Staff

Caroline Dyar

Executive Director

Since September 2016, Caroline Dyar has played an integral role in the development and leadership of the 501c3 nonprofit PlantPure Communities (PPC). Caroline has led the organizational operations and the implementation of a wide range of pioneering PPC programs and initiatives. During her first four years at PPC she served as the Director of New Initiatives and Operations, and then as Vice President. In October 2020, she became the Executive Director at PPC.

Before working at PPC, Caroline was the Program Manager for over nine years at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Program in the Humanities and Human Values. She is a Black Belt Nia Technique teacher and trained as an Integrative Health Coach at Duke Integrative Medicine. She graduated from the University of Virginia with a degree in Media Studies. She is passionate about animal rights and equal access to health and wellness education.

Jessie Stahl

Advocacy and Program Coordinator

Jessie began working for PlantPure Communities in June 2017 after graduating with a Bachelors of Science degree in Nutritional Sciences from Cornell University. Jessie’s role at PPC involves the staffing and management of PPC’s various advocacy initiatives, such as: the PlantPure Communities Restaurant Campaign, the Nutrition-Climate Coalition, and the Moving Medicine Forward: Dr. Klaper and PlantPure Communities Nutrition in Medical School Initiative. Jessie also provides support for the creation of future toolkits and PPC webinars. She is currently preparing to apply to medical school, and aspires to become a physician. Jessie is passionate about spreading awareness to others of the many health benefits of a whole foods, plant-based lifestyle.

Ella Stephens, MSc

Pod Support Programs Manager

Ella began working for PlantPure Communities in September 2017 after graduating from Cornell University with a Bachelor of Science in Nutritional Sciences. Ella’s focus is creating informational Toolkits for PPC’s website, sharing important and inspirational plant-based messages using social media, and strengthening the Pod Network with Pod Support Programs. She is currently obtaining her Masters of Science in Nutrition and Health and Wageningen University and Research in The Netherlands. Ella is passionate about changing the world by making a positive impact on society’s health and the sustainability of the planet.

Kera Linn, RD

Pod Operations Manager

Kera completed both her Bachelors of Science in dietetics and dietetic internship at Iowa State University to become a Registered Dietitian. She is passionate about educating children and adults about the benefits of a whole food, plant-based lifestyle. Kera began working for PlantPure Communities in January 2018 as a Regional Manager to help support group leaders in the PPC Pod Network, and was promoted to Pod Operations Manager in January 2019.

Joshua Wayne, MPH, MSW

Development Coordinator

Josh first became involved with PlantPure Communities Pod Network as a group leader of Pure Sprouts – Athens, GA, a Pod he started in February 2016. In April 2018, Josh began working for PPC as a Regional Manager. He graduated from the University of Georgia (UGA) with a B.S. in Psychology and a Spanish Minor. In 2019, Josh graduated from UGA with a Masters of Public Health (MPH) and Masters of Social Work (MSW). Josh hopes to combine the community wide prevention efforts of public health with the macro social work view that attempts to address systemic barriers to healthy behaviors. When Josh isn’t working with PPC, he enjoys walking in the forest, listening to the birds, and practicing acro yoga.

Heather Patrick

Community Engagement Coordinator

Heather Patrick is excited to bring her years of grassroots organizing and nonprofit experience, and passion for food and climate justice to the PPC team. Heather holds a B.A. in Social and Cultural Anthropology from Connecticut College, a certificate in Permaculture Design from Spiralseed, and a certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition from eCornell. She spent several years post-graduation traveling the world, participating in and studying sustainable organic farming practices throughout rural Africa, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and Central and South America. Heather is Co-Founder of Wild Earth Farm and Sanctuary, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit farmed animal sanctuary and vegan sustainable living education farm, which offers viable solutions to the climate crisis. Heather supports PlantPure Communities Pods across the globe in their efforts to affect change, and strengthen community efforts surrounding whole food, plant-based education.

Heather Borders, MBA, RD/LDN

Program Coordinator

Heather Borders joins PlantPure Communities in 2022 as the Program Coordinator for the Moving Medicine Forward Initiative. She joins Dr. Michael Klaper in the effort to educate medical students, physicians, and other health care providers on disease reversal through plant-based nutrition and lifestyle medicine. A core part of Heather’s role is to get plant-based nutrition education incorporated into medical school curricula across the country.

Prior to joining the Moving Medicine Forward initiative, Heather was the founder of Kailo Nutrition and spent six years as a private practice registered dietitian and culinary coach. Heather graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics from the University of North Florida. She also has an MBA and Masters of Mechanical Engineering from Rice University and a Bachelor of Aerospace Engineering from Auburn University. Heather loves the Florida heat, is fascinated with space travel, and lives in Jacksonville, Florida with her custom woodworker husband, Lee.