Founder, Principal Consultant

Adam is a versatile communications and public affairs professional with over 15 years of experience leading outreach initiatives, designing strategic communication campaigns, and delivering high-impact public engagement across local-rural communities. Adam has successfully developed numerous award-winning outreach programs and has published feature articles on local infrastructure, governance, social support programs, and agriculture. Adam is experienced in designing communication toolkits for public and nonprofit sectors, conducting insightful, data-driven research, and crafting compelling stories that meet audiences where they are.

Adam is a strong advocate for local-rural community support systems and local government. He specializes in rural outreach and advocacy.

Communications Manager

Avery joined Appius Communications in 2025. Her interests include rural outreach, content creation, and developing local and stakeholder relationships. She previously served as Editor-in-Chief of a multimedia student newspaper, and she has assisted with outreach coordination and programming for NY FarmNet.

Inspired by a background in farm education and 4-H, Avery currently studies Agricultural Sciences at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. She is an active member of campus organizations including Team Ag Ed, Collegiate Farm Bureau, Cornell University Dairy Science, and Cornell Beef Cattle Club. Avery is a Cornell Tradition Fellow and 2025 Ambassador Scholar of the NYS Ag Society.

Training and Education Manager

Kassandra “Kassi” Bailey, LMSW, is a social worker and trainer with deep roots in rural Western New York and extensive experience supporting children, adolescents, families, and rural communities. She currently serves as a Family Consultant with NY FarmNet, a Therapist with Clarity Wellness Community and previously she worked for several years as a Permanent School Social Worker in both Fillmore and Letchworth Central School Districts. Kassi holds both her Bachelor of Social Work and Master of Social Work from Keuka College. Her professional background includes training and educational specialties, school-based family support, crisis-informed practice, and a strong track record of helping groups and individuals build trust, develop coping skills, and work toward meaningful goals.

Kassi’s professional perspective is shaped by firsthand agricultural experience and longstanding ties to farming communities. Kassi has a deep understanding of rural life, she values direct, practical communication strategies, and she is especially effective in settings where trust, credibility, and real-world understanding matter. In addition to her clinical and school social work experience, she is a Mental Health First Aid trainer and has completed training in group crisis intervention, substance use disorder treatment, intimate partner violence response, and suicide prevention education through AFSP programs including Talk Saves Lives, Caring Communities, and It’s Real. This combination of clinical skills, rural cultural familiarity, and public-facing training experience makes her especially well-suited for educational and workforce-support services with local public service organizations.

Training and Education Manager

Audrey McDougal, LCSW, is a social worker and educator whose approach to mental health is grounded in relationship-building, resilience, and practical support for individuals, organizations, and communities. Audrey has extensive experience across mental health counseling, group training, educational programming, and community outreach. Her background also includes youth instruction, collaborative care planning, rural-agricultural outreach and education, suicide prevention outreach, and student support. Audrey holds a Master of Social Work from Boston University, a bachelor’s degree in psychology and studio arts from Hampshire College, and a certificate in Ecotherapy. She is also a certified Mental Health First Aid Instructor, Talk Saves Lives presenter, and QPR Gatekeeper. Audrey also currently serves as a trainer, presenter, and family consultant for NY FarmNet.

Raised in the Finger Lakes region of Upstate New York, Audrey brings a strong sense of empathy, curiosity, and public service to her work. Audrey values helping people externalize problems, build self-compassion, reconnect to their values, and navigate difficult life circumstances with dignity and support. Her experience working alongside rural communities and farm families has further deepened her respect for the realities of high-stress, high-responsibility environments and her commitment to strengthening wellbeing through trust-based, human-centered practices.

Audrey’s diverse experience providing clinical services, educational outreach, and experience working with families, youth, and community-based audiences gives Audrey an excellent background for leading training and educational services for public service organizations and their employees.

Rural Outreach Specialist

Carie Milliron is a community outreach and workforce development professional with experience working alongside individuals, businesses, service providers, and community organizations throughout rural Western New York. Her professional background includes human services, workforce development, and human resources, giving her a practical understanding of the needs of both individuals and organizations.

Carie’s approach to outreach is grounded in listening, learning, and building genuine relationships. She believes everyone brings something valuable to the table, and that community collaboration creates opportunities to share knowledge, strengthen services, and make meaningful connections. She also understands that rural outreach often requires creativity, flexibility, and a willingness to think outside the box when traditional approaches do not fit a community’s needs.

As a Rural Outreach Specialist, Carie coordinates regional outreach efforts, supports local outreach representatives, identifies opportunities for education and community engagement, and strengthens connections among organizations, service providers, and the communities they serve.