Saraday Evans Email & Phone Number

North Carolina & Kentucky

Accelerating Appalachia is the world’s first nature-based business accelerator, attracting and cultivating high-impact innovative businesses aligned with place, people and prosperity - regenerating Soul & Soil. We accelerate growth-stage businesses in regenerative food, farming, forests, fiber: basic needs businesses providing our food, clothing, shelter and wellness and arising from the most diverse foodshed in North America and one the most biodiverse regions in the world: Appalachia. Our nature-based businesses regenerate soil health, nutrition, water and air through good farming & land management and in these processes, sequester carbon. We are a diverse and inclusive team and help to grow diverse and inclusive teams. Diverse species, diverse crops, diverse economies and diverse communities = life and longevity.

Asheville, Nc And Lexington, Ky Area

Prosperity Collective is a social enterprise composed of sustainability professionals who provide solutions for current environmental and social challenges. We are creative, inclusive, problem solvers, focusing on rural comminities. Our team’s commitment to environmental and social responsibility has been in practice, independently, by each member for more than 50 years collectively. Our team embodies the philosophy outlined by B-Corporation status. The “B” stands for Benefit.

Asheville, North Carolina Area

Launched the Western Regional Office for outreach and education for the NC Sustainable Energy Association

21st Century Communities Program - Working with distressed North Carolina communities to diversify and develop place-based economies. Participating communities experienced significant economic downturn due to loss of furniture and textile industries.

Frankfort, Kentucky, United States

Award-winning leader for Kentucky’s solid waste planning program, including strategic planning and development of Kentucky’s first solid waste fund. Redesigned the state solid waste planning program to shift from a state-level unfunded mandate to a collaborative approach that engaged all 120 counties and achieved unprecedented success of 75% improvement in solid waste management outcomes in recycling, waste reduction, waste collection and cleanup programs. Managed 22 professional staff, geologists, engineers and planners.Primary advisor to agency heads, cabinet secretary, governors office and legislature on policy and strategy forvsolid waste initiatives. Conceived and led development of Kentucky’s first solid waste management fund adopted in 2002 and modified in 2006, establishing $15 million annually for local and state recycling, waste reduction, landfill closure and cleanup programs. Achieved significant success during tenure, including an 85% decline in littering and illegal dumping and a 22% increase in recycling.

Developed statewide groundwater/wellhead protection program. Created groundwater modeling programs to delineate recharge areas for community groundwater supplies, including those in karst terrain. Worked with communities to plan for growth with consideration and protection of sensitive recharge areas for water supplies. Conducted workshops across state, and developed and implemented statewide public education campaign, including installation of road signs along major highways indicating entrance into sensitive grounwater zones.

Bs/Geology Ms/Hydrogeology, Geology/Hydrogeology/Music

Activities and Societies: Geology Honors Society, Pirtle Scholarship for Geology Student of the Year (1994), Dean's List (1993), Kentucky.

Water Law

Activities and Societies: Founder, Columbia Citizen's Wellhead Protection CommitteeWater Law