Ryne Jones, MPA

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Community Development Research Manager Ryne Jones is a native of the farming community of McGee’s Crossroads, NC, but decided to make Raleigh his home after attending NC State University.  He graduated magna cum laude with degrees in biological sciences and…

Josh Meduri

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Principal Consultant Josh is based in Asheville and is a serial entrepreneur with a community focus. His biggest strength lies in his ability to see how individual pieces fit into the big picture and in communicating that in a relatable,…

Emily Edmonds, MPA

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Founder and Director Emily Edmonds, MPA, is a government and nonprofit professional with over 20 years of experience in US local & regional government. She started her career as a town clerk to a village of 189 people and most…

COVID-19 Farmers’ Market Policies

Some of our clients may appreciate this collection of links to how farmers' markets are remaining in operation around the country while following social distancing guidelines due to COVID-19. Many thanks to ELGL for coordinating!

Engaging Farmers: Neglected Civic Engagement

All too often, decisions are made by diverse groups of stakeholders, but with little or no farmer representation. This can lead to expensive mistakes – such as grant-funded community kitchens that are hardly ever used – as well as to increased distrust between farmers and the government, nonprofit, and educational agencies that aim to support them.

#13percent: women in the holler

We know that women in rural areas face many unique challenges. Disparities in healthcare lead to more significant health issues. Rural women face depression almost twice as often as their urban counterparts and have fewer years of higher education. Entrepreneurial women are founding 30% of all the businesses in this country, but only 6.5% of companies have a female CEO.

Engaging Citizens: ACC Edition

He calls it being proactive: “It’s about the community being more forward-thinking; being proactive as a community with the government assisting, not always leading.” That’s a great concept to remember in our own engagement work: that government – especially at the local level, where the sphere of influence is smaller – doesn’t always have to lead. Sometimes, they just need to listen.