Our Keynote Speaker

Allison Vaught                Alimar Labs

Allison Vought, a leading figure in the skincare industry, returns as an our keynote speaker at the Come Celebrate Lavender Conference. As the founder and CEO of Smell No Evil, Ltd. (dba BathBodySupply.com) and Alimar Private Label, Allison is a seasoned Private Label Skincare Expert and Cosmetic Formulator with nearly two decades of experience. Specializing in aiding small businesses and skincare professionals, Allison's passion lies in helping entrepreneurs effortlessly launch their own branded skincare lines. Her dynamic presence at the Lavender Conference promises attendees valuable insights into the art and business of skincare, making her a sought-after authority in the field.

Debrena Gordon

Blue Spring Run Farm

Debrena Gordon and her husband, John, own Blue Spring Run Farm just south of Covington, VA. Over the years, this family farm has evolved from a vegetable farm to an agritourism venue with plantings of herbs, perennials, and lavender for the bees. They manufacture a bath, body, and soap line for their farm and provide wholesale and private-label products for other farms and small businesses. They offer a variety of classes for the public as well as other small business

Erin Simmons 

Laurel Ridge Studios

Erin lives in the Appalachian mountains of Southwest Virginia where she makes handcrafted brooms and brushes. She loves educating others about the rich history and culture of broom making, watercolor and pressed flowers.

As an art educator and advocate for eighteen years she discovered her  passion for broom making about five years ago and began making them almost three years ago.

She offers whisks and brooms bound by hand, start to finish, and woven with a non-electric process. Many of the handles are harvested in the woods behind my studio or come from repurposed and discarded objects like croquet mallets or deer sheds.

Her brooms are created to carry on the tradition and culture of Appalachia, as well as, to create beautiful and functional pieces of art that help instill a sense

Dr. Steven Jeffers Ph.D. Clemson University

Plant Pathology- Phytophthora specialist 

Professor and Extension Specialist with statewide responsibilities for diseases of ornamental crops in nurseries, greenhouses, and landscapes, and diseases of trees in both urban and natural ecosystems. Research focuses on diseases caused by species of Phytophthora and rust diseases, with emphasis on the biology and ecology of Phytophthora spp., pathogen detection, identifying sources of inoculum, and integrated disease management, including optimizing fungicide applications, manipulating cultural practices, evaluating host plant resistance, and investigating the feasibility of biological control options.

Collaboration with the SC Dept. of Plant Industry, USDA-APHIS, and the USDA Forest Service to keep Phytophthora ramorum out of the Southeastern US and with The American Chestnut Foundation to screen hybrid chestnut seedlings for resistance to Phytophthora cinnamomi. At Clemson University since 1995 after 7 years at the University of Wisconsin-Madison working on n

Lisa Gray

Purple Llama

Dr. Lisa Gray has a small, young lavender farm which was started with the intention of creating lavender-derived products.  Her background in chemistry, biology, and medicine led to an interest in the steam distilling process and is utilized to produce essential oils.  The essential oils are combined with locally sourced materials including honey, herbs, and dairy for a variety of products.  Lisa also has interests in community, small business, and education.   

Sandy Stoneman REHS, CP-FS,PCQI

Sandy has worn many hats in her career in the food industry. Her experience spans from working in a small restaurant toregulatory to food manufacturing, but the common threadthroughout her career is food safety education.  She was able to help many small food businesses get started and expand during her time as a Food Safety Inspector with the Virginia Department of Health and then later as a Food Safety Extension Agent with Virginia Cooperative Extension.  She has worked with the Virginia Tech Produce Safety Team to help small farms comply with the FSMA Produce Safety Rule and understand the options for value-add food products to grow their business. Sandy currently works in food safety compliance for Pepsico but stays active in Extension programming as a Master Food Volunteer.  

Sandy has a BS in Education from UNC Greensboro and a Master’s Degree in Food Safety and Biosecurity from Virginia Tech.  She lives in Wythe County, VA in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains, and enjoys gardening, food preservation, cooking, horseback riding, and hiking.  She is excited to share her presentation, “Value Added Food Products from the Farm…What You Need to Know about Food Regulation and Food Safety”.

Jessica Kidwell                        

Floral Fox Farm 

Russell Bird                        

Lester Insurance

Russell has been in the insurance industry for 25 years. The first 23 years was with Virginia Farm Bureau in Bland County. The last two years he has been with Lester Insurance Group in Wytheville, VA as an independent agent. As a life long insurance agent he has been involved with both farm insurance as well as Agri-Business.
Russell holds LUTCF, FSS, FSCP & CASC designations. He and his wife Jennifer enjoy a work /life balance with their children Finley, 12 years old and Keatley, 10 years old.

Zakia Ringgold

Zakia, a seasoned entrepreneur and digital marketing maven, brings over two decades of expertise in Instructional Design to revolutionize small business owners' digital presence. Launching her entrepreneurial journey with Natural Soap By Zakia, she not only crafted handmade soap but also mastered the intricacies of live streaming and online marketing, setting the stage for her subsequent ventures.

Seamlessly transitioning, she founded the Virtual Experience Design Agency, strategically intertwining live streaming and digital marketing to create compelling online brand experiences for libraries, universities and non-profit organizations. 
Now, with Business Tech Lab, she offers tailored training and solutions to make digital marketing simple and effective for small business owners.  Zakia stands out as a prominent figure at the intersection of entrepreneurship and the dynamic world of digital marketing.

Ellen Reynolds

Beagle Ridge Herb Farm

Ellen opened Beagle Ridge in 2001 and has been specializing in Lavender for over 20 years. She is a recognized speaker at lavender and herb events up and down the East Coast, and is a Charter member of the USLGA serving on several committees over the years.

Beagle Ridge is a thriving Herb and Lavender Farm and agritourism destination  in Wytheville VA. Her passion for teaching other growers has created a thriving workshop series known as Lavender Academy. The academy teaches novice and expert growers how to grow Lavender and grow their lavender business. Since beginning the Lavender Academy in 2019, students from 32 states have come to take these weekend long workshops. Ellen said, “when we began, we never imagined this.” Ellen and Gregg encourage new growers to start small and to know what you like and want to do, before you get in over your head.