About RTCAR - Our Staff

David Cozzo, Project Director
David Cozzo is an ethnobotanist who began leading RTCAR in 2004. He earned a Ph.D. in anthropology from the University of Georgia and an M.A. in Appalachian Studies (with an emphasis on medicinal plants) at Appalachian State University. cozzod@wcu.edu

Beth Ross Johnson joined the RTCAR staff this year as a community development specialist. She has an M.F.A. from Georgia State University in textiles and an M.A. from Western Carolina University in Fibers. Beth has an extensive background in crefts education and directed Chelsea Gallery at WCU for 12 years where she worked with many artisans from Cherokee. Beth is collecting sources for a clearinghouse for traditional materials and is available to assist with grant applications from the artistic community of Cherokee.