Student Field Education Manager
Lauren Ballejos hails from the hills of West Virginia. She received her Bachelor’s degree from Vanderbilt University and her Master’s in Liberal Studies from Duke University, where her research focused on Appalachian labor history, with particular attention to food systems and care work within the West Virginia Mine Wars (1912–1921). Her master’s project examines how women’s labor shaped both everyday life and organized resistance, arguing that kitchens, gardens, and domestic labor were central sites of political and economic power in southern coalfield communities. Before joining the farm, Lauren split her time between working at a ranch and artist residency in the Nebraska Sandhills and developing a career in nonprofit arts organizations in Nashville, TN. These experiences continue to shape her deep interest in land-based, community care work.
At the farm, Lauren works closely with the Field Education Manager to lead DCF’s student field crew, training new crew members and keeping daily operations running smoothly. She also contributes to long-term planning efforts, including crop planning, integrated pest management, and soil fertility.
Outside of work and school, she can usually be found walking with her dog, Thoreau, or working on a myriad of creative and outdoor hobbies like sewing or sailing with her husband, Dillan.