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Our
PRESENTERS
Audra O'Dell
West Virginia Food and Farm Coalition
Audra O'Dell is the Value Added Products Program Manager for the West Virginia Food and Farm Coalition, where she has spent seven years building a better food system across the state. In her role, Audra works at the intersection of food systems, economic development, and community development — partnering directly with farmers to strengthen local agriculture, develop critical infrastructure, and support businesses as they grow and scale. Her work reflects a deep commitment to West Virginia's rural communities and to creating lasting pathways for farmers and food entrepreneurs to thrive.
Sierra Cox
West Virginia Food and Farm Coalition
Sierra Cox serves as a Project Coordinator with the West Virginia Food and Farm Coalition and is a board member for Future Harvest, where she contributes to regional efforts supporting sustainable agriculture and resilient food systems. She previously managed the West Virginia Department of Agriculture’s Veterans & Heroes to Agriculture program, strengthening pathways for military veterans entering farming. Additionally, she owns and operates Wonder Valley Farm LLC in Roane County, West Virginia, giving her firsthand experience with agricultural production, business management, and the challenges faced by small and diversified farms.
Natasha Zoe
JarHead Farms and JarHead Kitchens
Natasha Zoe returned home to West Virginia after retiring from the Marine Corps. Together with her husband and father, they are transitioning a cattle farm into fruit production, focusing on co-planting, native and heirlooms varieties, with a pay what you can afford u-pick policy. JarHead Farm is certified Naturally Grown and working with TOPP to become certified organic. JarHead Kitchen, co-located with JarHead Farm, is an FDA-inspected food manufacturing facility offering small-batch co-pack services. JarHead Kitchen is also working with TOPP to be able to offer certified organic processing for value-added products.
Jenn Brown
Mountain State Co-Hop Cooperative
Jennifer Brown is the Operations Manager of Mountain State Co-Hop (DBA Appalachian Cellar) and co-owner of Turtle on a Post Farm and Pure Serenity. In her role with the cooperative, Jennifer oversees day-to-day operations, manages grants, coordinates farmer participation, manages aggregation and distribution logistics, and ensures compliance with program requirements. Her leadership supports the cooperative’s mission to strengthen local food systems and expand market access for regional farmers.
Daniel Finsley
West Virginia Food and Farm Coalition
As Communications Manager for the West Virginia Food and Farm Coalition, Daniel Finsley leads the strategy and execution of communications, marketing, and outreach that connect farmers, food businesses, and communities to WVFFC programs and opportunities. He develops and manages campaigns, digital platforms, events, and training promotions that expand participation, strengthen partnerships, and elevate the visibility of initiatives such as SNAP Stretch, the Value-Added Products Program, the Rural Grocer Network, and the Tri-State Organic Conference. Working closely with leadership, he is also driving a strategic overhaul of WVFFC’s communications systems to clearly demonstrate the organization’s impact to funders, partners, and policymakers while advancing West Virginia’s local food economy.
Paul Ronk
Ronk Family Maple Farm
Ronk Family Maple Farm has roots stretching back to 1859, when a wagon of Ronks from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, settled in the mountains of Lincoln County, West Virginia. After more than a century without a resident, Paul and Rachel Ronk returned to the family's land in Alum Creek in 2005, just 20 minutes south of Charleston, and brought the mountain back to life. Inspired by a friend in Ohio, Paul and his son Jacob began tapping trees in 2015, and after discovering a tubing system at the WV State Fair, Ronk Family Maple Farm was officially born in 2016. Today, over 250 taps flow through 25 of the farm's 100+ forested acres, producing 100% pure WV maple syrup alongside specialty products like maple cotton candy, apple butter, maple BBQ, and a variety of infused syrups. Though Jacob passed away in 2017, Paul and family continue building the business in his memory, hosting school groups, opening the farm for Maple Days events, and serving as president of the WV Maple Producers Association with hopes that future generations will carry on the tradition of making mountain gold.
Duane Brown
Aroma of the Andes
Aroma of the Andes is a family-owned coffee farm run by the Browns. Nestled in the Andes Mountains of Colombia, just outside the small town of Supatá, their farm, Finca La Despensa, cultivates 6,500 eco-friendly coffee trees. Here, coffee enthusiasts can savor shade-grown, handpicked, sun-dried coffee that is bound to be loved. The journey of the Brown family, originally from the hills of West Virginia, to owning a coffee farm in Colombia is quite unexpected. It began in 1993 when Duane Brown joined his uncle, a missionary, on a trip to Colombia’s Red Zone for humanitarian work. During this trip, Duane made a lifelong Colombian friend. Years later, in 2011, this friend visited the Brown family in West Virginia and suggested they consider purchasing a coffee farm in Colombia. Intrigued, Duane and his family—Rachel and their sons, Joshua and Justin—decided to explore the idea. By March 2012, they had successfully purchased Finca La Despensa. Due to a legal technicality, they retained the farm’s original name, which charmingly translates to “the pantry farm,” reflecting its role in nourishing the community.
John Riggs
West Virginia University at Parkersburg
John W. Riggs serves as the Director of Agriculture at West Virginia University at Parkersburg and leads program growth, instruction, and day to day operations at The Riverhawk Farm, an applied learning facility supporting hands on workforce training, specialty crop production, and community engagement. In addition to his academic and farm leadership roles, Riggs is the owner of Weeping Willow Ag Services and Weeping Willow Cattle Company, where he is actively engaged in production agriculture, livestock management, and land based enterprise development. Across these endeavors, he focuses on practical, real world training, strong operational standards, and building agriculture programs and businesses that deliver direct value to students, partners, and the region.
Cyndi Kirkheart
Facing Hunger Food Bank
Cyndi has 35 years of experience and leadership in the helping professions of behavioral health, advocacy, and safety net services. Strong skill set of public speaking, advocacy, marketing, and management. Currently working with the best team that anyone could hope for, and blessed to have worked with so many influencers and strong mentors who were also good friends. That trends continues through today!
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