Paula Daniels

Paula Daniels is a lawyer with significant experience in public policy, having served in high levels of government in various capacities, primarily focused on environmental policy, urban infrastructure, and food policy. She served Commissioner of LA City Board of Public Works and also in the cabinet of Mayor Villaraigosa of Los Angeles as his Senior Advisor on Food Policy. She founded the Los Angeles Food Policy Council and is co-founder and chair of the board for the Center for Good Food Purchasing.

Sheldon Rockey

Sheldon Rockey is a third-generation farmer, running Rockey Farm, Colorado, with his brother Brendon. Their grandfather bought the first land in 1938 and farmed until the 1970’s when their father and uncle took over. Now they’ve taken the operation to the next level incorporating innovative sustainable growing practices and new varieties. They farm seed and specialty potato varieties on 500 acres plus peas, buckwheat, radishes and about a dozen other crops. These other crops help break down the hard soil and encourage the right bugs to do their job. They call their crop rotation process “green manure” as these crops feed the soil and make it better for potato growing. In 2012, Sheldon teamed up with White Mountain Farms to create White Rock Specialties, a packing and shipping operation out of Mosca, Colorado. In January 2015, Sheldon and Brendon Rockey were awarded the prestigious Environmental Stewardship Award by the National Potato Council (NPC) in Orlando, Florida. The award, which is given in partnership between the NPC and the Environmental Protection Agency honors farms that demonstrate the highest level of commitment to land stewardship.

Meagan Schipanski

Dr. Meagan Schipanski is an Associate Professor of agroecology in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences at Colorado State University. Her research group applies systems-based approaches to improving the sustainability of cropping systems, including topics of crop diversity, soil health, nutrient and water management. Her work spans from on-farm research to greenhouse and modeling studies. Current projects include evaluating grazed cover crop mixtures within dryland cropping systems and integrated approaches to groundwater management with a focus on the Ogallala Aquifer.

Marco Antonio Abarca

Marco was born and raised in Denver, Colorado. He is a graduate of Regis Jesuit High School. Marco received his undergraduate degree from Yale College and his law degree from Stanford Law School.

Marco’s first job out of law school was with the Migrant Farmworker Unit of California Rural Legal Assistance. In 1992, Marco returned to Denver to work in his family’s food processing company. Ready Foods produces soups and sauces for restaurants and supermarkets. Marco is the majority shareholder of the company and serves as its President.

He currently serves on the boards of History Colorado, Colorado Outward Bound, the Latino Leadership Institute and the Advisory Board of the Marine Corp Scholarship Foundation.

Marco lives in Denver with his wife and two high school age children. His interests include the study of history and book collecting.

Andrea Alma

Andrea Alma is the USDA Farm to School Regional Lead for the Mountain Plains Region based in Denver, CO. She works with schools, farms and partners to get fresh, local food to schoolchildren around the region. Prior to joining the USDA, Andrea was the Farm to School Coordinator for Minneapolis Public Schools. Her career began in Washington, DC where Andrea founded and directed the DC Farm to School Network. She as degrees in Environmental Engineering and Community Health from Tufts University.

Blake Angelo

Blake Angelo staffs the Governor-appointed Colorado Food Systems Advisory Council (COFSAC). As enacted by Colorado House Bill 19-1202, the mission of the Council is to advance recommendations that strengthen healthy food access for all Coloradans through Colorado agriculture and local food systems and economies. Angelo was selected by Colorado State University to help guide and coordinate this important group of advisors because of his expertise and diverse background. Prior to this role, he served as the lead facilitator and author of the Denver Food Vision and the Denver Food Baseline Assessment in partnership with the Denver Sustainable Food Policy Council and also managed the successful Healthy Food for Denver Kids campaign. Angelo also supported over 300 food and agricultural businesses, governmental agencies, and nonprofits in strategic business planning, process facilitation, community engagement, and fundraising projects. In addition, he has worked for Kaiser Permanente, City and County of Denver, Colorado State University’s Office of Community and Economic Development, CSU Extension, and served as the Director for the Beanstalk Foundation. Born and raised in Colorado, Angelo has a master’s degree in public health with a focus in health systems, management and policy and an undergraduate degree in ecology and evolutionary biology.

Matt Barry

Matt Barry serves as Chief Development Officer at the National Western Center Authority leading new business development and building local, regional and global partnerships with organizations to deliver programming in service of its mission to advance global food solutions. Formerly, Matt served as Chief Impact Officer at Gary Community Investments where he was responsible for developing strategy and advancing a data-driven, impact investment strategy through the measurement of social impact and risk across philanthropic and market rate investments. He also co-led the design of the organization’s innovation practice, including the development of a local ecosystem to support entrepreneurs and ventures focused on addressing social issues.

More broadly, Matt is committed to advancing social change by designing solutions, inventing, imagining, and innovating, ultimately leaving the world in a better place than when he arrived. Matt holds a master’s degree in Urban Planning and Regional Development from the University of Colorado-Denver.

Brad Buchanan

Brad Buchanan is the CEO of the National Western Center Authority. Appointed in 2018, he is responsible for crafting the 250-acre National Western Center campus into a year-round, global destination for culture, entertainment, education and agribusiness innovation. Brad has extensive experience in planning, development, agriculture, community building, entrepreneurship and organizational leadership. An architect by trade, he served as Denver’s planning director from 2014- 2018 after working in design and construction in Denver for more than 25 years. He and his family own and operate Flying B Bar Ranch in Strasburg, Colorado, where they raise grass-fed cattle.

Adrian Card

Adrian Card serves as the CSU Extension Agent in Agriculture in Boulder County and has served in this role since 2004. He has worked in local foods in Colorado for the past 26 years as a vegetable farmer in Larimer County and as a student, instructor and researcher at CSU, and continues that work in his current position directly with farmers, NGOs, ag value chain businesses, researchers and public sector agencies. His Extension work focusses on cropping systems, food systems, specialty crop production and marketing, public ag education, beginning farmer development through the Colorado Building Farmers program, ag community development, economic development, and organizational development support for the Colorado Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association. He builds bridges to facilitate the health of farms, businesses, people and the planet.

Haydn Christensen

Haydn Christensen grew up on a hay and grain farm in southern Colorado. After earning a degree in Soil and Crop Sciences at Colorado State University, he has gained experience working at various farm and research operations. In 2013 he started his own greenhouse business which today produces tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, basil, strawberries, greens and herbs. The business has also expanded into field production of carrots, radishes, cauliflower and winter squash for wholesale. A market garden adds variety for 3 weekly summer farmers markets. The field and greenhouse production provides vegetables that are directly distributed around Southern WY and Northern CO to grocers, institutions, restaurants, farmers markets and a small CSA.

Laine Cidowski

Laine is the Food Systems Administrator for the city of Denver Colorado in the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment. She oversees the Denver Sustainable Food Policy Council and leads the Food Systems team work to implement the Denver Food Vision to make the city’s food systems more healthy, vibrant, inclusive, and resilient. Laine was the first Food Policy Director for the District of Columbia and the leader of the first public DC Food Policy Council. She worked with DC to study the local and regional food economy, sign on to the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact, and to start the DC Good Food Purchasing Program Coalition. She was previously the Lead Urban Sustainability Planner for the Office of Planning where she was the project manager for the Office of Planning for the Sustainable DC initiative and Plan to make the city socially equitable, environmentally responsive, and economically prosperous. Laine holds a Masters Degree in City and Regional Planning and a Certificate in Urban Design from the University of Pennsylvania and B.A. Degree from the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill in Environmental Studies. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners, and co-chairs the American Planning Association’s Food Interest Group.

Brian Coppom

Brian and his family are residents of Longmont, Colorado – a community outside of Boulder that was once the center of some of Colorado’s largest farm operations. Prior to joining the Boulder County Farmers’ Markets, he worked in early and growth stage companies where he grew his experience in leadership and team management. Brian came to the Boulder County Farmers Market weary of the mission of profit-and-me-first. He wholeheartedly applies his previous experience to the nonprofit mission of supporting local growers and strengthening their connections with the community. Brian’s passion for the importance of reconnecting communities with their farmers and ranchers has supported growth in the organization’s existing markets, the successful launch of two new markets, year-over-year increases in farm sales, new collaborations, and accolades including earning the title of ColoradoBiz CEO of the Year for 2015 (first nonprofit selection in history of magazine), Boulder Business of the Year, and the pleasure of being a TEDx Boulder speaker advocating for connection to local food. Best of all, his kids eat a copious amount of fresh fruits and vegetables and love it.

ANNE P. CURE

Anne P. Cure is the Farm Manager for Cure Organic Farm. Anne has farmed in the pacific northwest at Full Circle Farm, and in Colorado at Short Grass Farm, and Hedgerow Farm. She is thrilled to call Cure Organic Farm home. Anne makes the crop plans and leads the farm through the seasons in the fields. She is active in working to keep agriculture land in the hands of farmers, and is passionate about bringing more young farmers into the fields. She believes that community involvement is instrumental in the revival of small family farms. Anne is dedicated to using sustainable methods that help to maintain a healthy farm ecosystem, and is often introducing new crops as well as animals into the mix.

JASMINE DILLON

Dr. Jasmine Dillon is an Assistant Professor of beef & dairy agroecosystems in the Department of Animal Sciences at Colorado State University. Her research group applies systems analysis tools to evaluating the impact of management and technology innovations along livestock supply chains on the environmental and economic sustainability of animal protein production. In her teaching and mentoring program, Dr. Dillon facilitates the development of systems thinking and problem-solving skills in animal science students through the use of inquiry-based learning.

Brian Freeman

Brian Freeman, CEO and Founder, Grower’s Organic, was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona and relocated to Colorado in 1991 while employed by Gemini Natural Food Markets. Shortly after this move, Brian joined the management team for the opening of the Washington Park Wild Oats store. During this time Brian also assisted Green Earth Farm at various farmers markets in the Denver metropolitan area, increasing his knowledge of produce and retailing. Brian’s excitement for produce and healthy living was a catalyst to the birth of Grower’s Organic in 2005.

Tony Garin

Tony serves as Vice President of Sales for Colo-Pac Produce, Inc. Joining Colo-Pac professionally in 2006, Tony represents the fourth generation of the Garin family wholesaling and repacking fresh produce in the Denver Market. Tony is a passionate advocate for growers and shippers of all produce through every season and works to build meaningful relationships and solutions in the fresh produce supply chain.

Sean Glenn

Sean Glenn loves food. He has been involved in the food industry for over 20 years; From working in fast paced New York kitchens under world-class chefs to leading the food operations of multiple non-profit organizations. He believes that no matter where you are eating, or what you are eating, good food has a healing power.

Currently, Sean oversees the food operation for Denver Sheriff Department serving up to 9000 meals per day. Since starting with the Department in 2012, Sean has helped implement a partnership with The Urban Farm to utilizes whole vegetable trimmings from the jail to supplement animal meals. He also started a bakery training program for the women inmates to provide education in basic baking skills and increase job opportunities. Sean recently overhauled the jails menus to meet the needs of Vegans, Medical Diets, and the general population, saving the City & County money and reducing waste.

Sean loves experimenting with flavors, textures, and eating the weirdest animal parts. He is always up for trying the new and the unconventional when it comes to food.

Kate Greenberg

Kate Greenberg was appointed to serve as Colorado’s Commissioner of Agriculture by Governor Jared Polis in December 2018. She leads a staff of 300 employees across the department’s eight divisions of Animal Health, Brand Inspection, Colorado State Fair, Conservation Services, Inspection and Consumer Services, Laboratory Services, Markets and Plant Industry.

As Commissioner, Greenberg’s key initiatives are to support and grow the next generation of Colorado’s agriculture producers, increase high value food and market opportunities, incentivize soil, water and climate stewardship and enhance mental health awareness and services in the state’s rural communities.

Melanie Gonzales

Melanie has only recently entered the food scene through managing the Durango Farmers Market since spring of 2018. With a background in public administration and special event coordination, helping local farmers and ranchers connect directly with our hungry locals has been fun and fulfilling – especially with the occasional edible tokens of appreciation from the vendors. Increasing customer attendance, especially from our food insecure populations, recruiting local business sponsors and improving the long-term stability of the organization’s structure has been her focus. Tasting every vendor’s carrots has been the focus of her three boys.

Derrick Hoffman

Derrick and his wife are 3rd Generation farmers in Northern Colorado. Their three daughters are the 6th generation to be born in Northern Colorado, and all of them proudly call Greeley their home. Derrick grew up farming with his Grandfather and Father growing Sugar Beets, Barley, Corn, Pinto Beans and Alfalfa. Derrick had started working in IT in the mid ’90’s and when his Dad retired in 2002, Derrick left the farm and he continued working in IT, specifically in education, for 22 years. His wife started a small “urban” farm in 2014, and quickly they expanded into commercial growing over the next 5 years, with Derrick returning to farming full time, but this time in vegetable production. They currently grow 60 varieties of vegetables and are focused on wholesale and educational markets.

Angela Ichwan

Angela Ichwan is a Sr. Director of Technical Lead of The Annex, the specialty Business unit of Ardent Mills. She joined Ardent Mills in July 2014 and led a team of R&D, Culinary and Technical Services professionals through major changes with the formation of a joint venture, where Angela sustained business growth and integrated two cultures and practices. In this role, she is responsible for supporting partnerships and cross-functional projects including sales, operations, grain trading, supply chain and marketing. Angela’s focus is on the development of technological roadmaps to discern R&D gaps, determine opportunities and deliver projected growth. In her new role at The Annex by Ardent Mills, she is responsible for innovation pipeline, portfolio expansion to high growth & high value products and commercialization.

Becca Jablonski

Becca Jablonski is an Assistant Professor and Food Systems Extension Economist in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at Colorado State University. As part of her position, she facilitates the Colorado Governor’s Food Systems Advisory Council and is a co-leader of Colorado State University’s Food Systems Extension Team. Dr. Jablonski’s research and extension program is comprised of two primary components: 1) evaluating the farm and ranch profitability impacts of sales through non-commodity markets (e.g., local food markets, certification, or other product differentiation strategies); and, 2) assessing the community economic impacts of food system policies, investments, and programs. Dr. Jablonski holds a PhD from Cornell University.

Marion Kalb

Ms. Kalb is the Institutional Food Program Administrator for the City of Denver. She promotes the adoption of the Good Food Purchasing Program through coalition building and policy initiatives. Previously, she was the Food Systems Coordinator for Jefferson County Public Health where she facilitated the Food Policy Council. Ms. Kalb has worked with Council members to educate legislators about how the Farm Bill impacts Jeffco residents and in supporting municipal ordinances favorable to urban agriculture. Prior to working with Jefferson County, Ms. Kalb successfully launched the first statewide organization for food pantries, the Colorado Food Pantry Network, working with Hunger Free Colorado. Marion is a Co-Founder of the National Farm to School Network and helped draft legislation creating the USDA National Farm to School Competitive Grant Program. Ms. Kalb was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Gabon, Central Africa and has a M.A. in Urban Planning from UCLA.

Chad King

Chad is the Sustainability Director at the University of Denver. Chad developed the Center for Sustainability, where he works across campus units to improve sustainability practices and reporting in all sectors, connecting this work to curricular and research initiatives. The Center for Sustainability employs over forty students leading projects related to waste, energy, mobility, gardens and grounds, and procurement, with an emphasis on education across all programs. Chad has also been active in recent campus strategic planning, including a transportation master plan, and a campus framework plan. He earned a master’s and PhD in Environmental Science from the University of Arizona. Chad currently serves on the executive committee of the board of directors of Transportation Solutions and the Mayor’s Sustainability Advisory Council.

ADRIENNE LARREW

Envision a feisty young girl who was always outspoken, active and strong-willed. Adrienne Larrew was that little girl who spent her days outdoors whether it was camping with her parents or fixing fence on her Grandparent’s ranch. Even though she grew up in the suburbs of Denver, she found that ranch work suited her. Adrienne worked on ranches throughout the west, where she met Dan, her business partner, and cohort in all kinds of adventures. They worked together for several years before starting Corner Post Meats with a handful of critters in Wyoming. To better connect with their customers, they left the rural mountains to build a thriving business along the Colorado Front Range and have located Corner Post Meats in Black Forest, on a ranch owned by the National Audubon Society.

Now Adrienne is a driving force behind healthy, tasty meat shipped to families nationwide and restaurants through-out Colorado. She knows firsthand what it takes to raise healthy animals and manage the land, and how important it is for people to trust where their food comes from. Corner Post Meats provides customers exceptional forest raised pork, grass finished beef, grass-finished lamb, and pastured poultry. Adrienne is proud that “Corner Post Meats is meat for people who give a damn”, whether you give a damn about your health, or care about how the animals are raised, or that the land is managed to make ecosystems healthy and vibrant places.

KATIE LAZOR

Katie Lazor is dedicated to strengthening, championing, and advancing Colorado’s food and beverage community. Through her leadership of EatDenver and former role with Boulder County Farmers Markets, Katie has worked with hundreds of organizations—farms, restaurants, nonprofits, schools, corporations, and civic departments—to develop more meaning, sense of community, and excitement within our food system. Since 2016, Katie has served as the Executive Director of EatDenver, a nonprofit independent restaurant network made up of over 200 members and working to support and strengthen Denver’s hospitality community.

JOE MATTA

Joe Matta is a partner in the Denver Public Market project. He recently graduated from CU Boulder with a Masters in Environment specializing in Sustainable Food Systems. Prior to that Joe has served in several roles related startups in the Food and Ag space. He has worked as a Recruiting Associate for the Techstars Farm to Fork program based in St. Paul, MN, as well as a functional mentor for the Techstars Sustainability accelerator. He comes from a professional background in Finance having worked as the VP of Operations & Finance at Sunrise Strategic Partners, a venture capital fund in Boulder focused on investing in emerging brands in the healthy and sustainable living space, specifically natural foods and beverages. Before moving to Boulder, Joe spent 1-year traveling the world while working remotely as a participant in the inaugural class of a startup called Remote Year. Prior to that he was based in NYC where worked in private equity for 2 years at Trilantic Capital Partners, focused on consumer and business service companies, and investment banking for 2 years at Barclays before that, focused on power & utility companies with significant work in renewable energy. He currently serves on the board of directors at the GrowHaus, a food access and community leadership focused non-profit based in the Elyria-Swansea neighborhood of Denver. He graduated from Boston College with degrees in Finance and Accounting.

ROSALIND MAY

Rosalind May is the Executive Director of the Colorado Farmers Market Association (CFMA) and Independent Value-Chain Coordinator with Rocky Mountain Local Food, a business she founded in 2018. With CFMA she supports farmers markets across Colorado, providing networking opportunities, technical assistance and resources to farmers markets as well as farm stands and CSAs. Rosalind grew up in Lakewood, Colorado, and found local food systems work through a 2001 internship with Denver Urban Gardens. She has followed her passion for agriculture and social justice, joining fellow students in Senegal in an urban agriculture project, engaging children and youth in urban and rural agriculture, researching community gardens, and—most recently— coordinating events, managing vendors and sourcing local food at Four Seasons Market. She is the Vice-President of Mile- High Farmers.

Rosalind believes that it takes all of us to build a stronger, more viable and just local food system and she is committed to collaborating with others to strengthen our local and regional food systems.

KENNY MEYER

Associate Local Products Coordinator & Forager
Whole Foods Market- Rocky Mountain Region

Started in the Natural Foods Industry in 1982. Joined Alfalfa’s Market in Boulder in 1985. Opening multiple Alfalfa’s stores across the Rocky Mountain West

Wild Oats Markets purchased Alfalfa’s Markets in 1997. Became National Produce Purchasing Director for Wild Oats

Joined Whole Foods Markets in 1999. Currently Associate Local Products Coordinator & Forager for Whole Foods Rocky Mountain region

Whole Foods Rocky Mountain region operates over 30 stores in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Idaho, Kansas & Missouri

I am proud to have developed many lasting relationships with Colorado growers & producers for over 35 years

WENDY MOSCHETTI

As the director of food systems, Wendy leads the development and implementation of LiveWell Colorado’s strategies related to food systems, food access and food promotion.

After moving to Colorado in 2005, Wendy researched healthy food access initiatives for the National Convergence Partnership while also serving as project coordinator for the “Gardens for Growing Healthy Communities” research project with the University of Colorado-Denver and Denver Urban Gardens. She joined the consulting firm Civic Results in 2007 to help staff the healthy schools and food access teams of the Metro Denver Health & Wellness Commission. Wendy launched her own firm, WPM Consulting, in May 2009. Since then, she has collaborated with numerous organizations—including LiveWell Colorado, LiveWell communities across the state, Colorado State University, Rocky Mountain Farmers Union, Hunger Free Colorado, and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment—to work on a variety of projects aimed at leveraging our food systems to improve equitable access to healthy foods.

Wendy holds a bachelor’s degree in social work from the University of Washington and a master’s degree in city and regional planning from the University of California-Berkeley.

ELIZABETH MOZER

Elizabeth is the spunky and vivacious founder and CEO of LoCo Foods, which she started in 2011 with a dream and a minivan. It has since grown into an award-winning company with its own fleet dedicated to providing quality, locally-produced goods all along the front range, a tribute to Elizabeth’s remarkable tenacity. She’s a Fort Collins native, and married to her high school sweetheart, so she basically embodies the very spirit of wholesome, healthy living. As further proof that she’s perfect, her favorite meal is bacon, eggs, and hash browns (cooked by her adoring husband), and her hobbies include gardening and making rag rugs (whatever those are). As the founder of LoCo Foods, the idea of sustainability is very important to her, which she describes as “having a viable local food system which enables our community to have fresher, healthier food made by people they know or who are nearby, thereby economically benefiting the community and the environment.”.

MATTHEW POLING

Matthew Poling serves as the Executive Chef for Weld County District 6 in Greeley, CO. After receiving an AAS in Culinary Arts from Paul Smith’s College in upstate New York, he went on to become Sous Chef of the Tuscan Grill in Waltham, MA at the age of 21. Since then he has spent the last 18 years working in all facets of the food service industry, including fine dining, mom n’ pop pizza places, corporate fast-casual chains, and university dining halls. While working for the district, he oversees the central production kitchen, which prepares around 10,000 meals a day from scratch for the students of the district. He is married to an administrator in the district, and is the father of two beautiful daughters.

JOHN REICH

John Reich joined the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR) in February 2016, as a Scientific Program Director. John joined FFAR because he strongly believes that advancements in agriculture will be key to maintaining our quality of life, and that the right investments at opportune moments will provide us with the necessary tools to overcome future challenges in agriculture. At FFAR, John works on building partnerships between the public and private sectors that targets pre-competitive research to advance agriculture science including FFAR’s first multi-stakeholder collaboration, the Crops of the Future, and the new Precision Indoor Plants Collaborative. John continuously works on developing partnerships and programs that catalyze new areas of research and build on current investments to benefit the public. Trained as a biomedical scientist, John applies his background in genetics, molecular biology, and biochemistry to broad range of topics that support food security, health, and economic opportunities through scientific advancement.

ANNA SCHOTT

Programs Director, GoFarm

Anna has been involved with GoFarm since 2015, first as the as the Community Access Program
Manager, followed by her current role as Programs Director since mid-2018.  She has a Master
of Public Health degree from the Colorado School of Public Health with a concentration in
Community and Behavioral Health. Her role at GoFarm fits her passion for health promotion
programs and her interest in how innovative changes to existing retail structures can impact the
local food system.

CHARLIE TALBOTT

Charlie Talbott, is president of Talbott Farms, Inc. and along with his brothers runs a fruit and wine-grape growing business in Palisade, CO. He is a fifth-generation fruit-grower in the Palisade region and third generation in running the business that Harry A Talbott started in the1940s. Their operations include growing, packing, processing, and marketing. They raise peaches, pears, cherries, and wine grapes on land both owned and leased. They pack fruit for the fresh market that is derived from their own operations as well as from at least 20 additional growers. Processing operations include a fresh apple juice/cider production plant and hard cider and wine production facilities. Primary markets are produce retailers both in Colorado and throughout the Midwest regions of the US.

DAWN THILMANY

Dawn Thilmany is a Professor of Agribusiness and Extension Economist with Colorado State University, serving in that role since 1997 and became the Associate Director for CSU’s Office of Community and Economic Development in 2019. She specializes in economic development related to local, organic and other value-added food market supply chains, as well as food market analysis and consumer behavior. Her work on agricultural diversification also includes work with agritourism in Colorado and the Western US. She is a past chair of the Colorado Food Systems Advisory Council (COFSAC), supports the CSU Extension’s Food Systems and Community Development programs and has served on a number of advisory boards and project teams for the Colorado Department of Agriculture and the United States Department of Agriculture.

TRENT THOMPSON

Trent Thompson works for the Department of Commerce as the Economic Development Representative for Colorado and Utah. In this capacity he works with elected officials, community leaders, and stakeholders to foster economic growth, create jobs, and ensure the region’s competitiveness in a global economy.

WILLIAM H. WALL III (TRIPP)

A native Coloradan with a passion for land, water and clean food. A University of Colorado undergrad and grad alum. A fiduciary with 20 years’ experience in structuring and investing in private companies and real estate across the U.S. Tripp, has stewarded multiple companies as CEO and Managed private and institutional capital market portfolios with a unique focus on alternatives, Agriculture, Commodities and Technology. Tripp is currently Co-CEO and Director of Alfalfa’s local and organic markets, President and Chairman of the Colorado Wildlife Foundation, President of the Western States Water Partnership and Chairman of the Board of Predictive Safety. As a partner with Rodale, on the new Regenerative Standards, the Organic trade association and a frequent Colorado food systems educator, Tripp is passionate about keeping our water coupled to the land and securing Colorado’s land, water and food safety is a top priority. Tripp is married to his high-school sweetheart, has 3 kids and a menagerie of Bees, Dogs, Chickens. Tripp is also an avid, FlyFisher, backcountry skier and cyclist.

DARRELLE WEYANT

Darrelle wants to live in a world filled with incredibly delicious foods that are free of all fat, and where all books come bundled with a bottle of red wine and a bar of dark chocolate.

With over 20 years’ experience in the Food and Beverage industry, she has sat on both sides of the fence; working in her past life as a wholesale customer and now currently as a wholesale distributor. This has left her with a wide range of knowledge and appreciation for the industry in its entirety. As the Business and Vendor Relations Manager for LoCo Food Distribution, Darrelle currently partners with numerous retail food manufacturers and retail establishments to build a strong and sustainable distribution channel here in the state of Colorado.

When she is not enjoying the fantastic flavors and stories of the manufacturers she works with, she is typically working at her other job where she holds the title of Tantrum and Meltdown Negotiator within the Search & Rescue of Small Plastic Pieces Unit.