Emma joined the CooperRiis community as a Hall Advisor at the CooperRiis Asheville Campus in May 2014. A year and a half later, she moved her family into the log cabin on the Farm Campus to become the Residential Director, a title she held for four years. Emma has continued climbing the CooperRiis leadership ladder and, in May 2021, was promoted to Managing Director of the Farm Campus.
Growing up on Ocracoke Island, off the North Carolina coast, Emma developed a strong sense of community, driving her to foster and build relationships wherever she goes.
Emma attended Guilford College, a Quaker-based liberal arts college in Greensboro, NC, where she majored in Peace and Conflict Resolution and minored in Community Building. She was also a College Residential Advisor for three years and was heavily involved in the Campus Activities Board. Through various internships in county court systems across the state, she gained experience in mediation and facilitation, leading to a passion for helping people solve interpersonal and intrapersonal conflicts. Additionally, Emma has participated in two study-abroad programs; in Denmark and Ghana, which provided her with an appreciation of cultural differences and enhanced her love of travel and adventure.
Emma is the mother of a little girl and two dogs. She enjoys swimming in their backyard pool, thrift store shopping, doing puzzles, taking pictures, and visiting her parents on the Outer Banks as much as possible.
Needless to say, Emma personifies Community and Mental Health Recovery.
