Corn growing on our family farm in WNC
From Farm to Purpose
Growing up on a family farm in Western North Carolina, I learned early that food connects everything: people, place, and purpose.
Farming wasn’t just a livelihood; it was a rhythm of seasons, stewardship, and shared responsibility. Around our table, stories were told, ideas were tested, and community was strengthened. Food was never just nourishment. It was how we cared for one another.
That understanding shaped the trajectory of my work.
Over time, it became clear that access to food is not simply about supply; it is about how systems are designed. Who is centered. Who decides. What structures endure.
My career in nonprofit leadership has focused on building food access efforts that are not only compassionate but operationally strong and accountable to the communities they serve. I believe dignity must be built into the design, not added as an afterthought.
At its core, my work remains about connection, between people and place, between mission and structure, and between what we share at the table and how we build communities that thrive.
Work Experience
For almost 20 years, I have led programs and teams across local, national, and global settings, focused on expanding access to nourishing food and strengthening community health.
I have held leadership roles within two of the nation’s largest nonprofit networks, Girl Scouts and the YMCA, where I developed programs, led diverse teams, and helped translate mission into operational strategy at scale.
As Executive Director of Community Health at the YMCA of Western North Carolina, I oversee mobile food markets and pantry programs that have distributed more than 1.9 million pounds of food, reaching over 700,000 individuals across the region. I have built logistics systems capable of moving hundreds of thousands of pounds of fresh produce while ensuring food is offered with dignity, accessibility, and operational integrity.
Nationally, I serve in the YMCA of the USA Anti-Hunger Thought Leader Cohort and as an Anti-Hunger Service Delivery Partner, consulting with YMCAs and communities across the country. I am also a co-author of the YMCA of the USA and Feeding America Food Pantry, Market & Distribution Toolkit, helping shape guidance used by organizations nationwide.
My work has also extended globally. During the pandemic, I served on the launch team for the Global Youth Mobilization, a joint initiative of the World Health Organization, the United Nations Foundation, and the Big Six Youth Organizations, supporting youth-led responses worldwide. I have supported equitable food systems through seed funding and technical assistance for farmer expansion in Sub-Saharan Africa and community garden initiatives in Central and South America, and I continue to stay connected to and learn from those partnerships.
Building Resilience Through Meals
As co-founder of Appalachain Resilience Kitchen (ARK), a WNC based nonproft, we are building a community-driven solution to address critical gaps in the regional food system. ARK reduces food waste by sourcing surplus and highly perishable ingredients from food pantries and food hubs and transforming them into scratch-made meals that are frozen and distributed through local pantries.
The work responds to two urgent realities: rising demand for food assistance across rural communities and the significant amount of usable food lost each year due to distribution and storage limitations. By turning excess ingredients into ready-to-heat meals, ARK increases access to nutritious food while supporting the capacity of existing food access organizations.
Our mission is to build resilience, foster dignity, and center humanity in our Appalachian communities through supporting local food systems, reducing food waste, and providing prepared meal options for the people of WNC. To learn more about how we're providing meals to the mountains, visit: www.appalachianresiliencekitchen.org
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Education
My academic work bridges land, leadership, and systems, from farmer education and sustainable agriculture to nonprofit governance and organizational resilience.
Master of Science Environmental Education
Focused on farmer education and environmentally responsible farming practices, with an emphasis on practical stewardship and community-based agricultural learning.
Master of Public Administration
Research examining nonprofit board governance across the organizational lifecycle, with attention to mission impact mapping, growth stages, and financial sustainability.
Bachelor of Science -Parks and Recreation Management
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