Mekayle Houghton has been Executive Director since 2014 and with the Cumberland River Compact since 2005. Mekayle led the organization to develop two significant fee-for-service programs in stream restoration and urban ecological restoration and built a partnership with the city of Nashville to launch Root Nashville. She serves on the River Network board of Directors, the Ohio River Basin Alliance Steering Committee, and numerous state and local advisory boards including TN H2O, the state’s water planning initiative, and Nashville’s Sustainability Advisory Committee. Under her leadership, the Cumberland River Compact’s staff has grown to 30 and the budget has grown 10-fold. Mekayle holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree from the University of Chicago.
