People

The center is supported by a number of people including members of our Center Team and Advisory Group.

Kim Niewolny, Director
Associate Professor, Community Education and Development
Department of Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education
Virginia Tech
niewolny@vt.eu

Conaway Haskins, Associate Director
Extension Specialist for Economic Development
Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics
Virginia Tech
chaskins@vt.edu

Eric Bendfeldt, Associate Director
Extension Specialist, Community, Local, and Regional Food Systems
Community Viability Program
Virginia Cooperative Extension
ebendfel@vt.edu

Garland Mason, Center Associate
Coordinator of AgrAbility Virginia
Virginia Tech
garlandm@vt.edu

Katie Trozzo, Center Associate
Coordinator, Virginia Beginning Farmer and Rancher Program
Virginia Tech
ketrozzo@vt.edu
(540) 231-4582

Jeanette Abi-Nader
Executive Director, Cultivate Charlottesville

Dominic Barrett
Executive Director, Shalom Farms
Virginia Food Systems Council

C.L. Bohannon
Assistant Professor
Department of Landscape Architecture
Virginia Tech
Leadership and Social Change Residential College at Virginia Tech

Jewel Bronaugh
Commissioner
Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
Commonwewalth of Virginia

Leonard Githinji
Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist
Sustainable & Urban Agriculture
Virginia State University

Ellington Graves
Assistant Provost for Diversity and Inclusion
Director,Africana Studies Program
Virginia Tech

Robert "Bobby" Grisso
Professor
Biological Systems Engineering
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Virginia Tech

Kathy Hosig
Associate Professor and Extension Specialist
Population Health Sciences Department
Virginia Tech
Center for Public Health Practice & Research

Max Stephenson
Professor and Director of the Institute for Policy and Governance
School of Public and International Affairs
Virginia Tech
Community Change Collaborative