Board of Directors 2024
- Jack Paksoy, Chair
- David Bartholomew, Vice Chair
- Ela Twigg, Treasurer
- MaLeah Raymer, Secretary
- Hector Salgado, Ex-Officio
- Annelise Hagedorn
- Ameena Batada
- Sebastian ‘Cory’ Seithel
- Lori Hendrick
- Priya Ray
Staff
Vicki Meath, Executive Director
Vicki comes to Just Economics with a background in community organizing. She has worked on environmental, social and economic justice issues ranging from responsible oil and gas drilling to protecting health and human services in the Ohio state budget. In 2006, Vicki worked with Let Justice Roll and Cleveland Jobs with Justice on the successful campaign to raise the state minimum wage and continued to work with Jobs with Justice on the Cuyahoga County Living Wage Campaign and other worker justice issues. Vicki has a strong commitment to and passion for economic justice work. Vicki has a daughter and has lived in the Asheville area since 2007. She is involved in a variety of community activities and lives in West Asheville.
Jen Hampton, Housing and Wages Organizer
Jen Hampton is an experienced community organizer best known for her work organizing food service workers with Asheville Food and beverage United. She worked as a low wage worker in the foodservice industry for 31 years in every position imaginable. Jen is passionate about building worker solidarity to fight for better working and living conditions. Jen also lived in public housing for several years and is familiar with the struggle to find affordable housing and the less than desirable conditions in public housing.
In addition to organizing workers, Jen is a seamstress and sewing teacher. She hosts a monthly Sewing Club and teaches a weekly middle school sewing class. She enjoys spending time with her 3 children and 5 grandchildren, all of whom live in Buncombe County. Jen attended the University of Texas at San Antonio where she majored in Mathematics and minored in Spanish.
Sam Stites, Living Wage Program Coordinator
Sam Stites is a Transylvania County-based organizer and policy advocate with experience in labor and political organizing. He joins the staff as a member of the Living Wage Coalition of Transylvania County, a former member of JE’s Board of Directors, and a graduate of Voices for Economic Justice. Having moved to WNC in 2018 to care for a loved one, he quickly became involved in movement and coalition building, and is thrilled at the prospect of continuing to strengthen rural organizing infrastructure in the greater-WNC counties with Just Economics. Sam received a master’s in city & regional planning from UNC–Chapel Hill where he focused primarily on economic security, labor in North Carolina, civil justice issues, and wages. He loves exploring WNC, hiking and swimming, and his two cats.
Emma H. Nguyen, Operations Manager
Emma is an animal-obsessed, abolitionist, gardener who is passionate about building resilient, caring, accessible, liberated communities. With a background in community organizing, event coordination, project management, campaign development and facilitation, Emma uses her virgo powers to keep things running behind the scenes at Just Economics. Originally from rural North Carolina, Emma lives in the Southside neighborhood of Asheville with her husband Thom, Archi the hound dog and a flock of backyard chickens. She believes that with a little humor, some courageous companions, a few spreadsheets and a belief in a better world, anything is possible.
