Staff
Tevyn East
Executive Director
Tevyn East is a transplant back into the soils of her ancestors, with many previous generations connected to Rutherford County. She is a movement artist, teacher, organizer, storyteller, cultural producer, and advocate for the Great Turning. She received a degree in Dance from Hollins University, and her training has also included theology, studies of social movements, and ecological economics. Before taking the reins at DSAEC, she gave 2 decades to collaborative experimental dance theater- the most notable of which include immersive carnival events (The Wunderkammer & Shen Tai) with the Zen Monkey Project in Charlottesville VA; her nationally touring one woman show, Leaps and Bounds, a theological tear down of global capitalism; and the Carnival de Resistance, a traveling carnival, school & village for cultural transformation.
Megan Murphy
Operations Manager
Megan Murphy joined us at Dreaming Stone after graduating from UNC Chapel Hill in May 2023 with degrees in Public Policy and Global Studies. Megan is a community organizer who led UNC’s center for social justice, known as the Campus Y. During her time as a student she founded a mutual aid pantry and was active in labor organizing, disability justice, and abolition movements. She graduated with highest honors for her thesis on Food Sovereignty in the Appalachian Context and is passionate about building equitable and sustainable food systems.
Board
Jason MagLaughlin
Board Chair
Jason Maglaughlin joined the Board of Directors in 2020, and currently serves as Chair. Jason has degrees in Anthropology and Religious Studies, and two decades of domestic and international experience in nonprofit management, project development, advocacy, and activism. His passions for social justice, permaculture, and sustainable communities underpin his deep connection to our mission. Jason currently lives on property at Dreaming Stone.
Lou East
Vice Chair & Secretary
Lou East is a retired clergy person in the Presbyterian Church USA. Her vocational calling has included advocacy and education on behalf of the LGBTQ community’s full inclusion in the life and leadership of the church, as well as multi-faith alliances and racial reconciliation efforts in Greensboro, NC. Along with her husband Chris, Lou is happy to be planting roots in Rutherford County, where seedlings of her family tree were propagated some 300 years ago. A founding member and elder of the community at Dreaming Stone, Lou is celebrating all that she continues to learn from the amazing and inspiring people around her.
Rachel Yu
Treasurer
Rachel Yu has been a professional in the international relief and development industry for over 10 years. She was evacuated out of Myanmar last year after a military coup and recently transitioned out of her role as the Chief Operations Officer of VisionFund Myanmar, one of the largest microfinance institutions in the country, providing access to financial services for women-led small businesses in rural and underserved communities. Before joining VisionFund, Rachel worked in humanitarian emergency responses in Haiti and the DR Congo. She holds a MDiv from Fuller Theological Seminary and has an MBA from IE Business School.
Chinobay
Board member
Chinobay is a musician, songwriter, educator, and intercultural facilitator, born and raised in Kampala, Uganda, Chinobay (née Herbert Kinobe). He is steeped in the musical traditions of his birthplace, has grown proficient as a pan- African instrumentalist, and is collaborating and recording with musicians from across the global south. He brings people’s stories to life to show the richness of Africa in all of its facets. While still a young musician, he started working with UNICEF GEM (Girl Education Movement) initiative, where his music acted as a powerful tool to reach, communicate with, and educate many people in rural areas about the importance of women’s education. He is now the mentor and tour coordinator for Dance of Hope, a youth-led arts education program that transforms the lives of Ugandan youth and touches the lives of children across North America. Also, Chinobay is the founder of the World Bridge Foundation, a philanthropic endeavor dedicated to improving the livelihoods of vulnerable communities through arts and education.
Todd Wynward
Board Member
Todd Wynward is an author, father, public school founder, math video game designer, small-scale farmer, wilderness educator and Mennonite minister for watershed discipleship. He has been engaged in education reform and social change movements for twenty years—starting both Roots & Wings Community School and Vista Grande HS—and has spent more than a thousand nights outdoors. With his allies in New Mexico Todd tries to practice an earth-honoring, people-dignifying, society-changing, despair-erasing Christianity. His recent book, Rewilding the Way: Break Free to Follow an Untamed God, was published by Herald Press.
Sarah Nolan
Board Member
Sarah received a degree in Theology and Philosophy from Azusa Pacific University and completed a MA in Ministry, Leadership and Service from Claremont School of Theology. She was the co-founder and Director of Programs and Community Partnerships at The Abundant Table, an Episcopal rooted nonprofit farm and worshiping community. She serves on the Episcopal General Convention’s Task Force on Creation Care and Environmental Racism and is actively engaged in work and conversations around emergent ministries, organizational vitality and the intersection of food, faith and the environment.
Samuel Lockridge
Board Member
Samuel Lockridge is a musician, actor, sound designer, and immersive theatre creator. He holds a BA in Philosophy, a Masters of Public Administration, and is currently pursuing a PhD in Arts Administration. He serves as Arts Education Director at the Kentucky Arts Council and Creative Director of Afterculture Theatre.
Daniel East
Board Member
Daniel East is a board member who lives on the property at Dreaming Stone. He has a degree in theater, but has been working in the solar industry since 2009. He co-founded a non-profit called Indigenized Energy in 2017 that is focused on humanity’s just transition from extractive to regenerative relationships with energy. Daniel is excited to support and witness how Dreaming Stone can generate and deploy all forms of energy into Western North Carolina.
Zap McConnell
Board Member
Zap is an investigator of dance/theater/movement/performance, as well as a visual artist, director, teacher, performer, environmental activist, and film maker. For over 3 decades, She has experimented with the cross pollination of installation art, site specific performance and dance, fueled by a fierce love of the natural world. She continues to travel, collaborate, and broaden her understanding of different ecosystems, cultures and communities.