Willa Coffey Mays, MBA/MHA — Executive Director
Willa Mays has over 25 years experience leading environmental and non-profit organizations. Prior to her work with Appalachian Voices she was Director of Operations and Development for the Greater Yellowstone Coalition in Bozeman, MT; Assistant Director of the Center for the Environment at Catawba College, and Director of Development for the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation.
willa [at] appvoices.org
Matt Wasson, PhD — Director of Programs
Beginning with his doctoral research at Cornell University on the impacts of acid rain on birds, Matt Wasson has spent the last 15 years working on all aspects of the “coal cycle” from mining, transportation and combustion of coal to the disposal of power plant waste. Matt is currently considered the authority on mountaintop removal mining and other surface mining methods in the environmental community. He is a gifted information technologist and has built web-based databases with sophisticated search functions for use by the public and professionals working on coal-related issues. Matt also oversees the award-winning online campaign to stop mountaintop removal coal mining on iLoveMountains.org.
matt [at] appvoices.org
Lenny Kohm — Campaign Director
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
OPERATIONS & DEVELOPMENT
Susan Congelosi — Operations Manager
Susan Congelosi has been the Operations Manager for Appalachian Voices since March, 2000. She has always been a passionate and active defender of the environment, and knew right away that AV 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 a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from the California College of the Arts in Oakland, California in 1975. She moved to Boone, North Carolina in 1976 to build a glassblowing studio, and has resided in the Boone area ever since. She pursued further studies in accounting and real estate, and has worked professionally in both fields for many years. Making art is still an important part of her life and keeps her connected with creation. Susan’s love of the earth and all wildlife, with her sense of responsibility to defend anything that cannot defend itself has kept her firmly and happily planted in the Appalachian Mountains.
susan [at] appvoices.org
Shay Boyd — Administrative Associate
Shay Boyd provides support for the volunteer program, fund raising activities and various administrative functions. Shay has a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a Master of Arts in Industrial-Organizational Psychology and Human Resource Management from Appalachian State University. After graduating in 1996, she worked for several local companies and operated her own business. Her lifelong love of the mountains began in early childhood while visiting beautiful Lake Lure, North Carolina where her family had a vacation home. Shay is thrilled to be part of this wonderful organization.
outreach [at] appvoices.org
Kayti Wingfield — Director of Leadership Gifts
Kayti Wingfield hails from Waynesboro, Virginia; a small town set in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Kayti studied political science and international relations at Christopher Newport University and received a certificate of non-profit management from the University of Virginia. She spent the last three years as the coordinator for the Wise Energy for Virginia Coalition of which Appalachian Voices is a member. Kayti’s work with the Coalition included managing inter-organizational relationships, 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
Rachael Goss — Director of Foundation Relations
A native New Yorker, Rachael came to western North Carolina over four years ago to go camping, and never left. After graduating New York University with a dual degree in Politics and Journalism, she served as a Special Education teacher and community organizer in Oakland, California before moving to Malawi, Africa to work in sustainable development. Upon returning to the States, Rachael continued to be active with grassroots environmental and social justice groups across the globe, providing media and development support for indigenous sovereignty and solidarity projects in Bolivia, California, Utah and South Dakota. Most recently she worked with Greenpeace on both coasts. She is also freelance writer and aspiring documentary film maker who believes in the power of community, the healing ability of wilderness and the potential for YouTube (cat videos aside) and citizen journalism to change the world. rachael [at] appvoices.org
PROGRAMS
J.W. Randolph — Tennessee Director
JW Randolph is originally from the town of Birchwood in East Tennessee, and has worked for Appalachian Voices since 2004, founding the popular “pizzas and vistas” program for student volunteers. In January 2007 JW moved to Washington, DC to open Appalachian Voices office in the Capitol. There he led in the fight against mountaintop removal, working with citizens from across Appalachia to bring their voices to Congress and the White House. In that time, more than 200 members of Congress cosponsored either the Clean Water Protection Act (House) or Appalachia Restoration Act (Senate), while the Obama Administration was the first in history to take steps to limit mountaintop removal. In 2011, JW moved back home to Tennessee to open Appalachian Voices’ Tennessee office in Nashville and build a grassroots presence in the Volunteer State. JW is a regular contributor to the Appalachian Voices Front Porch blog, and his writing has been featured on the front page of prominent blogs such as DailyKos, coal-is-dirty.com, and Grist.com. He has been featured on NPR’s “All Things Considered” for his work with citizen lobbyists from Appalachia on Capitol Hill, as well as ClearSkiesTV, ClimateTV, EENews, Salon, and radio from coast to coast. JW lives with his wife Elizabeth and daughter Emma in Nashville, TN. jw [at] appvoices.org
Sandra Diaz — North Carolina Campaign Coordinator
Sandra Diaz started her career in environmental advocacy as a grassroots organizer over 10 years ago. She has played many roles at Appalachian Voices such as National Field Coordinator for the End Mountaintop Removal Campaign and Communications Director. Sandra assumed her current position in July 2011.
sandra [at] appvoices.org
Kate Rooth — National Field Coordinator
Kate Rooth originally hails from Cashiers, North Carolina and graduated from Lehigh University in 2005, having studied Political and Environmental Science. Afterwards, Kate moved to Washington, D.C., and began working for Greenpeace, where she contributed to a variety of climate and clean energy campaigns including the International Quit Coal tour and the Cape Wind Campaign. She has since worked for Rainforest Action Network on their mountaintop removal campaign, targeting both the regulators and financiers of coal mining. Kate is also an active collective member of Rising Tide North America. Kate works out of Appalachian Voices’ DC office.
kate [at] appvoices.org
Kate Finneran — National Field Organizer
Kate Finneran is originally from New York State, but now works out of our Washington, D.C. office. As our new National Field Organizer, Kate be working with citizens across the country to end mountaintop removal. Kate began working on mountaintop removal in 2009 after visiting Larry Gibson’s property in Kayford, West Virginia, where you can see destruction for miles caused by mountaintop removal operations. She began volunteering in W.Va. whenever she got the chance until she began working with Rainforest Action Network on their mountaintop removal campaign in D.C. Before that she studied dance and international studies at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, then went on to work with Greenpeace as an organizer in the Midwest. Kate is thrilled to be a part of such a close-knit and effective team working to improve water quality in Central Appalachia.
kate . finneran [at] appvoices.org
Tom Cormons — Deputy Programs Director / Virginia Director
Tom Cormons directs Appalachian Voices’ Virginia program, focused on moving the state from reliance on destructive energy sources toward a clean energy future. He earned his law degree with a concentration in Public Interest Law and Policy at UCLA and is a member of the Virginia State Bar. His B.A. is from the University of Virginia, where he majored in Political and Social Thought and minored in Philosophy. His previous experience includes working as a law clerk with the Southern Environmental Law Center, the Piedmont Environmental Council, the United State 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 daughter, Brooke.
tom [at] appvoices.org
Mike McCoy — Virginia Campaign Coordinator
Mike McCoy studied Anthropology and Sustainable Development at Appalachian State where he fell in love with Appalachian culture, people, music and mountains. Graduating in 2006 he went on to work with USPIRG in Washington, D.C., as a citizen outreach director. Since the fall of 2007 he has worked with Appalachian Voices out of Charlottesville, Virginia where he has been organizing people across the state to fight against proposed coal plants, to stop mountaintop removal and to promote job creating energy efficiency measures and renewable energy mandates. Currently Mike is largely focused on stopping a proposal to build a massive coal plant in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia.
mike [at] appvoices.org
Eric Chance — Water Quality Specialist
Eric Chance is now a Water Quality Specialist for Appalachian Voices after serving as the AmeriCorps Water Quality Associate. He graduated from Virginia Tech in 2009 with a B.S. in Forestry. As part of the Appalachian Water Watch team, he assists with monitoring and conducting research on different types of water pollution, from sediment pollution to the impacts of coal, and helps to organize outreach events in order to promote stewardship of our waterways.
eric [at] appvoices.org
Erin Savage — Water Quality Specialist
Erin joined Appalachian Voices after completing a Master of Environmental Science at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. She joined Appalachian Voices in May 2011, to implement the citizen water monitoring program within Appalachian Water Watch in eastern Kentucky and southwestern Virginia. After working as the AmeriCorps Water Quality Education and Outreach Associate for the Upper Watauga Riverkeeper, she is now working as a Water Quality Specialist for Appalachian Water Watch. Originally from Pullman, Washington, she earned a Bachelor of Science in biology and a minor in philosophy from the University of Washington. After college, she traveled through South America and Africa to conduct research and learn about different strategies in protected area management. She moved to the Southeast to be nearer to the area’s amazing rivers and work toward their preservation. She looks forward to taking a hands-on approach to maintaining water quality in Central Appalachia.
erin [at] appvoices.org
Thom Kay – Legislative Associate
Thom is originally from the Piedmont region of the Appalachians in Spartanburg, S.C. He graduated from Wofford College in 2007, majoring in Philosophy. He is located in Washington, D.C. working with Congress to pass a bill that will outlaw the destruction of our mountains and streams.
Before becoming the Legislative Associate for Appalachian Voices, Thom worked at Greenpeace on chemical security legislation and climate change legislation. He later advocated for several issues while at the League of Conservation Voters, including coal ash disposal rules and mountaintop removal.
thom.kay [at] appvoices.org
COMMUNICATIONS
Jamie Goodman — Communications Coordinator /
Editor, The Appalachian Voice
Jamie Goodman has fifteen years of experience in print and online media, and specializes in production & layout, graphic design, website design, writing and photography. She helped establish two award-winning community newspaper websites; co-founded the Boone-based community newspaper, High Country Press; created and edited a popular nightlife magazine; and served as Webmaster and chair of the Web Advisory Council at Appalachian State University. Jamie eventually found her home in the environmental non-profit sector where she is able to use her skills to help save the mountains she loves. She is a self-taught computer geek who has a serious soft spot for all creatures great and small–plant, animal, or otherwise.
jamie [at] appvoices.org
Brian Sewell– Americorps Communications Outreach / Managing Editor, The Appalachian Voice
After graduating from the College of Charleston, Brian Sewell relocated to the foothills of the Blue Ridge in Morganton, North Carolina. Serving as the AmeriCorps Outreach & Communications Associate at Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina, Brian used his journalism and PR experience to share the conservancy’s successes with the public. In his spare time, he enjoys playing guitar, reading and writing, making music, art and other creative pursuits. He is excited to continue gaining experience as a writer and editor for The Voice and to collaborate with the many passionate folks at Appalachian Voices.
brian [at] appvoices.org
Molly Moore– Americorps Public Outreach and Education / Associate Editor, The Appalachian Voice
Molly Moore graduated from the University of Missouri with degrees in Magazine Editing and Religious Studies. Through volunteer work at KOPN, a community radio station in mid-Missouri, Molly became acutely aware of the importance of independent media and the connections between human health, environmental protections, and sustainable agriculture. Most recently, she provided public relations support for Canyonlands Field Institute in Moab, Utah. Molly is excited to join the Appalachian Voices team and help grow awareness of environmental issues in Southern Appalachia through print and online media resources and community outreach. molly [at] appvoices.org
Maeve Gould — Distribution Manager, The Appalachian Voice
A Richmond, Virginia native and Virginia Tech graduate, Maeve Gould is Appalachian Voices’ Distribution Manager. Besides earning a degree in Urban Affairs and Planning at Virginia Tech, Maeve was involved in Mountain Justice Blacksburg and organized Earth Week with the Environmental Coalition. Before working with Appalachian Voices, Maeve interned with AmeriCorps Project Conserve at the Boone-based land trust, Blue Ridge Conservancy. Maeve is enthused to be a part of the Appalachian Voices team and to work with AV on raising awareness about social and environmental justice issues in Appalachia.
maeve [at] appvoices.org
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Benji Burrell — Technologist
Benji Burrell serves as the webmaster of our award winning website, iLoveMountains.org, and produces videos and organizing tools for our campaign to end mountaintop removal coal mining. His videos and 3D Google Earth tours have been seen hundreds of thousands of times, and were shown to UN delegates during the Climate Change talks in Copenhagen.
Benji is also an experienced manufacturing engineer with a B.S. in mechanical engineering from Virginia Tech. As an AmeriCorps volunteer, he served as our Forest Restoration Program Coordinator and revised “Managing Your Woodlands: A Guide for Southern Appalachian Landowners.”
benji [at] appvoices.org
Jeff Deal — IT Specialist
Jeff Deal is the Information Technology Specialist for Appalachian Voices. An Enviro-Renewable-Energy-Geek with a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science and Applied Mathematics, Jeff has completed graduate courses in computer science and appropriate technology. With 12 years of experience in the Information Technology field, 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 renewable energy interests include energy efficiency, photovoltaics, wind energy, solar-thermal design, and sustainable transportation. Jeff is pictured here with Dennis Kucinich.
jeff [at] appvoices.org
About App Voices