Our Team

Shemariah found Land For Good when she and her husband were beginning their own land search in New England. She consulted with Kathy for several years while managing New Lands Farm – an immigrant and refugee agricultural program in Massachusetts – to identify and secure farmland for individuals and a community site. Planning for agriculture and the extreme land access needs for future farmers were a focus of her graduate studies at UMass Amherst. Beyond her LFG work, Shemariah raises a young crew of humans, various poultry and tries to keep up with other land based projects.

Sylvie brings extensive experience in business development, small business advising, and farm succession planning. As a Farm Coach for the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, Sylvie assisted farmers with farm management, business planning, and succession issues. She is a certified farm succession coordinator through the University of Wisconsin-Madison, further enhancing her ability to assist with farm succession and transfer. With a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology, Sylvie knows how to navigate the emotional and relational complexities of transitions.

Rachel joined Land For Good in 2022. As part of the leadership team, Rachel leads on development strategy, and works closely with the rest of the team on the organization’s overall strategic direction. Her experience includes program development and evaluation, adult and youth education, and grant writing. Prior to Land For Good, Rachel directed the C&S Workplace Organic Gardens Project, which provides company land, education, and technical support to C&S employees who wish to garden at work. Rachel holds a Masters and PhD in Environmental Studies; her dissertation explored nonprofit resilience to environmental turbulence (e.g., Covid-19).

Freedom is a Bronx-native community organizer turned farmer, co-owning the Liberated Land Cooperative, which runs Connecticut’s first statewide CSA. As Co-Director of the Venture Farming Institute and co-founder of his farm, SEAmarron Farmstead, he works to reimagine equitable food systems for farmers in the state of Connecticut and nationwide. Serving as a board member of The Northeast Organic Farming Association of Connecticut (CTNOFA), New CT Farmers Alliance (NCTFA), and North West Conservation District (NWCD), Freedom focuses on land access and food justice, empowering communities of color through farming and community organizing to build long-term food sovereignty. He is honored to support Connecticut’s agricultural community and advance Land For Good’s mission of securing land access for farmers across the state.

Mike grew up on farm and has been involved with agriculture since childhood. He farmed full-time for 10 years on leased land, and continues to run a part-time maple syrup operation. In addition to doing work for Land For Good for well over a decade, Mike also contracts to do work for the University of Vermont Extension Farm Viability Program as a Farm Business Planner and consults for other UVM programs. In addition to his extensive experience working with farmers and property owners on farm tenure, succession and transfer, Mike’s expertise also includes grazing, soil, and pest management. Mike is also a trained mediator and does mediation for the VT Agricultural Mediation Program.

Katy is a seasoned operational and communications professional with a background in both non-profit work and the financial services industry. She brings extensive experience in nonprofit development, project coordination, and organizational operations. Her background includes leading strategic outreach efforts, managing donor engagement and community support programs, and overseeing internal communications and HR initiatives. Known for leading complex projects to success and attention to detail, she has a strong record of supporting mission-driven work. She is eager to learn and contribute to Land For Good’s important mission.

Kate found her way to Land For Good through her husband’s farmland access journey. The challenges he faced as a first generation farmer motivated her to be a part of expanding and supporting farmland access for others. With a background in events management, brand development, and digital marketing, Kate brings an enthusiastic and relational approach to the communications team. Although she grew up in Southern California, she is now a proud New Englander, finding both her grounding and inspiration in the changing of the seasons.

Deanna (Dee) is a farmer herself and comes to Land For Good with 17 years vegetable farming experience. Dee has often interacted with the question of land access from a wide variety of perspectives, enabling her to build a solid understanding of this dynamic issue. She is eager to carry out our mission on the ground in southern New England. Her passion for raising awareness about the challenges of farming today, particularly around farmland and long-term farm viability, drives her work and dedication.

Lisa joined Land For Good in 2013 and has elevated the organization’s energetic team, collaborative work, and strong partnerships. As part of the leadership team, Lisa leads on communications strategy, development, outreach, event marketing, and robust online presence. She brings 30 years of experience leading marketing and communications teams and has received national recognition for her web design work. A New Hampshire native, Lisa really values our working farms and local food system. As a lover of food, nature, and connecting with places, Lisa finds the most joy in exploring the New England coast with her husband.

Jan’s keen interest in nutrition and its effect on health began as a teenager. Her concern with the impact of chemicals used to maintain freshness during food shipment underscores the importance of locally produced food. Being a part of Land For Good gives Jan the opportunity to have a small part in keeping food sources close to home and her community healthier. She is a Certified QuickBooks Pro-Advisor and has worked in bookkeeping for 15 years.

Also Land For Good’s co-founder, Kathy served as Executive Director from 2004 to 2014. Kathy is a nationally recognized leader in farm access, tenure, and succession. She has authored many guides and reports, managed projects, led workshops, trained service providers, and worked closely with farm families on these topics for 35 years. Kathy has provided technical assistance and training to organizations across the country, and she is currently advising on a national project to train land trust staff on farm succession. Kathy has Masters degrees in Administration (University of Massachusetts) and in Natural Resource Management (Antioch/New England). 

Jae is a first-generation farmer, and has had a lifelong passion for agriculture, particularly surrounding forage production and equipment operation. Jae owns and operates Windrow Farm in Conway, MA, producing hay and focusing on grass-based farming. Jae was formerly the assistant manager of the UMass Student Farm, and has a strong commitment to agricultural education and helping beginning farmers. Jae is also genderfluid/bigender and a member of the Trans community.

Jennifer Hashley is Director of the New Entry Sustainable Farming Project, a beginning farmer training program that assists diverse individuals to begin farming in Massachusetts. Jennifer also started a vegetable and pasture-based livestock farm and serves as a Trustee for the Massachusetts Society for Promoting Agriculture. She is a farm business planning instructor for Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources and is advisor to several regional food systems initiatives. She served as an agricultural Peace Corps Volunteer in Honduras and holds a Master’s in Agricultural Policy from Tufts University and a BS in Environmental Science from Indiana University. 

Joanna McCormick has dedicated 20 years to Five County Credit Union, where she has been committed to helping members achieve financial success. With a passion for service, she takes pride in guiding both individuals and businesses toward their financial goals, offering personalized support and expertise. Outside of her work in finance, Joanna is actively involved in agricultural events, connecting with the farming community and supporting the industry. Her work in both finance and agriculture reflects her strong belief in the power of community and the value of building lasting relationships.

Tory McCagg is an author, flutist, and recent homesteader. Tory was a Governing Board Member of Common Cause Rhode Island for ten years. She and her husband, Carl, have an off-grid house and homestead, Darwin’s View, where they steward over 200 acres of land on a windy hill in Jaffrey, NH. Tory’s most recent book, At Crossroads with Chickens: A “What If It Works?” Adventure in Off-Grid Living and Quest for Home details their life off-grid and on the land, experimenting with renewable energy, composting, recycling, permaculture, and agroforestry. Over the past ten years of being a homesteader, Tory has learned that she’ll never be a farmer, but she has developed a deeper respect for those who farm. She also recognizes the vital importance of New England’s small and local farms. Tory’s stewardship of the land has taught her the value of healthy soil in the effort to mitigate climate change, and the importance – and difficulty – of making small farms viable. Mission moment with Tory and Carl.

Glen Ohlund has been a Community Economic Development Practitioner for nearly 30 years working on commercial real estate, housing, downtown revitalization, lending and human capital development across New England, where he grew up. Glen was most recently Chief Credit Officer at Capital Good Fund, a nonprofit, certified Community Development Financial Institution that offers small loans and personalized financial coaching to create pathways out of poverty and advance a green economy through inclusive financial services. Prior to that he served as Community Development Director for Franklin County Regional Housing Authority, Director of Economic Development for the Community Development Partnership, Northern New England Community Development Manager for TD Bank, and Northeast New England Loan and Outreach Officer for the Cooperative Fund of New England, where he remains active on the Loan Committee. Additional work on economic, environmental, and social justice issues shaped his dedication to sustainable development. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and a Master’s degree in Community Economic Development from Southern New Hampshire University. In addition to cycling, fly fishing, and music, Glen is firmly committed to his spring rock crop which eventually makes way for more edible items.

Allison T. Poirier has been in private law practice since 2013, is a partner at KKC Law, LLP in Vernon, Connecticut, and practices in the areas of Probate, Estate Planning, and Elder Law. In addition to serving on the Board of Directors for Land For Good, Attorney Poirier is a past President of the Tolland County Bar Association, a member of the Connecticut Bar Association, and serves as the Chair of the Planned Giving Council for the Windham Hospital Foundation. Attorney Poirier graduated cum laude from both St. Lawrence University and Western New England University School of Law.

Carl Querfurth is a professional musician and recent homesteader. Currently a freelance trombonist, he has worked with many groups around the country. A New Hampshire native, Carl moved to Rhode Island in the late 1970’s and joined Roomful of Blues and began a touring career that kept him on the road through 2012, when he decided to get off the road and do some record production and local performing. Having spent his career as a trombonist in a horn section, he truly appreciates the team mentality and work ethic. He and his wife Tory moved back to New Hampshire in 2012 and started a small homestead farm, Darwin’s View, in Jaffrey. They put their land into a conservation easement with the Monadnock Conservancy and, with the facilitation of Land for Good, signed a lease with their neighbors to farm a five acre field on the property. Through this homesteading venture Carl has developed a strong sense of what it takes to keep farmland and small farmers in farming. Carl splits his time between the farm and music. Mission moment with Carl and Tory

Tim Wheeler is the owner and operator of Cordelia’s Farm in Berlin, Massachusetts along with his wife Janet, and their sons, James and Nate, who are the seventh generation to live and work on the family-farm where they raise small fruit and vegetables. Tim has served on the local Planning Board for 35 years, the Executive Committee of the Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission for 30 years as well as the Boards of several agricultural organizations representing the interests of Massachusetts and New England farmers. When Tim and Janet needed to address the question of farm succession to the next generation, they attended Land For Good’s Farm Succession School to guide them through the process of gradually transferring the farm to their sons. Tim’s interest in sustainable agriculture and finding common ground with measured strategic growth in Central Massachusetts drew him to Land for Good’s innovative yet practical methods of keeping farmers on the land.

Janet Woodward. Growing up on a sixth-generation family farm in Connecticut inspired Janet’s early devotion to the land, family and the past. She met Tim Wheeler while working at Old Sturbridge Village, and their subsequent marriage drew her into the seventh-generation family of Cordelia’s Farm in Berlin, Massachusetts. At the time, she was a teacher with a particular passion for bringing students out into their communities and the natural world to learn. Now retired, Janet contributes to the farm through marketing and producing value added products in the farm’s kitchen. Her involvement in Land for Good is a way for her to play forward the gifts that teaching and farming have given her: a grounding sense of place, an enriching sense of community and a devotion to educating and nurturing healthy people and a healthy environment for generations to come. Read Janet’s story on our blog: A farmer’s personal reflection on transferring the farm.