GAYLE WOODSUM

Founder and Director

Gayle M. Woodsum is an award winning writer and speaker with international experience in community organizing for social change since the early 1980s. She is president and chief executive officer for Action Resources International (ARI), a Wyoming based nonprofit organization dedicated to ending violence and promoting safety through a variety of community strengthening efforts that are community based, designed and led. In 2009, Gayle launched the Feeding Laramie Valley project through ARI, in an effort to expand resources and create equitable collaborations among various community food, health and social justice programs. 

LINA DUNNING

Community Engagment Director

Lina Dunning serves as the statewide AmeriCorps VISTA coordinator for Action Resources International, as well as manages several FLV programs and documents the area’s food history and future through interviews and videos. She grew up in a small town on the coast of Maine. After graduating from the University of Maine with a master’s degree in Community Development she worked as a community educator with the Cooperative Extension Service. Her experiences there led her to focus on the urgent issues facing women and children including family planning and sexual violence. Now living in Wyoming, surrounded by mountains instead of the ocean, she is working as a community-based social change activist to understand the role that food insecurity plays in keeping women trapped in abusive relationships and how to make healthy, fresh food available to those in need.

SANDY MOODY

Program Support Services Coordinator

Sandy was born and raised in Laramie and has raised her three children here as well. She attended the University of Wyoming and completed a certificate program at Laramie County Community College. Having worked many years at UW and for the Albany County school district she landed at Feeding Laramie Valley. Working part-time cleaning the old Ft. Sanders building at LaBonte Park, she also took on several temporary jobs from watering gardens to assisting with the inaugural years of FLV’s free summer lunch program and the Higher Ground Fair. Now full-time at Feeding Laramie Valley, Sandy is the coordinator of  Kids Out to Lunch and logistics coordinator for the annual Higher Ground Fair.

REECE OWENS

Food Production Manager

Reece is a Wyoming native. He was born in Laramie and grew up in the mountains at over 8,000 feet above sea level, 40 miles from the nearest town, in what most would think of as a cabin in the woods.  After graduating high school, he went to the University of Wyoming where he received a B.A. in Religious Studies. He started working at Feeding Laramie Valley during college and has continued to since graduation. His many duties include managing interns, shooting photos and videos, working in the gardens, and helping with anything else he can.

CANDACE TEEMS

Program Coordinator

Candace moved to Laramie with her husband and dog in January of 2018 from north metro Atlanta. She graduated with a master's degree in International Development from Brussels, Belgium. Before graduating, her experiences working and backpacking in Southeast Asia led her to focus on agricultural development. When she started with Feeding Laramie Valley, she was a full-time AmeriCorps VISTA where she helped the organization with capacity development, coordinating volunteers and events. Now, her duties include to support the planning and coordination of the programs and its activities, help build relationships within the team and the community, and keep records and reports updated.  

KATHERINE CASE

AmeriCorps State National Coordinator

Katherine moved to Laramie with her husband and dog in 2018 to continue her work in food security and community development. Katherine has two B.A.’s from the University of Hawaii and an M.A. in Political Science from San Diego State University. Over the last few years, Katherine has worked as a researcher and coordinator with local governments and community-based organizations to build community gardens, edible landscapes, and increase food security for vulnerable populations in underserved communities. After completing her first year with Feeding Laramie Valley, Katie stayed on as Community Garden Coordinator and Program Design Coordinator as well as accepted a position with Action Resources International as the AmeriCorps State National Program Coordinator.

DOM FRAUSTO

FLV Shares Team

Full Year AmeriCorps

Dominic was born and raised in Laramie, Wyoming. He enjoys gardening, cooking and art. Dom is working as a year long AmeriCorps with the FLV Shares team. Prior to this position, Dom was an FLV Summer Intern. He is very excited and humbled to have the opportunity to be apart of the FLV team full time and looking forward to working with everyone to continue the development of FLV.

RACHEL SURRATT

Food Access Capacity Development 

Full Year AmeriCorps VISTA

Rachel moved to Laramie in August of 2013 from northeast Texas. In 2017 she earned a B.A. in Anthropology from UW, with a minor in Gender and Women’s Studies. In the spring of 2019, she earned her M.A. in American Studies, also from UW. Her thesis focused on representations of food insecurity in rural spaces in film and literature. While completing her final semester at UW, Rachel worked with the Shares team at FLV as a part-time student intern. The following summer she continued to work with the Shares team as a summer apprentice and is now a full-time AmeriCorps VISTA at Feeding Laramie Valley. She is excited for the opportunity to continue working with the Laramie community, and to be part of an organization whose mission is close to her heart. When she can, Rachel loves to visit her mom in California, so she can be near the ocean and her family.

DOMONIQUE HACKNEY

Healthy Food Access

Full Year AmeriCorps VISTA

Domonique, originally hailing from Washington state, moved to Laramie, WY with her mom and little sister in April of 2019. She studied at Hartwick College in Oneonta, NY, obtaining a bachelor 's in Studio Arts and two minors in Peace & Conflict Studies and Environmental Science & Policy. Domonique has experience working on projects in photography, environmental conservation, community collaboration, and innovation in art and design. She enjoys working within her community, developing positive relationships, and adapting to life. In her free time, she enjoys photography, writing, hiking, gardening, and reading new works.

HANNA PILCH

Food Access Capacity Development

Full Year AmeriCorps VISTA

Hanna grew up in Evanston, Wyoming. She moved to Laramie to complete a Bachelor's in Sociology and Social Sciences from the University of Wyoming. Her interest in food insecurity, sustainability, and community building led her to pursue a position with Feeding Laramie Valley. In her free time, Hanna likes to travel, bake, be outdoors, or play with her cat.