Meet Our Team

Dave Walker

Development 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 Director
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 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.​

Kelsey Crawford

Programs Coordinator
kelsey@brwia.org

Kelsey grew up with her hands in the soil of her Mamaw's garden. She left her small hometown in the Ohio River Valley to complete her Bachelor of Science degree at Florida Southern College. Alongside her studies, she bred a passion for rural organizing and regenerative agriculture. On the day after her graduation, Kelsey took a plane (or five) to Homer, Alaska for a year of commercial vegetable and flower production. And a lot of really cool hiking. 

Throughout her travels, her mind remained somewhere in Appalachia, and Kelsey was drawn to the High Country by its vibrant farming community and drive toward a fair and sustainable food system. Whether working in knee-deep mud, inches of snow, or sweltering heat, she was inspired by her farming mentors and their contribution to our intricate local network. 

AmeriCorps VISTA Service Members

Michele Houston

Local Food Markets & Community Connections Designer
Americorps VISTA
michele@brwia.org

Michele grew up in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and packed her bags to Boone in 2015 to attend Appalachian State University. She graduated ASU with a B.S. in Sociology, concentration in Social Inequalities, with a minor in Gender, Women's and Sexuality Studies. She found herself interested in food insecurity while attending college, while also being introduced to the local food movement happening in the High Country. By interning with us in her last semester of college, she is dedicated to support both consumers & producers alike. She hopes to be able to improve the efforts of getting everyone in the county with a reliable food source, while also promoting access to produce by local farmers. As a member of the Watauga Food Council board, she is passionate about access to local food and is proud to represent BRWIA and its' programs.

Michele enjoys playing with her two cats and dog at home, while also trying out every new restaurant and café in Boone. She looks forward to learning more about her community through her year of service.