Cheryl, along with her husband Marc and daughter Normandie, operates Meeting Place Pastures in Cornwall, VT. They manage a custom cattle grazing and a sheep enterprise on approximately 900 acres of certified organic pasture land. Cheryl is also a grazing specialist with UVM Extension in Middlebury. She has been involved with NOFA-VT since 2004, and worked for Vermont Organic Farmers, LLC for 8 years. She and Marc met at the NOFA winter conference in 2008!

Abbie farms with her parents, Leon and Linda, at The Corse Farm Dairy, the family’s 6th generation, 150 year-old dairy in the hills of very southern VT. She is cheered on in her efforts by husband Dave (a local builder) and their two children, Eli and Niko. With a background in the Arts, a degree in Journalism/Global Studies, and a love of photography Abbie is committed to being an active, engaged member building a sustainable and organic VT food system. 

Maggie Donin is the Farmland Access Program Director at the Vermont Land Trust. Her work focuses on how to help new and existing farmers access affordable farmland that supports their business viability and supports a healthy and thriving environment. Before working at VLT, Maggie worked for six years at the Intervale Center providing business planning to beginning farmers. In her free time Maggie enjoys cooking for friends, practicing yoga, and being outside. 

Peter and his partner, Helen Whybrow, run Knoll Farm, a diversified organic berry and sheep farm, learning center and community gathering spot in the Mad River watershed where they’ve raised their daughters and hosted people and organizations for two decades.  Peter also helps communities in northern New England to resolve matters of consequence to their lives, most often about working across differences in culture, power and ideology.  Peter runs two large land justice collaborations between Tribes and conservationists in Oregon and Maine. 

Sophia is an attorney and assistant professor at Vermont Law School’s Center for Agriculture and Food Systems (CAFS), where she directs the Food and Agriculture Clinic, which provides law and policy services to food system organizations and stakeholders. Sophia also oversees the Vermont Legal Food Hub, a program that connects Vermont farmers and food businesses with free legal services. Sophia enjoys trying to grow vegetables and raise a few chickens in her Burlington backyard with her husband, son, and rascally dog.

Mike is a 3rd generation Vermont farmer with a passion to see the farms in Northern New England survive and flourish. He graduated from VTC with a degree in Agribusiness Management, worked early on in the dairy feed business, then joined the family dairy and took over the farm in 1997. In 2000, Mike joined Morrison’s Custom Feeds and still works with farms all over Northern New England, from balancing rations, to pasture walks and improved forage management practices. He lives in Danville with his wife Julie, and enjoys snowshoeing, hiking, biking and kayaking. 

Email: [email protected]

Extension: 7148

Megan is a farmer, communicator, and community organizer whose interests, knowledge, and passion center on the continued viability of small-scale farming, and the redistribution of land, wealth, and power to achieve a just and sustainable food system. Megan grew up in New York City, graduated from Colby College in Maine, and completed a Masters in Leadership for Sustainability at the University of Vermont. She spent ten years working on and managing vegetable farms in MA and VT and is the co-owner of a small flower farm (that has been on hiatus since she had a baby in August 2021). Megan moved to Vermont in 2014 and was immediately taken with the strong agricultural community, so she stuck around! Among other things, Megan enjoys cooking, eating, traveling, swimming, growing plants, and spreading love.

Email: [email protected]

Extension: 7152

Erin has held various positions at NOFA-VT since 2010 and currently leads our development and engagement team. She has been working and volunteering in a variety of capacities in food systems and sustainable agriculture issues in Vermont since 2005, including co-owning a small hill farm and sugarbush, growing community gardens, and managing a farmers market. While not at work, Erin enjoys living and working on her family's homestead, preserving, cooking, and eating yummy local foods, and being crafty.

Email: [email protected]

Extension: 7154

Bill recently joined the team at NOFA-VT after working in livestock and meat value-added production. His background includes working on pastured livestock farms, retail and custom butchery, and most recently, business planning assistance for Vermont food makers at the Mad River Food Hub. He is excited to join the team at NOFA and be a part of the great work being done to support farmers statewide. Bill lives in Granville with his wife and young son, and spends his time gardening, making cider, and rounding up wayward chickens.

Email: [email protected]

Extension: 7155

Nicole began working for Vermont Organic Farmers in 2003, the year after the National Organic Program regulations went into effect. Since that time, Nicole has worked to represent the views of Vermont organic producers at the National Organic Standards Board meetings and as a member of the Accredited Certifiers Association. She has served on the boards of OMRI and the Real Organic Project. Nicole has a BA from the University of Montana and a Post Baccalaureate Certificate in Education from the University of Vermont. In her past life, Nicole spent less time in front of a computer and more time wrangling poultry, grading apples with seconds to spare, and teaching people how to milk cows.

Email: [email protected]

Extension: 7165

Andrew manages the Vermont Farmers Market Association and helps customers find farms through our Farms & Producers Directory. Andrew grew up in Pennsylvania attending a Waldorf school. After he graduated, his family moved (back) to Vermont, where he attended the University of Vermont. After a year with AmeriCorps VISTA doing poverty remediation work in Vermont and three years at an urban farm co-op in Portland, Oregon, Andrew got an M.S. at Antioch University New England focused on the food system and climate change. Prior to joining NOFA-VT in January 2021, Andrew spent three years working for the Maine Organic Farmers & Gardeners Association (MOFGA), as part of the team that puts on the Common Ground Country Fair. Andrew loves to cook and do all things related to food, including growing and processing it. He currently lives in central Vermont.

Email: [email protected]

Extension: 7156

/*-->*/ Bay joined the Vermont Organic Farmers team in July of 2019 after a 6-year stint as manager of Green Mountain College Farm and 25 years as founder and manager of Doolittle Farm. This 30-plus years of farming experience included diversified organic livestock, organic vegetables, berries, and maple with retail, wholesale, and online distribution. Bay has served on various market and local community boards; she is currently on the Vermont Sheep and Goat Association Board. She holds an AS in Dietetics from Broward College and a BS in Holistic Health from Johnson State College. After hours she enjoys her garden, helps her kids with their farms, and entertains her 5 grandchildren.

Email: [email protected]

Extension: 7163

Laura joined Vermont Organic Farmers in 2010 and quickly realized that her tendency toward rule following would finally be considered an asset. She's a native Vermonter and has been surrounded by and involved in the agricultural community for much of her life. When her childhood friend introduced her to their family cow, their flock of layers and the sweet scent of maple steam she became hooked for life. She successfully convinced her own family to dabble in homesteading and once she was old enough, began working on farms ranging from dairies to maple sugar operations to fruit, vegetable and flower farms. Nowadays she enjoys keeping a small flock of her own, tending her vegetable gardens and experiencing life with her husband and two children.

Email: [email protected]

Extension: 7157

Maddie is passionate about advocating for a vibrant, equitable, ecologically resilient food system and has led NOFA-VT's policy work since 2015. Maddie grew up in Vermont and moved back in 2013 after spending five years living in Utah and Colorado working in outdoor education and on farms. Working on farms out west inspired her to dig into food-system and farm policy and advocate for change to help farms be more economically viable and climate-resilient. She is honored to be able to do this work in her home state to support Vermont's incredible farmers. She loves gardening, mountain biking, canoeing, and just about anything that involves being outside with her family. She lives in Cambridge with her husband, three sons, and two chocolate labs.

Email: [email protected]

Extension: 7159

After a couple of seasons farming in California and Massachusetts, Jen came to Vermont in 2007 and spent the next five years working on and managing farms in the Intervale, growing diversified vegetables, pigs, and broiler chickens. Jen also spent time at the Intervale Food Hub, coordinating the subscription program and managing membership. In 2014, Jen completed their masters’ degree in Community Development and Applied Economics at the University of Vermont with a focus on USDA conservation programs and agricultural best management practices. After a few years providing business planning and educational services to beginning farmers in southern Vermont (an area which they now love), Jen joined the NOFA team in 2016, excited to work statewide with farmers of all experience levels.

Email: [email protected]

Extension: 7164

Grace has served as Executive Director of NOFA-VT since 2019, bringing with her a lifelong commitment to work at the intersection of people, land, and justice. Prior to coming to NOFA-VT, Grace served as the Executive Director of a community center and synagogue in Burlington. Before moving to Vermont, Grace founded and directed Dig In Farm and Educational Center in Massachusetts, a working farm and living laboratory for young people to learn both about small-scale farming and social change movements. In earlier lives Grace served on the Farmer Education team at Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association; ran a small farm at a residential school in the Sierra Nevada mountains while teaching a course called 'Peace Studies;' and picked tomatoes on a large certified organic farm in northern California. She is currently pursuing rabbinical ordination in addition to raising three small children on a mini homestead in Burlington with her partner Jacob.

Email: [email protected]

Extension: 7150

Kyla uses her experience with livestock farming to certify farms as organic. Kyla graduated from UVM in 2008 with a B.S. in Environmental Science. After graduating she apprenticed on an organic vegetable farm which sparked her passion for sustainable agriculture. Afterward, she worked for an organic dairy in Addison County and fell in love with cows and dairying. Having spent her whole life in Vermont, Kyla decided to change scenery (and climates), living in California for 5 years working for a large organic dairy and family-owned farms as a farmer, administrative assistant, and event organizer. Kyla returned to Vermont in 2017 for a position at NOFA-VT. She currently serves on the boards of the Vermont Farm Show and VDIA (Vermont Dairy Industry Association). In her free time, Kyla enjoys spending time outdoors adventuring with her dog and farming in Randolph Center with her husband.

Email: [email protected]

Extension: 7166

Helen is NOFA-VT's Director of Programs, leading strategic collaboration across our various programs to advance our mission of building a Vermont agricultural system focused on people, land, and justice. Helen joined NOFA-VT in 2019 as the Farm to School Program Director and led the Local Food Access Team from 2020 to 2023. Prior to joining NOFA-VT, she served as the Executive Director at KidsGardening, working to advance the school and youth gardening movement across the country. She was also part of the founding team at Food Connects in Brattleboro, Vermont where she helped to establish and grow farm-to-school programs in southern Vermont with a strong focus on school nutrition programs and local purchasing. Helen can often be found daydreaming about her next overseas adventure and lives with her husband in the Old North End of Burlington, Vermont.

Email: [email protected]

Extension: 7167

Winston is a Certification Specialist for Vermont Organic Farmers and works mainly with food processors and maple producers. He graduated from Davidson College in North Carolina and came back to Vermont and worked at Green Mountain Coffee Roasters/Keurig for 24 years, starting out as a part-time barista in the Factory Outlet in Waterbury, VT and ending as the Farmer Relations Manager, working with coffee farmers all over the world. When he’s not wishing the pandemic was over so he could get back to playing ice hockey, he dreams of tapping the stand of sugar maples in the backwoods. For fun he plays in a rock band with fellow certification specialist Gregg “I wanna rock” Stevens called Prohibited Substances. They were on their “Integrity Tour” in suburban Columbus, Ohio when the pandemic cut things short. Their big hits like “ I wanna commingle (with you)”, “Slap on a 272” and “I’m touching Gregg’s Maple OSP button!” can all be enjoyed on Spotify.

Email: alice@vermontorganic.org

Extension: 7173

Alice grew up in northern Vermont and graduated from Green Mountain College with a B.A. in environmental studies focusing on environmental education. After working at various nature camps, she worked at Vermont Soap where she did everything from inventory management to formulations to shipping. She also managed Vermont Soap’s organic certification and emailed Winston weekly. When she isn’t helping producers or improving the database at Vermont Organic Farmers she likes to walk around looking at other people’s flower gardens, knit and play board games. Alice is an avid contra dancer and is learning how to call contra and family dances.

Email: [email protected]

Extension: 7175

Gregg earned a B.S. in Biology from the University of New Hampshire and earned his teaching certificate after completing a post-baccalaureate program at Rhode Island College. He survived teaching high school science in Rhode Island for eight years and was once a green party candidate for Rhode Island Lt Governor before moving to Vermont in 2003. Based on his love of marine biology, he likens himself most to the Gumboot Chiton, the “Wandering Meatloaf”, which has been the hot mollusk of late. Gregg’s special ability is listening to Iron Maiden, Metallica and Glee Episodes on YouTube while navigating complicated certification files. Without realizing it, he will hum or sing along, not realizing his coworkers are chuckling or taping him in the hopes of future blackmail. He plays drums in the rock band “Prohibited Substances” with fellow certification specialist Winston “I wanna rock” Rost. He penned the hit single “Where is the anti-caking agent?”, which is a perennial top 10 hit in suburban Toledo OH, where the band is very popular.

Email: [email protected]

Extension: 7176

Kayla brings a background in child nutrition, education, and agriculture to her role as the Farm to School Coordinator at NOFA-VT. Before joining NOFA-VT in 2019, Kayla managed a school nutrition and farm-to-school program for a K-8 public Waldorf School in Hawaii where she helped families access nutritious school meals, provided garden education for students, and created institutional market channels for local growers. Kayla also has worked on several farms, mostly focusing on vegetable production and orchards. Over her career, Kayla has also spent time teaching. As a passionate maker, she has taught art classes in ceramics, fiber, and mixed media. As a gardener, she has taught in schools and has led adult workshops for the Vermont Garden Network. Outside of her work with NOFA-VT and Vermont FEED, Kayla loves to spend her time with friends, cooking, and creating.

Email: [email protected]

Becca has worked in various positions at NOFA-VT since 2002 and continues to enjoy supporting organic agriculture through her work. She has an M.F.A. in studio art and has worked in both her own studio and in environmental education since 1990. She has three grown children and a wonderful husband who share her love for gardening and nature.