People & Contact

People and Contact

BandAmelia Bandy (EDGE co-founder)
Executive Director
(276) 596-4002
econdevgreatereast@gmail.com
A native of Richlands, VA, Bandy graduated from Emory & Henry College in Mass Communication and then completed her MBA at King University with a concentration in Marketing.

Amelia Bandy is currently an opioid and addiction educator for six counties in Southwestern Virginia through Extension Services and Virginia Tech.

For eight years, Bandy worked in public health with the Virginia Department of Health. Additionally, she has worked with the VA Dept of Aging and Rehabilitative Services as a Job Developer to help individuals regain employment after disability. Bandy began a health and wellness coalition in Tazewell, VA, helped start a farmers market there, and also worked on farm to table committees in Tazewell and Richlands.

Most recently, she has worked with McDowell County farms out of McDowell County, WV to market their Community Supported Agriculture program for health dept and social services employees along with the community at large, and at the Bluefield, WV, Richlands, VA and Tazewell, VA farmers markets.

Bandy is the inaugural executive director for EDGE. She is excited to be a part of the solution for economic revitalization and health improvement in the region. Bandy represents EDGE at local and regional meetings, leads the EDGE voting board, works together with Shannon Lenahan and board members on EDGE mission and fiscal guidance.

Shannon Lenahan
Development Associate
Shannon.a.lenahan@gmail.com
After working for a number of years as a chemical engineer, Shannon Lenahan joined EDGE during the summer of 2017 to provide fundraising and general project support. Her belief in quality food and agriculture as essential to good health led her to keep a small non-commercial farm for a time, and, having contributed to the commercial farming efforts of others, she is familiar with the challenges they face. She has experience executing and reporting on government contracts, having worked for both the US Navy and for government contractors. Lenahan is happy to be devoting her efforts to subjects close to her heart.

EDGE Board Members (Voting)

Travis Lowe. With a long history in finance, this Richlands, VA native is committed to bringing a wide range of stakeholders to the table to forward economic stability and prosperity to the Appalachian region. Along with his work as a pastor, Lowe initiated very successful business roundtables and meet and greets for the Tazewell County, VA-Mercer County, WV micropolitan region. From these sprang an effort to bring an MIT FabLab to the area, to be located soon in Bluefield, WV.

Lowe also works closely with regional businesses to boost sales and collaboration, and, to find business entrepreneurial support. In this capacity, he also is a supporter of the Center for Applied Research Technology at Bluefield State.

Learn more about Lowe's amazing community work at:

https://medium.com/@travlow

http://blog.acton.org/archives/91249-called-coalfields-appalachian-church-spurring-economic-action.htmlblog.acton.org/archives/91249-called-coalfields-appalachian-church-spurring-economic-action.html

Dr. Ellen Darden. In addition to former work at Concord University as core faculty in social work with a speciality in the issues affecting rural places, Dr. Darden has worked as a business and career coach for high profile clients such as Mercedes-Benz. A licensed marriage and family therapist, Dr. Darden also engages in a wide range of community work for rural integrity.

Connect with Dr. Darden at:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ellen-darden-0461737/

EDGE advisory council (Non-Voting)

Dr. Crystal Cook Marshall (EDGE co-founder)
Originally from Mercer County, WV, Dr. Cook Marshall finished her PhD in Science and Technology Studies in Society at Virginia Tech fall 2017, examining the potential for land-based industry growth in Southwest Virginia, Southern West Virginia, and I -77 NC. In addition to co-founding EDGE with Bandy, Tartt, and others, she also co-founded SEEDH, a for-profit producers cooperative project headquartered in the Appalachian coalfields region, but with a regional focus. With her husband Edward she has farmed in the foothills of North Carolina since 2011. Cook Marshall also has a strong background in marketing, public relations, start-ups, social media, web presence, events, and entrepreneurship. Additionally, she has a long history in education, project management, and working overseas.

Cook Marshall researches best nonprofit practices, advises in institutional viability, mentors in nonprofit leadership, advocates for agricultural reskilling, and pilots mountain farm products lines. She also works to find secure markets for mountain farm products.

Jason Tartt (EDGE co-founder)
Originally from the Pocahontas Coalfield, US Army veteran Jason Tartt operates T&T Organics, LLC in McDowell County, WV. He has been farming for 12 years. Tartt brings business and operations management and development to the table, gained from his career with a government subcontractor where he was also heavily involved in contract bids, negotiations, and execution for the Department of Defense. He possesses extensive management experience, is highly skilled in employee development, and is known as an excellent team builder.

Tartt mentors EDGE THRIVE program participants extensively, advocates for reskilling in food production, pilots mountain farming products, and contributes his expertise in high tunnel production to EDGE programs and the region. Tartt also works to find secure markets for mountain farm products.

David Hite
David Hite is currently an assistant professor at Bluefield College. Previously, he was Manager of Training and Organizational Development for Roadrunner Markets which had over 750 employees in 90 stores in TN, VA, NC, and SC. He taught and also served as a business consultant over the past 20 years. He has worked with dozens of small businesses as well as helped organizations, such as Volkswagon, Eastman Chemical Company, Tennessee Valley Authority, and The University of Tennessee, enhance their operations through the use of human resource development strategies and web technology. His accomplishments in innovative business strategies and tactics have helped a broad range of organizations define and attain their goals. He has helped design, develop, implement and evaluate employee training programs for diverse types of employees, mentored small businesses when transitioning to online operations, and coordinated executive educational curriculums for TVA. David led a project team at Eastman Chemical Company to create an international learning portal to help improve and centralize training and development initiatives for over 10,000 employees.

Hite and his students mentor EDGE's THRIVE program students in business plan development, market viability, and product selection.

https://davehite.com/about/