Casey Withers grew up in Pocahontas County, West Virginia, where he currently resides. Casey earned a B.S. Degree in Environmental and Energy Resources Management from West Virginia University in 2015. While in college he held two seperate internships, one collecting water samples for Pocahontas County Water Resources Task Force, and another as a field interviewer for West Virginia University Research Corporation (WVURC) in conjunction with U.S. Forest Service collecting data for the National Visitor Use Monitoring (NVUM) Program in Oregon and Washington.

After graduating, he rejoined WVURC as a field coordinator to continue data collection efforts for the NVUM program. After spending four years in the Pacific Northwest, he moved back to WV where he started working as a Farm Manager. After three and a half years working in the local food sector in WV and Appalachia, he found his way to Future Generations University. Casey has a decade of experience working in the nonprofit sector in public land and community engagement settings. In his spare time he enjoys spending time with his friends and family, enjoying live music and participating in outdoor recreation activities such as hiking, swimming and camping.

Born in Durham, North Carolina, Deborah earned a BA in fine arts with a concentration in women and feminism studies from Bryn Mawr College and an MFA in printmaking from Pratt Institute. She was an inaugural WonderRoot Walthall Fellow (2012-13), artist facilitator for the SouthWest Art & Social Engagement Project at Emory University (2013-14), and selected artist for ArtFields (2016). Deborah was part-time associate professor at Kennesaw State University and worked as nonprofit administrator for Atlanta Printmakers Studio, C4 Atlanta, and SGC International. Previously director of marketing & communications at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Deborah is currently senior director of marketing & communications at Future Generations University.

Deborah’s artwork uses diverse forms of printmaking, mixed-media, and performance/film to explore questions of self-portraiture and self-escapism. Her work oscillates between abstraction and figurative signs; automatic gestures to create a Modernist ready-mades and elaborate, capricious imaginings that exploit her phobias and pathos. Her work incorporates the female body, queer emotional spaces, and the codification of her fears. Deborah has exhibited primarily in Philadelphia, New York, North Carolina, Atlanta, and Knoxville.

Margaret Donnan is a resident of Alleghany County, VA, where she enjoys exploring the beauty of the Appalachian Mountains through activities such as hiking, biking, and kayaking. A nature enthusiast from a young age, Margaret loves channeling this enthusiasm into both her academic and career pursuits.

In 2022, Margaret received a BS in biology from William & Mary. During her time in college, she worked as an honors fellow and research assistant in a plant ecology lab. In these roles, she conducted research centered around plant-insect relationships as well as created several guides to help William & Mary Greenhouse visitors learn more about the greenhouse plant collection. Creating these plant guides prompted Margaret to pursue more opportunities centered around science communication, education, and community engagement. Serving in capacities as camp counselor and environmental educator, Margaret has worked with youth across Appalachia to foster vital connections between the environment and today’s students.

Margaret joins the Future Generations team as the Youth Education Associate for the Appalachian Program.

Plant Ecology Research Lab, Dr. Harmony Dalgleish, William & Mary, Williamsburg, VA

Honors Fellow

• Developed and carried out an experiment investigating the interactive effects of plant size and longhorend
  milkweed beetle feeding on the growth and resprout potential of common milkweed
• Created several guides to help William & Mary Greenhouse visitors learn more about the greenhouse
  plant collection

Research Assistant

• Ran two independent summer research projects exploring the relationship between the longhorned milkweed
  beetle and common milkweed in the summers of 2019 and 2020

Elizabeth Ford dropped out of law school to pursue a PhD in Scottish music at the University of Glasgow. This research won the National Flute Association’s doctoral research award. Her main research interests relate to the history and development of the flute, historical pedagogy, and nature and question of Scottish identity through material culture. While at Glasgow University Elizabeth was part of the team that established a Royal Society of Edinburgh-funded interdisciplinary research network on 18th-century arts education. She was the 2018-2019 Daiches-Manning Memorial Fellow in 18th-century Scottish Studies, Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities, University of Edinburgh, where she recreated the lost venue of Edinburgh’s ‘Musick Club,’ Steil’s Cross Keys Tavern, in virtual reality.

Elizabeth edition of William McGibbon’s complete sonatas is published by A-R Editions, representing a recreation and reassembly of a significant missing chunk of 18th-century Scottish repertoire, and her monograph, The Flute in Scotland from the Sixteenth to the Eighteenth Century, is part of the Studies in the History and Culture of Scotland Series from Peter Lang Press and has been called ‘required reading.’ She is the lead copy editor of the Aphra Behn Interactive Journal for Women and the Arts, 1640-1830. Elizabeth has been awarded several fellowships, including the Martha Goldsworthy Arnold Fellowship at the Riemenschneider Bach Institute, and the ASECS-Burney Centre Fellowship at McGill University. She is co-founder and publisher of Blackwater Press, an international independent small press based in Charleston, WV.

When not pouring over manuscripts or being escorted from libraries, Elizabeth can be found taking pointlessly long walks in search of legendary trees, reading a long book with small print and few pictures, or playing with her kitten, Flòraidh.

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 alumni coordinator. Kris graduated from Boise State University with her Bachelors of Arts in both French and Spanish, and minors in German and Japanese Studies. In 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 thrives working cross culturally and has taught staff and students how to engage and grow locally. She lives in the Barcelona area and 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)⁠

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.

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.

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.

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

Roper, C. “Sino-Vietnamese Relations and the Economy of Vietnam’s Border Region.” Asian Survey, vol. 40, no. 6, 2000, pp. 1019–1041.

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

Stephanie Hartman left her position of WV State Tax Department Director of Information Technology to join the Future Generations University team as the Chief Operating Officer. While at the WV State Tax Department she worked as a programmer, a database administrator and Director of Information Technology, overseeing 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 serves her community by volunteering as an EMT and as Treasurer of the Pendleton County Emergency Rescue organization. Additionally ,she serves as Vice President of the Pendleton County Convention and Visitors Bureau and as a board member for the Potomac Highland Guild.

Paula joined the Future Generations team in 2016 with an administrative role and grew to love the field of learning technology and instructional design. She graduated from West Virginia State University in the spring of 2021 with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. While at Future Generations, Paula has enjoyed traveling to attend country programs and conferences to learn about the latest technology and to meet the global students. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family and enjoying West Virginia nature. Paula also enjoys volunteering at her local community center to help aid the elderly community. She is a native of Hardy County, West Virginia.