Meet Our Team

Courtney Baines

Executive Director
​courtney@brwia.org
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
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 (at) 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 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.​

Sanda Diaz

Community of Gardens Coordinator
sandra@brwia.org​
​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. ​

Christina Bailey

Farm Tour Coordinator 
christina@brwia.org
Christina moved to Boone in 2005, studied at App State and graduated with a Bachelors in Health Promotions and minor in Biology. She then went to massage school and has been practicing as a massage therapist since 2012. In 2015, Christina initiated a project called Village Vision that is volunteer organized by the community and nested under the wing of BRWIA. Village Vision organizes events and service projects throughout the year that bring our High Country Community together for wholesome fun while promoting local food and raising funds to make it accessible to all. She is  passionate about creating a healthy, happy and thriving High Country Community and feels that having a food system that is kind to the earth, kind to the farmers, kind to our bodies, and available to everyone is an imperative root to the healthy community she dreams of.

Michelle Dineen

Market Manager
Michelle @brwia.org​
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.