Danny Boyer: President
Farm Owner-Operator, Grazing Consultant, Water System Specialist USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service, Galax, Virginia (retired). Thirty years of experience in conservation planning and implementing conservation practices with particular emphasis on grassland management. Extensive experience in planning, managing, and promoting intensive grazing systems and the installation of infrastructure required for efficient operation. Designed and supervised the installation of more than 6,000 farm watering systems. Serves on a wide variety of boards and committees as either a resource or member within the Natural Resource Conservation Service and beyond donating many volunteer hours. Activities include having served on the Board of Directors of the Virginia Forage and Grassland Council; advisor to the Carroll Grayson Cattle Producers Association, Grayson County Extension Leadership Council, Galax High School Agricultural Council; president of Grayson County Farm Bureau; Chair of Grayson LandCare Processing Committee; Southwest Virginia Agricultural Association Crops Committee; and Charter Member and President of Grayson LandCare. The 2013 Forage Person of the Year awarded by the Virginia Forage and Grassland Council. Directed case studies on the economic and environmental impacts of Managed Grazing Systems including Beef Stocker, Beef Cow-Calf, and Grazing Dairies. A leader in the promotion and sale of Grassfed Beef.
Jack Wall
A Floyd County social entrepreneur who with his wife, Kamala Bauers, owns several businesses. Wall Residences, Hotel Floyd and Floyd Eco Village are all built on principles of the triple bottom line with concern for the community, the environment and the development of a committed, creative and valued workforce. Success comes from caring for all people and responding to true human need as the first priority. With the success that Mr. Wall has accomplished the income is now being reinvested in local community development through support of Springhouse Community School, Spikenard Farm and Bee Sanctuary and multiple other nonprofits in the Floyd area. We need massive system transformation of our economy and institutions to address the needs and potential for the 21st century. This will happen from grass root community action to develop resilient communities where food, finance and energy come primarily from local sources but with connection to global efforts to improve the lives of all world citizens.
Kevin Semones: Treasurer
Kevin has managed the county owned and operated Southwest Virginia Farmers’ Market since July 1992. To date, more than $350 million in Agricultural Products have been sold through the facility. To developed a more diversified cropping program in the region, Kevin has worked with Virginia Cooperative Extension and the Virginia Department of Agriculture on number of research projects to develop new crops with high demand and suitable for the soils and climate. At one time, the two major fruit and vegetable crops were apples and cabbage but today pumpkins are the major crop. Previously employed by USDA. Kevin has a lifetime experience in farming and working with produce and related farm/agricultural products. Highly knowledgeable in many aspects of today’s agricultural industry including the storage and marketing of several farm commodities. Well known in agriculture in the region, Kevin has lived his entire life in Carroll County. With a B.A. degree in agricultural Economic from Virginia Tech, Kevin has been honored with being named as State Proficiency Award Winner in Agricultural Sales and/or Service-FFA-1983, State Star Agribusinessman of Virginia-FFA-1993, American Farmer Degree Recipient-FFA-1986, Farm Business Management Award Winner-VPI-1987, and VA Assistant Country Supervisor of the Year-1991. Kevin serves on the boards of directors of the Southwest Virginia Agriculture Association and the Carroll County Farm Bureau, secretary/treasurer of the Virginia Pumpkin Growers Association, chairman of the Carroll County Fair Committee, and member of the Workforce Investment Board.
Jerry Moles: Secretary
Ph.D., Stanford University, Faculty University of California, Davis and Pomona College; Invited Lecturer University of California, Berkeley and Stanford University; Community organizer, Action For Appalachian Youth (Kanawha County, West Virginia); Co-founder, NeoSynthesis Research Centre, Ltd., (NSRC) (Sri Lanka) developing financially beneficial and environmentally sensitive enterprises; Founding Board Member, Watershed Research & Training Center Inc., Hayfork, California developing collaborative ventures among local entrepreneurs, state and federal agencies, local governments, and financiers; Founder, Grayson LandCare, Inc.; Founding Board Member, SustainFloyd, Inc., and International Analog Forestry Network (Costa Rica); and on advisory boards and committees with the Secretariat for International Landcare, Ltd. (Australia) and at Virginia Tech the Appalachian Foodshed Project, Virginia Beginning Farmer & Rancher Coalition, and Center for Natural Resource Evaluation and Decision Support. Wrote the successful proposal and organized meetings for the United Nations effort in protecting global natural resources to include the world’s indigenous peoples.
William S. (‘Sam’) Bartlett
A leadership practitioner who has guided both for-profit and not-for-profit organizations to high levels of success, Sam’s diverse experiences has made him a sought-after motivational speaker and consultant to results driven companies. He is a noted authority in the areas of employee engagement, customer service, high performing teams, emotional intelligence, leadership, personal fitness, and what it means to “live inspired.” Sam has trained tens of thousands of people through public seminars and has provided on-site training for organizations such as AT&T, Rockwell, The Department of Defense, Johnson & Johnson, and many Educational and Healthcare Agencies. Before assuming his current role as Executive Director of Police Fitness, Mr. Bartlett was CEO of Digital Juice, an internationally recognized leader in 3-D animation and interactive media. Mr. Bartlett led the company to a record-breaking 300% growth his first year by focusing on customer service and employee engagement. Police Fitness is a non-profit established to advance the legacy of Sam’s son, Deputy Curtis Bartlett, an elite athlete killed in the line of duty on March 9, 2017. Curtis believed First Responders should be fit to serve, fit to protect, and fit for life and was passionate about inspiring others to a lifestyle of mental and physical fitness. Sam lives in Virginia with Linda, his wife, and enjoys training horses at his farm, Parkway Stables, and raising grass-fed beef.
Kathlyn Terry Baker
Kathlyn Terry Baker is the CEO of Appalachian Sustainable Development. She joined ASD as its first Business Operations Manager in 2006 and took over the leadership role in 2011. Ms. Terry uses her 20+ years in private industry along with her experience with food systems development to identify and implement collaborative, cross-sector opportunities that increase the health and economic wellbeing of individuals and communities. She is a member of the Healthy Food Financing Initiative National Fund Manager Advisory Board which provides guidance to the National Fund Manager’s efforts to reduce food deserts by deploying grant and loan funds while also using new market tax credits and other investment vehicles. She is also on the boards of Turnrow, Appalachian Farm Collective and the Blue Ridge Plateau Initiative. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business from Texas A&M University.
Advisory Committee on Small Ruminant Production and Marketing
Richard J. Hurley
MS, DVM, DACLAM, co-owner, New England Ovis LLC, Rollinsford, NH; Senior Laboratory Animal Veterinarian, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA. AAALAC International-accredited program, 80,000 ft2 of animal housing; annual research budget of > $600B. Member of IACUC, assisted faculty in protocol development and research methodology; Director, Animal Resources, Joslin Diabetes Center, Boston: First full-time Director and Attending Veterinarian of rapidly growing research animal program. Developed standardized operating practices, training, occupational health program, and assisted in designing new facility; Director, Animal Resources at Children’s Hospital, Boston: AAALAC International accredited program with an operating budget of $2.5 million, 35 employees and 32,000 ft2. Committee Membership: IACUC, Occupational Health Advisory Committee, Building Committee for new research building. While Director, Program received full, continued AAALAC accreditation and $14 million renovation and expansion of animal facilities was completed ahead of schedule, under budget and with minimal impact on research programs; 1994-1998 Assistant Director, Center for Research Animal Resources Cornell University, Ithaca, NY. AAALAC International accredited University-wide program involving approximately 750 active protocols and 300 principal investigators. Committee Membership: IACUC, Biohazard Committee and Occupational Health Advisory Committee. Responsibilities: regulatory compliance, facility planning, development and oversight of environmental monitoring program, clinical care and health surveillance of research and teaching animals.
Julie Hurley
Co-owner, New England Ovis LLC, Rollinsford, NH; DVM, MS Veterinary Clinical Sciences Ohio State; Large Animal Ambulatory and Lecturer Faculty Ohio State; American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, board-certified; Small animal relief veterinarian and self-employed small ruminant practitioner; Assistant Director, Center for Research Animal Resources, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY: oversight of all farm animals used in teaching and research, developed occupational health and safety program for animal workers based on hazard identification and risk assessment and control, prepared for and participated in AAALAC International accreditation, the organization the certifies research facilities as meeting the internationally-recognized gold standard in animal care and research. Chief of Operations, New England Ovis, Rollinsford, NH, 10 years-experience in training people to assist in the sheep cesarean-derivation process and the care and use of SPF sheep including those people with and without a sheep background ranging from high school students to graduate veterinarians in laboratory animal residency programs. Regularly train and employ undergraduate students from the University of New Hampshire.
Peter Lampesis, Jr.
Peter is a New Hampshire native with global business experience in both the private and public sector. His innovative problem-solving approach is unorthodox; realizing that there are no static solutions to solving complex challenges. Peter is building collaborations with public & private sector organizations, helping design alternative solutions in clean energy technologies and nature-based food, health & agriculture systems needed for greater health, food, and energy security. Beyond the focus on technology innovations, Peter’s business philosophy balances community needs with investor returns. While the investor is important to the success of any venture, the business model and philosophy shifts the emphasis from strictly return on investment (ROI) to return to community, return to environment (RTC/RTE). Raising the quality of peoples’ lives in a “meaningful” way (jobs, skills, health) and revitalization of agricultural lands is not just a lofty goal, but a critical imperative. In a former capacity, Peter worked with the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and served as the Technology Transfer Team Leader within the Office of Energy & Information Technology, providing the strategy and management of the Agency’s Technology Transfer programs and strategic outreach activities. These programs were designed to catalyze the economies of emerging and underdeveloped markets; bring innovation to support the technological needs of small and medium enterprises and help diversify local and regional economies.
