Two passionate organizers join the team

We’re delighted to welcome two exciting new members to the Appalachian Voices family, Adam Wells and Amy Kelly!

Adam Wells joins us from Wise County, Va., where he’ll be working to bring clean energy and other economic opportunities to the area as our Economic Diversification Campaign Coordinator. Adam first walked through the doors of Appalachian Voices as a volunteer while working on his undergraduate degree at Appalachian State University.

After earning his bachelor’s degree, Adam moved to Wise County, Va., to live on the land his family has inhabited for five generations. As outreach coordinator for Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards, and later as a field organizer for the Sierra Club, Adam dug deep into the movement to end mountaintop removal coal mining in Southwest Virginia. He also worked for a time as a wilderness therapy field guide, and in 2013 joined the Upper Tennessee River Roundtable, focusing on the Guest River in Wise County.

Adam still lives on his family farm in Wise County with his wife and their dog, where they enjoy spending time in the beautiful mountains of Southwest Virginia, especially on rivers.

Also new to the team is Amy Kelly, our Tennessee Energy Savings Outreach Coordinator. She’ll be working with local residents to save money and create opportunities by growing energy efficiency programs.

With familial ties in Tennessee since the 18th century and a renowned moonshiner as her great-grandfather, Amy has strong roots in Appalachia. Spending five years as a community organizer with Statewide Organizing for Community eMpowerment in Tennessee, and recently pursuing community economic development models that raise people’s voices to direct their own future, Amy has dedicated her career to aiding the region’s people in discovering their own power. She believes that the people of Appalachia can become leaders in energy innovation by harnessing their historic self-reliance and ingenuity.

Amy received a bachelor of arts in Sociology from Maryville College and is completing a master’s degree in Community Development from an award-winning, multi-state, human science program, GPIDEA. Amy also enjoys exploring the world with her beloved daughter and husband.

Please join us in extending a hearty welcome to them both!

• Learn more about our Energy Savings for Appalachia Program
• Learn more about our Wise Energy for Virginia program
• Meet our full team

About Jamie Goodman

Jamie is an Appalachian local with a deep and unshakeable love of the mountains her family has called home since the mid-1700s. With a background in journalism and communications, she has been with Appalachian Voices since 2008 and currently serves as our Director of Digital Innovation and Technology.