Randall and Janet Austin: ADI Board Members

s.randall.austin@gmail.com

Randall Austin is a member of the ADI board of directors, sharing his voice with his wife Janet. Randall has worked as a clinical research statistician and economist in several cities across the U.S.—including Washington, D.C.; Atlanta, Georgia; and Research Triangle Park, NC—as well as in London, England. He has also employed his credential as a Master Beekeeper to encourage and equip individuals in the Caribbean, northwest Africa, and North Carolina to practice beekeeping. Beekeeping is a unique and valuable agriculture pursuit as it requires no land and has modest start-up costs, and due to the universal market for pollination services and for products like wax and honey. The presence of bees also substantially enriches the crop production in the community. Randall holds an M.A. in applied economics and a B.S. in biology, economics, and business administration, both from UNC-Greensboro. Randall was most recently employed at a major pharmaceutical company in North Carolina but is now retired.

Janet Austin is a freelance translator. She has spent time in Central and South America, the
Caribbean, and Africa helping short-term US volunteers engage with local participants in education, development, and construction projects. Before returning to the United States to attend college, Janet lived in Venezuela. She holds an M.A. in international affairs from The George Washington University and B.A.s in history, Spanish, and political science from Ouachita Baptist University.

Dan Driscoll, DDS: ADI Board Member

driscoll@enlightendentalcare.com

Dan operates a family dental practice in Winston Salem, North Carolina. Dr. Driscoll graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a Doctorate in Dental Surgery. After graduation, in conjunction with the L.D. Pankey Dental Institute in Florida, he received his fellowship in the Academy of General Dentistry. A former marine officer, he serves as a team dentist for the Wake Forest University Sports Medicine Department. He oversees dental outreach work in Haiti and supervises ADI’s dental hygiene team in West Africa. Outside of the office, he enjoys any fitness activity, cooking on the grill, and travel.

Mark Rice: ADI Board Member

jmrice@unity.ncsu.edu

Mark has a passion for transformational development and assists change agents both at home and abroad with agricultural related problems. He is recently retired from North Carolina State University (NCSU) after 25 years as an Animal Waste Management Extension Specialist. Mark has traveled both nationally and internationally as an extension educator. He has worked with both large and small-scale livestock producers to find animal waste management solutions. Mark holds a B.S. degree in biological and agricultural engineering from NCSU.

Todd Helm: ADI Executive Director

(540) 278-4596
adi.helm@tutamail.com

Todd has worked abroad with rural refugee populations in Northeast Kenya, with urban youth and young adults in Conakry, Guinea teaching English and literacy classes, and in Northwest Africa managing ADI projects. Stateside he has worked with the Foreign Agriculture Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, on a subsistence farm in Texas where he milked goats, tended chickens and rabbits, and labored in small gardens and as a school teacher teaching students to create and run small businesses as well as teaching math, history, and economics. Todd is committed to grassroots development evaluated in real terms. His goal is to see real people in real households move out of poverty. He holds an M.A. in International Affairs from Johns Hopkins School for Advanced International Studies (SAIS, 1998) and a B.S. in mathematical economics from Wake Forest University (1987).

Todd is pictured here with his wife, Karen, whose organizational skills, common sense, and support continue to be vital to Todd’s efforts within ADI.

Greg Luther: ADI Integrated Crop Management Advisor

Gregory.C.Luther@gmail.com

Greg’s areas of expertise include vegetable production, integrated pest management (IPM), vegetable grafting, home / school gardens, sustainable agriculture, participatory capacity building, Farmer Field Schools, training of trainers, and participatory appraisals. He has over 25 years of experience in agricultural research and development in 19 countries: Indonesia, Bangladesh, Solomon Islands, Myanmar, Uganda, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Fiji, Tanzania, Albania, USA, Lao PDR, Taiwan, Thailand, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Eritrea and Vietnam. He also has team leader experience as: (1) Principal Investigator for the USAID-funded project, “Mobilizing Vegetable Genetic Resources and Technologies to Enhance Household Nutrition, Income and Livelihoods in Indonesia” (2011-2015); (2) Project Manager for the ACIAR-funded project, “Integrated Soil and Crop Management for Rehabilitation of Vegetable Production in the Tsunami-affected Areas of Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam Province, Indonesia” (2007-2010). In addition to vegetables, he has IPM skills with coffee, cocoa, tea, cashew and black pepper. Greg holds a PhD in Entomological Sciences from the University of California, Berkeley.

Clara Whitman: ADI Administrative Intern and Coffee Project Manager 

claralwhitman@gmail.com

Clara graduated from the University of Virginia in 2023 and worked with ADI from August 2023 to May 2024 as the administrative intern. She managed the Yoke Partners coffee project, and was responsible for a revenue of $15,393 coming in during her time of service. Clara also reworked the ADI website and oversaw its management throughout the year. Clara assisted in regular weekly management tasks and provided support to the director as needed.