Email: anna@wyeast-rcd.org
Title: Rural Resilience Specialist
Organization: Wy’East Resource Conservation and Development
Community: The Dalles
Population: 16,000
County Served: Wasco

Meet Anna Peach (she/her):

Anna was born and raised in rural Iowa and graduated from the University of Iowa with a B.S. in Global Health Studies and a certificate in Sustainability in spring 2024. While an undergrad, Anna focused on food systems through volunteering, coursework, and research. She also has experience working in international affairs, having worked for a non-profit organization that hosted international leaders through the U.S. Department of State. She spent summer 2024 continuing to work in this position, as well as at a non-profit organic produce farm located outside of Iowa City. Anna is excited to explore the field of energy resiliency this year, identifying connections with her prior areas of focus. In her free time, Anna loves to read, run, hike, and spend time doing anything outdoors.

Community and Organization:

Wy’East Resource Conservation and Development works across the state to support rural development projects related to energy efficiency, renewable energy, resiliency, and innovative technologies. Wy’East works with a broad network of agricultural producers, small business owners, and rural organizations to strengthen the advancement of rural communities. Based in The Dalles in Wasco County, Wy’East is located within the beautiful Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. Part of its operations are also conducted in Dufur, a town of about 600 located just south of The Dalles. This area is known for its cherry and wheat production and its historical and archaeological significance as one of the longest-inhabited places in North America.

Projects:

Anna is working with Wy’East RCD to develop a plan and feasibility analysis for a rural resiliency hub, known as the Dufur Rural Innovation Hub. Working with various stakeholders, Anna is identifying the existing resources within the region and relevant development opportunities within resiliency planning and cleantech adoption. She is meeting with community members from throughout the county and conducting research to create an inventory of needs and opportunities that will be necessary to create the Hub. Anna is also helping to deploy mobile battery storage units and EV charging stations across rural areas of Wasco County. In addition to this, she will assist with Wy’East’s E-Farms project, which rotates electric farm vehicles to farmers across the state to test.