Profession:

Special Projects Coordinator at the Appalachian Center for Economic Networks (ACEnet)

Five Words About Me:

Inquisitive, persistent, perceptive, vivacious, civic-minded

One Surprising Skill:

I’m an amateur professional at turkey showmanship, including flipping 33 lb live birds to assess their health and projected market size

My upbringing on a family farm in Holmes County, Ohio and the tremendous support I received from that tightknit community instilled in me a fierce sense of loyalty to rural places. Upon graduating from Ohio University, the passion to help uplift communities like mine led me to my position at ACEnet (the Appalachian Center for Economic Networks). Currently, one of the projects I work with involves the City of Athens, Athens Farmers Market and Athens Art Guild. This project will ultimately create a public space that will act as the permanent home for the Athens Farmer and Artist Market. This project led to my initial interest in becoming an AIR Shift facilitator as a means of bringing together the community to create a work of public art to accompany the new site. In the politically divisive world we live in, rural places have been hit hardest. I see AIR Shift as an opportunity to bring together all types of people to find common ground and create something beautiful and representative of their diverse communities.