, reflects Bleiweis.” The mix of subject-matter depth, from grazing to communication and conflict management, and professional facilitation gave her both confidence and tools.
NGLI also deepened her respect for producers. “This is a very special group of farmers. The idea is we’re respecting the earth and using practices to help regenerate and heal itself, said Bleiweis.”
From cohort to crisis response and leadership selection
Bleiweis is candid about NGLI’s practical impact. The program “equipped me to pursue funding” she says, strengthening capacity at the district level. Bleiweis also ties that readiness to bigger moments. In emergencies like Hurricane Helene, she felt “more equipped than anybody in North Carolina to help western North Carolina because of the team, understanding how federal, state, and local partners come together.”
Her lens is unapologetically outcomes-oriented. The return on investing in leaders is “immeasurable” she says, from advancing Farm Bill–relevant ideas to unlocking disaster resources that don’t show up neatly in simple acreage metrics.
Her training and actionable leadership skills have not gone unnoticed, and in February of 2025 North Carolina Governor Josh Stein appointed her Chair of the North Carolina Soil and Water Conservation Commission. Further showcasing the impact the NGLI program can have on another conservation platform.
Leadership philosophy
Bleiweis leads by leaning all the way in. “If I’m joining, I’m in, I’m going to be all the way in” she says. Bleiweis believes board service should be active and accountable, not advisory in name only.
She also carries a clear standard for the NGLI experience: preserve the quality, cohort intimacy, and professionalism that shaped her class. “Individuals need to have the kind of experience that I had; there is no compromise,” says Bleiweis.”
Why the NCF board
Bleiweis joined the NCFBoard of Trustees out of gratitude and a desire to give back where decisions and votes are made. “The best way is to be a board member, a voting board member. I lean toward action, says Bleiweis.”
On the board, she’s motivated to strengthen NGLI’s operating committee and steward thoughtful evolution. She says to “understand before being understood” is her North Star for shaping program improvements.
Message to donors and partners
Conservation districts “cut across so many boundaries,” from urban canopy to small-acre urban agriculture to 10,000-acre grazing lands, and NGLI graduates are trained to operate across that scope. Investing in NGLI means investing in “multiple markets and multiple communities through one organization.”
Her pitch is pragmatic. NGLI builds the soft skills—poise, stamina, coalition building—that move ideas into funded, sustainable solutions.
Quick facts
Home base: Charlotte, North Carolina; President, North Carolina Association of Soil & Water Conservation Districts; Chair, Mecklenburg SWCD
NGLI cohort: Inaugural 2020 cohort; small-group “safe space” was key to growth
Board service: Joined the NCF Board of Trustees to “be a voting board member” and give back to NGLI’s roots
Focus areas: Funding and policy readiness, emergency response framing conservation as public safety and cross-boundary district impact
