Meet Our Team

Courtney Baines

Executive Director
​courtney@brwia.org
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Courtney comes to Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture after years of teaching sustainability and environmental education at Watauga High School and Appalachian State University. She served as the Farm Tour Coordinator and AmeriCorps Service Member for BRWIA in 2012 and 2013. She also created and directed the school garden support program, ​Lettuce Learn. Courtney holds a Masters in Sustainable Development and is working on her Doctorate in Education from Appalachian State University.  When she's not working for BRWIA, you can find her gardening, hiking and playing pretend with her son Aiden and their dog Maple.

Dave
​Walker

Programs Director
dave@brwia.org
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Dave grew up in the North Carolina Piedmont and would visit his grandparents' home places in Watauga County each summer to camp and hike. Dave previously worked as the Program Manager and Grant Writer of High Country Local First's entrepreneurship program, Ascent Business Network. He holds a MA in Appalachian Studies and Graduate Certificate in Geographic Information Sciences from AppState and a BA in American Studies from Sewanee: The University of the South. Dave's Masters Thesis concerned how first-generation farmers become successful in Blue Ridge Appalachia, and he counts himself amongst them as he started Daffodil Spring Farm, in the spring of 2017. Dave also held an internship with AppState's Edible Schoolyard where, he mapped Watauga County's community gardens and encouraged a network amongst the shared growing spaces. When he is not working with BRWIA, you may find him in his garden, fly fishing in Wilson's Creek, or spinning really, really fast at a contra dance.

Shannon
​Carroll

High Country Food Hub Coordinator
shannon@brwia.org
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Shannon grew up in the Piedmont area of NC and moved to Boone in 1983 after spending a year teaching Biology on the Navajo Reservation in Arizona. She has 30+ years of experience providing leadership and support for instructional technology for Watauga County Schools. She retired from Watauga County Schools in 2013 and is currently dividing her time between three part-time positions - being the High Country Food Hub Coordinator, the Lettuce Learn garden coordinator for 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.​

Michelle Dineen

Market Manager
Michelle @brwia.org​
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Michelle came to Boone in 2010 and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from Appalachian State University. Quickly after moving to the area, she became immersed in community organizing and developed a deep connection to her High Country home. As her passion for community and economic development grew stronger, she knew she wanted to be able to make a greater impact. Now back at ASU, Michelle is finishing up her Master's degree in Public Administration and plans to stay in the area and continue to find ways to help people strengthen their connections to one another and the land. As Market Manager for the Winter Farmers’ Market and King Street Market, Michelle works to help create an enjoyable market experience for community members and to facilitate a productive enterprise for participating local producers. 

Sanda Diaz

Community of Gardens Coordinator
sandra@brwia.org​
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​Sandra has called the High Country home for over a decade. Her passion for empowering communities has been demonstrated through her work in protecting mountains, water, and wild spaces from destructive and polluting practices. She is also passionate about empowering people on an more individual level through her current work as a health coach and yoga teacher. As the Community of Garden Coordinator, she looks forward to taking part in creating a strong and equitable food system that supports regional farmers and feeds people of all economic levels with healthy local food. ​

AmeriCorps VISTA Service Members

Luci Hancock

Educational Programming Designer
AmeriCorps VISTA
Luci@brwia.org​
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Luci grew up in Western North Carolina and lived in Boone for several years as a child. She moved back in 2013 to attend Appalachian State University, where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Sustainable Development in 2016. During that time, she was a student resident at ASU’s teaching and research farm, interned at the Watauga County Cooperative Extension Office, and volunteered at farms across the high country. She is returning to Boone after completing a Masters in Agricultural and Extension Education with a graduate certificate in Horticultural Science from NC State University. Luci is passionate about creating educational opportunities for producers, gardeners, and anyone looking to get involved in the local food system. She is excited to be serving as a VISTA for Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture. In her spare time, Luci enjoys camping, gardening, sewing, and traveling. ​

Laura Heinen

Community Engagement & Food Security Designer
AmeriCorps VISTA
Laura@brwia.org​
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​Laura grew up along the banks of the muddy Mississippi river in Hannibal Missouri, Mark Twain’s hometown. She moved to the Piedmont region of NC in high school and came to Boone in 2012 to attend Appalachian State. She earned her B.S. in Geology and has stayed in the area ever since. During her time in Boone, Laura has worked for a variety of farms through-out the High Country, fostering her love for connecting people to their food and the land around them. She is excited to continue working with farmers and community members to support a vibrant, local food system as an AmeriCorps VISTA with BRWIA. When not working for BRWIA you can find Laura in her garden, watching chicken TV in her backyard, or out on the river.
 

Lori Ludwig

Financial Sustainability and Management Systems Designer
AmeriCorps VISTA
lori@brwia.org
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Lori grew up in Michigan and lived in New York before moving to the high country in 2009.  After 20 years of performance improvement consulting with global organizations she decided to shift her focus from the corporate sector to serve non-profits and small businesses. Lori holds a Doctorate in Organizational Behavior Management from Western Michigan University and specializes in designing and implementing strategic solutions that optimize human performance and organizational impact. She is excited to contribute to strengthening the local food system through the work of BRWIA. Lori lives in Blowing Rock with her beautiful daughter, cat, dog and husband and you will usually find her on the trails. 

Local Food System Internship Program

Sophia Mosby

Communications Intern
sophia.mosby@gmail.com​
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Sophia is from Asheville, North Carolina and graduated from Appalachian State University in May 2018 with a BA in English Literature. She is passionate about helping people communicate as clearly as possible, whether its their own personal writing or advertising their nonprofit, like BRWIA. She believes in promoting sustainability through personal food choices, supporting local business, and calling for action from larger corporations. You can find Sophia working as a Writing Consultant at the ASU Writing Center outside of her time interning with BRWIA. Sophia enjoys reading memoirs and Shakespeare, looking at the clouds, and journaling.