Meet the Team
Leadership Team
|
Usha Thakrar, Executive Director
Usha has a background working with non-profit healthcare organizations and comes by her interest in food security through many years of volunteering at the Lexington Food Pantry. After 12 years at the Jimmy Fund Clinic at Dana-Farber and 2 years at a community health center, Usha decided to make a career change to focus on addressing food insecurity. She is passionate about building resilient, sustainable food systems that can provide access to healthy food for everyone. Usha holds a Masters in Public Policy from the Kennedy School at Harvard University and has a wide range of experience including fundraising, financial management, organizational development and as a small business owner (she was a florist). She serves on the board of the Lexington Food Pantry and is a member of the Health and Research Council at the Greater Boston Food Bank. She has lived in Lexington for over 20 years and finds balance in her life by gardening, cooking, traveling with her son and hanging out with her many pets. |
|
Dylan Frazier, Director of Strategy
Dylan's been keen on amplifying our work since 2014. He's been working in and studying food systems for more than a decade. His experience includes growing, harvesting, post-harvest processing, distribution and retailing food. This experience comes from working as a lobsterman in the Gulf of Maine, milking dairy cows, growing and harvesting organic vegetables, and managing the quality assurance and food safety programs for a national produce processor. Dylan graduated from Saint Joseph's College of Maine where he studied Environmental Science, Philosophy and Business. He earned his master’s degree in sustainability and environmental management, with a focus on sustainable food systems, through the Harvard University Extension School in 2016, and was certified in Food Hub Management by the University of Vermont in 2017. He's also a certified Wilderness First Responder and is certified in HACCP for food safety. |
Management Team
|
Courtney Mussell, Human Resources Manager
Courtney has been exposed to the restaurant industry since she was a child. Around age 10, she stood on a milk crate to reach the cash register in her parent’s deli, ringing up customers for fresh coffee and sandwiches. Since then her passion for food and cooking has only grown, but she was also fascinated by buildings, interior architecture, and art. After earning a Bachelor of Science in Interior Design, Courtney began working at high-end design firms in the Boston Area. Meanwhile, she was volunteering for the Boston Area Gleaners and Back on my Feet, an organization that combats homelessness through running. She developed a passion for nutrition and well-being, and a significant interest in how to minimize the process of getting food from farms to our plates. She soon decided to make a career change and joined the Boston Area Gleaners Team with great enthusiasm and excitement to learn about local farming and how to get fresh produce to families efficiently. She recognized that the Boston Area Gleaners perfectly brought together the two ideas that she wanted to pursue – helping underserved communities and working with local food. She believes that everyone should have access to healthy food, and since joining the Gleaners, she has continuously been inspired by our team and volunteers. |
|
Matt Crawford, Data Systems Manager
Matt’s specialty is making sure that all of our systems are in place so that we can accomplish our mission of creating food equity in the Boston area. Specifically, he designs, manages, and onboards new technology systems to ensure accurate and efficient data tracking across all of our programs. He began working with us in 2013, and has held many different roles over the years, including Gleaning Coordinator and Distribution Manager. Matt holds a degree in Spanish and Human Geography from St. Michael's College in Vermont. He also holds a Permaculture Design Certificate from Sowing Solutions in Shelburne Falls, MA. Matt has worked with many other food access organizations and businesses in the Boston area, including Neighborhood Produce in Somerville, Food For Free, and Waltham Fields Community Farm. He maintains a can-do approach to increasing community involvement in food issues, while directly improving food access in the Boston area. |
|
Annie Broad, Boston Food Hub Sales Manager
Annie is a Massachusetts native and was born and raised in Framingham and educated in Boston at Northeastern University where she studied Environmental Studies and International Affairs. She has spent the past nine years in the food industry and brings to the Gleaners a diversity of experiences including working on a 3-acre vegetable farm, spending a year as an AmeriCorps VISTA at a backyard gardening organization, in addition to managing regional sales for a natural foods distributor, organic salad brand, and most recently a local procurement software start-up. She currently lives in Hudson with her husband, Ben, and 11-year old pup, Jonah. |
Administrative Team
|
Laura Mixter, Office Manager
Laura’s interest in food systems started after working for a community-driven, locally-sourced wine bar in Somerville. After nearly 10 years in working in the arts, arts administration, and restaurants, she decided to lend her energy to a different mission. She is excited to have this chance to support her colleagues at Boston Area Gleaners in their important work supporting farmers and unserved communities. When not pushing papers, Laura loves to get outside by gleaning, taking a swim, or having a delicious, funky glass of wine. |
|
Laurie “Duck” Caldwell, Senior Advisor
Duck began gleaning as a volunteer in 2009, and was our first employee in 2010, hired primarily because she had a pickup truck, when volunteers numbered about 25 and the annual budget wasn't much more. As Executive Director until 2019, organizational capacity increased by 5,000%, and Boston Area Gleaners grew from a small outfit serving a handful of local pantries, to a major supplier to over 500 food banks, meal programs and food pantries across eastern Mass and two contiguous states. She now works as a staff advisor focused on strategy, and is especially passionate about finding innovative solutions that build equity into our food system by bringing more value to farmers and family food enterprises outside of the charitable food system. Duck's work in the nonprofit sector since 1995 includes program and project management, program and curriculum development, and consulting. She is a carpenter by trade, has been a business owner, and has worked with farmers in VT and NH as a produce buyer for natural foods cooperatives across the northeast. She holds an MBA in Organizational Management and Sustainability from Antioch University New England. When she is not working with the Gleaners, Duck likes to draw, paint, garden, and walk, sometimes all at once. She and her wife live in their empty nest in Arlington. |
|
Tessa Lance, Development Coordinator
Tessa is a Stevenson Center Fellow with Illinois State University and her work with Boston Area Gleaners will help her complete her Master's degree in Applied Community and Economic Development. She is originally from California and received her Bachelor's degree in Environmental Science from Humboldt State University. She spent two years serving with AmeriCorps in rural Colorado, working with community and school gardens, affordable housing projects, and in youth development. These experiences furthered her commitment to equity and developed her appreciation of a strong community. Tessa is excited to join the Gleaners' team and support the mission of building a more just food system. For joy outside of work, Tessa enjoys running, mountain biking, and gardening. |
|
Alyssa Ciolfi, Marketing & Communications Coordinator
Alyssa is excited to contribute her passion for sustainable, equitable food systems as well as her background in communications to the BAG mission. She is currently pursuing a graduate certificate in Sustainable Food Systems from the Harvard Extension School and is looking forward to learning even more from the BAG team and stakeholders. In her free time Alyssa enjoys being outside in nature, cooking food and testing new recipes, and spending time with her friends and family. |
|
Lisa K. Johnson, Ph.D., Consultant
After fumbling around in college awhile, Lisa decided to become a farmer, but didn’t have any land or any money. Way back in the late 90’s, there weren’t any incubator farms or beginning farmer programs, and Lisa was actually laughed out of a loan office. With a degree in Horticulture, but no farm in her future, Lisa shifted focus to support farmers and hasn’t looked back. Lisa has since worked with fruit, nut, and vegetable farmers in California, Oregon, Georgia, North Carolina, and Florida, along the way studying and absorbing production practices, marketing successes, technological advances, and generally eating very well. Needing to know more and more about fruit and vegetable production, and now suddenly hooked on the study of postharvest loss, Lisa went back to college and stuck around until being somewhat kindly asked to leave in 2018, at least taking with her a Doctorate in Horticulture. These days, Dr. Johnson collaborates across disciplines and boundaries to achieve a reduction in food loss of 50% by 2030. Her focus sits squarely on finding strategies to reduce food loss that incentivize, benefit, or at the very least, do not harm farmers. Current projects focus on in-field measurement, estimation and analysis of food loss, and they find her partnering with World Wildlife Fund, US Environmental Protection Agency, Society of St. Andrew, Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation, and the Consortium for Innovation in Postharvest Loss and Food Waste Reduction. Lisa is an Adjunct Assistant Professor at North Carolina State University, in the Department of Horticultural Science, and she is based in Raleigh, NC. Lisa is a small part of the incredible and very talented development team at Boston Area Gleaners. Lisa has little kids, and works, so doesn’t have too much spare time. She occasionally runs and routinely tries hard to avoid chocolate. If she is in the office rather than working on a farm, she often sprints outside to garden or just look at the sky and soak up the sun. |
|
Jess Benjamin, Grant Writer
Jess has more than a decade of experience in the non-profit sector, beginning with their time at The Greater Boston Food Bank, where they managed a national portfolio of foundation partnerships. As a consultant, Jess works with nonprofits across the country to raise money and awareness in areas including food security, community health, housing access, and workforce development. They joined Boston Area Gleaners in 2017. Jess is also a photographer, filmmaker, and mindfulness meditation teacher based in Philadelphia, and they serve on the Board of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship - a nonprofit that catalyzes partnerships between social justice movements and Buddhist practitioners. Jess can often be found wandering around urban and natural landscapes alike with some combination of their partner, pup, and camera. |
OPERATIONS TEAM
|
Marissa Gabriel, Inventory Manager
Marissa is inspired by the inseparable connection between plants and people. She recently graduated from Drexel University where she majored in Environmental Science, learning about tortured ecosystems and the exploitation of the industrial agriculture system. Knowing that we are feeding our landfills as much as we are feeding our country, she is committed to bringing people closer to plants, and worked as an urban agriculture intern with Backyard Growers to help communities grow their own food. She prefers to work outside, get in the dirt and feel life. Motivated to get involved with impactful, values-driven work, Marissa joined the Gleaners' team as an Apprentice in 2020. Now, as Inventory Manager, Marissa plays a key role in facilitating the Gleaners' daily work to recover and pack food. She is thrilled to connect with her local food system, fight for food security and continue learning about agricultural systems. |
|
Emily Fenton, Packhouse Manager
Emily is a Northshore native who found her love for food in Culinary school. After she graduated, she yearned to learn where our food was coming from and started her career as an Organic Vegetable Farmer at Appleton Farms in Ipswich, MA. She is excited to continue her journey with Boston Area Gleaners and their mission of bridging the gap in our food system straight from the fields to families. |
|
Jared Sheehan, Distribution & Logistics Manager
Jared has a background supporting inventory and operations for both small businesses and the nonprofit sector. He's excited to return to the nonprofit world to help the Gleaners with food distribution! In his spare time, Jared enjoys watching movies, composing music, and playing the piano and guitar. |
|
Jess Rivers, Agency Manager
Jess is a native of Massachusetts and is shifting her career in event production to supporting the rapidly growing needs of food recovery and distribution. She is an avid fermenter of all types of produce and enjoys wild edible food foraging, eagerly sharing her knowledge with any curious listener. As Agency Manager, Jess helps support the distribution of food to pantries and frontline agencies serving food-insecure residents across Massachusetts. |
|
Kate Morse, Food Safety Manager
Kate grew up locally in Massachusetts, surrounded by a family passionate about food and cooking. She completed her undergrad at the University of Delaware, where she found her calling in her public health coursework, and was particularly interested in studying the social and behavioral determinants of health. After graduating, Kate completed an internship with The Food Trust in Philadelphia, and gained firsthand experience working in food justice, as well as a broader understanding of the issues presented by our food system. Missing New England, Kate returned to MA, where she discovered the Gleaners' apprenticeship program. She was thrilled to have the opportunity to learn more about local produce and the wider food system as an apprentice, and spend two subsequent seasons with the Gleaners as an Operations Assistant. Now, as Food Safety Manager, Kate helps to ensure quality and safety in all of the Gleaners' work. |
|
Tim Offei-Addo, Compost Coordinator
Tim has a background in agricultural development, specifically conducting research in Ghana evaluating the efficacy of climate change policies in subsistence food systems. He lives on a homestead with his parents and sister, where they grow most of their own food for their Ghanaian diet. Through growing his own food, Tim developed a passion for agriculture and food justice. After a season as an Apprentice and Operations Assistant, Tim now supports the Gleaners as Compost Coordinator. In his free time, Tim enjoys cooking, gardening, and watching futbol: the beautiful game! |
|
Chris Bischoff, Operations Team Leader
Originally from Connecticut, Chris grew up working on an orchard in his hometown, and has been working with food in one way or another ever since. Most recently, he's been working at an indoor vertical farm in Baltimore (and would love to tell you all about it). In his free time, he enjoys tubing down a river, running through the woods, or laying on the beach—anything that involves soaking up the sun. He's excited to be farming outdoors again, and making a difference in the greater Boston community. |
|
Claire Tylke, Operations Assistant
After growing up in Illinois, Claire made the move out east to attend the University of Vermont. It was there she discovered her interest in creating sustainable food systems. Claire has a background in outdoor recreation, and she is excited to continue to be outside with the Gleaners and learn more about agriculture and food access in Massachusetts. In her free time, Claire enjoys board games and anything that involves being active outdoors. |
|
Max Porten, Mechanic/Driver
Born and raised in Massachusetts, Max is the 5th generation farmer at Cucurbit Farm in Acton, and loves everything about agricultural work. He went to Minuteman High School for horticulture and greenhouse management, and likes being outside, getting his hands dirty, and working on tractors and equipment. |
|
Josh Brunetti, Driver
Much of Josh's professional experience has been in transportation and food service. During his career as a long-haul trucker, Josh has visited 47 of the 50 US states, over 450 cities, traveled hundreds of thousands of miles, and delivered vast quantities of food and other goods. Josh is excited to work with the Boston Area Gleaners to deliver even more to people in need—and to see more of the great Commonwealth of Massachusetts! |
|
Danny Mahoney, Driver
Danny is one of the Gleaners' Class-A drivers, moving fresh food between farms, our facility in Acton, and community agencies across eastern Massachusetts. A haiku from Danny: Wife, 3 sons, three dogs Butcher, Driver did retire Now has GLEAN in eye |
|
Vinny Vullo, Driver
Vinny worked for a partner agency of BAG for 6 years and had always been impressed with the quality of the produce and the people who delivered it. When BAG moved to Acton, where Vinny has lived for over 30 years, he saw a chance to become part of the team. |
|
Sarah Kennedy, 2022 Apprentice
Sarah is a recent graduate from Ithaca College with a B.S. in Environmental Science and a minor in music. Her future goals include going to graduate school and working in ornithology and conservation biology. Sarah enjoys birdwatching and anything music-related! |
|
Lydia Klein, 2022 Apprentice
Lydia is a recent grad of Connecticut College, where she majored in American studies. When not doing school or work, she enjoys hiking and especially loves getting her hands on a kayak. She is excited to join the team to get her hands dirty as an apprentice. |
FARM TEAM
|
Scott Caouette, Greenhouse Manager
Scott has done a little bit of everything in the farm world, including working his own farm across the street in Acton for many years before joining the Stonefield crew as Greenhouse Manager. Scott is continuing this work with the Gleaners, helping to make sure all our crops make it from the seed to the soil. When he's not hovering over his seeds in the greenhouse, Scott enjoys walking his dog Sammi and playing guitar. |
|
Glenroy Malcolm, Farmer
Glenroy is a veteran farmer here Stonefield Farm, having worked here for 34 years. He’s an irrigation specialist and a mentor to everyone in the field here at Stonefield. Glenroy is also a skilled chef as well as a farmer and painter at home in Jamaica, where he has three children. |
|
Colin Reid, Farmer
Colin, the so-called ‘rookie’ of the Stonefield farmers, has been working at Stonefield for 15 years. He farms in Jamaica during the MA offseason, where he grows yellow yam among other crops. Colin also loves to sing! |
|
Bill Russell, Farmer
Bill started with Stonefield 32 years ago and spent much of his time growing flowers while that was a focus of the farm. Now, growing vegetables, he likes keeping active and keeping himself occupied in anything he can do. In the offseason, he spends time with his wife and grandchildren down in Connecticut. |
|
Donovan Young, Farmer
Donovan has been with Stonefield Farm for over 20 years and can often be found working the tractors all over the fields, tilling the soil and preparing beds for new crops. He's into reggae and R&B and is a big fan of barbecues, especially back home in Jamaica (the eating more than the cooking!). |
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Mark Johnson, Board President, joins the board of the Boston Area Gleaners after a career in finance and a lifetime of interest in the outdoors, local agriculture and land conservation, and food security. Over the years, Mark has served as chair of the board of the North Shore United Way, an important supporter of local food pantries in the communities north of Boston, and has been a tree and trail steward and program volunteer at Appleton Farms in Ipswich, an active participant in the Gleaners farm network. Mark lives in South Hamilton with his wife Tracy and border collie mix Gretel, and is an avid trail runner, hiker, kayaker, cross country and downhill skier and backyard gardener.
Ismail Samad, is a Chef-advocate for the establishment of local and regional closed-loop food systems that not only properly resource food surplus but provide community relevant food-delivery systems and urban and rural farm connections needed for a just and resilient community, no matter the size. He has contributed his expertise in the nonprofit and for-profit sectors. He is the Co-Founder of The Gleanery, a restaurant in Putney, Vermont that specializes in the use of post-farmer's market produce and the unwanted seconds and/or “ugly” foods that are habitually discarded within the many levels of the food chain. Ismail was pivotal in the planning, launch and early expansion of Daily Table, nonprofit food markets in the Dorchester and Roxbury neighborhoods of Boston, Massachusetts, designed to simultaneously address the issues of food insecurity, nutritional health, and wasted food. He is a BALLE (Business Alliance for Local Living Economies) Fellow, a contributor to the EPA's Web Academy Webinar Series on Sustainable Materials Management and a founding member of Windham Farm and Food, a farm-to-institution aggregation and delivery service, providing easy access to healthy food produced in Windham County Vermont.
Sarah Bither found the Gleaners back in 2016 at a volunteer fair and has been harvesting with them ever since. Her interest in food systems stems from her experience living in Japan, where she taught English for two years. Japanese culture highly values sustainable food practices, and the lessons she learned while abroad sparked her interest in managing food waste. She has worked for various tech companies in Boston over the past five years and is currently a product leader at a startup that specializes in cyber security insurance. Sarah is at her happiest when traveling and learning about a new country, trying out a new restaurant, or curled up with a good book. She lives in Somerville with her partner John and their devious cat, Tybalt.
Joan Blaustein joined the board after a career as Land Resources Planner. She has worked on issues of land use, development, natural hazards, and open space planning. Over the years, she has volunteered as a bicycle and ski trip leader for the Appalachian Mountain Club, served on Watertown's bicycle and pedestrian committee, and on the board of a start-up affordable housing non-profit. She is also active in a Watertown organization that successfully passed an ordinance banning single-use plastic bags in the town. Gleaning combines Joan's love of the outdoors and desire to play in the dirt with the opportunity to make a significant contribution to the problem of food insecurity.
Margie Coleman, Clerk, worked as a pediatrician in Cambridge for over 35 years prior to her retirement, including serving as Assistant Chief of Pediatrics at Cambridge Health Alliance. She has seen first-hand the challenges that many families have meeting nutritional needs. Aside from the baseline issues of financial stress and obesity, many families have do not have access to knowledge about nutrition, and often rarely eat together. Margie considers hunger relief programs like these a godsend for a lot of the families she has cared for. Margie attended Cornell University and Stanford School of Medicine, and trained at Massachusetts General Hospital. She has two grown daughters and two sons-in-law, and loves to travel and cook.
Cathy Konicki, Treasurer, was introduced to the Gleaners through her involvement with The Philanthropy Group, a women’s giving organization, who provided a grant to the Gleaners. She is very interested in helping to overcome food insecurity. Cathy has spent her career in investment consulting and is a partner at NEPC, LLC, an independent investment consulting firm. At NEPC, Cathy heads their Endowment and Foundation consulting practice helping non-profits invest their endowment assets while meeting spending needs for grantmaking. Cathy has B.S. and M.B.A. degrees from Boston College. Cathy and her husband, Hayes Miller, live in Winchester and have three adult children. Cathy loves to ski, bike, hike and travel.
Will Morningstar has been growing vegetables in Massachusetts for the past 12 years. He got his start at Siena farms in Sudbury as a farm hand and years later was elevated to the Head Grower. He has been working with the Gleaners ever since. Will has a passion for providing vegetables to those in need sees the Gleaners as a perfect conduit to do so. He has spent time working with adults and adolescents with psychological and developmental disorders. Will hopes to develop a farm that provides at-risk populations with fresh vegetables and employment through agriculture.
Pallavi Singh is an entrepreneur and aspiring farmer, with a passion for nutrition, food security and local agriculture. Pallavi has spent her career in the Intellectual Property world, and ran a successful global company that provided in-depth research solutions to corporate and law firm attorneys. She coaches startup CEOs to help them with their product and revenue focus. She has dedicated years to teaching entrepreneurship to high school students, and has been involved with multiple small business incubators, teaching finance and revenue strategy. Pallavi lives in Boston with her husband and young son.
Brian Danner currently serves as an analyst for the Center for Health Information and Analysis with a background in public health and program management. Prior to moving to Boston in 2017, he graduated from Howard University in Washington, DC with a BS in Healthcare Management, and worked as the Food and Nutritional Services Department Assistant at BridgePoint Hospital for both the Capitol Hill and National Harbor locations. This role allowed him to develop metrics that were used to report food quality in both hospitals for senior leadership and the Department of Health while also ensuring each meal has been served for each patient within the hospital. Upon relocation, he attended and graduated from Boston University with his Master’s degree in Public Health with concentrations in Program Management and Epidemiology/Biostatistics. While in school, he served as the Secretary for the Students of Color for Public Health while also working at the Boston Public Health Commission as a Public Health Advocate at the city’s first engagement center for recovery services. During his free time, Brian enjoys bike riding throughout the Greater Boston Area, hiking trips, fruit picking, juicing, and (as a native of New Jersey) pizza. He currently resides in the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston.
Greg Voss, a retired software engineer, was introduced to the Gleaners by a friend and dedicated volunteer. From there, he himself became a frequent gleaner, and, in 2020, was named one of the Gleaners' "volunteers of the year" for his service! He has been involved in three food cooperative startups and is currently part of The Assabet Co-Op Market. As an Acton resident, Greg is thrilled to have the Gleaners as a new neighbor and as conscientious stewards of Stonefield Farm. When Greg is not gleaning, he enjoys traveling, woodworking, camping, hiking, biking, skiing, and building stuff. Greg enjoys these activities with his wife, 3 daughters, and 4 granddaughters.
Katie Kritzalis started her career managing public events for New York City’s Bryant Park, one of the busiest outdoor spaces in the world. Prompted by her developing knowledge of unsustainable and unjust practices in the industrial food system, she moved to a small farm in Connecticut and was soon immersed in all aspects of the business. Her experience there included growing specialty produce, raising heirloom-breed livestock, direct marketing to chefs, CSA management, coordinating farm-based dinners and workshops, and partnering with a local gleaning organization. Katie moved to Boston to pursue a Master’s degree in Gastronomy at BU, focusing her studies on sociological aspects of food systems and working simultaneously on the development of Daily Table, a non-profit designed to address food insecurity, nutrition, and food recovery through retail markets. As the fourth member of the startup team, she helped open Daily Table’s pilot store in Dorchester and learned of the Boston Area Gleaners while cold-calling food producers across New England to establish Daily Table’s sourcing plan. During that time, Katie also earned a certificate in Leadership for Sustainable Food Systems at the University of Vermont. She currently works on the three-person management team of Threshold Foundation, a non-profit that supports a network of philanthropists who strive to align their resources with their values.
Hannah Green currently serves as Senior Director of Disease Center and Contact Center Operations for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. She joins the board of the Boston Area Gleaners as a seasoned healthcare administrator with previous experience in community advocacy work for an organization that provided birth control and options counseling to women in Massachusetts. She has a deep commitment to health equity and its link to food security. Hannah enjoys volunteering time and supporting her local food pantry with her children. Hannah lives in Needham with her husband Aaron, her kids Sophia and Ezra, and their cat Winnie. Hannah is passionate about hiking and horseback riding and loves every minute that she can be outdoors.
Sahana Rao-Chakravorti is a Boston native with a passion for sustainable agriculture, equitable food systems and the outdoors. She has spent her career tackling food system issues across different points in the supply chain. She attended Tufts University for college and went on to pursue a Certificate in Sustainable Agriculture at the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition and Policy. She is currently working as a Senior Associate on the Strategy and Operations team at Farmers Business Network with a focus on Sustainability. Her work is centered around creating financial incentives and data backed claims for farmers to implement regenerative practice changes that will lower their GHG emissions and increase soil organic carbon content on their farms. She was drawn to the opportunity at BAG due to its unique value in creating an end to end systems solution which benefits the farmers, the communities receiving food and reduces the environmental impact of farming due to food waste. Her volunteer work has been focused on food waste reduction efforts at various organizations including City Harvest, Rescuing Leftover Cuisine and Food for Free. Outside of work she enjoys walking by the Charles River with her dog Goat, reading, jazz piano, cooking and hiking the Whites in New Hampshire.
Ismail Samad, is a Chef-advocate for the establishment of local and regional closed-loop food systems that not only properly resource food surplus but provide community relevant food-delivery systems and urban and rural farm connections needed for a just and resilient community, no matter the size. He has contributed his expertise in the nonprofit and for-profit sectors. He is the Co-Founder of The Gleanery, a restaurant in Putney, Vermont that specializes in the use of post-farmer's market produce and the unwanted seconds and/or “ugly” foods that are habitually discarded within the many levels of the food chain. Ismail was pivotal in the planning, launch and early expansion of Daily Table, nonprofit food markets in the Dorchester and Roxbury neighborhoods of Boston, Massachusetts, designed to simultaneously address the issues of food insecurity, nutritional health, and wasted food. He is a BALLE (Business Alliance for Local Living Economies) Fellow, a contributor to the EPA's Web Academy Webinar Series on Sustainable Materials Management and a founding member of Windham Farm and Food, a farm-to-institution aggregation and delivery service, providing easy access to healthy food produced in Windham County Vermont.
Sarah Bither found the Gleaners back in 2016 at a volunteer fair and has been harvesting with them ever since. Her interest in food systems stems from her experience living in Japan, where she taught English for two years. Japanese culture highly values sustainable food practices, and the lessons she learned while abroad sparked her interest in managing food waste. She has worked for various tech companies in Boston over the past five years and is currently a product leader at a startup that specializes in cyber security insurance. Sarah is at her happiest when traveling and learning about a new country, trying out a new restaurant, or curled up with a good book. She lives in Somerville with her partner John and their devious cat, Tybalt.
Joan Blaustein joined the board after a career as Land Resources Planner. She has worked on issues of land use, development, natural hazards, and open space planning. Over the years, she has volunteered as a bicycle and ski trip leader for the Appalachian Mountain Club, served on Watertown's bicycle and pedestrian committee, and on the board of a start-up affordable housing non-profit. She is also active in a Watertown organization that successfully passed an ordinance banning single-use plastic bags in the town. Gleaning combines Joan's love of the outdoors and desire to play in the dirt with the opportunity to make a significant contribution to the problem of food insecurity.
Margie Coleman, Clerk, worked as a pediatrician in Cambridge for over 35 years prior to her retirement, including serving as Assistant Chief of Pediatrics at Cambridge Health Alliance. She has seen first-hand the challenges that many families have meeting nutritional needs. Aside from the baseline issues of financial stress and obesity, many families have do not have access to knowledge about nutrition, and often rarely eat together. Margie considers hunger relief programs like these a godsend for a lot of the families she has cared for. Margie attended Cornell University and Stanford School of Medicine, and trained at Massachusetts General Hospital. She has two grown daughters and two sons-in-law, and loves to travel and cook.
Cathy Konicki, Treasurer, was introduced to the Gleaners through her involvement with The Philanthropy Group, a women’s giving organization, who provided a grant to the Gleaners. She is very interested in helping to overcome food insecurity. Cathy has spent her career in investment consulting and is a partner at NEPC, LLC, an independent investment consulting firm. At NEPC, Cathy heads their Endowment and Foundation consulting practice helping non-profits invest their endowment assets while meeting spending needs for grantmaking. Cathy has B.S. and M.B.A. degrees from Boston College. Cathy and her husband, Hayes Miller, live in Winchester and have three adult children. Cathy loves to ski, bike, hike and travel.
Will Morningstar has been growing vegetables in Massachusetts for the past 12 years. He got his start at Siena farms in Sudbury as a farm hand and years later was elevated to the Head Grower. He has been working with the Gleaners ever since. Will has a passion for providing vegetables to those in need sees the Gleaners as a perfect conduit to do so. He has spent time working with adults and adolescents with psychological and developmental disorders. Will hopes to develop a farm that provides at-risk populations with fresh vegetables and employment through agriculture.
Pallavi Singh is an entrepreneur and aspiring farmer, with a passion for nutrition, food security and local agriculture. Pallavi has spent her career in the Intellectual Property world, and ran a successful global company that provided in-depth research solutions to corporate and law firm attorneys. She coaches startup CEOs to help them with their product and revenue focus. She has dedicated years to teaching entrepreneurship to high school students, and has been involved with multiple small business incubators, teaching finance and revenue strategy. Pallavi lives in Boston with her husband and young son.
Brian Danner currently serves as an analyst for the Center for Health Information and Analysis with a background in public health and program management. Prior to moving to Boston in 2017, he graduated from Howard University in Washington, DC with a BS in Healthcare Management, and worked as the Food and Nutritional Services Department Assistant at BridgePoint Hospital for both the Capitol Hill and National Harbor locations. This role allowed him to develop metrics that were used to report food quality in both hospitals for senior leadership and the Department of Health while also ensuring each meal has been served for each patient within the hospital. Upon relocation, he attended and graduated from Boston University with his Master’s degree in Public Health with concentrations in Program Management and Epidemiology/Biostatistics. While in school, he served as the Secretary for the Students of Color for Public Health while also working at the Boston Public Health Commission as a Public Health Advocate at the city’s first engagement center for recovery services. During his free time, Brian enjoys bike riding throughout the Greater Boston Area, hiking trips, fruit picking, juicing, and (as a native of New Jersey) pizza. He currently resides in the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston.
Greg Voss, a retired software engineer, was introduced to the Gleaners by a friend and dedicated volunteer. From there, he himself became a frequent gleaner, and, in 2020, was named one of the Gleaners' "volunteers of the year" for his service! He has been involved in three food cooperative startups and is currently part of The Assabet Co-Op Market. As an Acton resident, Greg is thrilled to have the Gleaners as a new neighbor and as conscientious stewards of Stonefield Farm. When Greg is not gleaning, he enjoys traveling, woodworking, camping, hiking, biking, skiing, and building stuff. Greg enjoys these activities with his wife, 3 daughters, and 4 granddaughters.
Katie Kritzalis started her career managing public events for New York City’s Bryant Park, one of the busiest outdoor spaces in the world. Prompted by her developing knowledge of unsustainable and unjust practices in the industrial food system, she moved to a small farm in Connecticut and was soon immersed in all aspects of the business. Her experience there included growing specialty produce, raising heirloom-breed livestock, direct marketing to chefs, CSA management, coordinating farm-based dinners and workshops, and partnering with a local gleaning organization. Katie moved to Boston to pursue a Master’s degree in Gastronomy at BU, focusing her studies on sociological aspects of food systems and working simultaneously on the development of Daily Table, a non-profit designed to address food insecurity, nutrition, and food recovery through retail markets. As the fourth member of the startup team, she helped open Daily Table’s pilot store in Dorchester and learned of the Boston Area Gleaners while cold-calling food producers across New England to establish Daily Table’s sourcing plan. During that time, Katie also earned a certificate in Leadership for Sustainable Food Systems at the University of Vermont. She currently works on the three-person management team of Threshold Foundation, a non-profit that supports a network of philanthropists who strive to align their resources with their values.
Hannah Green currently serves as Senior Director of Disease Center and Contact Center Operations for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. She joins the board of the Boston Area Gleaners as a seasoned healthcare administrator with previous experience in community advocacy work for an organization that provided birth control and options counseling to women in Massachusetts. She has a deep commitment to health equity and its link to food security. Hannah enjoys volunteering time and supporting her local food pantry with her children. Hannah lives in Needham with her husband Aaron, her kids Sophia and Ezra, and their cat Winnie. Hannah is passionate about hiking and horseback riding and loves every minute that she can be outdoors.
Sahana Rao-Chakravorti is a Boston native with a passion for sustainable agriculture, equitable food systems and the outdoors. She has spent her career tackling food system issues across different points in the supply chain. She attended Tufts University for college and went on to pursue a Certificate in Sustainable Agriculture at the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition and Policy. She is currently working as a Senior Associate on the Strategy and Operations team at Farmers Business Network with a focus on Sustainability. Her work is centered around creating financial incentives and data backed claims for farmers to implement regenerative practice changes that will lower their GHG emissions and increase soil organic carbon content on their farms. She was drawn to the opportunity at BAG due to its unique value in creating an end to end systems solution which benefits the farmers, the communities receiving food and reduces the environmental impact of farming due to food waste. Her volunteer work has been focused on food waste reduction efforts at various organizations including City Harvest, Rescuing Leftover Cuisine and Food for Free. Outside of work she enjoys walking by the Charles River with her dog Goat, reading, jazz piano, cooking and hiking the Whites in New Hampshire.
ADVISORY COUNCIL
Charlotte Milan (former Board President) is an avid volunteer in environmental issues, and works for the Town of Arlington Department of Public Works as the recycling coordinator.
Greg Foudray works as Adjunct Professor of Management Information Systems at Salem State University, as a Farmland Investor, and as a Farmer. He is an avid gleaner and is helping us deploy Salesforce apps and improve our IT systems.
Jeanie Gruber joined the BAG family last season when she began exploring the farming scene in the Greater Boston area. A Louisiana native and long time owner/operator of Miss Jeanie's Catering, she brings a deep love for food, creativity and community with her wherever she goes.
Theresa Snow is the founder and Executive Director of Salvation Farms in Morrisville, VT. She has served as a mentor for us since 2007.
Heli Tomford is the director of the Belmont Food Collaborative. She has a long-standing interest in the success of Boston Area Gleaners, and was instrumental in making sure our gleaned crops were part of Belmont’s food security plan.
Oakes Plimpton, Emeritus Board Member, founder of Boston Area Gleaners, has been working with farms and hunger relief programs since the 1970s. In 1995, he founded Waltham Fields Community Farm, which donated half its produce to food pantries and shelters. In 1997 he helped start the Arlington Farmers Market. In 2004, he began going to area farms to glean surplus crops for charity and in 2007 established the nonprofit organization Boston Area Gleaners. He is a graduate of Amherst College and Harvard Law School, and is the author of several books on local history. Click here to learn more about Oakes' story and his founding of the Gleaners.
Greg Foudray works as Adjunct Professor of Management Information Systems at Salem State University, as a Farmland Investor, and as a Farmer. He is an avid gleaner and is helping us deploy Salesforce apps and improve our IT systems.
Jeanie Gruber joined the BAG family last season when she began exploring the farming scene in the Greater Boston area. A Louisiana native and long time owner/operator of Miss Jeanie's Catering, she brings a deep love for food, creativity and community with her wherever she goes.
Theresa Snow is the founder and Executive Director of Salvation Farms in Morrisville, VT. She has served as a mentor for us since 2007.
Heli Tomford is the director of the Belmont Food Collaborative. She has a long-standing interest in the success of Boston Area Gleaners, and was instrumental in making sure our gleaned crops were part of Belmont’s food security plan.
Oakes Plimpton, Emeritus Board Member, founder of Boston Area Gleaners, has been working with farms and hunger relief programs since the 1970s. In 1995, he founded Waltham Fields Community Farm, which donated half its produce to food pantries and shelters. In 1997 he helped start the Arlington Farmers Market. In 2004, he began going to area farms to glean surplus crops for charity and in 2007 established the nonprofit organization Boston Area Gleaners. He is a graduate of Amherst College and Harvard Law School, and is the author of several books on local history. Click here to learn more about Oakes' story and his founding of the Gleaners.
For more detailed contact information and to reach out with general inquiries, please visit our Contact page.
BOSTON AREA GLEANERS DIVERSITY STATEMENT
We expect that the board and staff of our organization will consist of people who are committed to addressing food insecurity. Given the diversity of people impacted by food insecurity, we aspire and make every reasonable effort to develop a board, staff, and volunteer base that reflects that diversity. We believe that such diversity will strengthen our organization, enhance our decision making and accountability to the mission, and build and broaden the community of volunteers and funders, whose participation is so essential to our shared success.
We expect that the board and staff of our organization will consist of people who are committed to addressing food insecurity. Given the diversity of people impacted by food insecurity, we aspire and make every reasonable effort to develop a board, staff, and volunteer base that reflects that diversity. We believe that such diversity will strengthen our organization, enhance our decision making and accountability to the mission, and build and broaden the community of volunteers and funders, whose participation is so essential to our shared success.