Last updated on February 18th, 2026 at 03:39 pm
Ms. E’licia L. Chaverest is the AgFTAP Regional Coordinator University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture and Economics Southern Risk Management Education Center. Additionally, she’s the Executive Director of Strategic Alignment Network, LLC.
Ms. Chaverest has over 20 years of experience of educating and empowering small, limited resource socially disadvantaged farmers located throughout the state of Alabama, central Georgia, Mississippi, and Tennessee. Among other duties, Ms. Chaverest directs and coordinates the development and implementation of outreach and risk management education programs; documents and disseminates finds to administrators, policy makers, funding agencies, producers and rural entrepreneurs; and identifies key priority areas in program implementation and outreach delivery. She provides administrative and managerial support to faculty, staff, and agricultural managers to improve operations (agribusiness and farms) for small agribusinesses, non-profit organizations, community-based organizations and agricultural cooperatives. Ms. Chaverest professional interests are in public policy, new and emerging government programs/services, access to capital and funding opportunities, and managing agricultural risk for small minority business/agribusiness. One of her many accomplishments in 2025 was developing Alabama Urban Gardeners and Farmers Association a 501c(3) to empower urban gardeners and rural farmers. Additionally, in 2019 and 2022, she was appointed to the New and Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Advisory Committee by USDA Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and Tom Vilsack.
Overall, Ms. Chaverest believes in equity for all by bridging the gap working closely with all people especially under-served communities, engaging and interacting with individuals to isolate problems and find practical solutions.