Terran has been on the SAMS board for 6 years, serving as VP for two years and now as President. A native of Wise County, VA, Terran spends her time serving the community though various organizations. She is a writer, cultural organizer, herbalist and childbirth educator. When not at work, you can find her hiking or traveling.

Taysha is a resident of Wise County, making her home in Big Stone Gap, with her young son, Aiden. She was born in Lawton, OK, and is an enrolled member of the Comanche Nation of Oklahoma. She moved to Virginia in 2011 shortly after her father became the Director of Flatwoods Job Civilian Conservation Center in Coeburn, VA.

Soon after graduating from UVA-Wise in 2018 with a BA in Communications, Taysha began her career at the Appalachian Community Fund as a Regional Organizer and was quickly promoted to her current position as the Donor Engagement Coordinator. Since making Virginia her home, she has been an active member of her community. She is active in Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards, its Lonesome Pine Mutual Aid programming, and a gubernatorial appointee to the Virginia Council on Environmental Justice.

Chelsey recently joined the board of SAMS following involvement in mutual aid work and a leap into exploring environmental Justice work. She was born and raised in southern Virginia and has been a resident of Wise and Norton for the past decade.

Chelsey holds degrees in psychology and history as well as experience in theater from UVA-Wise. She brings her experience in various community roles including in-home counseling with her in hopes of expanding resources in Southwest Virginia and increasing the cultural diversity and appreciation in the area.

Chelsey is known for being outspoken on issues that hit close to home for her and feels it is a necessity to focus on the legacy impacts of coal mining and social injustices in the area. Chelsey is a lifelong student who rarely says no to a new learning opportunity.

In her personal time she prefers to be out visiting new towns, hiking trails, and exploring the beauty of the mountains with her husband and friends. Hosting with southern hospitality and tradition is a favorite activity of hers that shows even in her community work. Preserving the genuine tradition, history, and experiences of Southwest Virginia communities is of utmost importance to her.

Joshua is one of the newest members of the board. Born in Birmingham, AL, he has spent most of his life in Central Appalachia from Kentucky to Tennessee, currently residing in Southwest Virginia. Joshua is a cultural organizer, documentarian, hip hop artist and Co-Founder of SEEED in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Garrett Blaize is a 24-year-old community organizer and administrator from the Appalachian Mountains. They serve as the staff lead for grantmaking and philanthropic partnerships at the Appalachian Community Fund (ACF), a regional funding intermediary and movement support fund. As a representative of ACF, Garrett sits on the Steering Committee of the Appalachian Funders Network, where they also serve as Co-Chair. Ex officio, through his work with the Appalachian Community Fund, Garrett supports the Waymakers Collective, an Assembly of radical arts grantmakers serving artists and culture-bearers across Appalachia.

In addition, Garrett supports youth, educational, and community programming at the Southwest Virginia Community College School for the Arts and Alternate Roots, a regional arts service organization.

Garrett represents SAMS on the Coordinating Committee of Alliance for Appalachia.

Lauren grew up in northern Virginia, and around here, she feels she might as well say Canada! She has always had a love for nature, trees, the mountains, and people.

While Lauren never did go to college, she read like crazy. As an adult, she spent decades in New York City and Philadelphia, working within some of the most challenging urban areas. While there, she partnered with individuals and organizations alike to provide food, shelter and “the hope of the real gospel”. Lauren likewise spent the equivalent of three years in Haiti, working in orphanages and very impoverished communities deep in the mountain region there.

Currently, Lauren works at the homeless shelter in the area and absolutely loves the fulfillment her job brings. How she met SAMS is the way she met most of her friends while in central Appalachia: at a protest, and with a smile.