Our Board and Staff
Bountiful Cities centers equity and strives for an inclusive structure in our leadership and representation. Our staffing structure includes lateral leadership so that Program Directors and the Executive Director can share decision making. We are always experimenting and tweaking how we do things as an organization and our goal is to develop models that work for everyone involved. Our Board of Directors is similarly structured with shared decision making and shared power. As an Advisory Board our members are representative of a variety of sectors of the food system and their leadership guides Bountiful Cities with insight and vision.
Bountiful Cities Board of Directors:
Ameena Batada, Board Chair - Professor Health & Wellness Department UNC Asheville
Brandee Boggs, Treasurer - US Army Corps of Engineers
Sekou Coleman - Project Manager: Southside Arts and Ag. Center, Executive Director: Asheville Writers in the Schools and Word on the Street
Jessie Dean - Founder and CEO of Asheville Tea Company
Gene Ettison - Owner/operator of The Ettison Group, LLC
Lauren Rayburn - Co-Founder Rayburn Farms, Consultant Lauren Rayburn Co.
Katie Cox - NC Center for Health and Wellness at UNC Asheville
Vanessa Chardos - Stay at Home Parent
Ameena Batada, Board Chair - Professor Health & Wellness Department UNC Asheville
Brandee Boggs, Treasurer - US Army Corps of Engineers
Sekou Coleman - Project Manager: Southside Arts and Ag. Center, Executive Director: Asheville Writers in the Schools and Word on the Street
Jessie Dean - Founder and CEO of Asheville Tea Company
Gene Ettison - Owner/operator of The Ettison Group, LLC
Lauren Rayburn - Co-Founder Rayburn Farms, Consultant Lauren Rayburn Co.
Katie Cox - NC Center for Health and Wellness at UNC Asheville
Vanessa Chardos - Stay at Home Parent
Bountiful Cities Staff
Darcel Eddins, Executive Director: darcel@bountifulcities.org
Kate Justen, Program Director: kate@bountifulcities.org
Cathy Cleary, Outreach Coordinator: cathy@bountifulcities.org
Jordan Diamond, FEAST Program Coordinator: jordan@bountifulcities.org
Isa Whitaker, Community Garden Network Co-Coordinator: isa@bountifulcities.org
Summer Whelden, Community Garden Network Co-Coordinator: summer@bountifulcities.org
Lynx Bergdahl, Bountiful Cities Nursery: lynx@bountifulcities.org
Kim Lanzarotta, FEAST Teacher: klanzarotta@gmail.com
Kelly Applegate, FEAST Program Assistant: kelly@bountifulcities.org
Natalie Hesed, FEAST at Hot Springs Elementary hsesgarden@gmail.com
Sunil Patel, Food and Farming Apprenticeship Program Coordinator sunil@bountifulcities.org
Gina Smith, Asheville Buncombe Food Policy Council coordinator@abfoodpolicy.org
Darcel Eddins, Executive Director: darcel@bountifulcities.org
Kate Justen, Program Director: kate@bountifulcities.org
Cathy Cleary, Outreach Coordinator: cathy@bountifulcities.org
Jordan Diamond, FEAST Program Coordinator: jordan@bountifulcities.org
Isa Whitaker, Community Garden Network Co-Coordinator: isa@bountifulcities.org
Summer Whelden, Community Garden Network Co-Coordinator: summer@bountifulcities.org
Lynx Bergdahl, Bountiful Cities Nursery: lynx@bountifulcities.org
Kim Lanzarotta, FEAST Teacher: klanzarotta@gmail.com
Kelly Applegate, FEAST Program Assistant: kelly@bountifulcities.org
Natalie Hesed, FEAST at Hot Springs Elementary hsesgarden@gmail.com
Sunil Patel, Food and Farming Apprenticeship Program Coordinator sunil@bountifulcities.org
Gina Smith, Asheville Buncombe Food Policy Council coordinator@abfoodpolicy.org