Advisory Board

Wendell Berry

Wendell Berry

bell hooks

in memoriam - bell hooks

Desiree Adaway

Desiree Adaway - Founder and Principal of The Adaway Group

Antoinette Carroll

Antoinette Carroll - Founder, President, CEO of Creative Reaction Lab

Michelle Long

Michelle Long, BALLE

Joe Schmidt

Joe Schmidt, Entremanureship

Tom Lotrecchiano

Tom Lotrecchiano, Entremanureship

Andrea Armeni

Andrea Armeni, Transform Finance

Darrell Glasgow – Social Mission Architects

Darrell Glasgow, Social Mission Architects

Jane Hatley is the Western North Carolina Regional Director for Self-Help Credit Union.

Jane Hatley, Self-Help Credit Union.

Josh Dorfman, Director of Entrepreneurship for Venture Asheville

Josh Dorfman, Director of Entrepreneurship for Venture Asheville

Soody Tronson, Soody Tronson Law Group

Soody Tronson, Soody Tronson Law Group

Jeffrey Schmitt, Interim Executive Director, The Heart of the Healer Foundation

Jeffrey Schmitt, Interim Executive Director, The Heart of the Healer Foundation

Catherine Covington, RSF Social Finance

Catherine Covington, RSF Social Finance

Justin Belleme, JB Media

Justin Belleme, JB Media

Jim Roberts, Executive Director, Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship University of North Carolina Wilmington

Jim Roberts, Executive Director, Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship University of North Carolina Wilmington

Shaun Paul , Reinventure Capital

Shaun Paul , Reinventure Capital

David McConville – President, The Buckminster Fuller Institute

David McConville - President, The Buckminster Fuller Institute

Pam Lewis – Appalachian EB5

Pam Lewis - Appalachian EB5

Michael Whelchel – Co-Founder/Partner, Watershed Capital

Michael Whelchel - Co-Founder/Partner, Watershed Capital

Richard Piggosi – Founder & Chairman, Pegasus Capital

Richard Piggosi - Founder & Chairman, Pegasus Capital

Ross Baird – Executive Director, Village Capital

Ross Baird - Executive Director, Village Capital

Rosa Lee Harden and Kevin Jones – Co-Founders, SOCAP

Rosa Lee Harden and Kevin Jones - Co-Founders, SOCAP

Daniel Goldman – Managing Director, Ignition Angels

Daniel Goldman - Managing Director, Ignition Angels

We bring in seasoned entrepreneurs, investors, and proven practitioners as mentors, who advise and consult with intensive sessions to guide our entrepreneurs.

We are also connected to national and international thought leaders, such as Wendell Berry, and work with local, regional, and federal agencies, as well as a variety of nonprofits, to provide expertise and resources to our entrepreneurs, and introduce them to potential supporters and key contacts.

Advisers and mentors work with entrepreneurs to build companies that effectively address social and/or environmental needs, while being profitable, scalable, and considerate of people, planet and profit.

These experts represent a number of fields, such as Finance, Social Enterprise, Impact investing, and key sectors (see “What Are Regenerative Businesses?” for more info about our target sectors.)