Asheville Design Center Project Manager

Asheville, NC

Position Summary

MountainTrue seeks a skilled designer to serve as Project Manager for the Appalachian Design Center (ADC)—a new, community-driven initiative responding to the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene in Western North Carolina. This program mobilizes volunteer architects, engineers, landscape architects, and planners to support recovery and climate-resilient development in affected communities.

This is a part-time contractual position. The Project Manager will oversee volunteer design teams working in up to four communities across Buncombe, Madison, and Henderson counties. They will lead community engagement efforts, manage the design process, and ensure that each project results in a comprehensive community report outlining design recommendations, historical context, and an implementation strategy.

This role is central to fostering inclusive, place-based recovery efforts. ADC teams conduct in-depth assessments, collaborate with residents to align designs with local needs, and create solutions that enhance safety, accessibility, and economic resilience—all while preserving regional character. Additionally, the Project Manager will help position communities to secure funding from FEMA, state agencies, regional grants, and private sources.

This is a unique opportunity to lead a transformative design initiative that strengthens communities and advances sustainable development in Western North Carolina.

We are looking for candidates who:

Are a strong fit with our collaborative, multi-disciplinary team.
Have a willingness to grow and learn in a rapidly evolving, post-disaster environment.
Show enthusiasm and a strong desire to contribute to our contextually appropriate ecological restoration and climate-resilient projects.

Key Responsibilities

Project Management: Lead and manage community-driven design projects from initiation to closeout, including project planning, conceptual design process, scheduling, resource allocation, and risk management.
Team Collaboration: Collaborate with architects, engineers, landscape architects, planners, graphic designers, and other stakeholders to ensure interdisciplinary coordination, resolve design conflicts, and achieve project goals.
Client Communication: Serve as the primary point of contact for community leaders and government representatives, understanding their needs, and communicating project progress, milestones, and deliverables effectively.
Design Coordination: Coordinate with internal design teams, consultants, and contractors to integrate design concepts seamlessly into community Recovery & Resilience Plans, ensuring design intent and quality are maintained.
Workshop Facilitation: Guide a community-led process to inform an implementation matrix to be included in the community plan.
Community Plan Production: Oversee the assemblage of the community plan, incorporating images, text, and drawings into a final report.
Documentation and Reporting: Prepare and maintain project documentation, reports, and presentations, including project status updates, financial reports, and presentations.
Implementation Assistance: Assist in the implementation of conceptual designs by generating RFPs and managing the interview and hiring of design professionals.
Quality Assurance: Review project deliverables for accuracy, completeness, and compliance with regulatory requirements, industry standards, and client expectations.

Qualifications

Desired Qualifications

Excellent writing, communication, and presentation skills.
Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in design or planning discipline.
Proficiency in AutoCAD and Adobe Suite software; SketchUp, BIM (Revit, ArchiCAD) a plus.
Creative, versatile, and dependable.
Goal-oriented with strong critical thinking and observation abilities.
Ability to adapt to a dynamic, collaborative studio environment.
Attention to detail, strong work ethic, cognitive agility, and time management skills.
Knowledge of sustainable design principles, green infrastructure strategies, and construction techniques.

Location & Travel

This position is based in Western North Carolina, with a preference for Asheville, North Carolina. This position utilizes frequent Zoom meetings and phone calls. Travel costs are covered by the organization.

Compensation

Salary: $40/h – up to 20h/wk
Expenses: Travel and materials expenses will be reimbursed.

How to apply

Please submit a cover letter, resume, and relevant portfolio to Healthy Communities Director Chris Joyell at chris@mountaintrue.org.

Application Deadline: ASAP, rolling application review until position filled.

Creation Care Alliance Organizer

Western North Carolina

Apply Now

About the Organization

MountainTrue

MountainTrue is a non-profit organization that works with communities across 26 mountain counties in Western North Carolina and North Georgia and champions resilient forests, clean waters, and healthy communities. We are committed to keeping our mountain region a beautiful place to live, work and play. Our members protect our forests, clean up our rivers, plan vibrant and livable communities, and advocate for a sound and sustainable future for all. mountaintrue.org

Creation Care Alliance of WNC

The Creation Care Alliance of Western North Carolina (CCA) is a MountainTrue program that unites people of faith and congregations around a moral and spiritual call to preserve the integrity, beauty, and health of God’s creation. CCA’s work has included climate advocacy, renewable energy education, energy efficiency, solar energy, food justice, and eco-grief work. It is an expression of our love of God and God’s love for the earth and all life. For more information, visit creationcarealliance.org.

Position Summary

The Creation Care Organizer leads our Creation Care Alliance grassroots organizing efforts, focusing on building authentic relationships with people of diverse faiths, empowering local communities, expanding and strengthening our network of Covenant Partner congregations, and developing local leaders to drive community-led solutions.

The Creation Care Organizer reports to MountainTrue’s Organizing Director and works closely with MountainTrue staff and the CCA Advisory Team to meet annual program goals and pursue grant and funding opportunities. By connecting environmental and justice work, this position serves as an essential bridge between faith, science, nonprofit, and secular organizations.

Roles & Responsibilities

Community Engagement & Organizing

Cultivate authentic relationships with community members, partner organizations, and stakeholders to identify community priorities and help strategize and win community-led solutions.
Recruit, train, and retain a diverse and engaged base of volunteers and activists.
Identify activists with leadership potential and mentor them through one-on-one meetings.
Organize and facilitate community meetings, events, and actions to increase public engagement and advocacy efforts.
Extensive travel throughout Western North Carolina, Towns and Union counties in North Georgia, and other nearby communities.
Works on evenings and weekends as necessary, with the option to take time off during the regular work week as compensation.

Program Management

Works with the Organizing Director to ensure that their work plan supports the goals of MountainTrue’s broader organizing strategy.
Works with MountainTrue Organizing Director to establish strategic goals, develop programs/events, and manage ongoing operations.

Maintain online tools for outreach and advocacy.

Communications & Advocacy

In coordination with MountainTrue Engagement and Communications staff, maintains the Creation Care Alliance website, writes newsletters, and coordinates social media.
Collaborate with the communications team to develop messaging and organizing materials.
Engage directly with policymakers, stakeholders, and the media to advocate for the communities’ priorities and goals.
Mentor and amplify community voices to ensure that advocacy efforts are inclusive, representative, and reflect the community’s priorities.

Qualifications

Required Skills and Experience

Knowledge of, sensitivity, and openness to different faith communities and perspectives.
A passion for Creation and caring for it, and a commitment to social and ecological justice
Lived experience in grassroots community organizing.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

Preferred Skills and Experience

Deep experience and commitment to faith, spirituality, and creation. Preference for those who have attended or received a degree from Divinity School.
Proficiency with organizing tools, such as CRMs (e.g., EveryAction, VAN), email platforms, and social media.
Current and continuously updated knowledge of environmental issues and Earth stewardship.

Experience in volunteer recruitment and management
Proven ability to work independently, set measurable objectives, maintain attention to detail, meet deadlines, and report results in a timely fashion.

Location & Travel

This position is remote and utilizes frequent Zoom meetings and phone calls. This position requires extensive travel and face time with the communities throughout Western North Carolina, Towns and Union Counties in North Georgia, and other nearby communities. Travel costs are covered by the organization.

Compensation

The salary range is $58K to $62K, depending upon experience. The benefits package includes 20 vacation days per year, 12 holidays, sick leave, a paid 2-month sabbatical after five years, health insurance, and a simple IRA with an employer contribution of up to 3%.

How to apply

Accepting applications until the position is filled.

Email a cover letter, resume, and three references to jobs@mountaintrue.org. Applications are accepted until the position is filled. The subject line of your email should read: “Creation Care Organizer.” The cover letter should answer the following questions and address your work history, organizing skills, and management experience:

What does the term “creation care” mean to you?
What is grassroots organizing, and how does it differ from other forms of top-down advocacy?
Describe a grassroots organizing success and the role you played.

MountainTrue values and respects all types of diversity and strongly encourages applicants from traditionally marginalized groups to apply. We prohibit discrimination and harassment and provide equal employment opportunity without regard to, and not limited to, race, ethnicity, creed, color, religion, age, sex, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, national origin, handicap, marital status, pregnancy status, military/veteran status, or any other class protected by applicable state or federal law. We are committed to recruiting, hiring, and promoting those from underrepresented and disadvantaged groups.

2025 Holman Water Quality Award Winner: Johnny Strawn

Johnny Strawn of the Hanging Dog Community of Cherokee County, NC, is the 2025 recipient of the Holman Water Quality Stewardship Award.

Originally from Morgantown, WV, Johnny Strawn attended NC State University in Raleigh, NC, where he met his wife, Pam. After graduating with degrees in conservation and wildlife biology, Johnny began working for what was then the USDA Soil Conservation Service during which time Johnny and Pam moved to Cherokee County, NC. He served as District Conservationist in Cherokee and Clay counties for nine years and they fell in love with the area. So in 1982, instead of moving on with USDA, he and Pam opened Hanging Dog Valley Nursery, a wholesale nursery specializing in native plants.

Johnny is a founder of Murphy River Walk & Canoe Trails, serving as the project manager for eight years. He received the Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce’s Citizen of the Year award in 2013 for his volunteer work on the River Walk.

Johnny has served on the board of directors for the John C. Campbell Folk School, the Cullowhee Native Plant Conference, and the Hiwassee River Watershed Coalition (now MountainTrue). He also served on the board of the Land Trust for the Little Tennessee and Mainspring Conservation Trust for 13 years. As the first Hiwassee watershed board member of the land trust, Johnny was very instrumental in the expansion of land conservation efforts beyond the Little Tennessee River corridor in Macon County.

During his time on the land trust board, Johnny and Pam began to better understand the value of conservation easements; in 2024, they put the finishing touches on a 150-acre conservation easement on their own property, a combination of seven separate tracts which over decades they melded into one cohesive piece of land.

Upon being notified that he’d been selected to receive this award and expressing gratitude for the honor, Johnny was quick to acknowledge Pam’s role in all of the accomplishments we are attributing to him. “None of this happens without Pam,” he said.

Each year, we present the Holman Water Quality Stewardship Award to the person or group who has done the most to sustain good water quality in rivers, lakes, and streams in the upper Hiwassee River watershed of Towns and Union counties in North Georgia and Cherokee and Clay counties in North Carolina. The award is named for Bill Holman, a lifelong conservation advocate currently serving as Senior Advisor to the Conservation Fund in NC. The Holman Award is sculpted by David Goldhagen of Goldhagen Blown Art Glass, whose studio is located on the shores of Lake Chatuge near Hayesville, NC.

Protect the Nolichucky River! Tell NC DEQ: Require Stronger Environmental Protections for CSX’s Railroad Rebuild

Photo courtesy of Jubal Roe.

Keep advocating to protect the Nolichucky! Please comment now to ensure stronger environmental requirements for CSX as they rebuild their railroad through North Carolina’s Nolichucky River Gorge.

North Carolina’s Department of Environmental Quality is requesting public comment on CSX’s application to rebuild their railroad through our state’s section of the Nolichucky River Gorge. You may recall that CSX’s railroad experienced extensive damage as a result of Hurricane Helene, and CSX immediately started rebuilding in a manner that was highly damaging to the Nolichucky River’s Wild and Scenic values. Your advocacy helped stop their destruction previously but unfortunately, CSX is back at it under new approvals from the Army Corps of Engineers.

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality can stop CSX’s most harmful practices and we need your help again pushing for strong environmental protections in their permit. Please use the link below to submit comments and help us protect the Nolichucky. We encourage you to make your comment your own, but the following may serve as a framework:

https://edocs.deq.nc.gov/Forms/401_Public_Notice_Comments

ID#: 20241562

Version: 2

Project Name: CSXT Emergency Track Rebuild Post Hurricane Helene

Your stance on the project: No

Comment:

I am opposed to this project without additional protections. The following provisions, if included, would allow me to support this project:

DEQ should prohibit any harvesting, mining, or excavation of material from below the ordinary high-water mark. Tennessee’s Department of Environment and Conservation has already prohibited the removal of material below the ordinary high-water mark in Tennessee. NC DEQ should do the same.
DEQ should establish an ordinary high-water mark using the Army Corps’ January 2025 Ordinary High-Water Mark Manual. That analysis indicates the ordinary high-water mark should be approximately 6 feet above baseflow in the Gorge.
DEQ must prohibit the removal of rock or any other material from any named rapid.
DEQ should require CSX to provide for safe recreational and commercial whitewater access during reconstruction.
The Nolichucky Gorge has been designated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as critical habitat for the endangered Appalachian Elktoe. It is also habitat for the Eastern Hellbender, which the Fish and Wildlife Service recently proposed for listing under the Endangered Species Act. DEQ should require CSX to survey areas for Appalachian Elktoe and Eastern Hellbender presence before CSX takes any action – including operating machinery such as dump trucks and excavators – below the ordinary high-water mark.

Organizing Director

Waynesville, Sylva, or Franklin, NC

Apply Now

Position Summary

The Organizing Director will lead and manage MountainTrue’s grassroots organizing efforts across our programs, focusing on training staff and organizers in the skills necessary to build authentic relationships, empower our communities, and develop local leaders to drive community-led solutions.

This position requires both management and on-the-ground organizing experience. The organizing director will directly supervise the Creation Care Alliance Organizer and Resilient Forests Organizer and work with other program staff to build the capacity of staff, volunteers, and community partners to identify and achieve policy, advocacy, and programmatic goals.

This role is instrumental in developing and executing strategies to grow our network of members, supporters, and volunteers, empower communities, strengthen coalitions, and advance the organization’s mission of championing resilient forests, clean waters, and healthy communities in the Southern Blue Ridge Mountains.

Key Responsibilities

Program Leadership and Strategy

Develop and implement a comprehensive organizing strategy to support the organization’s goals, and recruit, train, and retain a diverse and engaged base of volunteers and activists.
Provide leadership, training, and guidance to organizers, program staff, volunteers, and supporters engaged in organizing campaigns and initiatives.
Align organizing efforts with the organization’s strategic plan, policy priorities, and equity goals.
Supervise and mentor organizing staff, providing ongoing professional development opportunities.
Develop resources and training materials to build the organizing capacity of staff, volunteers, and allies.
Work with organizing staff to cultivate authentic relationships with community members, partner organizations, and stakeholders to identify community priorities and help strategize and win community-led solutions.
Work with organizers to identify activists with leadership potential and mentor them through one-on-one meetings between organizers and activists.
Works on evenings and weekends as necessary, with the option to take time off during the regular work week as compensation.

Data and Evaluation

Track and analyze metrics to evaluate the effectiveness of organizing campaigns.
Ensure accurate and timely reporting of organizing activities and outcomes.
Utilize digital tools and databases to manage and grow the organization’s activist base.

Communications and Advocacy

Collaborate with the communications team to develop messaging and materials for organizing campaigns.
Engage directly with policymakers, stakeholders, and the media to advocate for the organization’s goals.

Qualifications

Required Skills and Experience

Lived experience in grassroots community organizing.
Strong leadership and interpersonal skills, with a demonstrated ability to build and maintain relationships across diverse communities.
Experience supervising organizing staff and volunteers, and managing multiple projects simultaneously.
Knowledge of public policy processes and key issues related to protecting clean waters, resilient forests, and healthy communities.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
Proficiency with organizing tools, such as CRMs (e.g., EveryAction, VAN), email platforms, and social media.
Commitment to equity, inclusion, and social justice principles.

Preferred Skills and Experience

Bilingual or multilingual abilities.
Experience with digital organizing and data-driven campaign strategies.
Familiarity with Western North Carolina and the Southern Blue Ridge Mountains.

Location & Travel

This position is based in Western North Carolina, with a preference for Asheville, North Carolina. This position utilizes frequent Zoom meetings and phone calls. Travel costs are covered by the organization.

Compensation

The salary is in the mid-$60s. The benefits package includes 20 vacation days per year, 12 holidays, sick leave, a sabbatical after five years, health insurance, and a simple IRA with an employer contribution of up to 3%.

How to apply

Accepting applications until the position is filled.
Email a cover letter, resume, and three references to jobs@mountaintrue.org. The subject line should read: “Organizing Director”. The cover letter should answer the following questions and address your work history, organizing skills, and management experience:

What does grassroots organizing mean to you and how does it differ from other forms of top-down advocacy?
Describe a grassroots organizing success and the role you played.
What do you believe is the role of an organizing director in managing a team of organizers?

Take Action: Oppose Weakening Macon County’s Watershed & Flood Protection Ordinances

This action has expired

Let Macon County Commissioners know that you oppose weakening Macon County’s Watershed Protection and Flood Damage Prevention ordinances by allowing higher density for recreational vehicle parks in public water supply watersheds and removing restrictions on the use of fill dirt to elevate new houses or expand development in high-risk flood areas.

Commissioners may vote on changes to one or both of these ordinances at their upcoming meeting set for Tuesday, January 14, 2025, at 6:00 PM in the Commission Boardroom on the third floor of the Macon County Courthouse, located at 5 West Main Street, Franklin, NC, 28734.

Take Action Now

Eighteen years ago, to better protect public safety and the environment in a region with steep mountain slopes and a higher risk of flooding, Macon County adopted an ordinance that is stricter than the state’s minimum standards. A natural floodplain allows water to spread out during a flood event, soak into the soil, and reduce a river’s speed and destructive power.

Now, Macon County Commissioners are considering weakening the Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance to allow property owners to use fill material in these areas — decreasing safety and increasing public and private losses due to flooding, including potential loss of life. Using fill dirt to build homes and other buildings in flood-prone areas reduces the amount of floodplain area we have to mitigate flooding. Allowing this activity without requiring a permit puts more people at risk of floods by encouraging more homebuilding and development in floodplains. It also adds to development pressure on large agricultural properties currently in the floodplain, leading to an increase in loss of farmland.

Using fill dirt and materials in the floodplain will also increase costs for residents and taxpayers by raising insurance premiums and creating the need for the government to update floodplain maps more often. The increased risk to life and property from accelerated flooding will also demand costly county resources and put county emergency personnel and volunteer rescuers at risk.

Eleven years ago, county commissioners amended Macon County’s Watershed Protection Ordinance to make Recreational Vehicle (RV) parks ineligible for Special Nonresidential Intensity Allocations. Similarly to the changes to the Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance, allowing increased density for RV parks would encourage their development in public drinking water supply watersheds. Most of the large tracts of land in these watersheds are currently in floodplains and in agricultural production.

Former county leaders recognized that because of Macon County’s steep slopes, narrow floodplains, and fast-flowing streams, the standard state ordinance wasn’t good enough and adopted stronger water supply watershed protections and floodplain restrictions that have served the county well for more than a decade. Tell our current leaders to maintain this legacy for Macon County’s future.