Ellen Allen, M.B.A., Executive Director

Ellen is a West Virginia native who is a fixture in the state's nonprofit world, with more than three decades of management and executive leadership experience, strategic operations, finance, project management, organizational development, fundraising, and people-centered/mission-driven leadership.  She was selected as a 2022 Wonder Woman by WV Living Magazine.  Ellen has a Master of Business Administration from Averett University in Danville, Virginia.  She was the only master's student selected to Pinnacle, Averett Honor Society for graduate-level study. Double majoring in Marketing Management and Small Business Management, Ellen attended Concord College in Athens, West Virginia graduating with honors. 

Mariah Plante, Story Collection Coordinator

Mariah is a Kanawha County native who has recently returned home to Charleston after several years working in the theatre industry in New York City.  Mariah is a founding member of the Appalachian Artists Collective and holds a BFA in Acting and Drama Therapy from Marymount Manhattan College. “As a theatre artist, activism and storytelling have always gone hand in hand for me. Sharing a lived experience is one of the most influential ways that people can contribute to the policy conversations that impact our daily lives.”