Mountain Xpress presents — Asheville’s influentials for 2016

In the spirit of our mission to build community and foster civic dialogue, Xpress set out to find some of the lesser-known folks who are quietly doing important work in the Asheville area. Xpress is proud to present our Asheville influentials for 2016.

Julian Award winner Melissa Wilson: Commitment and empathy in the classroom

At 19, Melissa Wilson was a single mother, working at McDonald’s and living below the poverty line. She decided to enroll in a class at A-B Tech that was part of the college’s jobs placement program. With it came free child care. Unfortunately, the class itself didn’t speak to Wilson. “I was training for an … Read more

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