BRWIA STAFF
Staff, celebrating at our 2023 fundraising event, A Savory Shindig, held at the Apple Barn on September 30, 2023.
Pictured Front (L-R): Katie Cavert Ferrell, Maggie Caswell, Taylor Campbell, Lily Lipford, Courtney Wheeler)
Back (L-R): Liz Whiteman, Sydney Blume, Jess McClelland, Darienne Montgomery, Sam Springs
(Not pictured: Shannon Carroll)
Pictured Front (L-R): Katie Cavert Ferrell, Maggie Caswell, Taylor Campbell, Lily Lipford, Courtney Wheeler)
Back (L-R): Liz Whiteman, Sydney Blume, Jess McClelland, Darienne Montgomery, Sam Springs
(Not pictured: Shannon Carroll)
Meet Our Team
Liz WhitemanExecutive Director
liz@kimkhwaab.com |
Liz grew up in northern Minnesota, spending summers helping her parents dig potatoes and carrots in their backyard gardens. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, 利兹追随她对再生农业和粮食主权的热情,在新奥尔良的城市花园和厄瓜多尔农村的热带农场.
She spent 5 years in Washington DC working on federal farm policy, 重点是增加对可持续农业的资助,加强WIC和SNAP等营养项目. In 2019, Liz found her way to Western North Carolina, spending a season working for Tumbling Shoals Farm in Wilkes County. Drawn to the High Country by the impressive local food economy, Liz is excited to work with local farmers and community members to continue striving for a vibrant, equitable, and sustainable food system. Liz works to d指导BRWIA的计划和员工,重点关注BRWIA计划的战略扩张和影响. Contact Liz for any of the following:
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Taylor CampbellHigh Country Food Hub Manager
(on maternity leave currently) |
Taylor grew up in Mt.Ulla, NC, a blip on the map with a feed store and a fire station. Having been surrounded by family farms during childhood, she was drawn to agricultural pursuits from a young age. As a kid, Taylor raised calves, show lambs, Boer goats, and had a horse afraid of standing water. Future Farmers of America was formative to her high school years, as well as her experience working on berry farms, milking cows at a NC research station, and the Lazy 5 Ranch.
Her interest led her to the Appalachian State Sustainable Development program, where she minored in Agroecology. From there, she was the Garden Coordinator at the Hospitality House, has owned her own micro-scale flower farm at CFSA's Lomax Incubator Farm, and was most recently the Farm Manager of a cut flower business in Knoxville, TN. Taylor's experience as a nurse was an eye opening reminder of the inequalities in our food system, and the health issues that can be caused by the inability to access to healthy food. She is very excited about our Double Up Bucks program, as well as our work delivering food boxes to community organizations. |
Darienne MontgomeryInterim High Country Food Hub Manager
foodhub@kimkhwaab.com darienne@kimkhwaab.com |
Darienne is from Lynchburg, Virginia, where she spent time exploring and learning from the Blue Ridge Mountains while hiking, swimming, camping, and, of course, snacking. 她还喜欢和妈妈一起在花园里干活,和奶奶一起在厨房里用爷爷和其他社区成员菜园里的新鲜农产品制作饭菜. 她对自然和艺术的热爱使她从事自然纪录片和摄影的职业,并毕业于弗吉尼亚联邦大学,获得大众传播专业的广播新闻学学位.
后来,她搬到北卡罗莱纳西部,进一步沉浸在户外行业,并在志同道合的社区中担任摄影师和木筏向导. 然后她被带回家乡,在弗吉尼亚合作推广中心工作了两年,担任农业营销和项目助理, 在那里,她担任社区韦德app官网农业项目的协调员和营销人员,当地农民在第一年为100多名客户提供服务. 她喜欢在当地食品系统中工作,并帮助扩大当地食品系统,同时成为加德纳大师,并韦德app官网其他农业和4h相关项目. She looks forward to learning from and working with the BRWIA team and offering her experience and skills. Darienne还拥有自己的事业,作为一名委托画家,以“元素艺术家”的名义,以视觉艺术的形式转化和分享她对自然的热爱 When she is off the clock, you can find her mountain biking or hiking, kayaking, painting, practicing yoga, cooking a delicious, home-cooked meal filled with the best, local products, or attending the next best live show. Contact Darienne for any of the following:
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Sydney BlumeDouble Up Food Bucks & Farmers Market Manager
sydney@kimkhwaab.com |
Sydney came to Boone from St. Petersburg, Florida in 2014 and found her home in the Blue Ridge. After graduating from Appalachian State University with degrees in Sustainable Development and Spanish, Sydney managed Appalachian State’s sustainable campus gardens and co-founded ClimAct, a local climate justice organization. 进入社区组织和当地食品系统有助于加强她的社区关系,并在高地地区扎根. She has also taught courses on community gardening and climate change at Appalachian, taught at High Country Forest Wild, and served as a founding board member of BAD Composting.
悉尼离开布恩大学,前往佛蒙特大学(University of Vermont)攻读食品系统理学硕士学位,专攻农业生态学和农林业, 她很高兴能回到布恩与BRWIA合作,帮助韦德app官网一个更公正、更可持续的当地食品系统. In her free time, Sydney enjoys trail running, gardening, climbing, basket weaving, painting, and playing music. Contact Sydney for the following:
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Shannon CarrollFinance Coordinator
shannon@kimkhwaab.com |
香农在北卡罗来纳州皮埃蒙特地区长大,在亚利桑那州纳瓦霍保留地教了一年生物学后,于1983年搬到了布恩.
她有30多年的经验,为瓦托加县学校提供教学技术的领导和韦德app官网. 她于2013年从瓦托加县学校退休,目前正在三个兼职职位之间分配时间-作为BRWIA的财务协调员, helping with the Lettuce Learn at Parkway School, and helping her husband, Terry, with his SunCatcher Passive Solar Greenhouse business. She also recently earned her Master Gardener certification. In her free time, she enjoys gardening, traveling to visit her sons, and going for long walks. Contact Shannon for any of the following:
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Katie Cavert FerrellCommunity Relations Manager katie@kimkhwaab.com
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Katie grew up in Tuscaloosa, Alabama where she remembers hot afternoons as a kid in the garden with her father, picking and eating strawberries. She is currently BRWIA’s Community Relations Manager.
After studying Geology at The University of the South in Sewanee, TN, she became an environmental educator in Alabama and as Peace Corps Volunteer in Nicaragua. She taught Spanish in Asheville for 5 years, then returned to her environmental roots to get her Master’s degree in Appropriate Technology at ASU. With experience in education and with a new sustainability lens, Katie spent 7 years coordinating the NC Green Schools program. Katie’s personal foray into local food started out with a small home garden and grew into raising backyard chickens, fermenting vegetables, making molasses, supporting local CSAs, and shopping at the Food Hub. In her free time, Katie enjoys yoga, dancing, hiking with her family, identifying wildflowers, and reading. Contact Katie for:
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Sam SpringsLocal Food as Medicine Coordinator
sam@kimkhwaab.com |
Originally from the Sandhills region of NC, Sam was raised on camping trips to the mountains, where she imagined creating a life in one of the most beautiful places on earth. That dream was realized in 2018 when she moved to the High Country, and it's been getting better ever since!
Sam has always been enthusiastic about improving the lives of the people around her. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Community Health Education from UNC Greensboro, 在那里,她帮助创建了一些项目,专注于改善吉尔福德县受社会经济挑战影响最大的地区的健康状况. She further developed her skills working with the Department of Social Services, the Edible Schoolyard at the Greensboro Children's Museum, and other community- and service-based positions across the state. Over the course of her career, 她热衷于创建和韦德app官网可持续粮食系统,增加当地粮食和互助网络的可及性,从而建立相互依存的关系, self-reliant communities. 她很高兴有机会帮助设计和启动卫星项目,这将扩大食品中心, not merely for the sake of customer convenience, but ultimately to reduce food disparities related to accessibility. In her free time, Sam loves hiking, cooking, making art, dancing to live music, and cuddling with her kitty, Orion. Contact Sam for:
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Maggie CaswellSatellite & Delivery Coordinator
maggie@kimkhwaab.com |
Maggie grew up in Durham, North Carolina, but always felt the mountains calling her home. Shortly after graduating from UNC-Chapel Hill with a Bachelor's in Biology, she moved to Western North Carolina. Maggie worked for the North Carolina Outward Bound School for ten years, 他花了五年的时间在桌岩大本营管理后勤部门,然后在WNC指导背包课程,在佛罗里达大沼泽地指导皮划艇课程. She then spent two years at The North Carolina Arboretum in Asheville, NC, working in Adult Education and coordinating courses in natural history, gardening, arts, and wellness.
In need of big change post-COVID, Maggie and her partner downsized to a camper and moved to Boone with their dogs, Sprout and Buffy, in December 2021. Having always been passionate about helping others and building community, she feels lucky to have found a place with BRWIA as Delivery Coordinator. In her free time, Maggie enjoys hiking, camping, paddling, dabbling in art and crafts, and spending time with friends and family. Contact Maggie for:
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Laney BakerProducer Programs Coordinator
laney@kimkhwaab.com |
Originally from the Tennessee River Valley outside of Chattanooga, Laney first found her love of agriculture working on a small scale produce farm in high school. Here, 她组织了一次学校花园会议,让老师们更多地了解如何在自己的学校创建类似的项目. This solidified her passion for agricultural education and knowledge sharing.
Laney继续在阿巴拉契亚州立大学攻读可持续发展学位,主修农业生态学和可持续农业. While enrolled in classes, she spent her free time working at Full Moon Farm in Triplette, NC. Here, she discovered the resiliency and strength of the local food economy in the High Country. After graduation, Laney took on the project of solely operating the farm while the owners were on a sabbatical. She is excited to support and collaborate with local farmers and producers! In her free time she enjoys skiing, kayaking, getting her hands dirty, and playing outside with her dog, Roan. Contact Laney for:
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Courtney WheelerOutreach and Events Coordinator
courtneyw@kimkhwaab.com |
Courtney is a Boone native, who returned to her hometown in 2020 after a non-profit career in Winston-Salem and Raleigh. She is a graduate of Salem College where she studied Communications and Non Profit Management. While at Salem, she developed a passion for building community and creating positive change through non-profit work.
Most recently, she spent over a decade as Membership Coordinator with the award-winning roots music non-profit, PineCone, the Piedmont Council of Traditional Music in Raleigh, NC. During her tenure with the organization, she was awarded the Betty Siegel Universal Access & 她的作品使PineCone和国际蓝草音乐协会(IBMA)的年度蓝草世界活动对残疾人无障碍. In addition to her role at BRWIA, Courtney is the Executive Director of Joe Shannon's Mountain Home Music, a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of Appalachian performing arts. Courtney is excited to utilize her passion for creating lasting change in her community, 继续开展BRWIA已经开展的工作,韦德app官网当地农民,并在高地地区建立可持续和公平的粮食系统. Contact Courtney about:
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Lily LipfordBlue Ridge CRAFT and Climate Smart Coordinator
lily@kimkhwaab.com |
Lily was fortunate to have grown up in Watauga County, which instilled in her a deep appreciation for her local community. Her profound love for her hometown fuels her passion to better our food system, ensuring equitable access to nutrient-rich, delicious food for her community.
Her journey into agriculture began while working on a small-scale pasture poultry farm in Creston, NC, 她在哪里开始致力于可持续和可再生的农业实践,并培养有弹性的粮食系统. Lily is currently pursuing a degree in Sustainable Agriculture and Agroecology, along with a minor in Appalachian Studies at Appalachian State University. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, gardening, and swimming in her favorite river spots. Contact Lily for:
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Alice AshburnFarmers' Market Assistant
alice@kimkhwaab.com |
Originally from Charlotte, Alice grew up visiting her family in Western North Carolina and has a strong love for the Appalachian mountains. Her passions for gardening started young, as she always helped her grandma garden and cook whenever she visited. As she grew up, she developed a love for learning about the environment, gardening, and agriculture.
搬到布恩学习可持续发展,重点是农业生态学和可持续农业,这只会激发她想要在当地社区发展更强大的粮食系统的热情. 她在传统家园山羊奶牛场的工作加深了她对农场工作的热爱,并帮助她理解了社区联系和复原力的重要性. She loves working outdoors and in her spare time, she helps with freelance landscaping and gardening for the Watauga Humane Society SNIPS program. Alice also enjoys hiking and backpacking, cooking, music, knitting, and exploring new places. She loves doing these things with her friends and family. |
BRWIA INTERNS
Kayla Dovel
Local Food as Medicine Intern (Summer 2024)