lexy close

Lexy Close is a native of Johnson City, TN with a Masters in International Development and Social Change from Clark University. After 7 months WWOOFing in Europe, Close returned home to Johnson City to apply her passion for community development and sustainable agriculture. She co-founded the community organization “Build It Up East Tennessee”, which since 2012 has helped families, school, and community gardeners in the region grow over 100,000 lbs of fresh produce. In 2015, she got a job with the Appalachian RC&D Council to oversee their Local Food Promotion Program and grew to be a regional expert on local food markets and products. She oversaw the creation and expansion of the Field School, a training program that provides business and production education tailored to the needs of beginning farmers in the region. She is also an experienced grant writer who has secured over $11 million in federal, state, and private foundation grants to support local agriculture in East TN and across the state. Lexy is also working as the project facilitator and grant writer for the Appalachian Producers Cooperative (APC), a farmer-owned cooperative that is building a new meat processing facility in Telford, TN which will be completed in early 2025.