Triangle Land Conservancy: Member Spotlight November 2007


	Triangle Land Conservancy 1101 Haynes Street Suite 205 Raleigh, NC 27604 919.833.3662

Member Spotlight - November 2007

Lao Rubert and Steve Schewel

Since moving to the Triangle area to attend Duke University in the late 60s and early 70s, Lao Rubert and Steve Schewel have been dedicated advocates for social and environmental causes in the Triangle and beyond.

Lao served as Executive Director of the Carolina Justice Policy Center from 1979 to 2007. This nonprofit organization is "dedicated to developing and promoting effective, equitable, and humane solutions to criminal justice problems." Lao now serves as the center’s Director for Policy and Special Projects. A native of Springfield, Missouri, Lao received her undergraduate degree from the University of Missouri and earned a masters in English at Duke.

Steve founded the award-winning Independent newspaper in 1983 and served as publisher until 1999. He is still president of the company that publishes the Independent and is a visiting faculty member at Duke University’s Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy. His busy schedule includes serving on the Durham School Board and coaching soccer at Brogden Middle School. A native of Lynchburg, Virginia, Steve graduated from Duke in 1973 and later received a masters in English from Columbia University and a Ph.D. in education from Duke University.

The couple joined TLC in 1989 because “the Triangle is developing incredibly fast and we know how important it is to protect open space,” explains Steve. "We've been environmentalists for a long time, so there's no question that we would support a conservation organization," adds Lao. Lao and Steve live in Durham and have two sons, Abe and Solly.

Member Spotlight Archives

June 2010 - Greg Smith and Cyndi Grover

May 2010 - Todd and Kathleen Shapley-Quinn

April 2010 - Joyce & Fred Sparling

March 2010 - Diane Allen

February 2010 - Jane Kendall and Ran Coble

January 2010 - Kris and David Jackson

December 2009 - Carol Ruess

November 2009 - Kent Fiala

October 2009 - Linda and Rufus Edmisten

September 2009 - Barbara and Jonathan Sheline

August 2009 - Shannon Bueker