Staff
Working hard to build more healthy and sustainable communities.
2025 Working Landscapes Staff
Carla Norwood, PhD (Lumbee)
Executive Director
Carla Norwood founded Working Landscapes in order to make a contribution to the wellbeing of her home community. Carla is a big-picture visionary who is deeply dedicated to advancing a resilient future for all. She led the renovation of the historic Main Street building that houses Working Landscapes‘ offices. She holds a PhD in Ecology from the University of North Carolina and a Master’s in Environmental Management from Duke University. Carla lives on her family’s farm with her husband Gabe, three children, and numerous sheep.
carla@workinglandscapesnc.org
Maeve Broyles
Food Hub Manager
Maeve Broyles grew up on a little homestead in Ashe County, North Carolina. She has a background in food manufacturing, including being the head cheesemaker at a goat dairy before joining Working Landscapes in 2023. Her favorite vegetable is turnip greens, and she spends her time away from work with friends, family, her old man, and geriatric chihuahuas.
maeve@workinglandscapesnc.org
Gabe Cumming, PhD
Director of Strategic Initiatives
Gabe Cumming, PhD co-founded Working Landscapes with his wife Carla, who is a Warren County native. Gabe leads Working Landscapes’ efforts to support the development of a sustainable regional food system, and he currently serves as co-chair of the Kerr-Tar Food Policy Council. He supports research/consulting, partnership development, fundraising, food hub development, and food safety at Working Landscapes. Gabe, Carla, and their three children raise dairy sheep on her family’s farm.
gabriel@workinglandscapesnc.org
Melissa Ferens, MSLS
ByWay Foods Administrative Coordinator
Melissa Ferens is a native of Vance County. Melissa graduated from the School of Library Science at UNC, and first joined Working Landscapes in 2021 as an Educational Coordinator for our food literacy program for kids. Melissa has since come to deeply appreciate the role that sustainable local and regional food systems have on the resilience and well-being of our planet and our communities, and is honored to support their development through community outreach and program administration. Melissa leads the food safety team of ByWay Foods, aggregates and analyzes ByWay Foods’ business data, and provides bookkeeping support. In her free time, she enjoys watching tv shows, playing video games and trading card games, reading, and doll collecting.
melissa@workinglandscapesnc.org
Keri Fogg
Kitchen Assistant - Processing Crew
Working Landscapes
Allen Harris
ByWay Foods Processing Crew
Allen Harris, aka Mr. Allen, is a key member of our processing crew. He is our sweet potato king and joined the crew after retiring from a 40-year career in food service at a hospital in New York City. Mr. Allen has 12 kids and many more grandchildren.
Jason Maynard
Value Chain Manager
Jason Maynard first joined Working Landscapes as a Climate-Smart Coordinator. He is a passionate gardener and outdoors enthusiast with a degree in horticulture and over a decade of experience supporting Software as a Service platforms. After 14 years in tech, Jason returned to his roots and runs a micro-market garden, selling produce to a few CSA customers. Jason practices permaculture and focuses on sustainable, regenerative methods. In his free time, you will find him brewing beer, baking bread, or exploring the backcountry. Jason’s favorite savory fruit is the tomato, and his favorite sweet fruit is the strawberry. Jason believes garlic improves everything and is committed to living and growing sustainably.
jason@workinglandscapesnc.org
Jenni Rogan, MUEP
Director of Operations
Jenni Rogan started as a Climate Justice Intern at Working Landscapes in 2022 and joined the team full-time in 2023. Jenni has a Bachelor of Arts in Biology, with a focus on ecology and conservation, from Carleton College in Minnesota, and a Master’s in Urban and Environmental Planning from the University of Virginia. She is passionate about advancing resilience projects and policies that work for rural communities to both strengthen their local economies and protect their environmental assets. When not at work, Jenni loves to read voraciously, get outside often, eat a garden-fresh tomato, and call her cats silly nicknames.
jenni@workinglandscapesnc.org
Jon White
Program Manager
Jon White grew up in Durham and developed a love of the natural world by poking around the muddy backyard creeks of the Piedmont. Through work at various schools, environmental non-profits, and farms, combined with an anthropology degree from Davidson College, he studied, lived, and worked at the places where relationships generated new, healthier ways of relating to one another and the land. Jon directed the Working Landscapes’ USDA Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities grant and now helps coordinate a nationwide network of grantees responding to the cancellation. Jon enjoys sharing local food with others and swimming in rivers, and he is very grateful for the many opportunities to do both in North Carolina.
jon@workinglandscapesnc.org
Susanna Odom
Farmer Services Administrative Coordinator
Susanna Odom grew up in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina and is proud to still call it home today. She recently graduated from NC State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Science and remains a diehard NC State fan. Susanna is passionate about building genuine connections with others and supporting local small businesses in her community. In her free time, she enjoys spending time at Lake Gaston, watching and attending sporting events, and making memories with friends and family.
susanna@workinglandscapesnc.org
Drea Blackburn
Resilient Communities Intern
Drea Blackburn is deeply motivated to transform our current food system into one that is equitable, sustainable, and climate-resilient. They hope to use their landscape architecture skillset to support and amplify the ongoing work being done by farmers, non-profits, and grassroots leaders who are actively pushing for a better food system. Creating healing and restorative agricultural spaces, addressing economic development in rural areas, and exploring conservation and climate adaptation strategies are core factors that drive their work. Ultimately, Drea is excited to explore how landscape architecture can support resilient food systems, meaningfully collaborate with communities, and honor the land and people who sustain us.
drea@workinglandscapesnc.org
Mark Beacham
Food Hub Assistant Program Manager
Mark Beacham is a native North Carolinian who had his agrarian awakening in 2019 while living at a farm in Granville county. Before joining Working Landscapes, he worked in agriculture at a renewable materials start up. When not at work, Mark spends his time tending to his orchard of Pawpaw trees and his native plant nursery. Mark is a big fan of sungold cherry tomatoes.
mark@workinglandscapesnc.org
Jada Rasheed
Communications and Operations Coordinator
Jada is a proud North Carolina native. She loves connecting with other people and networking in ways that create space for community collaboration and improvement. With lots of passion folded into improving the quality of life for members of her beloved North Carolina communities, on a larger scale, she envisions a world where happiness and cohesion are the norm for all that dwell on it. In her free time, she loves listening to music and watching her favorite Youtubers and live streamers.
jada@workinglandscapesnc.org
Michael Comstock
Healthy Meals Manager
With nearly 25 years of experience in the culinary arts, Chef Michael serves as Healthy Meals Manager for Working Landscapes in Warrenton, NC. His professional journey is defined by a deep-seated dedication to high-quality food service and a unique background in historic restoration work. This specialized experience in craftsmanship informs his meticulous approach to culinary management, allowing him to balance technical precision with creative meal programming.
Chef Michael’s work is fueled by a genuine love for agriculture and the vital connection between local farmers and the community table. He is a strong advocate for utilizing regional products and finds particular inspiration in outdoor cooking and traditional techniques. While focused on his professional contributions to the North Carolina food system, he resides here locally in the area and enjoys spending his time with his wife and son.
michael@workinglandscapesnc.org