Saturday, June 14th at 12:00 PM - Sign up here!
Moderator: Lucy Lawrence Ph.d.
Professor of Social Work at Warren Wilson College
I am a farmer’s daughter from eastern North Carolina where I dreamed of a world beyond the tobacco fields and sand hills of my youth. After working at a camp for children involved with the Department of Social Services, I knew I wanted to help people professionally. Combining my two dreams I have served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Costa Rica, coordinated a cross-country caravan of material aid to El Salvador through Oxfam America, integrated community work with sustainable development in Costa Rica, studied the establishment of NGOs in the former Soviet republic of Lithuania, developed bio-psycho-social-spiritual assessments of capital murder defendants in the Alabama Prison Project, and researched cultural comparisons of social capital between immigrant Latinos and Anglo and African Americans in northeast Alabama. Since arriving at Warren Wilson in 2003 I have continued my professional social work practice through involvement in Mountain Area Residential Facilities group homes for adults with developmental disabilities, the Mediation Center of Western North Carolina, and serving as a visit monitor and coach for non-custodial parents at the Family Visitation Program. My research is inspired by my teaching as currently focuses on service learning, global social work education, study abroad, intercultural development, and using the HBO series “The Wire” to teach theories of human behavior and the social environment. I was drawn to Wilson because of the holistic approach to liberal arts education.
Rev. Shannon Spencer
Chaplin at Warren Wilson College and founder of API/12 Baskets Cafe.
North Carolina-native and former Executive Director of Asheville Poverty Initiative. Rev. Dr. Shannon Spencer joins Warren Wilson as the Director of Spiritual Life and Chaplain of the College.
Before her time at Warren Wilson, she coached Division I basketball and was the Founder and Executive Director of Asheville Poverty Initiative and the 12 Baskets Cafe. She has a TedTalk and a documentary!
Additionally, she has served as an interfaith chaplain at the Swannanoa Correctional Center for Women and served churches in Illinois, California, and North Carolina. Shannon holds a BS in Special Education from Appalachian State University, an M.Div. from Duke Divinity School, and a D. Min. from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California.
Reflecting on her time in ministry, she writes: “I have had many teachers along the way – some living in gated communities while others behind the gates of prisons and jails. It’s been a beautifully broken journey framed by abundant grace and radical love.”
Brady Rochford
7th/8th Grade Language Arts & Social Studies Teacher at Francine Delany
Brady began her teaching career in Raleigh, North Carolina after graduating with a B.S. in Middle Grades Education from NC State University. While in school there, Brady participated in an international studies program in Pskov, Russia, and worked in farmworker advocacy in rural North Carolina. She obtained her Master’s degree from Appalachian State and her National Certification while working in Watagua County. In 2011, Brady studied indigenous and biological diversity in Oaxaca, Mexico with the National Endowment for the Humanities. Although she looks forward to another international adventure, she is most grateful to be living in Asheville and enjoys the thrill of middle school, running in the woods and spending time with her family.
Adrian Shaefer
Student at University of NC Asheville
Thornne Garen
Poverty Educator at Asheville Poverty Initiative