Executive Director
Will Sellers inspires a committed, dynamic team, supports an engaged, thoughtful Board of Directors, and leads fundraising, public relations, and program development efforts to deepen Wholesome Wave Georgia’s mission and expand the organization’s impact. Will joined Wholesome Wave Georgia from Food Well Alliance, a collaborative network of local leaders working to build thriving community gardens and farms across metro Atlanta, where he served as Deputy Director. Prior to Food Well Alliance, Will served as Director of Political & Governmental Affairs for the Georgia Hotel & Lodging Association. Will serves on the Board of Directors for The Southface Institute and Clayton State University’s Dean’s Advisory Board for the College of Arts and Sciences. An active member of Georgia’s local food community, Will served on the Board of Directors for Global Growers Network and Wholesome Wave Georgia. A native of Moultrie, Georgia, Will graduated from Morehouse College, earned his law degree from Boston College Law School, and is a graduate of the Atlanta Regional Commission’s Regional Leadership Institute. Will lives in Cobb County with his family and their beloved cat, Frisco. In his free time, Will loves reading biographies, running, and perfecting his lasagna.
Food pun that best describe you? No challenge is too grape.
Director of Development Annamarie provides guidance and mission critical support to Wholesome Wave Georgia’s fundraising, communications, and events as the Director of Development. Annamarie believes in the importance of nutritional food for good health.
Annamarie comes to Wholesome Wave Georgia with extensive experience supporting leading independent schools such as Christ the King School and Queen of Angels Catholic School within metropolitan Atlanta and CURE Childhood Cancer. Prior to entering the nonprofit sector, Annamaire hired, trained and developed full-time and part-time sales leaders on behalf of Johnson & Johnson. Annamarie has a Bachelors of Science in Food Marketing from St. Joseph’s University and Masters of Theology from Villanova University.
Annamarie and her husband live in the Atlanta area with three grown daughters. She enjoys exercising, cooking and spending time with family and friends. Annamaire serves on the Board of Directors of Reach for Excellence.
Living and working near Athens, GA, Abigail cherishes her deep ties to the community. In 2017, Abigail began working part-time at the Athens Farmers Market, which was also the first year of AFM’s FARMRx produce prescription program. After witnessing the impact of food on the lives of FARMRx participants and falling in love with local agriculture, she also began working on a local farm to understand the cycle of seasonal eating from seed to plate. Graduating with a B.S. in Public Health in 2019 and an M.S. in Crop and Soil Sciences in 2021, her passion lies at the intersection of food and health.
As a recipient of the USDA National Needs Fellowship, Abigail’s research was inspired by her work with AFM’s FARMRx program. Through in-depth interviews with community leaders across the rural Southeast, she identified successful models for locally-based, community-derived food access initiatives. After working with the Athens Farmers Market for four seasons, she stepped into the full-time manager role in 2021. Abigail believes that farmers markets are transformative to addressing change within our communities by not only increasing food access but also providing space for neighbors to gather and connect.
Abigail and her husband, Brandon, are excited to have just moved into a hundred-year-old farmhouse in Comer, GA where she is now a fourth-generation resident. Their free time is spent with friends and family, making pasta in the kitchen, enjoying soup around the table, or sharing a drink by the fire. Abigail and Brandon also love to take their dog, Texas Pete, on walks and hikes across North Georgia.
Aubrey Cyphert grew up on a small farm in Pennsylvania, before studying biology in the hills of the Keystone State and public health in the bayous of New Orleans, LA. She moved to Atlanta with her partner in life in 2011 after graduating with a Master of Public Health. Aubrey managed research projects for many years at Emory University, before managing public health projects at CDC partner organizations.
Seeking work that more immediately impacts peoples’ health, Aubrey began volunteering at non-profits around Atlanta. Aubrey volunteered with the Piedmont Green Market and fell in love with the farmers, food makers, and eaters in the farmers market community. She began working with Community Farmers Market as a Market Assistant and then Market Manager.
Aubrey continues to serve the community as Manager of the Morningside Farmers Market on Saturdays. She wishes to expand access to nutritious locally grown food for all Georgians as SNAP Connection Program Manager. Aubrey enjoys walking their dog with her partner, feeding their chickens afternoon treats, and morning cat cuddles over coffee.
Food pun that best describes you? Life doesn’t get feta than this!
James Carr
Communications Specialist
An Atlanta-based writer and marketer, James Carr has worked for several local food organizations, serving as in a marketing and communications role. James is the founder of Farmers Jam, which makes jam and cocktail syrup using local fruit and helps farmers plant fruit trees. In the past, James worked as a journalist, radio host, and producer, and graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in Communication Studies with a minor in Sociology. You can often find James at local farmers markets in Atlanta or harvesting fruit from a nearby fruit tree.
Food pun that best describes you?Strawberries are my jam!
Community Food Ambassador
A coastal North Carolina native, Mike has called Atlanta home for the past 17 years. During this time he’s lived in Grant Park, East Atlanta Village, Reynolds Town, Oakhurst, Buckhead, and currently lives in the Hamilton E. Holmes area on the Westside of Atlanta. After attending Virginia Wesleyan University, Mike nourished his spirit by serving two terms in AmeriCorps. It was there that he learned what true grassroots work looks and feels like. Mike’s desire is to bring his authentic and compassionate energy to serve in all parts of Wholesome Wave Georgia. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, any outside activity with water, and is currently learning sound bath mantras for meditation.
Food pun that best describes you? “The Thyme will never be just right…. start where you stand.” – Napoleon Hill
Isaac Arriaga is a detail oriented data analyst with real world experience in solving business problems by examining data and uncovering hidden trends. He is from Southern California (Santa Ana), but has also spent some time living in Arizona, Washington D.C, and The Central Valley of California. He is a UGA Double Dawg alumni with an undergraduate degree in Environmental Economics & Management and a Masters in Agribusiness.
His passion for sustainable agriculture and resilient local food systems stems from his experience living and working on his family’s avocado ranch in Michoacán, Mexico. Combining this appreciation for agriculture & his deep interest in local food motivated Isaac to conduct graduate research on the topic of Successful Social Media and Marketing Strategies for Urban Agricultural Farms. Isaac is excited to contribute effort toward mitigating the risks associated with the market failure of food insecurity, in the state of Georgia.
Isaac’s past work experience includes working as a UGA Graduate Research Assistant, as a Sustainability Compliance Coordinator for The E & J Gallo Winery, and as a Marketplace Specialist for a craft beer start up company.
In his free time, Isaac can be found playing golf, fishing on the Chattahoochee River, cooking, and or reading.
Maria Perez
SNAP Connections Benefit Specialist
Maria Perez was born in Evanston, IL but grew up in West Michigan. She has been in Georgia since 2017. Maria is currently pursuing her bachelor’s degree in Case Management through Davenport University and came to Wholesome Wave Georgia with years of experience in the community health field.
As a certified community health worker in Michigan, she connected clients with resources to help bridge the gap associated with social determinants to lead clients on a pathway to better health. Maria is a licensed insurance navigator with the state of Georgia, which she used to assist community neighbors with Marketplace insurance as well as Medicaid.
During her time at another nonprofit organization, she saw the impact Covid played on an already significant problem: food insecurity. Maria hopes to continue her work to connecting communities with eligible assistance as well as ensuring they stay connected. Maria is fluent in Spanish and assists neighbors struggling with language barriers when applying for or seeking benefits.
When Maria is not working, she is busy with whatever new adventure her daughter is trying out, from piano to soccer and even karate!
Food pun that best describes you?She believed she could, Sushi did, make everyday Mangonificient!