Misse brings more than 20 years of experience in sustainable food systems work, managing farmers markets, farm-to-school efforts, and tending her diversified family farm, Drift Farmstead, which also hosts The Vermont Farm & Forest School, an independent K-5 school in Roxbury.

Bio coming soon.

Todd began a life with honey bees with his younger brother Tom on the top field of their family farm when he was 12. In that year, he came to Vermont and committed to a life of beekeeping here. 

After graduating from Cornell College of Agriculture and Life Sciences with a major in vegetable crops and a minor in entomology, he worked with longtime beekeepers in the Finger Lakes region for two years. He later worked as an Apiary Inspector in Northern Vermont to stop the spread of disease in honey bees spilling over from Vermont into New York State. He helped to bring this disease under control and develop record-keeping systems and efficiencies. With a committed team, he grew Honey Gardens Apiaries to 1,900 colonies throughout the Champlain Valley of Vermont and the St. Lawrence River Valley of Northern New York State, helping to bring raw honey back to the area after 60-years where it was mostly absent. In addition, at Honey Gardens Apiaries he developed a line of honey-based traditional plant medicines. During that time, he also started developing mead, leading to his co-creation of Barr Hill gin.

In 2015, Todd became the steward of Thornhill Farm in Greensboro and began to grow organic rye and barley for their Thornhill Farm rye whiskey. After six years of growing, cleaning, and marketing organic grain in Vermont to bakeries and Caledonia Spirits, he also encourages grain farmers as President of the Northern Grain Growers Association. He believes bread and whiskey taste better with organic grain and has seen the soil health of his farm improve over six years of utilizing organic practices. He is a proud parent of two children who are also involved with agriculture in Vermont.

For the past 15 years, Carolina has combined her passion for growing nourishing food with opportunities to facilitate meaningful learning experiences for individuals of all ages and backgrounds. She currently works as the Garden Education Manager with the Vermont Garden Network, coordinating programming at numerous community-based gardens at senior residences, parent-child centers, affordable housing sites, and at a community farm for resettled refugees. Her work is rooted in food sovereignty and empowering individuals to grow food for themselves and their community. 

Prior to moving to Vermont in 2015, Carolina gardened year-round in rooftops and urban community gardens in her native landscape of Mexico City, while facilitating hundreds of workshops on organic gardening and nutrition education for adults and children. Her 30+ years of living, working, and gardening in Mexico have shaped Carolina’s experience as a woman in the nonprofit world, a hands-on garden educator, and an immigrant raising a bicultural/bilingual son in Vermont. 

Carolina holds a BA in Environmental Studies from Vassar College (‘04) and numerous certifications in garden-based learning, agroecology, permaculture, herbalism, and Waldorf education. She honors the lessons she has learned from her own garden as her greatest teacher.

Becky fell in love with Vermont and organic farming during a high school semester at the Mountain School in Vershire, VT. Two subsequent summers working there confirmed that she wanted to pursue farming as a lifelong career and she began working on farms everywhere she could. After graduating from college, she managed an urban CSA for Denver Urban Gardens, eventually returning to Vermont to the Intervale Community Farm where she farmed for ten years. 

In 2014, she joined her partner, Scott, at Singing Cedars Farmstead in Orwell, Vermont, and in 2016 began to work for UVM Extension. Her focus with Extension is working with vegetable growers on soil health management with a participatory approach that highlights the innovations and incredible knowledge of farmers. 

Her admiration for the brilliance and deep kindness of farmers fuels her work both on and off the farm. Becky also loves spending time skiing, biking, and hiking, especially in the good company of her friends and family

Melisa is the co-owner of Ananda Gardens, where she lends her focus to wellness culture, marketing, and community outreach. She's a board-certified Integrative Health and Wellness Coach and a certified Whole Food Plant-Based Educator, who also serves as co-leader of the Latin Farmers of Vermont Cohort for the Young Farmers Coalition.

Mieko is a mompreneur, born and raised in New York City, and a fourth-generation Japanese and Chinese American. She is the owner of a small business called Radiance Studios LLC, a marketing firm offering website and content strategy, digital marketing and personal branding, project management, and event production for small businesses and individuals. She is also the co-founder of the Vermont Womenpreneurs, serves as an Advisory Board Member of the Vermont Farmers Market Association and as a Marketing and Direct Retail Commissioner for Governor Scott’s Future of Agriculture Commission, is a Board Member of the Intervale Community Farm, and recently joined Congressman Welch’s Business Advisory Council. 

Formerly, Mieko was the Market Director of the Burlington Farmers Market, an Education Associate at Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility, a Program Director at Yestermorrow Design/Build School, and a Projects Coordinator at UVM's Office of Sustainability. With over 20 years of experiences in nonprofit education, environmental, and agricultural organizations, she brings a generalist and systems thinking perspective to the work she is involved in.

Bio coming soon.

Email: [email protected]

Extension: 0060

Katie is an experienced agriculture professional who is passionate about ecosystem health and currently uses her expertise to support farmers and processors through organic certification with Vermont Organic Farmers. Katie is originally from Wisconsin and holds a B.S. in Plant Science & Ecology, with an emphasis in Eco Ag from The Evergreen State College (2006). Katie's experience ranges from managing large and small specialty crop production systems, conducting agricultural research and consultation, and providing ag education and outreach services. She has worked for public and private organizations and previously ran her own diversified farm in Wisconsin growing vegetables, flowers, and pastured poultry for farmers' market, CSA, and restaurant sales. When she's not working, Katie can be found in her gardens, or cooking and preserving the harvest. She loves spending time outdoors exploring, camping, and getting out on the water with her family.

Email: [email protected]

Extension: 0042

Eric brings a background in diversified livestock management and environmental education to his work promoting the resilience of Vermont farms & farmers in the face of a changing climate.  Since leaving his hometown of New York City in 2013, Eric has either been studying, working on, or managing a variety of diversified & pasture-based livestock operations. In 2018, Eric received his B.A. in Sustainable Agriculture & Environmental Education from Warren Wilson College in Western North Carolina. After three years of farming in the southern Appalachian mountains (predominantly managing a grass-based dairy farm for a local creamery), Eric moved back north in 2021 to join the robust Vermont agricultural community he has always admired from afar. Eric then spent two seasons serving as the Farm Director at Maple Wind Farm, in Richmond, VT, before joining the NOFA-VT team in 2024 as a Climate Resilience Specialist. When not out chasing livestock across pastures, you can most often find Eric spending time in the kitchen with those he holds dear, or attempting to read a book over his 120lb Pyrenees lap dog, Finn.

Email: [email protected]

Extension: 0069

Lindsey is a communicator and educator passionate about inspiring imagination for a more just world and cultivating positive change in the food system. Lindsey grew up in Vermont and journeyed west to study environmental science and strategic communication at the University of Denver, where she explored her interest in socially and environmentally responsible agriculture through field research on small-scale farms. Following a career in science education, she worked as a communicator and marketer at several community-based environmental and social organizations, including The Nature Conservancy and Ballet Vermont/The Farm to Ballet Project. When not at work, she enjoys gardening, exploring the state via bike or skis, and trying to transform old fabric into new clothes on her trusty sewing machine.

Email: [email protected]

Extension: 0057

Johanna brings a background of food policy and organic agriculture to coordinating NOFA-VT's local food access programs. Originally from southeast Pennsylvania, Johanna grew her love for all things food in Massachusetts, Wisconsin, and now Vermont. From working on small, organic diversified vegetable farms to supporting local producers through community-based non-profits, Johanna developed a passion for thinking radically and working collaboratively to build a just, equitable food system. She pursued a Master's in Food and Agriculture Law and Policy at the Vermont Law School to learn about the policies that shape our food system and is excited to work towards greater food access and sovereignty in Vermont and beyond. Johanna spends her free time baking and consuming pastries, gardening, and trying to burn off her dog Reya's inexhaustible energy.

Email: [email protected]

Extension: 0068

Lauren leads our Local Food Access team, striving to make local and organic food accessible to all Vermonters in both institutional and consumer settings. Lauren has been putting her weight behind sustainable agriculture and local food systems since 2011. She's worked on various livestock and vegetable farms, including a two-year chapter managing production and serving as a garden educator for the Seed to Table Program in central Oregon. Before joining NOFA-VT, Lauren was a member of the Food & Farm team at Vital Communities, where she oversaw a number of projects that strengthened connections between food and community. Her experience with those food access, farm-to-school, and farmer's market promotion projects informs her present work at NOFA-VT: bringing more chairs to the table of Vermont organic food. She is inspired by the creative work being done in this state to ensure that local, organic food feels relevant and accessible to all. In her free time, you'll often find her coopting friends into extensive dinners, heading out for a wander in the woods, or curling up with a good book by the fire.

Email: [email protected]

Extension: 0063

Kevin is a farmer and agricultural educator focused on building resilient communities and a just food system through sustainable agriculture. Since graduating from Lewis and Clark College, Kevin has worked on a variety of organic farms and nonprofits in Arkansas, Ireland, Washington State, and Vermont. This work included owning and operating a vegetable farm in Washington, serving on the board of the Snoqualmie Valley Farmers Cooperative, and overseeing the crop production, research, and food access programs at Oxbow Farm and Conservation Center. Kevin is currently pursuing an MS in Food Systems from the University of Vermont, with a focus on perennial agriculture. When not daydreaming about weed-free carrot fields, Kevin loves escaping to the mountains and can be found hiking, camping, riding his bike, snowboarding, and jumping in cold bodies of water.

Email: [email protected]

Extension: 0056

Jessica has a passion for organizing and is excited to be working alongside Vermonters to pass policy initiatives to move toward a just, resilient, thriving Vermont food and farming system. She’s from a small town and farming community in Kentucky, where she organized for economic justice, climate and energy justice, and a healthier democracy. She’s inspired by regular people working together, tapping into the power we need to change what's possible. Jessica has a MA in American Literature from the University of Kentucky and is ABD at the University of Maryland. Jess and her partner have two kids, and she loves to be with her family doing anything, but especially spending time in the woods or on the water.

Email: [email protected]

Extension: 0064

Jessie lives in St. Johnsbury, where she is dedicated to building and participating in her community. In addition to her work at NOFA-VT, Jessie works with an organic vegetable farm in Barnet to support the farm’s operations, including running their farmers market booth and helping manage the farm’s CSA. Prior to joining the NOFA-VT team, Jessie worked with Vermont Fresh Network to build partnerships within Vermont’s food system. She also has a diverse professional background in marketing and communications. She loves exploring new trails, canoeing, quilting, dancing to live music, and reading mysteries while cuddling with her cat Winnie.

Email: [email protected]

Extension: 7182

As the Office & IT Manager, Mark oversees technology systems and manages administrative tasks at NOFA-VT. They're from New York and hold an undergraduate degree in Humanities and a Master's degree in IT Management from Georgetown University. Prior to joining NOFA-VT/Vermont Organic Farmers, Mark worked for five years in the restaurant industry and spent a year and a half at August First in Burlington, where they became interested in agriculture and the farm-to-table movement. Their diverse background in technology and hospitality, along with their passion for sustainable agriculture, led them to work as the Office & IT Manager for NOFA-VT. Outside of work, Mark enjoys biking, hiking, and spending time in nature, as well as listening to podcasts, cultivating mushrooms, and exploring history. They also enjoy cooking and experimenting with new recipes in the kitchen.

Email: [email protected]

Extension: 0083 

Medina is a line cook at Salt & Bubbles Wine Bar & Market and is assisting in planning NOFA-VT's 2025 Winter Conference. Medina grew up in Burlington, VT after immigrating with her family from Bosnia & Hercegovina. She received her BA from the University of Vermont in Anthropology and continued her studies at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science & Policy at Tufts University, receiving her MS in Agriculture, Food, and Environment. During her graduate studies, she worked as the National Programs Coordinator at New Entry Sustainable Farming Project, where she helped plan their 2023 National FIELD School Conference. Medina brings a passion for emerging agricultural industries, education, and program development for farming communities. Medina lives in Colchester where she enjoys tending her family's massive vegetable garden and immersing herself in traditional Bosnian food preservation foodways. She is also a wine, cheese, and fermentation science enthusiast.
 

Email: [email protected]

Extension: 0038

As a dedicated advocate for food sovereignty and climate-friendly agriculture, Emily is thrilled to contribute to NOFA's work to cultivate an ecologically sound and socially just local food system. She came to this role after having spent more than a decade in food systems education and community outreach at her local food Co-op, where she enjoyed the opportunity to amplify the stories of Vermont farmers and food producers through various modes of print and digital storytelling. She engages in this work to foster meaningful connections between farmers and eaters, promote ways in which sustainable agriculture can provide solutions to the challenges we face in a rapidly changing climate, and inspire deep admiration for the hands that feed us.  Emily is proud to serve on the board of the Addison County Relocalization Network (ACORN-VT) and co-chair her community Hunger Council through Hunger Free Vermont. She and her husband tend a subsistence-scale veggie and mushroom farm and a retail perennial plant nursery called Taproot at her home on Snake Mountain in Weybridge, VT. When she's not working, Emily enjoys skiing, climbing, trail running, foraging, fermenting, and experimenting in the kitchen.
 

Email: [email protected]

Extension: 0075

Nancy (she/her) has been working for systems change that increases farm viability, fosters healthy ecosystems, and builds community resilience for more than 25 years. Most recently, she was cultivating a thriving food system and local economy in the Upper Valley as Vital Communities’ Director of Food & Farm and Economy where she led programming to support farmers, farm success, and worked to increase connection between farms and community. Before working to support farms, she operated a Vermont pasture-based livestock farm for more than ten years. In her free time, you’ll likely find her outdoors hiking with her dogs, working in the garden, or mountain biking.

Email: [email protected]

Extension: 0081

Zea has a rich background in environmental education and outreach. She grew up on a farm and completed the organic farming program at UCSC. She has coordinated farm-to-school and Buy Fresh Buy Local programs, managed an educational production farm, a Master Composter program, and more. Prior to this role, she was our Events & Engagement Manager, leading our winter conference and summer events coordination. Zea currently serves on the board of her local food cooperative and lives in an eco-village. Contact her about organic practices support and the Transition to Organic Partnership Program.

Email: [email protected] 

Extension: 0049

Avery’s interest in agriculture began when she started raising laying hens and selling eggs in middle school. In 2021, Avery founded Red Wing Farm, a market garden located on Grindstone Island in northern New York. Avery graduated from Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences with a degree in Sustainable Cropping Systems. After her years of farming Avery is excited to join NOFA’s team as the Local Food Access Assistant. When she’s not in her garden, Avery loves to spend time working on fiber arts, walking her dog, or cross country skiing.

Email: [email protected]

Extension: 0053

Jenn grew up in Addison County with two younger sisters and a menagerie of chickens, ducks, ponies, dogs, and cats. After a year abroad in Brazil as a high school student, she realized that her previous choice of college to become a veterinary nurse would not be the end, but a path to a master’s in wildlife biology and conservation. After living and working both as a refuge manager and biologist for the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service for 12 years in Hawaii, Maine, and Massachusetts, she returned to Vermont to farm on a small piece of land in Royalton. Now in the 23^rd year, Fat Rooster Farm is home for her, four indoor cats, a beloved dog, Freyja, and once again, a menagerie of heritage breed turkeys, chickens, guinea hens, peacocks, and organic vegetables and fruits. Her enthusiasm for finding solutions to food insecurity through sustainable agricultural practices is what excites her about being part of the team at NOFA-VT and VOF.

Email: [email protected]

Extension: 0084

Paige is from St. Albans, and loves numbers and organization which is why she became a bookkeeper. Paige started her career bookkeeping working with a business consultant who worked with a lot of agricultural clients and found that she enjoyed working with that industry the most. It feels good to be able to help Vermont farmers who work so hard for their families and community.  Paige loves the outdoors and travelling (even though she hates bugs!). Paige spends her free time with her husband and our two fur-babies. She loves reading and doing crafts (cross-stitch, painting, photography, etc.)

Email: [email protected]

Extension: 0082

Katie is a native Vermonter who grew up surrounded by farms and has worked as a part of the NOFA-VT development & fundraising team since 2021. Katie attended the University of Vermont, obtaining both a B.S. and M.S. in Community Development & Applied Economics—with a strong focus on food and ag systems. In addition to an interest in food systems, farming, and agriculture, Katie is passionate about gender equity and the empowerment of women and girls. Outside of work, you can find her camping, enjoying coffee with friends downtown, taking a ride on the bike path, or finding a concert to go to!

Email: [email protected]

Extension: 0037

Donna is a Certified Public Accountant licensed in Vermont. Her career started in public accounting where she was first exposed to the complexity and unique issues nonprofit organizations face. For the past twenty years, her career focus has been in the private sector working for nonprofit organizations while also running a small tax preparation business. Accounting in these areas is quite dynamic and continuing regulatory changes coming from grantors, the Financial Accounting Standards Board and the IRS keep Donna in a state of anxious anticipation. Donna lives in Plainfield, VT on 66 acres of land that she cares for with her husband, Jeff. She is very enthused to work for NOFA-VT with its emphasis on organic farming practices while promoting human and environmental justice. Donna has many happy places but her favorites are located within the woods surrounding her home and in various locations along the mid coast of Maine. When not working or exploring the woods Donna enjoys hiking, kayaking, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and spending time with family including her two horses, two rescue dogs, three hens, and a cat named Jasmine.

Email: [email protected]

Extension: 0076

Nick earned a BS in Biology from Saint Michael's College and attended graduate school at Antioch University studying Conservation Biology with a focus on Forest Ecology. He began his career with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service before shifting to environmental consulting. After working as an ecologist for a decade, Nick began working for farms and food processors in Vermont and Massachusetts. He has experience in food safety, seed production, vegetable production, dairy, hemp, and maple. He currently co-owns a small maple sugaring operation and enjoys exploring Vermont with his wife and two dogs. 

Email: mia@nofavt.org

Extension: 0030

Mia is a farmer, educator, and community builder who is passionate about the health and resilience of human and natural ecosystems. After graduating from the University of Vermont with a B.S. in Environmental Studies, she spent a decade working on dairy, meat, and veggie farms, including her own diversified farm in MA for four years. Mia went on to attain her teaching license from Champlain College, and enjoyed teaching middle and high school science, with a focus on place-based education and climate science. In her free time, Mia loves to run uphill, bake cakes, walk her old dog Broccoli, and spend time in the garden with her family.    

Email: [email protected]

Extension: 0047

Hannah works on event logistics and planning at NOFA-VT with a focus on the annual Winter Conference. She grew up in the Adirondacks, then attended Pratt where she received her BFA in Communications Design and lived in NYC for 9 years planning and producing events. Hannah has loved being a part of the urban farming and community garden scene, with a special fondness for weeding. She enjoys coffee, the outdoors and spending time with friends.

Email: [email protected]

Extension: 0036

Brooklynne has a variety of experience in development and donor relations from organizations in the Southwest. She worked as campaign manager and then development director for local political races and organizations in Phoenix, Arizona, through 2020. Most recently, she was living at a permaculture education nonprofit in northern New Mexico, working both in the field and supporting development and grant writing for the organization. She moved to Vermont in 2024 and has been enjoying getting to know the people and beautiful scenery of the state. Brooklynne loves being outside hiking, camping, and most of all being by a river or lake.    

Email: [email protected]

Extension: 0041

With a strong commitment to local food systems and a passion for community building, Emily is thrilled to join NOFA-VT as the Education and Outreach Assistant Americorps Member. She has worked with kids for almost two decades, mostly in preschools and more recently in outdoor education. She also has worked in the nonprofit sector and community organizing. She is looking forward to proudly representing NOFA-VT at events throughout Vermont. Emily is a dedicated homesteader, getting endless amounts of joy growing as much food as possible at home. She also enjoys bike riding, spending time with friends and family, and playing in two bands around the greater Burlington area.

Email: [email protected]

Extension: 0064

Kiya brings her experience organizing around climate justice to her position of Development coordinator at NOFA-VT. Kiya grew up amongst the community gardens of the Lower East Side of NYC, and was drawn to Vermont by her love of the outdoors and the local food movement. She first came to Vermont as a Posse Scholar to attend Middlebury College, where she graduated with a degree in Environmental Chemistry. She loves hiking with her dog Hobbes, and cooking with friends and family.