Meet Us

Anneliese M. Thomae Elías (they/elle)(Board member May 2023-present)

I’m originally from Guatemala city. I like living in the mountains, Guatemala city is surrounded by mountains and volcanoes, so I definitely like having them on the horizon.  I have many interests like hiking, camping, capoeira, biking, and swimming. I love spending time with my family and our farm animals, taking them out in the Summer to graze. I also enjoy playing video games, and reading. My favorite group activities are cooking, learning how to play musical instruments together, and playing board and card games.

I want to live in a place that is an intentional community, in which neighbors care for other neighbors, and in which people support each other. I have realized that living in such a place has to be an intentional effort, that the society I was born into and grew up into did not care much for other people, and other living beings, but with intention and action we can form this community. What draws me to this project is to be able to partake in creating this space for all of us. 

Clarinda Choice (they/she) (Board member May 2023-Dec 2024)

I’m an advocate, artist, and change agent who is committed to social justice and a more equitable world. I work as an Assistant Director of Intercultural Student Affairs at Appalachian State University and hold a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Eckerd College and Master of Education in Student Personnel in Higher Education from the University of Florida. I’m passionate about mentoring students, creating community among diverse populations, uplifting minoritized voices, and empowering others to pursue their goals and talents. I prioritize self-care and enjoy the outdoors, travel, music, meditation, and spending time with the folks I love.

 As someone with an awareness of how systems negatively impact Black and brown folks and other folks who hold minoritized identities, I’m on a constant journey towards liberation. Navigating these harmful systems as a Black queer person is heavy, and dreaming gives me hope. My compassionate action against the inequities minoritized people endure, is grounded in the reimagining Vibrant Earth Collective (VEC) provides. Collaborative dreaming and community action are at the core of my activism approach, both of which feel at home in VEC’s vision.

Arrow: (they/he) (Board member May 2023-present)

I’m a multidisciplinary artist who works in traditional fine art and digital mediums, dabbles in hobbyist programming and engineering, and is beginning a new venture as a trained practitioner in the Alexander Technique. I spend a lot of time thinking about life, technology, nature, and the future of our world.

I don’t think that the society we’re asked to live in today truly serves the needs of the people within it. Most of us are very separated from our communities, the essential resources which sustain us, and the systems that our daily work and energy directly or indirectly support. I think projects like The Vibrant Earth Collective offer an opportunity for us to re-evaluate those aspects of our lives, and ask ourselves what we might choose instead. I hope that together we can co-create healthier, happier ways of living, and that more and more, we can put our daily energy towards a hopeful future.

Liz Rose: she/her (Board member May 2023-May 2024)

I was born in Eastern NC in the late 1950’s in a rural farming community near the Atlantic Ocean and was delighted with the wild expanse of living close to salt water. In 1981 I came to the NC Mountains and felt embraced by the feral, yet cloistered landscape and subsequently put down deep roots. My life as a mother/wife/daughter/sister has allowed me to explore humility, courage and a never ending well of love. My career as a music teacher/music therapist has taught me that the imaginative spark lies within each human. Living within the same landscape called home for the past 35 years has shown me that it is possible to be in kinship with the more than human world.

In the early 1980’s I lived within a structured community called the NC Outward Bound School. This community shaped who I am today and had a profound impact on my transition into adulthood. Approaching my 3rd phase of life is a similar transition, bringing vulnerability as well as wisdom. What would it be like to live in a community that is able to hold the tension of vulnerability and wisdom, able to receive my gifts and offer gifts as well? The vision of the VEC aligns with my deep longing to discover moral and ecological beauty separate from contemporary culture, a place where people and landscapes who have been marginalized are placed front and center, surrounded by a community of care.

Shamba Wright (he/him) (Board member May 2023-present)

I grew up on the North side of Chicago and first fell in love with nature during a Summer job as a trail maintenance hand for the Idaho Forest Service. It took me a few years to make it happen, but I eventually made my way to Boone, NC in 2009, not fully knowing what to expect, but excited at the idea of living closer to nature. I quickly fell in love with the area and have called it home ever since. I am an artist at heart, a carpenter by trade, and a devoted husband and father to two amazing children. I love sci-fi, super heroes, good bourbon, and I dream about outer space often.

I have always felt a strong sense of justice around land access. I believe that all humans deserve the right to live freely and connected with the land around us. Unfortunately, in today’s world, constructs like money and ownership prevent this access. I approach this project with optimism and a hope that we can make the simple act of living closer to nature a reality for those who would otherwise be denied that opportunity.

Henna Wallace (she/they) (Board member May 2023-present)

I first fell in love with these mountains as a child, visiting the state where my father was born and raised. After years of visits, I finally moved here in 2013, and after some years away, moved back in 2018 with my son.

 I love to spend time outdoors, and whether it’s a hike in the rain or river time in the sun, there’s a good chance I’ll be singing. I’m a dabbling botanist, and clinically trained herbalist. I am also a doula, so I am fascinated by pregnancy, birthing and people’s metamorphoses into parenthood and honored to be able to support families through those journeys.  My interests are many and constantly evolving, but I love to spend my time learning new perspectives on culture, communication, parenting, and healing in the context of community.

I’ve dreamt of living in an intentional community for many years. I’ve both visited and lived in a handful of communities around the USA and abroad, which showed me the beauty and challenges of forging a new way to live. I’m inspired by the heart I see in the folks on the board, and feel an exciting sense of possibility when I imagine the impact that an earth-based & social justice centered neighborhood could have on our relationships and community. 

Christina Bailey (they/she) (Board member May 2023-present)

I grew up in Charlotte, NC and moved to Boone, NC in 2005 where I’ve now spent half of my life in these incredible mountains. 

I am a queer, neurodivergent human interested in holistic and community health, people, cats, art, hiking, community organizing, social justice, local food systems and so much more. I’ve been a licensed massage therapist since 2012 and am grateful to say that I still love this work. Both receiving and giving therapeutic touch continues to be essential for my mental, emotional, spiritual and physical health. I’m also a real estate agent as of August 2020 with the intent of helping folks find affordable housing and moving funds to this project and other amazing land based liberation projects. I enjoy this work as well. 

I LOVE dreaming up and creating the world I want to live in with other passionate humans. I want to create safe, eco-friendly, creative, and equitable housing solutions for people like me (queer, neurodivergent, less than median income) and other marginalized identities such as BIPOC, immigrants, elders and more AND comrades and allies. I want to create cultural change by creating communities of care that thrive on an abundance mindset and are led by people who have been pushed down and out for way too long in this country. I want to collaborate on awesome local businesses such as a community center and tree house rentals. AND I want to live in a treehouse that I can call my home one day. These dreams plus hearing other people’s dreams and my desire to make it happen with others is what continues to draw me to this project.