Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, July 27, 1990 TAG: 9007280393
SECTION: SMITH MOUNTAIN TIMES PAGE: SMT-4 EDITION: BEDFORD
SOURCE: SHARON HODGE
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Ken Dugan, who manages the group's computer system, advises executive director Elizabeth Parcell that several complaints about debris already have come from residents along the Blackwater River.
"Call Appalachian Power right away," Parcell instructs without missing a beat.
In the year she has served at the board's helm, Parcell has become accustomed to the day-after-the-storm routine. It gives her the opportunity to fulfill the board's role as coordinator of public policy for the lake area.
After alerting Apco about the debris, Parcell shifts her attention to less immediate concerns, such as researching boat noise restrictions in other states.
Her eyes dance with excitement as she explains the arcane logistics of developing position papers for the 4-year-old Policy Advisory Board.
Trained as a planner, Parcell likes the variety of her job. In the morning she may be in the office, working in solitude; then she'll head out on the lake in the afternoon to hunt for illegally placed no-wake buoys.
Sitting outside her office overlooking the lake, Parcell said it's hard to believe that two years ago she was considering going back to school to become a math teacher.
Parcell graduated from James Madison University in 1984, and took a job with Roanoke County's Planning Department. In the next 4 1/2 years, she worked her way up from intern to associate planner.
After she left to start a family, Parcell toyed with the idea of changing fields. Her position with the board makes her glad she didn't change her mind.
"I fell in love immediately," she said.
Parcell, the lone woman around the table, describes the post as a working mother's dream. She said she had worried that she would have her hands full mothering and managing a meaningful career. Her daughter Annie is nearly 2.
"When Annie's got an ear infection there's no problem adjusting my schedule. And that's important to me."
Parcell said she thrives on the legislative concerns in her job. But she is quick to point out her role is doing the leg work and research, not making policy decisions.
"I'm a great executive secretary," she said, describing the skills necessary to coordinate the priorities of three county administrators, Apco and the board members.
As executive director, Parcell works closely with the governments of Franklin, Bedford and Pittsylvania counties. She helps the board advise localities on planning and lake-related issues and oversees maintenance of the navigation system. "I listen a lot and pool everyone's ideas."
A natural assertiveness helps Parcell interject her own opinions in the male-dominated group.
"She's got a knack, a talent for talking to people. Liz can talk with anyone on just about any level. And when she talks, people get the impression she's genuinely interested in their opinion," said Lynn Johnson Donihe, one of Parcell's planning colleagues from Roanoke County.
Part of Parcell's job is fashioning solutions that satisfy often-disparate groups. She said pleasing everyone is a difficult task.
Before the board develops its stand on any matter, Parcell said, she wants to get input from everyone who might be affected - lake residents, manufacturers of water toys, local or state representatives.
"I get a lot of direction from [Chairman of the Policy Advisory Board] Dale Whiteis," Parcell said.
Coordinating is one of Parcell's strongest professional assets, Donihe said.
"Whenever the department had to schedule community meetings, Liz always handled that. She's definitely great at getting citizen participation."
One of her goals is to help the lake shed its reputation as a dangerous place to boat and swim. Statistically, Smith Mountain Lake is the most dangerous body of water in the commonwealth.
As a result, boating safety has emerged at the forefront of Parcell's concerns.
As a recreational boater, Parcell has gained a deeper appreciation of how safety relates to almost every other issue on the Policy Advisory Board's agenda.
During the July 4 weekend, Parcell and her husband, Bob, water-skied in a quiet cove on the lake.
"I found myself pretty close to somebody's dock," she confessed.
Parcell says she keeps thoughts like that in mind when preparing ideas for restricting boating activities - and regulating docks.
by CNB