President-Casey Johnson is an International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) Certified Arborist who studied Urban Forestry and Arboriculture at Penn State. He spent the first 12 years of his career in commercial and residential tree care. Casey worked throughout the mid-Atlantic and about 10 years in the Savannah/Hilton Head area. In 2020, Casey began working for the Virginia Department of Corrections and now helps manage greenhouses, produce operations, and orchards in SW VA. 2020 also saw the beginning of planning and installation of the DOC orchard at the River North Correctional Center in Independence. Currently, the orchard at River North is home to 4000 apple trees.
At Large-Valarie Cowden Valarie is a born and raised Graysonite. Her mom and dad (Nancy and Michael Cowden) owned and operated Briarpatch Metal Works on the outskirts of Independence along Hwy 21, where the now Free Market is located. Valarie graduated from GCHS in 2000 and pursued an undergraduate degree in English from Virginia Tech with concentrations in literature and writing. After graduating in 2004, she moved back home to help with responsibilities managing the family farm, and soon realized a passion for natural resources, farming, and community involvement. This led her to join Grayson LandCare at its inception in 2007. Inspired by wanting to find ways to make the small family farm business model succeed, she returned to Virginia Tech and in 2008 obtained a master’s degree in urban and regional planning with a focus on natural resources. Valarie worked for Foresters LLC for seven years performing timber inventories, forest and farm management plans, GIS mapping services, and compensatory stream and wetland mitigation, and four years at private consultation firms performing stream and wetland delineations, NEPA and SERP documents, and stream and wetland restoration services. She currently works for VDOT as a Natural Resources Specialist performing water quality permitting and Threatened & Endangered Species coordination. She and her brother, Mickey Cowden, have been planning and implementing a vineyard on their family farm on Briarpatch Mountain in Elk Creek, with aspirations of operating a small winery in the future. Valarie weekend warriored her farm for many years, but happily returned to permanently live on her farm again in 2022; to quote her grandpa, Pat Cowden, “you can take the girl out of the mountains, but you can’t take the mountains out of the girl.” She is very excited to join the Grayson LandCare Board as an avenue to reconnect with her community and to bring her knowledge and experience back to Grayson County. In her not so free time, she enjoys being a new found chicken mama with her dog and kittens, spending time with family and adorable niece, hanging out with friends, family, and neighbors, and bugging everyone she can for a reason to float down the New River.
Secretary: Ann Watson is originally from Northern California where she attended the University of California at Davis, earning a BS in anthropology. Following graduation, she stayed in town to join a cooperative restaurant modeled after the Moosewood collective. It was there that she was introduced to the joys of preparing and serving organic locally sourced foods. While a career dream of joining the Leakey Foundation in Africa was never realized, she did travel east to train for her second vocation in health care. Motivated to eventually serve a rural community, Ann attended the Physician Assistant (PA) program at Duke. Upon graduation, she was privileged to embark on a 36 year career in Family Medicine in Grayson and Alleghany (NC) counties. She commuted back to Durham as a working mom to complete her Master’s degree in Health Science.in 1996.
Ann married a local mixed practice veterinarian, Bill DeBord, in 1988. Farm calls together provided a unique picture of a transitioning local economy. It also gave her an opportunity to meet many long-term residents and to come to appreciate the land in a new way. They raised beef cattle and two sons together until Bill’s death in 2001. Dan is now a commercial lobsterman living on a small island off the coast of Maine. He hopes to pursue an interest in aqua- culture in the future, combining his farming heritage with a love of the sea. His older brother Will is a Public Defender in Fredericksburg Virginia. Both are fairly tolerant of visits from mom.
Ann is a member of the Church of the Good Shepherd and enjoyed the First Friday Film series events offered there. She is active in the Grayson Permaculture group, and as a recent retiree, is excited to have time to volunteer now with Food Independence as well as the Free Market. While a haphazard gardener at best, she appreciates those who do so more successfully and is happy to buy their produce at the Farmer’s Market. Ann enjoys reading and travel and is honored to serve on the GLC board.
Treasurer: Kevin Strawn grew up in St. Petersburg, Florida where everyone’s dream was to retire to the mountains. After a career in information technology at Duke Energy and a follow up career teaching high school math, he is living the dream. Kevin and his wife Mary Nell McPherson moved to Grayson County in March, 2020. He spends his time maintaining a small apple orchard, raspberry canes, and 9 acres of hay fields, and fly fishing the waters of SWVA.
After graduating from Furman University with a BS in Math/Computer Science Kevin moved to
Charlotte, NC. In 1987, young and foolish, he and Mary Nell bought 48 acres at the foot of Point Lookout
Mountain. It became the farm they never named, a home for his retired parents, and the getaway often
visited. Kevin served as an ordained elder at Covenant Presbyterian Church, was a frequent volunteer at
Habitat for Humanity, and served as chair of the Charlotte advisory board of the Self Help Credit Union.
As a teacher, Kevin joined the NC Association of Educators and served 6 years on the board of the local
Charlotte Mecklenburg chapter, including 4 years as the treasurer. In Grayson, Kevin is attends the
Church of the Good Shepherd, volunteers at Food Independence, and sings with the Highland Camerata.
Kevin would be happy to take you fishing anytime.
Director: Michelle Pridgen grew up in the Research Triangle area of North Carolina. She earned a BA in East Asian Studies from UNC-CH and an AA in General Agriculture from NCSU. She worked as an extension technician doing vegetable research and as part of the horticultural team at WRAL while living in Raleigh. Michelle and her husband Don bought land in Grayson County in 1984 that would become Windyhill Farm. They formed Windyhill Logworks and traveled the country building log homes for 20 years. She has served as secretary for Grayson LandCare and was hired as Director in 2020. Michelle has been the manager of the Independence Farmers Market since 2013. She continues in that position and grows produce and flowers for the Market.
Her goal is to help increase the success of local agriculture. To that end she serves on various boards and has worked with Blue Ridge Woodland growers and Appalachian Sustainable Development’s Herb Hub to determine the feasibility of woodland medicinals.
At-Large: Joyce Roberts was born and raised in Grayson County. My late husband moved to the mountains from Raleigh, so I have continued to live here. I have an associate degree in management. I worked at the local library for several years, did substitute teaching and assisted my husband in operating our construction business. My husband & I had State and Federal permits for many years to rehabilitate wildlife and raptors became our love and specialty. We made several birding trips to Central America. I enjoy volunteering, gardening (especially flowers), reading and walking with friends and my sweet pup, Sophie.
At large-John Alexander grew up on a small farm in Rockbridge County, Virginia outside of the little town of Fairfield. Like all small farms in the 50s, it was a learning lab on self-sufficiency. He attended Virginia Tech for one year in 1969 where he majored in Forestry. He married his wonderful high school sweetheart, Susan McGuffin, and joined the Navy two days later where he served as a Communications Technician. Upon discharge he and his wife Susan
attended Berea College where he learned the art and craft of broom making which he does to this day. The experience at Berea where every student receives a full tuition scholarship instilled a lifelong desire to help others to succeed.
Returning to Rockbridge County, John worked in the local school system as a second grade
teacher and then principal. During this time he attended James Madison University and received
his M Ed. Degree in Administration. In 1980 John left education to work for the Presbyterian
Home for Children as its director. In 1996, John became the director of the Presbyterian
Children’s Home in Wytheville for 4 years.
Returning to the field of education, John began to work for Grayson County Schools in 1999.
He has served as a teacher and principal and now as a mentor for new principals. John retired in 2019
He now volunteers with Food Independence, Matthew’s Historical Farm, and Grayson
County Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee. He continues to be active in the area of
Appalachian crafts teaching classes at Radford University, the local library, and upon invitation
to other galleries and schools.
At Large-Paul Hoyle: Paul Hoyle is an active retiree engaged in several environmental recovery and mitigation programs in the region. Prior to retirement, Paul served as the Emergency Services Coordinator for Grayson County where he led the County’s responses to numerous events over his tenure, including a dam failure, earthquake, COVID-19, floods and Hurricane Helene. He is engaged as a Water Watcher for the New River Conservancy and has assisted and participated in the annual New River Cleanups since moving to Grayson County.
Before moving to Grayson County, Paul served as an emergency services systems planner for the Hampton Roads region of Virginia for several years after a career with Portsmouth Fire, Rescue & Emergency Services in Portsmouth, Virginia until his retirement in 2010. Paul also served on Virginia-1 Disaster Medical Assistance Team and Southwest Virginia Incident Management Team. He has responded to numerous incidents of national significance over the last 25 years, among them Hurricanes Sandy, Michael, Matthew, Irma, the 2019 Virginia Beach mass shooting and many others. Paul is a veteran of the United States Navy, retiring in 2000 with 21 years of honorable service. He currently lives in the Baywood community of Grayson County, Virginia with his wife Ashley, daughter Sage and numerous wild beasts, stuffed and otherwise.
At Large-Diane Werth: Diane Werth was born on the space coast in Florida and fell in love with the Blue Ridge Mountains at the age of ten, when her parents Millie and Ruell relocated their canoe company to Independence. She graduated from Grayson County High School in 1991. After graduating from the University of Virginia, she married her high school sweetheart, Fred M Werth III, “Binker” and traveled to various states, while he served as an Army Officer.
Diane has spent most of her career as a research scientist contributing to the pharmaceutical and life sciences sector. She completed an MBA degree in 2018 and has served in leadership roles in biotech/pharma for over 15 years. She recently relocated from St. Charles, Mo to Independence, Va and works remotely, leading Discovery Services at IQVIA Laboratories.
Throughout her life, Diane has enjoyed outdoor recreation, especially horseback-riding, kayaking, hiking, medicinal herbs, and gardening. As a recent empty-nester and upon returning home to Virginia, she is eager to support our local community and agriculture/environmental stewardship in Grayson County,
Past President: Michael David Jenkins was raised in Independence, Virginia. After graduating from Grayson County High School in 1989 he attended Emory and Henry College where he earned a B.A. in Spanish and English. During this time he also attended La Universidad de San Juan Evangelista in Madrid, Spain. Afterward, he attended Virginia Polytechnic and State University where he earned a Masters of Arts in Education with a focus on Curriculum and Instruction. Upon graduating from Virginia Tech, he began his teaching career in Stokes County, NC as a Spanish teacher. He leads student and adult groups to Costa Rica, Perú, and Western Europe to experience cultural diversity, history, and current environmental conservation practices, eco-tourism opportunities, and alternative energy efforts.
In addition to his teaching profession, Michael opened in 2003 and still operates Ward Manor Events Venue on the family farm with his spouse. Being the shepherd of this Bicentennial Farm is his joy. He eagerly awaits the arrival of his retirement when he may be afforded the opportunity to more enjoy his hobbies of vegetable and flower gardening, and looks forward, at that time, to being a regular vendor at the Independence Farmers Market.
Founder & Ex Officio Member: Charlotte Hanes graduated from East Carolina University where she was a member of the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society. She was a practicing physical therapist at NC Memorial Hospital, Chapel Hill and Methodist Hospital in Houston. Charlotte became Director of the Physical Therapy Department at A.P. Memorial Hospital, Reidsville, NC in 1978 and a partner with Rockingham Orthopedic Associates in 1981.
She is currently president and CEO of River Ridge Cattle Company, a 1500-acre farm located along the New River in southwest Virginia’s Grayson County specializing in naturally raised beef and organic berries. The farm serves as a demonstration of livestock production for the region’s cattle farmers and is an on-going research partner with Virginia Tech.
Charlotte is a founder of Grayson LandCare, which originated in Australia and is now in over 14 countries around the world. She is also a board member of Rachel’s Network, www.rachelsnetwork.org., a national organization located in Washington, DC, dedicated to creating a network of women conservation funders and to be an influential voice for the environment.