NACF Directors
Carl Mailler, President
Emily French, Clerk
Emily French grew up on Sagatabscot Orchards in Sterling, MA. She holds a degree in Sustainable Agriculture & Holistic Medicine from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and worked with UMASS Agricultural Extension before joining the Mass. Farm to School Project, where she provides technical assistance to farms and schools looking to create sustainable purchasing relationships. Emily is also a clinical herbalist and a musician. She fills her time with gardening, cooking, hiking, snowshoeing, biking, traveling, and proactively building community in every way she can think of!
Penny Pekow, Treasurer
Penny Pekow is research faculty in the School of Public Health and Health Sciences at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, and Senior Biostatistician in the Center for Quality of Care Research at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, MA. She has been on the NACF board for 3 years, as treasurer since fall 2010.
David Kastor, Assistant Treasurer
David Kastor is a faculty member in the UMASS Physics Department. As well as carrying out research on Einstein's theory of general relativity, David teaches a course on energy issues and is the Superviser for students focused on sustainability in the BDIC Program. He has served on the Amherst Planning Board and is also a past co-president of NACF.
Therese Fitzsimmons, Executive Director
Therese has over 25 years of experience as a community organizer, educator and non-profit Director. She has worked for NACF since May, 2009.
Sarah Berquist, Board Member
Sarah Berquist is a senior at the University of Massachusetts, majoring in Plant, Soil, and Insect Science with a focus in Sustainable Agriculture. She works for several local farms in the valley, and is the current Market Manager of the Amherst Farmers Market. She values any and all experiences with growing food and working for a more sustainable food system and is excited to join NACF Board of Directors this year.
Beth Dichter, Board Member
Steve Dunn, Board Member
Steve Dunn is a Geology Professor at Mount Holyoke College and member of the Town of Amherst Watershed Protection Committee. Steve has served both as Clerk and Co-President of NACF. As a neighbor of the NACF property, he is interested in promoting the farm as a community resource.
Laura Fitch, Board Member
Laura Fitch is a principal with Kraus-Fitch Architects, Inc. in Amherst, Massachusetts and a 17-year resident of Pioneer Valley Cohousing in North Amherst. Laura specializes in energy-efficient building design for homes and communities. She lends her architectural expertise to assessing farm buildings and is a consultant to the Massachusetts Farm Bureau's Farm Viability Program. Laura is also a board member of the Cohousing Association of US (CohoUS). She raises pigs, chicken, and lamb as a hobby and is a dedicated "locavore"!
Ezra Fradkin, Board Member
Ezra Fradkin is a student at the Pioneer Valley Performing Arts charter public school in South Hadley, MA, where he enjoys performing and studying theater. He currently is a member of the Pioneer Valley Cohousing Community in North Amherst, where he has lived the majority of his life. Ezra is interested in learning about farming and environmental and agricultural sustainability. He joined the NACF board in January of 2011 as a way of becoming involved in the community as well as promoting the things he believes in.
Don Gallagher, Board Member
Don Gallagher is a Vice President for Sales of Taycor Financial, a business focused on equipment leasing and financing. Don has a long history of community work in the Pioneer Valley, including currently with Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Hampshire County. He is an accomplished musician and singer-songwriter. Don is a past NACF co-president.
John Gerber, Board Member
John Gerber is a faculty member in the UMASS Department of Plant, Soil and Insect Sciences where he teaches courses related to sustainability and where he provides leadership to the undergraduate program in Sustainable Food and Farming. John is a member of the Board of Directors of Living Routes, Inc., an educational collaborative that helps students earn college credit for the study and practice of sustainable living in ecovillages around the world. He serves on the Amherst Conservation Commission. John has been Executive Director of the Consortium for Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education, a national consortium of universities and research institutes, and is a founding Board member of the Loka Institute, a non-profit institute dedicated to the democratization of technology. He has also served on the Board of Directors of the Hitchcock Center for the Environment in Amherst, Massachusetts.
Bob Greeney, Board Member
Robert Greeney is a physics professor at Holyoke Community College. He also runs a small local pottery, Tan Brook Pottery, specializing in functional, wood fired pottery made in part from local clay and a variety of other local materials. He is an active gardener, and member of a neighborhood community garden. He has been a member of the Board of Directors since its inception.
Patricia Holland, Board Member
Patricia Holland is retired from her career as an editor of historical papers, including those of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony. She is also on the Board of Trustees of the Jones Library, Amherst's library system. She loves writing about the history of North Amherst.
Rob Kusner, Board Member
Rob Kusner is a mathematics professor at the University of Massachusetts, a former member of the Amherst Select Board, and current chair of the Norwottuck Rail Trail Advisory Committee for the Massachusetts Department of Conservation & Recreation. He's been a long-time advocate for (and implementer of) environmentally friendly transportation and sustainable agriculture & sylvaculture. Rob is a past co-president of NACF.
Marcy Sala, Board Member
Ted White, Board Member
Ted White, has served on the NACF board of directors for 5 years. He is a geographer and documentary filmmaker who teaches film production at Keene State College and geography courses at UMass, Amherst. His current research, funded by the National Science Foundation, looks at Community Supported Agriculture as an economic model that may have the potential to transform businesses practices and business ethics in sectors beyond agriculture. His award-winning documentary films have been broadcast on PBS and have been screened widely. Subjects investigated in White's films include: bicycling as a sustainable transport option and various aspects of urban sustainability and public participation. White's website is: www.tedwhitegreenlight.com
