Michelle Evans Oliver recently joined Virginia Department of Social Services - Benefits Programs as the SNAP Outreach Coordinator. Her job is to improve access to nutritious food options by enhancing awareness of the availability of utilization of benefits at farmers’ markets; support local, community gardening and agriculture efforts; and provide nutrition education information and opportunities [...]

Beth Austin Beth is the Nutrition Incentive Coordinator for Virginia Community Food Connections, a food access nonprofit based in Fredericksburg, where she oversees the SNAP and Virginia Fresh Match incentive program at a number of farmers market in the Central region.  She is also the Assistant Manager for Spotsylvania Farmers Market, so between the two, [...]

Zach Huntington Clean Streams/Litter Free VA "Getting to Greener--How Farmers Markets Can Get to #PlasticFree

Sarah Showalter and her husband, Shannon, are second-generation owners of Showalter’s Orchard & Old Hill Cidery in Timberville, VA. Sarah describes herself as: wife, mother, farmer, and business owner in this order because this is the order that she has stepped into these roles over the last 30 years. She is one part of a [...]

Melissa Ball Melissa Ball is the Special Projects Manager at the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services in the Division of Market Development. She works with fifteen agricultural commodity boards and administers Virginia’s portion of the USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant Program. She holds an MBA from Virginia Commonwealth University and a BA in [...]

Julia S. Clark Julia S. Clark is the Executive Director for VA FAIRS, a 501c3 providing technical assistance services to producers in value added agriculture. Before assuming this role in 2018, Clark served as the VA FAIRS Project Manager for five years, working alongside the former Executive Director. She has years of agricultural business development [...]

Emilie Davis Emilie Davis is the founder and creative partner of LinkHouse Consultants, a branding and creative strategy company based in Lexington, VA. With over ten years of experience in graphic design, print marketing, publishing, and web design, Emilie serves not only as a designer, but as a liaison with vendors, freelancers, and other consultants [...]

Chief John “J.R.” Dodd Chief John “J.R.” Dodd has 27+ years of law enforcement experience which started while a student at James Madison University.  After earning a B.A. in English, he moved on to the Harrisonburg Police Department as a dispatcher and then patrol officer.  He was then hired by Bridgewater Police Department and [...]

Heather Wheeler Business and Marketing Specialist, Virginia Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services Heather Wheeler is the Virginia Grown Program Manager at the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services where she partners with producers, farmers market managers, farmers market vendors and buyers across the state of Virginia to promote fresh, local products and to [...]

Livvy Preisser, Unit Coordinator and Extension Agent, Agriculture and Natural Resources, Virginia Cooperative Extension Livvy Preisser was raised in Lancaster, Virginia, on a small family farm where small grains were grown. She grew up loving agriculture and wanted to further her education in the industry. Having earned associate's, bachelor's, and master's degrees at Virginia Tech, [...]