WNC Grows

About Us
- Meet the Team
- Mission & Philosophy
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- Neighborhood Tree Plantings
- Community Greenspaces & Food Forests
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Meet Our Team

Staff & Board of Directors

Chris DeFiore

Executive Director

Chris DeFiore

Executive Director

Chris founded WNC Grows to bring together his passion for forests, native plants, teaching, and Western North Carolina. Before planting roots in community forestry, Chris taught high school and middle school in Asheville for 7 years and was a founding member of a public charter school. He graduated from Warren Wilson College with an Environmental Education degree, holds a Masters of Forestry from the Yale School of the Environment, is an ISA Certified Arborist and NC Registered Forester, and gained experience in community forestry during his time working with The Nature Conservancy and Urban Resources Initiative. In his free time he can be found hiking in the mountains, propagating native trees, or playing ultimate frisbee. He is honored to join in and support the amazing communities in WNC working towards a beautiful future in the face of adversity.

Ed Macie

Board Chair

Ed Macie

Board Chair

Ed is a life long environmentalist, and a career urban ecologist. He has over 40 years of experience in Urban Forestry, having served with the U.S. Forest Service, as a County Arborist and an Arboricultural Consultant. Ed took on a national leadership roll in urban forestry early in his career, directing the Southern Regional Urban Forestry Program for the Forest Service in Atlanta, and establishing the Centers for Urban and Interface Forestry co-located at the University of GA, Athens, Georgia and the University of Florida. Work with these programs included: the administering grants; research and educational programs; and the start-up of local and state-wide non-profit organization; enabling these groups to plant, protect, and maintain trees, and improve the environment where people live work and play. One major focus of Ed’s career is the development of programs, practices and policies, which enhance tree protection and replacement during urbanization. This focus has intensified with recognition that urbanization is a major driver of climate change. Ed holds degrees in arboriculture/environmental horticulture, and urban forest ecology.

Justin Holt

Secretary

Justin Holt

Secretary

I was raised in New York’s Hudson Valley in the shade of Northern red oaks and shagbark hickory trees. I always appreciated the trees, but it wasn’t until my post-college casting about in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis that I became fully aware of the spell they had cast on me. In 2010, I began studying permaculture, agroecology, and ecological education, and working in Asheville’s city parks to plant, graft, and tend fruit and nut trees. This led to forming the Nutty Buddy Collective and then Asheville Nuttery, two organizations dedicated to community-scale agroforestry that I run along with two partners and with lots of community collaboration. I also currently work with Cooperate WNC and operate Wolf Tree Consulting, a small forestry and permaculture consulting company. While trees and forests provide countless ‘ecosystem services’, I believe the real magic and power happens when people work together in community with forest ecosystems. I’m delighted to be working with WNC Grows to expand community forestry in our region.

Liesl Erb

Vice Chair

Liesl Erb

Vice Chair

Dr. Liesl Erb is an Associate Professor of Conservation Biology at Warren Wilson College in Swannanoa, NC, where she inspires students and the community to understand how human activities affect ecosystems through field research, citizen science projects, and data-driven learning resources. Her research and teaching draw on her B.A. in Biology from Colorado College, Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Colorado Boulder, and a heartfelt passion for connecting people of all ages to the real-world practice of conservation science. As a board member with WNC Grows, Dr. Erb brings deep expertise in conservation, community-engaged research, and student mentorship, helping to shape programs that connect residents, college partners, and local ecosystems through meaningful, science-informed community forestry projects.

Beth Rankin

Treasurer

Beth Rankin

Treasurer

Beth brings extensive experience in financial stewardship, organizational management, and operational planning to the WNC Grows Board of Directors. She currently serves as Operations Director at Evergreen Community Charter School, where she oversees key business and financial operations. She holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Connecticut.

Lora Hawkins

Communications Team Leader

Lora Hawkins

Communications Team Leader

Lora is the volunteer Communications Team Leader for WNC Grows, where she brings a deep commitment to story, relationship, and equity to how we share our work with Western North Carolina communities. An Assistant Professor of English Education at Appalachian State, Lora holds a B.A. from Warren Wilson College, an M.A.T. from Brown University, and a Ph.D. in English Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. She has taught for over a decade in public and international schools and has been recognized with multiple teaching awards, reflecting her extensive experience in youth-centered, justice-focused education. Lora ensures our communications reflect both the tangible impact of community forests and the human stories of connection, care, and resilience that make this work possible.

Patrick Gilbert

Policy Advisor

Patrick Gilbert

Policy Advisor

Serving as WNC Grows’ Policy Advisor, Patrick Gilbert is Chair of the Western North Carolina Urban Forest Council and a former member and chair of the City of Asheville Urban Forestry Commission. A longtime Asheville civic leader, he served with the Coalition of Asheville Neighborhoods for five years where he worked with city staff and neighborhood leaders to advance resilient, stable communities. Patrick brings additional experience in local advisory roles and a distinguished career in journalism and communications, including leadership positions with The Baltimore Sun and Johns Hopkins Medicine.

Jerry Lubos

Media Specialist

Jerry Lubos

Media Specialist

Jerry has been teaching Filmmaking to highschoolers from pre-production to post-production for over a decade. He brings experience in video production and project-based learning along with a passion for storytelling, community engagement, and helping people connect with the world around them. He holds a B.S. in Interdisciplinary Studies with a concentration in Social Studies and a minor in Japanese from the University of North Texas. An aspiring Librarian, Jerry is currently attending UNCA Greensboro for Library Science.