Debi is president and a founding member, of Headwaters Outfitters. This is a paddle sports, fly-fishing guide, and outfitting company located at mile zero of the historic French Broad River in Rosman, NC. Her husband David and daughter Jessica celebrate 30 years of operating a family-owned business. Debi currently works with Trails Carolina as their HR, Risk, and Compliance Director. Trails Carolina located in Lake Toxaway is a Wilderness Therapeutic Program for youth and adolescents and is one of the larger employers in the county.
Debi has 40 plus years of working in the outdoor recreation industry and achieved national recognition as a successful businesswoman in the paddle sport industry; she also received the Friend of the River Award from the French Broad River Foundation. She has served or is actively serving on various outdoor recreation boards and committees including: US Forest Service Region 8 Recreation Resource Advisory Committee, Board member of Conserving Carolina, Transylvania County Recreation Advisory Board, President Reagan’s Commission on Outdoor Recreation, CEO of the Professional Paddlesports Association, President & founding member of the NC Professional Paddlesports Association, Board of Director with Blue Ridge Mountain Host, Riverlink, and the Brevard Chamber of Commerce.
Debi lives in the Lake Toxaway Community with her husband David. They have two daughters, Jessica and Taylor. David, Jessica and her husband Chris, and their son Waylon manage the operations at Headwaters Outfitters. Taylor works with Forestry and the power industry in Stokes County. Debi and Dave’s grandson Waylon is among the 9th generation of Whitmire’s in Transylvania County.
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