Meet our Forest Glen Supporting Investors
Anne
I was raised in Berkeley, CA, during a time of social and political unrest, wonderful music, and a creative spirit that instilled in me a lasting dedication to peace, social justice, environmental awareness, and alternative education. My life has been a journey of merging creativity with support for those who march to the beat of their own drum. I've worked in the fields of graphic design, musical performance, and instructional design, obtained a Master's in Transpersonal Psychology, and provided holistic healing practices for stress relief and personal rejuvenation.
As a singer/songwriter, gardener, artist, and designer, I enjoy Kaiut Yoga, meditation, bicycle touring, and landscape design. I have a passion for nutrition, writing children's books, painting collage papers, organic gardening, and environmental sustainability.
Mark
I grew up in Oakland, CA, and have lived in California, Oregon, Washington, and now Flat Rock, NC, with my wife, Anne. My career focused on education and community building—I taught and directed programs for adults with developmental disabilities and was the founding principal of a Waldorf Charter School. I bring skills in leadership, problem-solving, project management, collaborative decision-making, and budgeting. I love the outdoors, building things, organic gardening, and spending time with our energetic Labradoodle, Bailey. I believe cohousing fosters connection and shared values, creating a more meaningful way to live. I’m excited to contribute my experience and skills to building an intentional community that emphasizes green building practices and environmental sustainability.
Liz
I grew up in New York City and have lived in six states, including several years in Colorado and Ohio with my husband Matt Alspaugh before we moved to North Carolina. A retired technical and business writer, I now enjoy writing fiction and helping friends solve tech issues. I am a certified Spiritual Director (Haden Institute, Hendersonville). I have nonprofit leadership experience in a variety of organizations, currently serving as Board President of League of Women Voters, Henderson. I love being with kids of all ages and have spent many happy hours in church nurseries and with my "little" in Big Brothers/Sisters. I enjoy walking my dog, hiking, and attending group exercise classes. I look forward to working with fellow community members to make Forest Glen a beautiful place to live together.
Matt
I grew up in Houston, Texas, during the height of the space race, and was drawn into engineering as my first career. I worked in telecommunications, engineering and marketing, initially at Bell Labs and later at several start-up companies. After that, I completed a Masters of Divinity and became a minister in the Unitarian Universalist tradition. I currently serve as the part-time minister for a congregation located in Ajijic, Jalisco, Mexico. I love meditation, hiking, and doing trail maintenance with the Colorado Mountain Club. My wife Liz and I have been interested in cohousing for decades, as a way to live in a close multigenerational community, so we were delighted to find a cohousing program being developed not far from our home in Hendersonville. I hope my background in marketing, finance, and organizational development may be helpful for developing this community.
Christine
I am originally from eastern Virginia, but spent time living in Montana, West Virginia, and as a long distance hiker on several trails before settling down in North Carolina with my husband, Michael. A former AmeriCorps, vagabond, and ultrasound technologist, I am currently receiving training as a mental health counselor and Earth priestess. I value fun, kindness, spirituality, nature, curiosity, and bravery.
Michael and I have been building community in the two years we have lived here, and we’re ready for more! I am excited to work together to rediscover the lost skill of living cooperatively with others. As Michael and I take steps to expand our family, we hope to do so within a loving community where we can all grow together.
Michael
I'm originally from Oklahoma and moved to central Virginia in my late 20s, where I met my wonderful wife, Christine. We fell in love with western North Carolina on vacation, so when she was accepted to grad school here, we jumped at the chance to settle down. I worked in healthcare before moving into tech, and I'm now a data engineer at a healthcare nonprofit (though in an alternate timeline, I'm an elementary school teacher). I love having fun, connecting with friends, learning (especially about science), live music, hiking, and exploring new places. My two big-picture life goals are to leave the world better than I found it and to act as old as my current situation requires and no older. Christine and I have wanted to live in something like cohousing since before we ever heard that term, and we're grateful for the chance to help build and share in Forest Glen. I see so many problems in the world, and I truly believe a stronger sense of community is one way to help heal them.