Our People

Executive Director

Joe T. (he/ him, they/ them) is a minister, scholar, writer and cultural organizer whose work is at the intersections of art, culture, spirituality and collective liberation. He received his B.S. in Communications from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and completed his M.Div. with a concentration in Social Ethics from Union Theological Seminary in the city of New York. His work has been supported by fellowships from National Art Strategies Creative Communities Fellowship, and the Intercultural Leadership Institute. His goal with his work is to help others live, dream, achieve, and inspire. Joe is a sought after facilitator, cultural strategist and writer.

Communications Consultant

Erin (she/ her) is a lover of words, the arts, natural beauty, and people. Hailing from Houston, Texas but calling Knoxville, Tennessee home since 2005, she’s found her professional calling as a marketing specialist with fields of expertise in verbal + visual communication, storytelling, digital media, and social content. She has worked in varying fields, including: non-profits, arts + culture, entertainment, media, hospitality, technology, retail, and hemp. Her scope of work includes overseeing strategic vision and thinking, culture creation, identity and voice conception, project/ product launch, and communication planning.

Doris Fields (she/ her), whose stage name is Lady D, is also known as W.Va’s First Lady of Soul. She resides in Beckley, WV where she is active as a singer/songwriter and visual artist. She is also writer and producer of her original series of documentaries called “Those Who Came Before,” which focuses on the black music history of West Virginia. Her original song, “Go Higher” was chosen as best Obama Inaugural song in 2008 and she and her band, MI$$ION performed at the Obama For Change inaugural ball in Washington, D.C. in 2009. She has shared the stage with many blues notables such as Johnny Rawls, Bruce Katz and Austin “Walkin’ Cane. Her latest cd, “Disturbing My Peace” is a nod to the life changing events of 2020. She performs her one-woman show, “The Lady and the Empress” based on the life and music of Bessie Smith with her band, MI$$ION and the spin-off version, “Bessie’s Blues” with guitarist, Andrew Caldwell from Fayetteville, WV.

Geonoah Davis is a Hip-Hop artist who performs as geonovah, and was born and raised in Big Stone Gap, Virginia. He is making it his mission to build a supportive community for artists like him — artists that do not fall into stereotypical Appalachian categories.

Multidisciplinary Artist + Activist

Multidisciplinary Artist, Activist and Founder of ART.Official Intelligence, Jonathan Clark, also known as “Courageous,” currently serves as a member of the Knoxville Mayor’s Maker City Council, a board member of the Network of Ensemble Theaters and The Waymakers Collective, and formerly as Co-Chair of the Alternate ROOTS EXCOMM. Jonathan is a native son of Knoxville, TN and Alumnus of the University of Tennessee – Knoxville, whose professional performance career began at the age of thirteen with Carpetbag Theatre’s T.R.Y. Youth Theatre Ensemble and he’s remained a working performance artist ever since; traveling the country performing, directing and facilitating reimagined DEI workshops, while immersing himself in as much culture as the United States has to offer. Courageous is a Spoken Word Poet, Writer, Playwright, Director, Event Host, Actor, Digital Storyteller/Listener, Facilitator and Dad Joke Connoisseur.

Stay Together Appalachian Youth (STAY) Project

Jules (they/ he) is a musician, dancer, and organizer, born and raised on the land of the Moneton and Yuchi peoples in Greenbrier County, WV. After attending the WV Wesleyan College, they relocated to the land of the Osage and Shawnee peoples in so-called Pittsburgh. Jules serves as a co-coordinator of the STAY Project, a network of young people from Appalachia and the Mountain South making our communities places where we have the power to thrive and live abundant lives. They are passionate about imagining, cultivating, and struggling toward cultures and economies rooted in our solidarity, interdependence, abundant joy, and unconditional worth.

The Bottom

Kalil (she/ her) originally from Leesville, Louisiana and has a deep passion for nature and community development. She obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology with a concentration in Environmental Sustainability from Georgia Southern University in 2018 and a Master of Science degree in Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communications from the University of Tennessee in 2021. Throughout her career, she has worked with various non-profit organizations that promote environmental sustainability, community outreach, and serve marginalized communities. Kalil is currently serving as the Executive Director of The Bottom, a non-profit organization that focuses on community development and empowerment in East Knoxville, Tennessee. In addition, she is the Finance Committee Chair for Rooted East Collective, a grassroots organization committed to promoting social and food justice in the area. Her ultimate goal is to earn the Nobel Peace Prize for her contributions to promoting environmental sustainability among underrepresented communities worldwide.

Kandi Workman (she/ her) is a queer creative from southern West Virginia and a lifelong resident of Boone County. She works with the Tamarack Foundation for the Arts as a Programming Manager and Grant Writer, developing programming that increases access to economic opportunities for artists in West Virginia. She is serving as a 2023 AppalCore member for the Waymakers Collective, and holds the belief that regional, collaborative work is critical for nurturing change throughout Central Appalachia. As a daughter of a retired UMWA coal miner, she serves as a proud board member of the WV Mine Wars Museum, bringing visibility to unions, labor history, and workers’ rights through storytelling and solidarity. Workman is currently pursuing an MFA in Creative Nonfiction from the West Virginia Wesleyan College, and she uses her skills and talents to bring awareness to Appalachian history, cultures, and diversity through essays, poetry, and hybrid works.

Kelle is an "Affrilachian-Georgia-lina-Peach," embracing a rich blend of cultural influences. Through the art of storytelling and her mastery of the ukulele, she joyfully expresses her folk traditions. Kelle is a firm believer in the power of bringing together like-minded individuals to foster resilient communities. Her heart lies in the Appalachian region, which she proudly calls home.

RiffRaff Arts Collective

Lori (she/ her) is a songwriter, creative place-maker and community development rockstar. After studying theater at JMU and University College, London, and experiencing life-shaping world travel, she felt called to return home to WV, build community around the creative arts and produce events which would bring people together and inspire change. She co-founded Culturefest World Music & Arts Festival, Option 22, the RiffRaff Arts Collective and All Together Arts Week. With Option 22, she tours the region inspiring and empowering community transformation with their original musical, multi-media production, Create Your State.

The Bottom

Ty is a multi-faceted artist and activist. As a modern day Renaissance woman rooted in the Appalachian south, her art and cultural work reflects who she is, where she's from and what she aspires to see in the world. She chooses to create art that challenges, art that confronts, art that is loud, bold, colorful and soulful. To her, art is activism and she believes that it has the power to help connect, empower, and heal both individuals and communities. Ty's work has been foundational in the establishment of The Bottom, a Black empowerment bookshop and community arts space in Knoxville, where she currently serves as Director of Art and Communication.

Appalachian Community Fund

Garrett (they/ them/ his) is the initiator of a winning vision of the Ideo Care Constellation open call which has seen him begin building out a cooperative model of organizing care workers in rural America, piloting this concept in Appalachian Virginia. He also serves with the Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards advocating for a just transition for Appalachia in Congress. As a current Coordinating Committee member, he oversees the Alliance's general direction and provides operational support. He currently serves as the Appalachian Arts Grants Manager for the Appalachian Community Fund and has also worked with StoryCorps, One Small Step, and Group on Youth Program.

Our Fiscal Sponsor

It was vital to us to keep the money we had been funded within Appalachia. Equally as vital was to move it through a Black led local organization that invests in this community and has done so for decades. The Appalachian Community Fund provides resources and support to grassroots groups and community-based organizations working for social, economic, racial and environmental justice. ACF funds and encourages grassroots social change, working to build a sustainable base of resources in order to support community-led organizations seeking to overcome and address issues of race, economic status, gender, sexual identity, disability, and the environment. As a community-controlled fund, ACF aims to expand and strengthen movements for social change—to change systems and institutions—by leveraging our collective power.

Appalachian Community Fund

Ricki Draper is a queer anti-Zionist Jewish organizer from the North Carolina piedmont. Since 2011, Ricki has worked with a variety of grassroots organizations in Central Appalachia, organizing for social and environmental justice, and now serves as the Grants and Community Partnerships Manager for Appalachian Community Fund.

In their free time, Ricki enjoys hiking with their little dog, Fiddle; studying acupuncture as liberatory medicine; spending time with their nephews; and reading all the books.