David A. Emmerling, EdD

David A. Emmerling, EdD, is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor in North Carolina with more than four decades of experience in senior executive positions in higher education and nonprofit administration. His major foci are cross-cultural counseling, health disparities, wellness, environmental advocacy, and counseling physicians and physicians in training, and he maintains a counseling practice in the Chapel Hill area. He served as executive director of the Pamlico Tar River Foundation, which later became Sound Rivers, and while serving as executive director of the National Wellness Institute, he was the invited keynote speaker at the 3rd International Conference on Wellness and the Environment in Tokyo, Japan. His community service has included work with Trout Unlimited, the American Heart Association, the Sierra Club, and EarthShare NC, along with volunteer and water monitoring service for the Pamlico Tar River Foundation and Sound Rivers. David is a volunteer and board member of the Ellerbe Creek Watershed Association, where he contributes across communications, finance, governance, fundraising, and operations. His work and service enable a lifelong love affair with rivers, the planet, and all the people who depend on its resources for their health and well-being.