Meet Our Team
Liz WhitemanOperations Director, Co-Director
liz@brwia.org |
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, Liz followed her passion for regenerative agriculture and food sovereignty to urban gardens in New Orleans and tropical farms in rural Ecuador.
She spent 5 years in Washington DC working on federal farm policy, focusing on increased funding for sustainable agriculture and strengthening nutrition programs such as WIC and SNAP. 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 direct BRWIA's programming and staff with a focus on strategic expansion and reach and the impact of BRWIA's programming. |
Dave WalkerDevelopment Director, Co-Director
dave@brwia.org |
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 joined BRWIA in 2015 as the CRAFT Program Manager and has served as the Programs Director and Interim Executive Director.
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, raising Certified Animal Welfare pigs on pasture and delicious vegetables. 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 with his dog Fred, fly fishing in Wilson's Creek, or spinning really, really fast at a contra dance. Dave works to expand BRWIA’s financial capacity and raise its public profile. |
Haley RiordanFood Hub Manager
haley@brwia.org |
Haley was raised on family farmland in Hickory, NC where she was taught familial homesteading practices by her Granny. She then made her way to Boone for school and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology with a concentration in Natural Science from Appalachian State University, making her a first generation college graduate. During her time in Boone, she became exposed to the organic grassroot culture of Southern Appalachia and decided that this was home.
Since then, Haley has worked for two small business owners, Andy Long of Over Yonder and Madelyn George of the Valle Crucis Lavender House. Both graciously taught the importance of supporting local and the impact that “acting small” has on our rural economy. While working for Andy, Haley was able to see how the food industry can support farmers, as he chooses to source local, even sometimes from Yonder’s garden! Haley learned how to run a multifaceted business as the manager of The Lavender House and from the coaching of Madelyn. While managing the Lavender House, Haley was able to build confident relationships with members of our community. She loves: making and experiencing irreverent art, desert trips, laughing, and her cat Mr. Spaghetti. |
Ellie MullisDouble Up Food Bucks & Farmers' Market Manager
ellie@brwia.org |
Ellie grew up on an organic vegetable farm in the Piedmont of North Carolina where she gained a deep appreciation for nature and local food. With a desire to pursue social change and equitable environmentalism, she obtained a BS in Sustainable Development from Appalachian State University in Spring of 2020. Throughout her sustainability studies at App, she has become specifically passionate about working on strengthening local food systems and reducing waste.
Ellie previously worked with BRWIA as a Double Up Food Bucks Ambassador where she raised awareness of the program throughout App's campus. She later worked as the Double Up Food Bucks Summer Associate VISTA where she developed a closer relationship with the Boone community. Her work as an Americorps VISTA member inspired her senior thesis in which she explored various barriers and solutions for increasing participation in local food equity programs. In her free time, she loves cooking, going on nature walks, and gardening. Ellie is very excited for her new role and is looking forward to a career in sustainable food systems. |
Shannon CarrollFinance Coordinator
shannon@brwia.org |
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 Finance Coordinator for BRWIA, 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. |
Taylor GriffisFood Hub Assistant
taylor@brwia.org |
Taylor grew up in Jacksonville, FL where she gained a deep appreciation for the diversity of the Florida landscape. After graduating from the University of Florida with a Bachelor's degree in English and Education, she moved to Atlanta to pursue a career in the Arts where she worked as a Gallery Administrative Assistant for ABV Agency and Art Gallery.
Over the Summer of 2020, she took her first trip to the Mountains of NC and was captivated by the magic of the mountains in every sense. Since settling here, she has gained a deep appreciation for organic and sustainable agriculture through her work as a Biodynamic Gardener and as an assistant at the Food Hub. She strives to be part of an agriculture renaissance, where younger generations are encouraged to move back into more rural and underdeveloped areas to cultivate the land left by their ancestors. She believes that through access to fresh organic food and a love for the land, a community can withstand anything. In her free time, you can catch Taylor sculpting at her new studio at High Country Clay, experimenting with nature photography on her long hikes throughout the mountains, and dancing any chance she gets. |
Kali CannonFarmers' Market Assistant
kali@brwia.org |
Kali was born and raised in Savannah, Georgia. As a child she loved gardening and cooking with her father. Gardening and southern cooking practices have been passed down through her family, which has generated a deeply rooted love for food in her life.
She moved to Western North Carolina with her family in 2013 and has since then fallen in love with the mountains. In 2017, she began her journey at Appalachian State University as a Nutrition student with a focus on Dietetics. After taking a Community Nutrition course, she started getting involved in the local food system of Watauga county. In 2019 she became a Double Up Food Bucks Ambassador and ever since then she has been passionate about community outreach and food equity. Kali is excited to be apart of the BRWIA team to help provide all community members with a safe and welcoming Farmers’ Market to enjoy and support local farmers. |