Meet Our Team

Staff

Tom Cormons, J.D. — Executive Director

Tom joined Appalachian Voices in 2007 to open our Virginia office, which under his direction became a major player in energy and environmental issues in the state. In 2010, he became Deputy Programs Director, helping to develop our programmatic strategy and supervise our program teams. In 2013, he assumed the role of Executive Director. Tom received his B.A. from the University of Virginia, where he majored in Political and Social Thought and minored in Philosophy, and his J.D. from the University of California at Los Angeles, with a concentration in Public Interest Law and Policy. He is a member of the Virginia State Bar. His previous experience includes working as a law clerk with the Southern Environmental Law Center, the Piedmont Environmental Council, the U. S. Department of Justice, and Environmental Defense. He also worked with endangered and threatened migratory terns in South America for six seasons, overseeing radio-tracking of the birds. Tom lives in Charlottesville with his wife, Heather, whom he met while working as a whitewater and climbing guide in southern West Virginia, and their children, Brooke, Kai, and Cassie.
tom.cormons [at] appvoices.org

Matt Wasson, Ph.D. — Director of Programs

Matt has worked at Appalachian Voices since 2001 and has served in various capacities ranging from Executive Director to the editor of The Appalachian Voice. As Director of Programs, Matt provides the long-range vision for the direction of our program work. He received his B.S. in Zoology from the University of Washington, and Ph.D. in Ecology from Cornell University. Since his time doing research at Cornell on the impacts of acid rain on birds, Matt has worked on all aspects of the “coal cycle” — from mining, transportation and combustion of coal to the disposal of power plant waste. Matt designs and builds web-based databases with sophisticated search functions for use by professionals and citizens working on coal-related issues. Matt also oversees the award-winning online campaign to stop mountaintop removal coal mining, iLoveMountains.org. A nationally recognized authority on mountaintop removal coal mining and coal economics, Matt has testified before Congress, appears frequently on expert panels, and is a contributor to high-profile media outlets including Huffington Post, Grist, and Daily Kos.
matt [at] appvoices.org

Cat McCue — Director of Communications

Cat brings more than two decades of experience in environmental communications and policy. After receiving her B.A. from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and M.J. in Journalism from the University of California at Berkeley, she went on to become an award-winning environmental journalist in Virginia. She was also Senior Communications Manager at the Southern Environmental Law Center where she supervised media relations and communications campaigns at the national, state and local level. Her work has appeared in The Washington Post, The New York Times, and outlets throughout the South. She was a Scripps Fellow for Environmental Journalism and completed the Virginia Natural Resources Leadership Institute in 2010. A Yankee transplant to Appalachia, Cat was smitten the moment she saw the Smoky Mountains, and is honored to be on Appalachian Voices’ team protecting this magnificent region.
cat [at] appvoices.org

OPERATIONS & DEVELOPMENT

Susan Congelosi — Controller

Susan has been with Appalachian Voices since 2000. She has always been a passionate and active defender of the environment, and knew that Appalachian Voices was the perfect place to share her skills. Susan is responsible for maintaining the financial operations for the organization, as well as providing support in many areas. Susan earned her B.F.A. from the California College of the Arts in Oakland. After moving to Boone to build a glassblowing studio in 1976, she was immediately captivated by the Appalachian Mountains. She worked in accounting and real estate for many years before joining Appalachian Voices.
susan [at] appvoices.org

Shay Boyd — Operations Manager

Shay has a B.S. in Psychology and a M.A. in Industrial-Organizational Psychology and Human Resource Management from Appalachian State University in Boone. After graduating, she could not bring herself to leave the high country and has lived in the area for over 20 years. She worked for several local companies and operated her own business before joining Appalachian Voices in 2008.
shay [at] appvoices.org

Kayti Wingfield — Director of Leadership Gifts

Kayti hails from Waynesboro, a small town set in Virginia’s beautiful Shenandoah Valley at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains. She received a B.S> in Political Science and International Relations from Christopher Newport University and received a certificate of non-profit management from the University of Virginia. She served three years as the coordinator for the Wise Energy for Virginia Coalition (of which Appalachian Voices is a member) managing inter-organizational communications, coalition building, lobbying, rabble-rousing, event planning and extensive community organizing. Kayti is based in the Charlottesville office as a member of our dynamic development team focusing her many talents on securing major gifts to support all the work of Appalachian Voices.
kayti [at] appvoices.org

Maeve Gould — Operations and Outreach Associate

A native of Richmond, Maeve earned her B.A in Urban Affairs and Planning from Virginia Tech. Before working with Appalachian Voices, Maeve served with AmeriCorps Project Conserve at the North Carolina-based land trust, Blue Ridge Conservancy, doing land conservation and outreach work. She handles a variety of responsibilities at Appalachian Voices, including membership management and distribution of our bi-monthly newspaper, The Appalachian Voice. In her free time, Maeve enjoys playing on the trails and in the creeks of the Appalachian Mountains.
maeve [at] appvoices.org

PROGRAMS

Kate Rooth — Campaign Director

Kate is from Cashiers, a small North Carolina town set in the Blue Ridge Mountains of southern Appalachia. Kate received her B.A. in Political and Environmental Science from Lehigh University. Prior to joining Appalachian Voices, Kate worked at Greenpeace as a Research Specialist, where she contributed to several climate, coal and clean energy campaigns, and at Rainforest Action Network where she was the Mountaintop Removal Campaigner. In 2010, Kate joined our Washington, D.C.team as National Field Coordinator to support our national grassroots organizing efforts. Often wearing many hats, she is now based in our Charlottesville office as the Campaign Director.
kate [at] appvoices.org

Rory McIlmoil — Energy Policy Director

Raised all across the Southeast, Rory graduated with a B.S. in Earth and Environmental Science from Furman University and spent the next few years traveling in Europe and South America, part of that time working as a volunteer in the Andes of Ecuador. Following a stint as a research intern with Appalachian Voices in 2007, Rory went on to earn his Master’s degree in Global Environmental Politics from American University. He became Campaign Coordinator for the Coal River Wind campaign, serving under the late Appalachian hero, Judy Bonds. In 2009, Rory joined Downstream Strategies, a West Virginia-based environmental consulting company, where he managed the Energy Program and conducted research and policy analysis related to coal, renewable energy and energy efficiency with a particular focus on Appalachia. Now living in Trade, Tenn., Rory joined the Appalachian Voices team to lead the Energy Savings for Appalachia program.
rory [at] appvoices.org

Lenny Kohm — Senior Campaign Advisor

Lenny Kohm worked for 15 years with the Gwich’In Indians of Northwest Canada and Northeast Alaska, traveling the country and presenting his slideshow presentation, “The Last Great Wilderness,” in support of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. A passionate advocate for both environmental protection and human rights, Lenny has devoted much of his life protecting the Arctic and an indigenous culture that he has grown to love.
lenny [at] appvoices.org

Thom Kay – Washington, D.C. Legislative Associate

Thom is from Spartanburg, where he graduated from Wofford College with a B.A. in Philosophy. He worked at Greenpeace on chemical security legislation and climate change legislation, and later at the League of Conservation Voters on issues including coal ash disposal rules and mountaintop removal mining. Located in our Washington, D.C. office, Thom is working to pass a bill in Congress outlawing the destruction of our mountains and streams, as well as on issues related to coal ash and clean energy.
thom.kay [at] appvoices.org

Sandra Diaz — North Carolina Campaign Coordinator

Born in Philadelphia to immigrant parents from Colombia, Sandra started in environmental advocacy on the student board of directors for the Florida State University chapter of Florida PIRG. After earning her B.A. in Theatre from FSU, she helped organize the first ballot initiative in the nation to stop the inhumane confinement of factory farm animals in Florida, and has also worked as an organizer for League of Conservation Voters and the Alaska Coalition. At Appalachian Voices since 2006, Sandra has been National Field Coordinator for our campaign to end mountaintop removal and Communications and Development Director. She currently heads up our Red, White & Water project, which aims to engage citizens in protecting waterways from the threats posed by coal-based pollution.
sandra [at] appvoices.org

J.W. Randolph — Tennessee Director

J.W. is from Birchwood, in the foothills of Tennessee’s Appalachian Mountains. He joined Appalachian Voices in 2004 through an AmeriCorps volunteer program, organizing students to lobby for cleaner air. In 2007, J.W. opened our Washington, D.C. office, where he helped secure more than 200 congressional co-sponsors on anti-mountaintop removal legislation, helped introduce bi-partisan legislation into the US Senate, and worked to bring the voices of impacted communities to Congress and the White House. He returned to Tennessee in 2011 to open our Nashville office and build grassroots support to protect and promote Tennessee’s mountains and a clean energy future in the Volunteer State. In 2012, our Tennessee program helped bring the Scenic Vistas bill to the state Senate, making it the first mountaintop removal ban ever heard on the floor of a legislative body. J.W. lives with his wife Elizabeth and daughter Emma in Nashville.
jw [at] appvoices.org

Nathan Jenkins — Virginia Campaign Coordinator

Nathan hails from a long line of farmers in the foothills of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. He received a B.S. from James Madison University, and a J.D. and M.S. in Environmental Law from Vermont Law School. While in school, Nathan worked to support Clean Water Act and Clean Air Act litigation with the Environmental and Natural Resources Law Clinic. He later served as a law clerk for the chief judge of Virginia’s 16th judicial circuit before becoming the executive director of the Rappahannock County Conservation Alliance. Nathan lives with his wife, Kara, on his family’s land in Etlan, Virginia.
nathan [at] appvoices.org

Eric Chance — Water Quality Specialist

Eric graduated from Virginia Tech in 2009 with a B.S. in Forestry, and came to Appalachian Voices as an AmeriCorps water quality associate before joining our staff. As part of our Appalachian Water Watch team, Eric assists with monitoring and conducting research on different types of water pollution, from sediment pollution to the impacts of coal, and helps organize community outreach events in order to promote stewardship of our waterways.
eric [at] appvoices.org

Erin Savage — Water Quality Specialist

Originally from Pullman, Erin earned a B.S. in Biology from the University of Washington, where she also minored in Philosophy. After college, she traveled through South America and Africa to research strategies in protected-area management. She completed an M.E.Sc. at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, where she researched the ecological and social aspects of mountain lion depredation of livestock. She joined Appalachian Voices in 2011 as part of our Appalachian Water Watch program, and focuses on Clean Water Act enforcement and citizen water monitoring in coal-impacted communities throughout Central Appalachia.
erin [at] appvoices.org

COMMUNICATIONS

Jamie Goodman — Communications Coordinator
Editor, The Appalachian Voice

A native of western North Carolina, Jamie holds a B.A. in English Literature from Appalachian State University and has over 17 years of experience in print and online media. She has helped to establish and win two national awards for Mountaintimes.com, co-founded the High Country Press newspaper and Shout! magazine, and served as webmaster and co-chair of the Web Advisory Council at ASU. She also sits on the Town of Boone Parks and Greenways Committee and is acting secretary of the Downtown Boone Development Association. Jamie found her home in environmental work at Appalachian Voices in 2008. An accomplished photographer and self-taught design geek, Jamie has a serious soft spot for all creatures great and small, and enjoys using her skills to help save the mountains she loves.
jamie [at] appvoices.org

Brian Sewell — Program Communications Coordinator

A North Carolina native, Brian received his B.A. in Communications from the College of Charleston. After working as a freelance writer for weekly publications and national magazines in Charleston, he served two years with AmeriCorps Project Conserve at the Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina and Appalachian Voices. After a year as the managing editor of The Appalachian Voice, Brian joined our staff full-time in 2012. He helps manage our FrontPorch blog, activist outreach, and social media platforms, and is a contributing editor of The Voice. He enjoys journalism — especially reading and writing stories about the relationship between energy and the environment, politics, media criticism and art — and spending time with his three brothers.
brian [at] appvoices.org

Molly Moore — AmeriCorps Communications Outreach / Managing Editor, The Appalachian Voice

Molly is from the Midwest, where she enjoyed the region’s rivers and lakes, savored deep-dish pizza, and wrote for several newspapers and magazines. She received a B.J. in Journalism and B.A. in Religious Studies from the University of Missouri. Molly entered nonprofit communications by co-hosting a Missouri community radio program that explored the connections between health, environment and agriculture. After providing public relations and development support to the Canyonlands Field Institute in Utah, she joined AmeriCorps Project Conserve in 2011 and journeyed to Boone to delve into print and online communications with Appalachian Voices.
molly [at] appvoices.org

Matt Grimley — AmeriCorps Education Outreach Associate

Raised in Wisconsin and educated at the University of Minnesota, Matt was on track as an English major until he decided to support educational and environmental issues. He wrote for the university newspaper, tutored English-language students, planted rain gardens, and researched birdwatching near the Sax-Zim Bog. Matt served as an AmeriCorps sustainability educator for Clark County, Washington, before coming to Appalachian Voices, where he supports our Red, White & Water campaign and writes for The Appalachian Voice. He enjoys birdwatching in the mountains and solitarily cheering for the Packers.
matt.grimley [at] appvoices.org

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Jeff Deal — IT Consultant

Jeff is an Enviro-Renewable-Energy-Geek with a B.S. in Computer Science and Applied Mathematics from Appalachian State University, where he also completed graduate courses in computer science and appropriate technology. An information technology professional since 1998, Jeff has worked as a computer programmer (C/C++, JAVA, PHP, UNIX shell scripting), Relational Database Administrator (MySQL, Sybase, Oracle and DB2) and UNIX Systems Engineer (AIX, Solaris, and Linux). His interests include energy efficiency, photovoltaics, wind energy, solar-thermal design, and sustainable transportation.
jeff [at] appvoices.org

Board of Directors — Officers

Christina Howe, Chair — Christina resides in Valle Crucis where the Watauga River forms the western boundary of her property. She came to Boone after living and working in Miami, Fl. She was senior vice-president of a very large development company, which built, managed and sold shopping centers, office buildings and airport hangers. Christina became a commercially rated, single and multi-engine pilot with an instrument rating. She founded and still owns two real estate companies. She went on to assist her late husband in building a 350,000 sq.ft. terminal in Sanford, Fl. now known as the Orlando-Sanford International Airport or OSI. Christina is a sailor, an avid tennis player, and enjoys golf. She was the President of the High Country Conservancy for 4 years. Christina is presently President of the Shull’s Farm POA. She is a passionate environmentalist and Green has always been her favorite color.

Landra Lewis, Vice Chair – Landra is a native of eastern Kentucky. She has a BA in Political Science and a certificate in mediation from Duke University. She is involved in a variety of professional associations and environmental organizations. She is dedicated to ending mountaintop removal coal mining and bringing about positive change in her home state of Kentucky.

Dot Griffith, Secretary — Dot Griffith earned her BFA in Photography from the University of Georgia and is the founder of the Banner Elk Advocates for Responsible Expansion (BEARE). She is the mother of two and loves to cycle, hike, camp, cook, dance, and now spread awareness about mountaintop removal coal mining.

Bunk Spann, Treasurer — Bunk Spann is the founder of the National Center for Developmental Education at Appalachian State University, a former member of the Boone, N.C. town council and current chair of the Boone area Planning Commission.

Board Members-At-Large

Clara Bingham — Clara Bingham is an award winning journalist and author. She is a former Newsweek White House correspondent, and the author (with Laura Leedy Gansler) of Class Action: The Landmark Case that Changed Sexual Harassment Law (Doubleday 2002). Her book was adapted into the 2005 film North Country (Warner Bros.), staring Charlize Theron and Frances McDormand. Both actresses received Oscar nominations for their roles. Class Action was a Los Angeles Times best book of the year and won the AAUW Speaking Out For Justice Award. Bingham is also the author of Women on the Hill: Challenging the Culture of Congress (Times Books 1997), and she has written for many publications including Vanity Fair, Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Talk, The Washington Monthly, Ms., and United Press International. While reporting a story in West Virginia, Bingham, a Kentucky native, witnessed the destructive effects of Mountaintop Removal coal mining for the first time. Since then she has dedicated her time and energy to producing The Last Mountain, which was in competition at that Sundance Film Festival January 2011.

Jim Deming — Rev. Jim Deming is the Minister for Environmental Justice for the United Church of Christ where he is involved in grassroots environmental justice programs, education, and advocacy. For three years, he was the Executive Director of Tennessee Interfaith Power and Light, educating congregations on environmental stewardship, renewable energy, and energy conservation. He also served as the Executive Director of the Kentucky/ Tennessee Water Environment Association. He is excited about working with Appalachian Voices and members of the faith community to draw attention to environmental injustices like mountaintop removal.

Silas House — Silas is an award-win- ning author of four novels, two plays, and a number of other works. He serves as the NEH Chair in Appalachian Studies at Berea College and on the fiction faculty at Spalding Univer- sity’s MFA in Creative Writing Program. He is a former contributing editor for No Depression magazine and is one of Nashville’s most in-demand press kit writ- ers. He is also the creator of the Mountain Heritage Literary Festival.

Mary Anne Hitt — Mary Anne Hitt is director of the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign, which is working to eliminate coal’s contribution to global warming by preventing the construction of new coal-fired power plants, accelerating the retirement and replacement of existing coal plants, and ensuring the massive coal reserves in the US remain underground and out of export markets. She previously served as executive director of Appalachian Voices, where she was one of the co-creators of iLoveMountains.org. She was also previously the executive director of the Ecology Center and the Southern Appalachian Biodiversity Project. She grew up in the mountains of east Tennessee and now lives in West Virginia.

Rick Phelps — Rick is a retired consulting environmental chemist experienced in air and water quality analysis, combustion source assessments and industrial waste treatment technologies. He was a founder of the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy in Asheville, N.C. focusing on endangered land and watershed protection. Rick has also served on several EPA advisory and regulatory development groups as well has a num- ber of environmental and outdoor recreation organizations.

Kathy Selvage — Kathy, daughter of a coal miner and Wise County, VA resident, has brought local, regional, and national exposure to the destruction that mountaintop removal coal mining is wreaking on her native land, its people, and their culture. As a strong advocate for herself and others, she was instrumental in the fight against Dominion’s Wise County coal-fired plant and the mile-long petition delivered in Richmond, VA, the recipient of the 2006 St. Francis Ecological Award for innovative work; was named in Blue Ridge Country magazine as one of 14 individuals shaping the region, and appeared in the Evans/Gellar documentary “Coal Country” as a path to bring the devastation of the Appalachian region to the consciousness of every American. In 2010, she emerged in another documentary, “Electricity Fairy”, to be utilized to support work against future coal-fired plants and mountain top removal and instead promote energy efficiency, conservation, and renewable energies.

Lauren Waterworth — Lauren is a native of Boone, N.C. She has a background in geology as well as studio art, and she earned her JD from Tulane University Law School with a certificate in Environmental Law. After finishing law school, Lauren returned to practice law in Boone, where she discovered a passion for criminal defense work. She also practices in the areas of Environmental Law, Land Use and Planning. When not in the office or in the court room, Lauren enjoys walking her dogs with her wonderful husband, skiing as a member of the National Ski Patrol, gardening, hiking and painting.

Tom Cormons, Ex Officio — Tom joined Appalachian Voices in 2007 to open our Virginia office. In 2010, he became our deputy programs director, helping to develop Appalachian Voices’ programmatic strategy and supervise our program teams, and in 2013, he became executive director. Tom received his B.A. from the University of Virginia and his J.D. from the University of California at Los Angeles. He is a member of the Virginia State Bar. His previous experience includes working as a law clerk with the Southern Environmental Law Center, the Piedmont Environmental Council, the U. S. Department of Justice, and Environmental Defense. He also worked with endangered and threatened migratory terns in South America for six seasons, overseeing radio-tracking of the birds.

Advisory Councils

Chair’s Advisory Council

Jonathan C. Allen, CPA CFP, CLU — Jonathan is a financial advisor in Boone, N.C. He began his career at Ernst & Young, LLP in Manhattan where he worked as a tax consultant. He currently holds three professional certifications – Certified Public Accountant, Certified Financial Planner®, and Chartered Life Underwriter. In addition to working at Allen Wealth Management, Jonathan has taught Financial Planning at Appalachian State University and Accounting at Wake Forest University. An avid outdoorsman, Jonathan enjoys hiking, golf, and fly-fishing the local trout streams. He is married to Stephanie and the couple resides in Boone with their dog, Deacon.

Jessica Barba Brown — Jessica is Vice President for Program Development at Faith in Public Life, a strategy center advancing faith in the public square. Most recently, she spent three years serving as communications director and senior aide for former Rep. Tom Perriello on his election campaigns and on Capitol Hill. In just a short time, Perriello went from long-shot congressional hopeful to one of the highest-profile and widely watched political stories in 2010. Before her career turned to politics, Jessica worked in the nonprofit sector as communications director for City Year New York and communications and marketing manager for CancerCare. During the 2004 elections, she was one of the founding board members of the Catholic Voting Project, which went on to become Catholics United. A native of the Washington, DC, region, Jessica holds a bachelor’s degree in Gender and Sexuality Studies from New York University.

Alfred Glover — Community leader and businessman, Alfred is President of Boone Ford Lincoln Mercury Dealership.

Randy Hayes — Executive Director of Foundation Earth, founder and board member of Rainforest Action Network.

Van Jones — Van Jones is a globally recognized, award-winning pioneer in human rights and the clean-energy economy. Van is a co-founder of three successful non-profit organizations: the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, Color of Change and Green For All. He is the best-selling author of the definitive book on green jobs: The Green-Collar Economy. He served as the green jobs advisor in the Obama White House in 2009. Van is currently a senior fellow at the Center For American Progress. Additionally, he is a senior policy advisor at Green For All. Van also holds a joint appointment at Princeton University, as a distinguished visiting fellow in both the Center for African American Studies and in the Program in Science, Technology and Environmental Policy at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.

Brenda Sigmon — Brenda is a retired school teacher and former member of the North Carolina Textbook Commission. Brenda helped co-found the Catawba County Litter Task Force in Newton, N.C. She is a long-standing volunteer for Appalachian Voices, including delivering The Appalachian Voice newspaper to two counties in western North Carolina. She currently teaches part-time at Catawba Valley Community College in Hickory, N.C. Brenda is an avid hiker and an active member of Catawba Valley Outing Club, and enjoys helping to maintain hiking trails in the area.

Interns

Becca Stern – Mountaintop Removal Campaign Assistant

Becca Stern, from Chadds Ford, Pa., is currently a junior studying anthropology and biology at American University. In the future, she hopes to pursue a graduate degree in wildlife ecology. Becca’s many passions include figure skating, dancing, cooking and snowboarding. One of her favorite activities is taking a walk through the zoo on a crisp fall day. She aims to connect her love of wildlife and the outdoors with her anthropological studies, and is excited to be a part of the Appalachian Voices team.

Melanie Foley – Legislative Policy and Research Intern

Melanie Foley, a Washington native, has spent the past few years pursuing her education at the University of Maryland. Melanie spends her summers on and around the Potomac River, instructing sailing, caving, and other outdoor activities. Now, with a bachelors in Political Science and masters in Environmental Policy, she is excited to join the Appalachian Voices team on Capitol Hill to advance clean water legislation.

Erin Hostetler – Red, White & Water Campaign Assistant

Erin Hostetler is a recent graduate of Appalachian State University with degrees in Global Studies and Spanish. A Charlotte native, she was introduced to the many environmental issues facing the Appalachian region upon beginning her undergraduate studies. These issues have developed into passions that she believes require immediate advocacy and action. In her free time, Erin enjoys discovering new music, spending time with friends, cooking, speaking Spanish and researching where her next travel destination will be. Erin is currently working with Appalachian Voices on their Red, White and Water Campaign which works to support our nation’s Clean Water Act.

Katie Griffith – Red, White & Water Campaign Assistant

Katie grew up in the Appalachian Mountains on an organic farm about fifteen minutes from Boone, NC. She has always loved the mountains and rivers, and has a huge passion for keeping both safe and clean. She is an Appalachian Studies and Sustainable Development student at Appalachian State University, and works at a local farm and kayaking outfitter. She loves the outdoors, bluegrass music, yoga and gardening. She is excited to be a part of Appalachian Voices and help with the Red, White and Water Campaign!

Ashley Lin – Red, White & Water Campaign Assistant

Ashley was born and raised in East Tennessee and earned her B.S. in Environmental Law and Policy and a minor in Environmental Writing and Literature in Syracuse. During her time there she worked for Citizen’s Campaign for the Environment, organized many environmental initiatives and events throughout her campus, and interned for many national labs to learn the hard science and research that went into obtaining the numbers that are used as data to develop the environmental laws and policies of today. This summer she is joining Appalachian Voices to work on the Red, White and Water Campaign and will be returning to New York in the fall to obtain her M.S. in Environmental Law and Policy and Sustainable Enterprise.

Matt Abele – Multimedia Assistant

Matt Abele is a senior appropriate technology major with a minor in business attending Appalachian State University. He was born and raised most of his life in Ohio until moving to North Carolina in 2005. After graduation he intends to either continue his education in a graduate communications program or dive head first into a renewable energy career. His passions include videography, photography, and traveling. He is looking forward to helping Appalachian Voices with online communications and video!

Davis Wax – Editorial Communications Assistant

Davis Wax was born in Durham, N.C., and raised in Concord, N.C. He is currently a senior at Appalachian State studying English and history and plans to one day work as an editor in the online publishing field. After graduation, he hopes to either be teaching English or serving in AmeriCorps. He enjoys reading, writing, hiking, running, and generally being outdoors in the Appalachian region. He looks forward to helping with editorial projects at Appalachian Voices.

Jil Lee – Online Communications Assistant

Jil Lee is a senior public relations major with a minor in Chinese at Appalachian State University. She was born and raised in Taipei, Taiwan. She decided to travel around the world and ended up settling in Raleigh in 2004. With strong interests in environmental protection, design/organizing and photography, she looks forward to combining all of her interests to help the natural environment and be part of Appalachian Voices.

Alix John – Editorial Communications Assistant

Alix recently graduated from Radford University with a major in journalism and a minor in political science. She is from all over Northern Virginia, but now lives in Bristol, Va. She loves good coffee, BBQ, reading and writing, and hanging out with her fiance, Zach. She has two rescue dogs- a lab mix named Hank, and a black and tan coonhound named Maggie- that she treats like children. She is an admitted political news junkie and is excited to learn and write about environmental policy in the Appalachian area.

Nicole DeBartolo – Appalachian Water Watch Assistant

Nicole DeBartolo was born in New Jersey and raised in Waxhaw, North Carolina. Some of her passions include reading, running, and nature photography. She is currently a student at Appalachian State University majoring in Environmental Studies. She found out about mountaintop removal and coal mining through her Principles of Sustainable Development class and knew that she wanted to do something to help prevent it. She is looking forward to working with the Appalachian Water Watch program to help improve the water quality in areas affected by coal mining.

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