PASA SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Customer Support Associate, Food & Farm Worker Relief Program
Abigail is part of our customer support team, working to maintain a welcoming and inclusive application process for frontline workers applying to the Farm and Food Workers Relief Program in 14 states throughout the Northeast.
Before joining Pasa, Abigail worked at a variety of urban garden non-profits committed to increasing local food justice in both Easton and Boston. As a part of completing her degree in Environmental Studies and Data Science, Abigail is writing their honors thesis on guerrilla gardening and cultivating land as resistance. Outside of food systems, Abigail is passionate about and has experience working in Indigenous rights activism and collective organizing for community empowerment. They have been engaged with Pasa for many years, completing their Diversified Vegetable Pre-Apprenticeship program, attending the annual conference, and sharing meals at regional potlucks. Abigail looks forward to joining an organization that is committed to supporting the backbone of our agricultural systems in equitable and accessible ways!
Originally from Minnesota, Abigail now considers Easton, Pennsylvania home and spends their time at community gardens, making dinner with friends, and looking at the sky as often as possible.
Job Titles:
- Programs & Services Director
Adia leads our farmer-driven programs and services working to build a sustainable and just food system. Collaboration is key to her approach in supporting our team and our community, and she enjoys mentoring and coaching staff to be their best in and out of the workplace.
Before joining Pasa, Adia led the School Garden Program at Grow Pittsburgh that included over 60 schools and early childhood centers across the Pittsburgh region. During her time at Grow Pittsburgh she sat on several boards and various working groups to help improve child nutrition education and farm to school efforts both locally and statewide. Adia holds a bachelor's degree in health services from the University of Pittsburgh and a master's in health education from Penn State.
Outside of work she enjoys exploring new bike trails, kayaking on the rivers in Allegheny County, and discovering new ice cream shops. For Adia, travel is a priority and a way to connect with friends and family, especially the little ones who call her Aunt Dia.
Job Titles:
- Instructor
- Farmer Outreach Specialist
- Outreach Specialist
Allison supports farmers and helps connect them with essential resources.
Allison is a full-time farmer and operates a diversified vegetable farm in Western Maryland. She has over a decade of experience working in the nonprofit and government sectors on policy advocacy, food access issues, urban farming, farm-to-school, farmers markets, and supply chain logistics. Allison is thrilled to work for an organization that tirelessly works to support farmers in all of their unique needs.
Outside of farming and food systems work, Allison is a certified yoga instructor. She loves hiking and adventuring outdoors with her husband and son, as well as bringing people together around good food.
Job Titles:
- Social Media & Community Engagement Specialist
Alyssa helps share our stories and works to make meaningful connections in our community. As the lead on managing our social media, it's fitting that this is where Alyssa first learned about Pasa. She was drawn to our work to combat the impact of climate change and advocate for food system justice.
Having graduated with a degree in graphic design, Alyssa worked for many years in various creative marketing roles. In an effort to support more small businesses and nonprofits that aligned with her values, she eventually launched a small design studio that focused on branding, web design, and digital marketing. Before officially joining the Pasa team, Alyssa's studio supported our work raising awareness about the importance of the federal Farm Bill.
Andrea earned a bachelor's degree in political science from Lebanon Valley College, where she developed a passion for understanding the intricacies of political systems and their impacts on marginalized communities. Post-graduation, Andrea channeled her enthusiasm for social change into action by joining CASA, a non-profit committed to advancing the rights of immigrants and fostering inclusive communities. She played a key role in state and local campaigns by collaborating with fellow advocates to bring attention to the complexities of immigration policies. Andrea brings a unique perspective to the world of farming, combining a passion for policy analysis with a deep appreciation for the importance of sustainable and equitable agricultural practices. She values active engagement in policy advocacy and saw that Pasa desires to contribute to systemic change by influencing and promoting sustainable agriculture policies, prompting her to join the team.
Andrea lives in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, and is DACAmented. She enjoys exploring the world through food and travel. Andrea also enjoys hiking and iced coffee and is on the hunt for her next binge-worthy Netflix series.
Job Titles:
- Programs Director
- Climate - Smart Programs Director / Read Bio
Andrew co-leads our Climate-Smart Farming and Marketing program, supporting farmers as they implement environmentally resilient agricultural practices. He works closely alongside Pasa's project partners to deliver services to farmers from Maine to South Carolina.
Before joining Pasa, Andrew worked on a wide variety of farm operations ranging from large cut-flower farms to small, diversified vegetable farms. He has worked as a horse-powered, low impact logger and has a master's of forestry from the Forest School at the Yale School of the Environment. He also holds a master's of social innovation from Cambridge University's Judge School of business, where he wrote his thesis examining the social drivers behind farmer's use of sustainable practices. Community is central to Andrew's love of farming and he strives to build inclusive and welcoming spaces for farmers to learn and connect.
He and his partner Aaron manage Seven Springs Farm, an agroforestry farm with both silvopasture and alley cropping systems. In his free time he loves to work with wood and walk through the forest looking for understory herbaceous plants.
Annika supports farmers as they implement climate-smart farming practices to increase climate resilience and food sovereignty from Maine to South Carolina.
Annika was first introduced to farming through a beekeeping internship during her undergraduate studies, followed by an apprenticeship with the Boston Area Gleaners. She currently lives in Ithaca, New York, having relocated there to pursue a master's degree in soil and crop sciences at Cornell University. She quickly became involved in the local community and regularly volunteers with food rescue organizations. Annika has also stewarded at a local organic vegetable farm where she furthered her understanding of the link between climate and farming. She is thrilled to be a member of the Pasa team and part of the organization's mission of creating community, supporting farmers, and evaluating sustainable, farm-based research.
Outside of work, Annika enjoys hiking, biking, and swimming in and around the Finger Lakes. You can often find her in the kitchen turning veggies into a delicious meal or experimenting with a new baked good recipe.
Job Titles:
- Associate Director for Communications
Anya oversees Communications at Pasa, ensuring that clear, consistent messaging and quality content reach and serve our valued community.
Prior to joining Pasa, Anya applied her marketing and communications skillsets in both the for-profit and nonprofit sectors. She gained direct ag and ag-adjacent experience working for a local food justice nonprofit and on a friend's diversified organic veggie farm. Together with her husband, she is in the early stages of establishing an agroforestry farm. She feels moved to help amplify and uplift the voices of farmers committed to sustainable agriculture and to drive forward Pasa's mission, which resonates personally and deeply with her own values and experience.
Outside of work, she enjoys reading, practicing yoga and meditation, and all things food-growing it, cooking it, eating it! She volunteers on the board of her local watershed alliance and land conservancy's communications committee.
Ben helps plan and design meaningful and educational events for our community.
Ben's introduction to Pasa was at our 2016 Sustainable Agriculture Conference. He returned as a volunteer every year before officially joining the team in 2023. Ben grew up wandering around in his grandparent's orchard, helping out with chores, and tending to the market stand. His love of plants and wildlife grew into a passion for diverse ecosystems and nutrient dense foods. He has small-scale production experience with various fruits, specialty cut flowers, salad greens, and micro greens. Before entering the agriculture field (pun intended), Ben earned a bachelor's degree in music education and spent time working as a substitute teacher and as a percussion instructor for marching bands.
Ben loves to explore the woods and mountains of Central Pennsylvania. He can be found fly fishing in the state's beautiful streams and rivers all year round. Ben also enjoys hiking, camping, and napping in the shade on a sunny day.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Finance Committee
- Member of the Board
- Vice President
Bill serves as Vice President & Agricultural Lending Manager at Ephrata National Bank. He has over 20 years of experience in agricultural banking. In addition, Bill is an adjunct professor at Temple's Fox Business School.
Bill is passionate about finding the business model that sustains the family farm. He is an advocate for sustainable and organic farming practices, value-added production, and farm-to-consumer marketing. Bill is proud to serve as a Pasa board member furthering Pasa's efforts to develop an innovative community of sustainable farms.
Carly works with farmers to coordinate and implement our farm-based research projects, including the Soil Health and Nutrient Density Benchmark studies.
Carly studied agriculture at Oregon State University and has been farming in different regions and production systems for about five years. When she is not working with soil, she can be found with a book about agriculture, ecology, or the like, walking through an inviting meadow, or trialing new plant sources for natural fiber dyeing.
Carter supports farmers as they implement climate-smart farming practices to increase climate resilience and food sovereignty from Maine to South Carolina.
Before joining Pasa, Carter spent time as an engineer working on human-centered design projects and cooperative business development before transitioning into working on farms and homesteads in southern Ohio. Wanting to combine his technical background with farming and a broader food systems understanding, Carter pursued a master's degree in food studies at Chatham University with focuses in agroforestry and creative non-fiction writing on food, agriculture, and grief. He was drawn to Pasa's accessible resources and work with farmers to create more resilient and equitable food systems.
In his spare time, Carter is always trying to narrow down his hobbies, which currently consists of building, repairing, and riding bicycles; finding new short stories to delve into; and keeping his dog, Carrot, from eating the ever-tantalizing cantaloupes in the garden.
Job Titles:
- Reporting Specialist, Farm & Food Workers Relief Program
Chris is part of our customer support team, working to maintain a welcoming and inclusive application process for frontline workers applying to the Farm and Food Workers Relief Program in 14 states throughout the Northeast.
Before joining Pasa, Chris was working on a small organic farm just outside of Pittsburgh. He worked growing mushrooms and micro greens, helped with farmers markets, learned about CSAs, and acquired many of the other skills, such as carpentry and creative problem solving, that go into running a farm.
Chris has been living in Pittsburgh for the past four years. Over that time, he's developed a passion for mycology and foraging.
Job Titles:
- Partner Outreach Specialist, Farm & Food Worker Relief Program
Christian is part of our customer support team working to maintain a welcoming and inclusive process for frontline workers applying to the Farm and Food Worker Relief program.
He brings over 15 years of experience working and learning about intercultural relationships with a focus on growth, mentoring, and coaching to his role at Pasa. He also has a bachelor's degree in public accounting. Christian cares deeply for people and says his work at Pasa has opened his eyes to the realities of the food chain and the importance of stewarding our environment.
A husband and father of three, in his free time Christian loves sports.
Christie is part of our accounting team and keeps a sharp eye on our financial health.
She joined Pasa with 20 years of nonprofit accounting experience from her work in higher education and assisting with college sustainability projects. She also worked at Habitat for Humanity and opened the first ReStore in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Christie holds bachelor's degrees in business administration and biology from Linfield University in Oregon and a master's of business from University of Massachusetts.
Residing in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, in her free time, Christie can be found volunteering with the Gleaning Project, gardening, kayaking, hiking, or traveling somewhere new.
Job Titles:
- Finance & Administrative Services Co - Director
Christina supports our team by looking for ways to improve our internal operations and asking, "How can we continue to cultivate a healthy, effective, and inclusive work environment?"
Before joining Pasa in 2015, Christina was a farm employee in South Korea, and honed their database management skills as an optician in Atlanta, Georgia. Christina has a bachelor's degree in business administration and management from Wichita State University.
If you need a good sugar cookie or cinnamon roll recipe, she's willing to share.
Job Titles:
- Customer Support Associate, Food & Farm Workers Relief Program
Cristina is part of our customer support team, working to maintain a welcoming and inclusive application process for frontline workers applying to the Farm and Food Workers Relief Program in 14 states throughout the Northeast.
Prior to joining Pasa, Cristina graduated from Shippensburg University with a degree in social work and a minor in gerontology. Through studying social work, she was able to learn about the importance of environmental justice and its connections to diversity and the economy. During her internship at the Dauphin County Area Agency, she was able to serve the community and gain experience in completing clerical tasks. As a member of the Movement of Immigrant Leaders in Pennsylvania (MILPA) since 2019, she advocates for the rights of immigrants, like her family, who have worked on farms for several years while she was in school. This allowed her to appreciate the difficult and valuable jobs of food and farm workers and to aspire to connect with and serve that community as well. Cristina resonated with the mission to develop the community and economy of farm workers, prompting her to join the Pasa team.
Cristina is a first-generation American from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and enjoys spending time with her family and friends. Her hobbies include reading, watching Korean dramas with her family, and learning about the world through documentaries and books.
Job Titles:
- Associate Director for Farmer Training & Development
Dan leads our Farmer Training and Development team, supervising our apprenticeships, urban agriculture technical assistance, and agroforestry programs. He also supports member outreach and research coordination in Western Pennsylvania.
He has worked as an agronomist, advising farmers on how to manage their soils more sustainably, as a vegetable grower, and as an educator teaching agroecology.
Dan lives in Pittsburgh with his family and enjoys biking and gardening in his homemade high tunnel.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Treasurer
- Vice Chair
David Rice grew up on a dairy farm in Bucks County. He received an Associate Degree in Agriculture from Hesston College and a Bachelor's Degree in Dairy Husbandry from Delaware Valley University. He worked in the bovine embryo transfer industry in Pennsylvania and California before marrying Terry (Kraybill) in 1987. Soon after, they moved to Tegucigalpa, Honduras, where Dave managed a farm that was part of an alcohol rehabilitation program. In 1991 they moved to Morrison's Cove in Blair County and started dairy farming. They began their farmstead cheese operation in 2005, and they have been selling cheese, raw milk, and pasture-raised beef ever since.
Dave sat on the board of Project Grass for many years. He won the Forage and Grassland Conservation Farmer award in 2014, and he twice won the Chesapeake Bay Clean Water Farm Award. He helped establish the Pennsylvania Cheese Guild and has been involved in marketing co-ops and farmers markets. One of the challenges of 2020 was starting the Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship program as a Master Grazer. Off the farm, he served as a deacon at Canoe Creek Brethren in Christ Church, taught Sunday School, and participated in the Allegheny Conference Ministry Council. Dave and his wife are lifetime members of Pasa.
Job Titles:
- Project Manager, Farmer Outreach
She's spent over a decade working with the land in horticulture, agriculture, at home, and in community. Dominique inherited her regard for plants from a long line of land stewards. Tending gardens taught her about supporting strong ecosystems of care, and stoked a strong belief that it is imperative to our collective well-being that we are all adequately resourced to thrive. She was drawn to this work after repeatedly witnessing, and personally experiencing, how a lack of resourcing can make farming unsustainable for some of the people most passionate about creating a more sustainable world.
Dominique also co-leads a community herb garden and teaches medicine-making in Philly, where she lives and grows with her two children, two cats, and approximately two zillion plants.
Job Titles:
- Associate Director for Food Systems
Emily leads our work to build a more connected, community-focused, and equitable food system through efforts like our Foodshed Mapping Project.
Before joining Pasa, Emily was an educator and advocate for equity specifically at the intersection of race, gender, sexuality, citizenship, and socioeconomic status. After earning her master's degree in food and agriculture law and policy from Vermont Law School, she chose to transition her career advocating for equity within the U.S. food system.
Originally from Ohio, Emily and her wife Ames live in Philadelphia with their two cats Detroit and Oladipo. Outside of work, she can be found tasting all the foods of Philly, learning how to woodwork, and planning out her garden.
Job Titles:
- Customer Support Associate, Food & Farm Worker Relief Program
Eric is part of our customer support team working to maintain a welcoming and inclusive process for frontline workers applying to the Farm and Food Workers Relief program in 14 states throughout the Northeast.
Eric was first introduced to the organic food movement as an employee at Harvest Market Natural Foods in Hockessin, Delaware. Since then, he has worked on small farms in Oregon, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, where he helped slaughter chickens, turkeys, and pigs. Later, Eric worked for a small soil company in Pennsylvania and attended a Pasa Sustainable Agriculture conference as a vendor. He was inspired by his co-workers to support local food and farm workers. After working side-by-side with various frontline farm workers, most of whom were from Mexico, he decided to join the Pasa team.
In between working on farms and selling soil, Eric taught English in Mexico and Spain. Currently, he teaches English as a second language in Royersford, Pennsylvania, while also supporting the Food and Farm Workers Relief Program mission.
Job Titles:
- Farmer Outreach Specialist
Job Titles:
- Technology Support Manager
Garrick supports a wide range of technology based initiatives at Pasa, including our Farm and Food Workers Relief program.
He first became connected with the world of sustainable agriculture while studying at Penn State. Since then he has served in technical roles for a number of organizations, including eight years with PCO Certified Organic.
When not in front of a computer, Garrick enjoys practicing bass guitar, walking in the woods with his dog, and working on his project car at his home in Central Pennsylvania.
Job Titles:
- Customer Support Associate, Food & Farm Workers Relief Program
Gessie is part of our customer support team working to maintain a welcoming and inclusive process for frontline workers applying to the Farm and Food Workers Relief program in 14 states throughout the Northeast.
After spending many years in medical administration positions across various offices and nursing homes in Maine, Gessie found herself working for nonprofit organizations that help people access food, shelter, and healthy resources in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Gessie is also a gourmet chef! She learned about Pasa through another nonprofit organization and is happy to join a team that works to help food and farm workers.
While Gessie enjoys spending time with family, good friends, and her two cats in Maine, she also loves traveling to different states and countries. She is interested in savoring different types of gourmet food and herb gardens. She enjoys being outside and working with plants and likes to read, hike, visit antique shops with friends, and host high tea parties in the garden.
Job Titles:
- Associate Director for Development
She brings over 15 years of experience organizing statewide conferences, summits, trade shows, special events, and other projects to her role. Prior to joining the Pasa team, Gina worked for six years with the Pennsylvania Early Learning Investment Commission providing support and leadership during transitions of leadership and state administrations. As the Administrative Coordinator, she coordinated statewide summits and meetings and supported the board's executive director and the 78 commission members. Gina also worked for the Commonwealth facilitating opportunities for small, minority, and women-owned businesses to secure or participate in contracts with the state. She also spent six years with the Pennsylvania Governor's Commission on African American affairs, where she held various positions, including Deputy Director.
In her free time, Gina loves to give back to her community. She teaches bible study, volunteers building houses, and advocates on behalf of children with Autism.
Hannah Smith-Brubaker is passionate about forwarding Pasa's mission to cultivate environmentally sound, economically viable, community-focused farms and food systems. She fosters collaborative relationships with organizations that share that mission and ensures that sustainable farmers are represented in critical conversations with stakeholders.
Hannah runs Juniata View Farm, a pastured livestock farm overlooking the Juniata Valley in rural Pennsylvania. Her farm participates as a research collaborator in Pasa's landmark Soil Health Benchmark Study and is implementing many agroforestry practices, including silvopasture, an increasingly important grazing strategy in the face of a warming climate.
Prior to leading Pasa, Hannah served as Pennsylvania Agriculture Deputy Secretary. She serves on the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) Soil Health Advisory Council and on Pennsylvania's Governor's Commission on Women, is an Environmental Leadership Program (ELP) senior fellow, and writes a monthly column for Lancaster Farming newspaper.
Hannah has testified before the U.S. Congress on organic and sustainable agriculture, with prior speaking engagements at the Wall Street Journal's Global Food Forum, the White House Council on Rural Affairs hearings, and the United Nations Food & Agriculture Organization Food Summit on behalf of National Geographic.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Founder and Executive Director of the LEAF Project
Heidi Witmer is the founder and Executive Director of the LEAF Project, which cultivates youth leaders from diverse backgrounds through meaningful work in the food system. Heidi brings a strong background in regenerative agriculture, community development, and education.
Growing up in a farming family, Heidi has always kept her hands in the dirt and managed both educational and production vegetable farms before starting her own vegetable farm business. Heidi also brings 10 years experience in the youth development field, including working as an instructor in a wilderness-based therapeutic program, teaching in a traditional classroom, and becoming the head administrator at an all-girls private school. Heidi received her B.A. from Haverford College with a major in Religious Studies and Peace Studies. She apprenticed as a grower under Eric Larson, Manager of Yale University's Marsh Botanical Gardens.
Heidi is honored to serve on the Pasa board alongside talented farmers and food system professionals tackling the pressing issues of farm viability and farming in a changing climate.
Jake works to analyze and understand data from our farm-based research studies, particularly on soil health indicators and management information from the Soil Health Benchmark Study.
Previously, Jake worked in data analysis and management on public health and cancer research trials, but two seasons of farming in New England fostered his fascination with agroecology. He now comes to Pasa from Cornell University, where he received a master's degree in soil and crop science studying the long-term effects of organic cropping systems on weed communities. He believes that research, extension, organizing, and policy change working in concert are necessary for transformational change in agriculture and is happy to work with an organization active on all these fronts.
He currently lives in San Francisco, California and enjoys running in Golden Gate Park, backpacking in Point Reyes National Seashore, and planning an aspirational fog-tolerant garden among the weeds of his backyard.
Job Titles:
- Associate Director for Climate - Smart Technical Assistance
Jasmine supports farmers as they implement climate-smart farming practices to increase climate resilience and food sovereignty from Maine to South Carolina.
Before joining Pasa, Jasmine owned and operated Philly Forests, an 8-acre farm using crop revenue to fund an urban ecology program that promoted urban forestry, wildlife habitat restoration, and nature education in Philadelphia. She has a background in federal food policy work and Native American food sovereignty advocacy in northern California. Jasmine served as an advisor for the USDA Farm Service Agency Urban Agriculture County Committee for Philadelphia, a Land Advocacy Fellow for the National Young Farmers Coalition, and a Board member for the Pennsylvania Farmers Union. Jasmine uses her power of storytelling, core memories, and asset-based community development to revitalize the connection between neighbors and the regional food system. She was drawn to Pasa due to the aligned values of equity in resource distribution to programs that usually have a lot of red tape.
Outside of work, Jasmine is a classical pianist working through Chopin's 21 nocturnes. She also enjoys foraging mushrooms and herbaceous plants in the wild.
Job Titles:
- Associate Director for Climate - Smart Farming & Marketing
Jeanne supports our Climate-Smart Farming & Marketing program by maintaining strong relationships with our program partners from Maine to South Carolina.
Jeanne first joined Pasa as a year-long research fellow through OpenTEAM, a technology ecosystem for agricultural management. She worked to standardize data collection for our farm-based research and empower farmers with streamlined access to their records, results, and a community of peers. Prior to her fellowship, Jeanne received her graduate degree in sustainability and environmental management. Her studies culminated in a consulting project with a natural foods company, applying soil health principles to the entire food value chain. Jeanne's research revealed the need for field-level data to help farmers adopt and fine-tune regenerative practices. Prior to heading back to school, Jeanne spent over 10 years as an art director and visual storyteller on cooking shows and cookbooks, working alongside chefs to provide culinary education to the public.
In her free time, Jeanne can be found in her kitchen, pretending to be a vegetable butcher, or looking for ways to get her hands dirty-be it volunteering on a farm or advocating for community composting.
Jen works to maintain Pasa's membership records and supports many of our technical and administrative processes. She also coordinates the Pasa Book Nook & Mercantile each year during our Sustainable Agriculture Conference.
Prior to joining Pasa, Jen earned a bachelor's degree in horticulture from Penn State, which sparked her interest in sustainable food systems.
She lives in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania with her husband and two daughters.
Job Titles:
- Secretary of the Board
- Entrepreneur
Jessica Moore is an entrepreneur and has found her business home in working with farmers, food businesses, and technologists working on important issues with our national food system. She consults in areas of business strategy, project and product strategy, operational efficiencies, and governance.
Jessica's first introduction into agriculture and food was Philly CowShare. Jessica founded Philly CowShare, an online retail and wholesale company selling grass-fed beef and pastured pork from local producers, in 2010. She worked with farmers and processors to understand their businesses, used technology to increase their access to an urban market, streamlined the supply chain to fit an e-commerce business model, and created a connected and convenient customer experience. Jessica owned and operated Philly CowShare through 2015 at which time she sold the business to a larger online food retailer.
Jessica has degrees in Computer Science from DePauw University and the University of Pennsylvania and has worked for numerous technology companies, from start-ups to Fortune 100 companies, before focusing her energy on the food and agriculture industries. She loves building software, working with small businesses, and tackling difficult business problems. She lives in West Philadelphia with her husband, four children, and her dog.
Job Titles:
- Research Data Technology Specialist
Joshua supports our farm-based research by identifying data management best practices, developing custom software and integrations, and collaborating with our partners to improve and share tools that empower farmers with the data they value.
After six years living in Colorado, Joshua moved back to his home state of Pennsylvania in 2009. His time in Colorado included a season working on a vegetable farm, and he's since become deeply involved in the sustainable and regenerative agriculture realms here in the Commonwealth. Prior to joining Pasa, he spent five years as the Technology Coordinator for PCO Certified Organic and held a number of positions with Penns Valley Conservation Association.
Although his work often requires him to be in front of the computer all day, Joshua is a passionate lover of the outdoors-everything from backpacking, canoeing, and mountaineering to getting his hands in the soil at his family's Certified Naturally Grown hop farm in Saint Marys, Pennsylvania. He also believes deeply in the connections humans share with other sentient beings and has been a vegan for seven years.
Job Titles:
- Customer Support Associate, Farm & Food Workers Relief Program
Julieta is part of our customer support team, working to maintain a welcoming and inclusive application process for frontline workers applying to the Farm and Food Workers Relief Program in 14 states throughout the Northeast.
Before joining Pasa she studied business administration and coaching in Venezuela. When Julieta is helping people, she feels she's following her mission in life. So she's grateful for the opportunity to serve agricultural workers and help them receive the assistance they need.
Julieta lives in Orlando, Florida with her husband and their three children. They enjoy traveling and watching movies together. Julieta loves to cook and bake with them too.
Job Titles:
- Customer Support Associate, Food & Farm Workers Relief Program
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- Human Resources Assistant
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- Associate Director for Events
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- Farm Bill Campaign Organizer
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- Dairy Grazing Project Manager
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- Training & Application Specialist, Farm & Food Workers Relief Program
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- Events Support Specialist
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- Customer Support Associate, Food & Farm Worker Relief Program
Job Titles:
- Customer Support Associate, Food & Farm Workers Relief Program
Job Titles:
- Customer Support Associate, Farm & Food Worker Relief Program
Job Titles:
- Customer Support Specialist, Farm & Food Worker Relief Program
Job Titles:
- Customer Support Associate, Farm & Food Worker Relief Program
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- Finance & Administrative Services Co - Director
Job Titles:
- Customer Support Associate, Food & Farm Worker Relief Program
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Board Member of the Hilltop Urban Farm
- Vice Treasurer
Raynise is an Oliver High School and Bidwell Training Center alumni. Completing the Horticulture and Technology program she began her agriculture career at Brenckle's Greenhouse. She's worked with Grow Pittsburgh as the School Gardens Assistant, a Learning Garden Educator, and is currently Manager of the Garden Resource Center. She also completed an herbal course certified by the Herbalist of Stonefruit Community.
Raynise is a board member of the Hilltop Urban Farm, and a member of the Black Urban Gardeners, PA Farmers Union, and Western PA Young Farmers Coalition. She is also a part of the Working Committee of Pittsburgh Food Policy Council. Raynise is passionate about advocating for agriculture and social justice.
Job Titles:
- Associate Director for Research
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- Research Technology Coordinator
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- Member of the Board
- Vice Secretary
- Assistant Professor at Penn State University
Sharifa is an assistant professor at Penn State University, specializing in soil-borne disease ecology and management. A fungal scientist by training, her research asks three main questions: Why do plants get sick? How do we rapidly diagnosis crop fungal diseases? And how can we improve soil health? Sharifa harnesses various tools in microbiome research to enhance soil fertility and develop biological control solutions to suppress soil disease. Some of the fungal pathogens she works with infect crops including grapes, strawberries, hop, chickpea, soybean, and potato.
Sharifa was born and raised in Northern California and comes from a long line of farmers and educators with roots from Tanzania and India. Growing up in a diverse home and ecologically diverse California landscape, she realized early on why it's important to maintain healthy farms and natural ecosystems. She completed her bachelor's degree at the University of California, Berkeley, a master's at Yale University, and doctorate at the University of California, Santa Cruz. She went on to conduct plant pathology research at the United States Department of Agriculture in the "salad and fruit bowl" of the nation near Salinas, California. She has received various awards including the prestigious National Academy of Sciences, Ford Foundation Pre-Doctoral Diversity Fellowship for plant research. In her position at Penn State, she investigates sustainable solutions to manage soilborne pathogens. Sharifa also teaches an Integrated Pest Management course to undergraduates and she is excited to work together with Pasa to find sustainable plant disease and soil management solutions. When not at work, she makes homebrew and hunts for wild mushrooms with her family.
Job Titles:
- Associate Director for Technology
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- Customer Support Manager, Farm & Food Workers Relief Program
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- Co - Director of Sankofa Community
Ty Holmberg serves as Co-Director of Sankofa Community Farm at Bartram's Garden. Since graduating from Muhlenberg College with a B.A. in environmental studies, Ty has had extensive involvement in youth development, food sovereignty, and education reform. Previously, he served for 10 years with the University of Pennsylvania's Center for Community Partnerships as Director of Health Promotion and Director of the West Philadelphia-based Sayre Community School. He has also spent time in the classroom as a Philadelphia Teaching Fellow and Philadelphia School District science teacher, during two years of national service as a member of Habitat for Humanity AmeriCorps, and as a teaching fellow at the Eagle Rock School and Professional Development Center in Estes Park, Colorado.
Job Titles:
- Project Manager, Foodshed Mapping Project