Meet Friends of Jocassee Board Member Rowdy Harris!

We are fortunate to have Rowdy, the Devils Fork State Park (DFSP) Manager, on our Friends of Jocassee (FOJ) Board! He serves as a strong liaison between the SC Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism and FOJ. 

Rowdy was born and raised in South Carolina on an old family farm between Batesburg-Leesville and Saluda. He graduated from Lander University in 2006 with a B.S. in Environmental Science with minors in Chemistry and Biology. His career as a park ranger started in college, and after graduation, he moved to a full-time position. He has worked all around South Carolina with multiple stops in the upstate, including 10 months at Lake Hartwell, four and a half years at Kings Mountain, and the past three and a half years at DFSP. He met his wife, Naomi, at Kings Mountain in 2011. They have been married for 11 years and have two sons. Rowdy is a hardworking, dedicated (if not a little loud) advocate for DFSP and FOJ. 

Rowdy has been involved with FOJ for over three years. He is grateful for the opportunity to work with like-minded people with different backgrounds, interests, and talents all focused on a common goal – to protect the Jocassee Gorges. If Rowdy could magically fix anything in the Jocassee Gorges, it would be improving the entrance road to access DFSP, the only public access to Lake Jocassee. As one of the most popular parks in SC, it is hard to ensure a positive experience for all who want to visit. In Rowdy's spare time, he enjoys hunting, fishing, BBQ, and watching college football.