Joey Aloi is a born-and-raised Appalachian from West Virginia with years of experience in local food. He spearheaded aggregation and distribution efforts for KISRA’s Paradise Farms in Dunbar, and in this capacity was one of the founding members of the Turnrow Appalachian Farms Collective. He has also served as the President of the Board of Directors of the West Virginia Food and Farm Coalition. He came to his work in Appalachian foodways as an Appalachian Transition Fellow with the Highlander Research and Education Center. This work was not only a result of his connection to his homeplace, but a result of an education in Environmental Philosophy. In this capacity, he studied Philosophy of Food at the University of North Texas, where he wrote on hermeneutics and environmental aesthetics for his doctoral dissertation. Before that, he studied Philosophy of Technology in Montana, and wrote a Master’s Thesis on wilderness and culture. His published academic works touch on environmental ethics, economic transition, environmental justice, and the role of the forest in Appalachian foodways. He’s currently serving on the board of the Buckhannon River Watershed Association.

A Pendleton county native, Heather has returned home to the beautiful mountains to join Future Generations University as Administrative Associate to the Appalachian team. She is a graduate of Marshall University where she studied Psychology and spent over a decade educating, caring for, and counseling children in Kanawha county. She has also enjoyed working with several nonprofit organizations over the years, both as a volunteer and employee, and in 2017 had the good fortune to join West Virginia Community Development Hub. It was there she developed a passion for positive transformation in our local communities by supporting and connecting residents with tools, training and resources, and building leadership for sustainable growth.

During the warmer months, Heather spends most of her free time outdoors – gardening, hiking, camping, and exploring the forest for treasures with her dog, Tucker. Once the temperature drops, you’ll find her inside – making jewelry, sewing, baking, collecting even more hobbies, or planning summer adventures.

Kris Reiser advances the university’s growth through research and official communications with donors, prospective students, alumni, and partners as the Strategy & Impact Associate. Kris is a graduate from Boise State University, with her Bachelors of Arts in both French and Spanish, and minors in German and Japanese Studies. While going to college, she developed a keen interest for different cultures and to be able to communicate while exploring them. To develop her language skills, Kris worked and lived in Morocco for four years. This experience led her to pursue her Masters of Arts in International Relations, with a specialization in Security and Development from the Universidad Autónoma Barcelona.

Kris has thrived by working cross culturally and has taught staff and students how to engage and grow locally. She continues to live in the Barcelona area, in her personal time she enjoys hiking around the green spaces of her community, trying new cuisines, and traveling to lesser-known locations to experience local culture.

• Bianchini S., Chambellan G., Hoppert S., and Reiser K. ¨Military Intervention in Libya: The Renewal of the Tuareg’s Self-Determination,¨ (E-International Relations, 2015)⁠

Jenny Totten grew up in West Virginia and currently resides in McDowell County, WV. She’s tried to flee her Appalachian roots more than once and finally found herself back home with her passion. Professionally trained as an aerospace and robotics engineer, she discovered after a series of beautiful adventures including Haiti, the 1890 extension system, and the WV nonprofit sector, that she prefers working with communities to engineer their own futures instead. Jenny has worked with both community development and local food systems in the region for over a decade, particularly supporting local level efforts and systems approaches to community change.

Her professional interests gravitate towards building rural economic models, supporting youth-based programs, entrepreneurship, applications of technology to rural development, and agroforestry pursuits. In addition to working for the university, she owns and operates a small cut flower operation and is the proud owner of an endless fixer upper house project in McDowell County. In her spare time, Jenny enjoys hiking, flatwater kayaking, trail running, and traveling to find new culinary and music adventures with her canine, Oliver.

Jenny received both an MS in unmanned systems and BS in aerospace engineering from Virginia Tech and is a member of the inaugural class of Appalachian Leadership Institute fellows, sponsored by the Appalachian Regional Commission. She is a past winner of the West Virginia Beacon Award, given to young people working to build leadership in their local communities.

Surendra was born in Butwal and grew up in Lalitpur District of Nepal. He studied Business and Project Management in Nepal, India, and the Netherlands before earning his Masters of International Cooperation and Development. He has worked with various NGOs (Hope International, Center for Community Development Nepal, Share and Care Nepal) to empower marginalized rural communities in different parts of Nepal for 17 years. He has experience in community based integrated development programs, focusing primarily on program development, project management, documentation, and donor relations. While working in his previous organization Share and Care Nepal, he was closely involved in the application of the SEED-SCALE theory of social change in the communities. He joined Future Generations in 2021 as the Nepal Community Engagement Coordinator.

Surendra likes sports and was once national B division football player for the Brigade Boys Club of Lalitpur.

• Gurung, S. Sustaining development in the community (Academic Thesis)
• Gurung, S. Staff motivation in the Non-Government Organization (Academic Thesis)

• Presentation on Community based approach for prevention, minimizing human trafficking and a panel speaker in Asia-Region Anti Trafficking Conference in Thailand.
• Social Entrepreneurship workshop for organizations by TEAR Australia.
• “Keeping Donors Happy” workshop on Financial Management in Thailand.
• Result Based Monitoring of Anti Human Trafficking Projects workshop in India organized by Geneva Global USA.
• Participatory Assessment of Disaster Risk (PADR) workshop by Tear Fund UK in India.
• Child Right Protection Policy workshop by Plan International/Nepal.
• Disseminating Comprehensive Peace Accord TOT by Chemonics International, USAID.

Michael was born and raised in the northern panhandle of West Virginia. He gained his bachelors of science in biology from West Liberty University while working on his friend’s beef farm and as a research assistant studying crayfish throughout the central and southern Appalachians. He spent time working for Williams Companies as a midstream production lab tech before moving to San Angelo, TX to work on his masters of science in biology. During his masters degree he worked for Ethicon Inc. as a lab tech on pharmaceutical products and also taught courses to undergraduate biology and nursing majors. After attaining his masters degree we worked as a Wildlife Manager for three years at the WVDNR. He is now a Field Associate at Future Generations University.

Michael prefers to spend his spare time with his friends and family; hiking, hunting, fishing, gardening, cooking, and foraging.

Lindsay Kazarick is a native of southwestern Pennsylvania currently residing in Pendleton County, West Virginia. Lindsay serves as an Education and Impact Associate for the Appalachian Team specializing in community outreach. She joins Future Generations University from the plumbing and wholesale industries with expansive work helping local farmers and the surrounding community. Lindsay is the 2020 Water Quality Association’s Excellence Award recipient for her work creating and organizing a community-wide program providing water treatment and other therapeutic accommodations for children with compromised immune systems, specifically undergoing cancer treatments, at no cost to the families.

In her free time, Lindsay enjoys gluten-free cooking, making tie dye, gardening, and adventuring throughout the Highlands with her partner Josh and their dog Roxy.

Evelyn Hartman returns to her West Virginia roots once again to join the Appalachian team at Future Generations University as the Education & Impact Associate. She originally returned to West Virginia after 15 years in 2015 as the Foodshed Development AmeriCorps VISTA with the West Virginia Food & Farm Coalition and later the Community Relations Coordinator. During her tenure at the West Virginia Food & Farm Coalition, she was fortunate to work with West Virginia’s growing food and farm community. Her work supported the community through program development and coordination, including the West Virginia Collaborative Regional Alliance for Farmer Training (WV CRAFT) program.

Over the past seven years, her passion for farming has led her to France, North Carolina, New Zealand, and Australia to live, work, and learn on diverse family farms. She dreams of starting a farm of her own in the mountains one day.

Evelyn studied anthropology, environmental sustainability, and economics at the University of Mary Washington and holds a Master of Arts in Public Anthropology from American University.

Cindy Martel grew up in the mountains of New England surrounded by buckets and maple syrup. She moved to West Virginia in 1988 and began a 25+ year stint as a marketing specialist at the state department of agriculture after hanging up her marketing director hat and whitewater guide stick in 1994. She remained connected with the outdoor recreation industry during her tenure at department of agriculture working with one of the state’s largest outfitter in marketing and logistics roles.

Cindy welcomed the opportunity to join Future Generations working on marketing and regulatory components of the comprehensive agribusiness development plan for the state’s “first” and “sweetest” crop of the season. She is excited to join the maple team at Future Generations and continue to cultivate agritourism in the Mountain State.

• Roper, C. “Sino-Vietnamese Relations and the Economy of Vietnam’s Border Region.” Asian Survey, vol. 40, no. 6, 2000, pp. 1019–1041.
• Singh-Knights, Doolarie; Martel, Cynthia. “Showcasing the Best of West Virginia Agriculture-Partnerships and Collaborations in the Agritourism Supply Chain”; 2018 West Virginia Women in Agriculture Conference
• Martel, Cindy and Singh-Knights, Doolarie. “Tap to Table: The Business of Marketing Your Syrup Business”; 2018 Southern Syrup Symposium
• Singh-Knights, Doolarie; Martel, Cindy, Rechlin, Mike. “Promoting Sustainability through Cluster Development in the Agritourism Supply Chain”; 2018 Southern Syrup Symposium
• Singh-Knights, Doolarie; Martel, Cindy, Rechlin, Mike. “Cluster Development and Collaboration in the Agritourism Supply Chain-The Mountain State Maple Days”; 2018 Extension Risk Management Education National Conference. Contributor
• Martel, Cindy and Singh-Knights, Doolarie. “A Look at West Virginia Agritourism Now and Years to Come”; 2018 West Virginia Governors Conference on Tourism.
• Singh-Knights, Doolarie; Martel, Cynthia; Eades, Daniel; et al. “West Virginia Agritourism Economic Impact Survey 2016”
• Singh-Knights, D., and C. Martel (2016). Innovation and Collaboration in the Agritourism Supply Chain – Cluster Development and Implications for Marketing. Presentation in the Proceedings of the 2016 ANREP/NACDEP Conference, Burlington, VT, June 26-29th, 2016.
• Singh-Knights, D., and C. Martel (2016). Building Viable Agritourism Operations through Business Planning and Risk-Management Education – The ‘WV Agritourism Initiative’. Poster presentation in the Proceedings of the 2016 ANREP/NACDEP Conference, Burlington, VT, June 26-29th, 2016.
• Singh-Knights, D., and C. Martel (2015). Linking Agriculture, Tourism, Economics and Education While Building Rural Communities. Research Presentation in Proceedings of the VT Agritourism Collaborative Conference – Welcoming Customers on Your Farm to Increase Farm Profits, April 7-8, 2015, Burlington, VT.
• Singh-Knights, D., Daisy Bailey and C. Martel (2015). Linking Agriculture, Tourism, Economics and Education through Cluster Development in Rural Communities. Invited Workshop Presentation in the Proceedings of the 2015 National Extension Tourism Conference, Galveston, Texas. October 27-29, 2015. Singh-Knights, D (2015).
• Singh-Knights, D., and Martel, C. (2014). Building Rural Communities through Collaborations and an Expanding Agritourism-Based Model – Agritourism, Education and Economics on your Farm. Research 8 Presentation at the Food Systems Summit, Burlington, VT, June, 2014.
• Singh-Knights, D., Martel, C., Richmond, J., Bailey, D., and Poling, J. (2014). Agritourism, Education and Economics on your Farm – Tools for Risk Management Centered Decision-Making. Research Presentation at the 2014 Women in Agriculture Educators National Conference – Indianapolis, IN, April 2-3, 2014.

Sarah Collins-Simmons grew up in the mountains of Nelson County, Virginia, so she felt right at home when she moved to Highland in 2011 to participate as one of the founding Fellows at the Allegheny Mountain Institute. Sarah studied Architecture and Environmental Science at the University of Virginia. She earned a Masters of Landscape Architecture from the University of Georgia, worked in community development at The Highland Center and managed orchards and made cider with Big Fish Cider, Co. At Future Generations University, she is the Strategy and Impact Associate for the Nature-Based Enterprises team working to advance maple and walnut syrup production in Appalachia and expand the region’s forest farming.

Sarah lives in Blue Grass, Virginia, with her husband, Joshua—the county’s building and zoning official, their son Everett and a farm menagerie, including dogs and goats. Together, the family enjoys renovating houses and spending time outside gardening, hiking, and camping. Sarah also makes pottery, jewelry, and baskets.

Kate Fotos is a graduate of Colby College with a degree in environmental science and conservation biology. She began her work in maple syrup researching alternative tree syrups such as sycamore and walnut under Professor Mike Rechlin. In that first year, she also ran a state-wide maple education program for public schools across West Virginia. She has now expanded her scope of work to include producer coaching and public education for maple syrup production across the Appalachian range.

Outside of the maple realm, Kate has a deep love of the outdoors, and has worked as a long-distance canoe guide, a competitive lumberjack, and an arborist. In her free time, she likes to enjoy the wonderful environment of the West Virginia highlands.

Deena is a native of Rockingham, North Carolina. She has 20-plus years of experience working in payroll, accounts receivable and accounts payable with several organizations. Deena attended Richmond Community College and Sandhills Community College in North Carolina. Deena enjoys gardening and resides in Franklin, West Virginia with her husband and their house of animals.

Shannon is a graduate of James Madison University, where she majored in sociology, gaining valuable insights into social factors and how they affect organizations both locally and globally. While in college, she managed to start a successful business designing and creating accessories to sell through an online platform to a niche market. This led her to 3D design and additive manufacturing, where she gained experience building small scale 3D printers and eventually brought an additive manufacturing pop-up shop to fruition in Harrisonburg, VA.

In the summers, she keeps a large vegetable garden and spends most of her free time in her kitchen, preserving the harvest and preparing baked goods to share with friends and family. She has spent the last few years raising her two daughters, adjusting to motherhood, and living a simpler, more grounded lifestyle in beautiful Pendleton County, WV. Former member USA Junior Acrobatics Team, ranked 12th in the world.

Chris joins the Future Generations family after a 20-year career in international educational travel, designing and operating travel programs globally. Prior to that, his academic career focused on Sino-Vietnamese relations, including the effects of globalization on the then-remote border regions of China and Vietnam.

Chris currently resides outside of Richmond, Virginia, with his wife Sherry, and sons Nate and Ben, and sweet old dog China

Bruce Holdeman founded 601 Design, Inc in 1987, an international award-winning graphic design studio providing full-service graphic design services focused primarily on magazines, books, e-pubs, logo design, brand development and illustration. He was art director for State Legislatures magazine for over 30 years, illustrating over 300 covers. Bruce is a two-time Graphis International Platinum Award recipient for logo design along with many more Gold Awards. He earned a Certificate in Development Practice from Regis University in 2017, and continues to pursue his interest in the sustainable development field.

Graphis Logo 9

• Toolpath Design, Inc-Platinum Award

20th Colorado International Invitational Poster Exhibition

• Minimum Wage Poster
• State Legislatures Jobs Poster

Graphis Design Annual 2017

• Flint & Steel Sauvignon Blanc label-Silver Award

Graphis Poster Annual 2016

• State Legislatures National Guard-Silver Award

Graphis Typography 3

• Steamboat Springs Arts Council 100th Anniversary Logo-Gold Award

Graphis Social & Political Protest Posters

• Minimum Wage Poster-Gold Award

Graphis Design Annual 2015

• State Legislatures Minimum Wage Poster-Gold Award
• State Legislatures Jobs Poster-Gold Award

Graphis Poster Annual 2015

• State Legislatures Minimum Wage Poster-Gold Award

Graphis Poster Annual 2014

• Rex’s Grill & Bar cycling ad-Silver Award

Graphis 100 Best in Advertising 2012

• Rex’s Grill & Bar cycling ad-Gold Award

Graphis 100 Best in Design 2012

• Steamboat Springs Arts Council-Gold Award
• Toolpath Design-Gold Award
• Viva Las Vegas Ice Show-Gold Award

Graphic Design Solutions, Second Edition

• Steamboat Springs Arts Council 100th Anniversary

Graphis Logo 8

• Steamboat Springs Arts Council 100th Anniversary-Platinum Award
• Steamboat Springs Art Council-Gold Award
• Viva Las Vegas Ice Show-Gold Award
• 9.81 Films-Gold Award
• 601 Design-Silver Award
• Ristra-Silver Award
• Sweetwater Grill-Silver Award
• Lonesome Saddle
• Saddle Ridge

Graphis Logo 7

• Home on the Range-Silver Award
• NCSL Salt Lake City Summit Meeting-Silver Award
• Ride the Rockies-Silver Award
• State-Tribal Institute-Silver Award
• 601 Design moving promotional logo-Silver Award

Graphis Design Annual 2008

• Home on the Range

Graphis Logo 4

• Rocky Mountain Ostrich Association-Silver Award
• 2004 Ride the Rockies logo
• Colorado Investment Casting

Strathmore/Graphis Traveling Showcase

• Rocky Mountain Ostrich Association

Graphis Ephemera

• Wedding announcement

2003 Print’s Regional Design Annual

• Ride the Rockies poster

2003 AIGA Colorado 501c Best Magazine

• February 2003 State Legislatures magazine

2003 AIGA Colorado 501c Best Cover

• February 2002 State Legislatures cover

2003 AIGA Colorado 501c Best Business Papers

• NCSL Foundation for State Legislatures

2002 Art Directors Club of Denver

• Ride the Rockies 2002 logo-Silver Award

Graphic Design Solutions

• Spalding Rehabilitation Hospital Christmas card

2000 Silver Leaf Award

• Donor Alliance Annual Report

1999 Print’s Regional Design Annual

• October/November State Legislatures cover

1998 Print’s Regional Design Annual

• Ride the Rockies 98 logo

1998 Graphis Design Annual

• Tandem Cycle Works of Colorado logo

1996 Print’s Regional Design Annual

• Ride the Rockies 96 logo

1995 Print’s Best Logos and Symbols

• Ride the Rockies 94 logo

Print’s Casebooks 9-Best in Covers and Posters

• November/December 89 cover
• April 90 State Legislatures cover

1995 Graphis Design Annual

• WaveMakers International logo

1994 Print’s Regional Design Annual

• Ride the Rockies 94 logo
• May State Legislatures cover

1994 Graphis Poster Annual

• Self-promotional poster

Graphis Logo 2

• Ride the Rockies 91
• Mennonite Peacekeeper Teams

1993 Print’s Regional Design Annual

• September State Legislatures cover

1992 Print’s Regional Design Annual

• Spalding Rehabilitation Hospital Christmas card

1992 Graphis Poster Annual

• Ride the Rockies poster

1992 Graphis Design Annual

• State Legislatures cover illustration

1991 Print’s Regional Design Annual

• April State Legislatures cover

1990 Print’s Regional Design Annual

• November/December State Legislatures cover

Ruth possesses rich experience in diverse educational settings. Her career has had an emphasis on implementing project-based curricula, facilitating experiences that teach valuable skills to youth, and utilizing different learning technologies to create an optimal online learning environment. Ruth will be joining the research team and is bringing her expertise to our developing climate change project: Songs of Adaptation.

Taylor, R., B. Shneiderman & S. Moeller. (in press). Using NodeXL in a Course Context: Short-term Graduate Student Projects. In M. A. Smith, D. Hansen & I. Himelboim. (Eds.), Think Link: Connecting to the Power of Social Networks with NodeXL. Morgan Kaufmann.

Stephanie Hartman left her position of WV State Tax Department Director of Information Technology to join the Future Generations Graduate School team as the Chief Operating Officer. While at the WV State Tax Department she worked as a programmer, a database administrator and oversaw all aspects of its Information Technology Department. Her current responsibilities at Future Generations Graduate School include human relations, finance office management, grant management, facilities management, and board relations. She was a member of the University’s Class of 2017 and earned her MA in Applied Community Development. Stephanie is a native of Pendleton County, WV.

Stephanie is a Nationally Certified Emergency Technician and volunteers with the Pendleton County Emergency Rescue association.

Paula is a 2014 graduate of East Hardy High School where she graduated with academic honors. She was the secretary of her local 4-H club, treasure of the FCCLA, and a member of Spanish club, student council, and National Honor Society. She enjoys helping with local community functions such as heritage weekend ( a county-wide event honoring the heritage of Hardy County), helping with soup kitchens, and delivering meals to elders during the holidays. She finished her Associates Degree at Eastern WV Community & Technical College in December 2016 and is continuing her education through West Virginia State University to achieve her Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration. She is a native of West Virginia, growing up in Hardy County, and moving to Pendleton County in 2015.