Food Systems Career Fair: Planting Seeds of Connection & Transformation

Paul promotes healthy soils farming practices through training and outreach to farmers, landowners, and the general public in California. Before joining AFT, Paul worked as the irrigation specialist for Solano Irrigation District where he provided technical assistance to farmers, facilitated grower workshops, and developed grant proposals. He is a past president of the Solano County Farm Bureau and currently serves as the vice president of the Solano Resource Conservation District, the secretary of the Board of Directors for the Solano Land Trust, and serves on the Solano Flood Control Advisory Committee. Paul has owned his own farming operation near Vacaville, California, for over 30 years and has experience with a diversity of crops and an intimate knowledge of operational and financial decision making for farmers. He graduated from the University of California, Davis with a degree in plant science and agronomy.

Anel has experience working closely with farmers of color in California’s Central Valley, the nation’s leading food-producing region. This is where the drought has hit the hardest and where resources are most needed. Her experience in program assistance and outreach in underrepresented farming communities helps AFT foster relationships and connect deeply with the needs of the next generation of farmers we aim to serve. Recently, Anel worked for the USDA Farm Service Agency assisting farmers directly with emergency relief programs. Before that, she worked at Centro Binacional para el Desarrollo Indígena Oaxaqueño in programs focused on strengthening social safety nets for women. Anel graduated from California State University, Fresno with a double major in Business Administration and Chicano Studies. Her family has farmed since the 1940s in Mexico and California.

Evelyn is the NRCS District Conservationist for Napa County. She joined the Napa NRCS staff in 2019, and works with local landowners to develop conservation solutions for their properties and assists landowners applying for NRCS conservation programs. Evelyn works across a variety of land uses, from cropland and rangeland to forestland. Evelyn has a BS in Environmental Resource Sciences from UC Davis and a MS in Forest Resources from Clemson University.

Actively pursuing opportunities for collaboration, Derek engages land managers, urban and rural farmers to identify strategies that balance immediate social needs with the long-term vitality of our ecological systems. Raised in the East Bay, Derek’s professional experience includes non-profit work in urban forestry, environmental education, permaculture design, and community development through Peace Corps Nepal. Graduating in 2010 with a BA in Environmental Studies: Sustainable Food Systems from UCSC, Derek holds an MA in Geography from CSULB 2020.  Derek’s vision of scaling up regenerative land management, agroecological resilience, and food justice includes embracing diversity with a holistic perspective on collective wellbeing.

Lydia Grew up in Contra Costa County and studied Environmental Studies and Studio Arts at Whitman College. Her previous experience includes work with Indigenous issues in the East Bay, environmental education, and programmatic work in ecological agriculture, the intertidal zone and fisheries in Maine. She has taught preschool through undergraduate level students and has organized events like the California Indian Arts and Culture Festival, the Seaweed Symposium and the Maine Wild Blueberry Weekend. With the CCRCD, Lydia supports community-led watershed initiatives and facilitates network collaboration and public engagement through the Watershed Symposium and Shoreline Festival. She is glad to work in her home watershed and is involved with community art centers.

Marianna (she/her) was raised in the Napa Valley, where she spent much of her time following her Papá in the vineyards, or exploring her Grandparents’ ranch. Growing older she began to recognize the disparities that exist between these two worlds, many of them reflected in her own experience as a mixed Chicana. With a desire to learn more about the intersection of agriculture, conservation, and racial justice, Marianna has since earned a B.S. in agricultural communications from Cal Poly SLO, worked for nonprofits engaged in farmworker advocacy, food justice, and community development, and helped manage regenerative grazing programs on ranches in California and Colorado. With a deep passion for community building and wellness, Marianna is excited to bring her skills and energy to the CCRCD team, supporting farmers, ranchers, educators and learners across the Bay Area. Her North Star remains working to uplift BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) voices in agriculture and conservation, and always learning how to be a good ancestor.

Public Health Nutritionist experienced in healthy food procurement implementation, food and nutrition policy, and developing public-private partnerships with local governments. Passionate about creating innovative, equitable, culturally competent, and sustainable solutions that promote nourishment for families and communities through the work of program, policy, systems and environmental change.

Biography coming soon.

Results-driven and strategic finance leader with 15+ year proven track record in Corporate Finance, FP&A, Operations, and Business Analytics supporting high-growth marketplace, e-commerce, and SaaS businesses. Background includes leading and building teams; bottoms-up and top-down revenue and cost management; full funnel revenue analytics and sales/revenue operations decision-support; buy and sell side M&A; Sarbanes-Oxley control ownership and IR/SEC support; project planning and systems implementation. Passionate team player with heavy bias for driving cross-functional execution to achieve financial objectives. P&L responsibility supporting scale from $10M to $500M. 

Lucy Asako Boltz has experience in public humanities programming, grantmaking, farming, and community organizing for immigrant rights. She coordinates the Market Match program and works with the rest of the Farmers’ Market Access and Equity team to make healthy food more accessible to low income communities across California and to build a stronger localized food system by connecting consumers to small and mid-sized farms. Lucy received a certificate in Ecological Horticulture from the Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems at UC Santa Cruz in fall of 2019. She holds a B.A. in Ethnic Studies from Brown University and is interested in small-scale organic farming, food and seed sovereignty and all history talks at the Oakland Public Library/Oakland History Room.

Sydney believes that nature should be a safe space for everyone to play and grow, and she enjoys sharing her love of the natural environment with the Acta Non Verba community.After college, Sydney served in AmeriCorps for two years, which allowed her to travel across the U.S. One of her favorite projects was in Pawhuska, OK, where she collaborated with members of Osage Nation to create an eco-park and community garden for local residents. This experience first sparked her passion for local food systems. In May 2020, Sydney completed her Master’s degree in Natural Resources and Sustainable Development, through which she studied sustainable agriculture and environmental justice. Originally from the East Bay, Sydney grew up camping, hiking, swimming, and spending lots of time outdoors. She is excited to be back home and working with an organization that shares her passion for community, equity, and sustainable agriculture!

Grace is a recent graduate from UC Berkeley’s College of Natural Resources where she studied topics of food systems, landscape design, and ecology. While at Berkeley, Grace discovered her passion for urban agriculture, and she loves getting her hands in the soil, spending time outdoors, and sharing delicious meals with friends. At Valley Verde, she’s excited to help nurture relationships between people, their cultures, and their ecological environments through food and plants. Outside of work, Grace is excited by map-making, drawing, and cooking. 

Nazshonnii Brown-Almaweri is a farmer, STEM educator, and Union College Alumna (B.S Mechanical Engineering and Studio Arts, French and Francophone Studies Minor) from West Oakland. She was a STEM tutor, media educator, and youth program assistant for the American Indian Child Resource Center. She is also connected to the Gill Tract Community Farm in Albany, an volunteer-led farm that provides food, medicine, and green spaces to the community. Nazshonnii is passionate about STEAM education and advocates for exposure and opportunities for the historically excluded people, especially Black and Native youth. As an educator, Nazshonnii has provided middle and high school youth with the space to learn about STEAM at the intersection of ancestral knowledge and their lived experiences. Creating space for Oakland youth to thrive in disciplines.

A recent graduate from The Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University with a Master’s in Agriculture, Food, and Environment. Interested in normalizing just and equitable food systems. Demonstrated experience in local food procurement with a background in farm to school nonprofits. At Ecology Center Beth coordinates the California Alliance of Farmers’ Markets and supports the execution of project goals and work-plans. She also supports projects and program efforts to advance CalFresh/SNAP access and healthy food incentives nationally in a farm-direct settings.

Laura Vollmer is a Community Nutrition and Health Advisor at the University of California Cooperative Extension, serving San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties. She provides oversight to two federally funded nutrition education programs, CalFresh Healthy Living and the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP), and a community volunteer program, the Master Food Preservers, and conducts locally relevant evaluation and research work, primarily focused on food and nutrition security and diet quality for children and families. Laura is a registered dietitian and holds a Masters of Public Health in Nutrition from the University of California, Berkeley and a BA in English from Wesleyan University.