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Saulo Araújo (Boston, MA) is Program Coordinator for Brazil and Mesoamerica at Grassroots International. Previous to this position, he had worked on the ground with urban and rural communities in Brazil, Mexico and the United States around the issues of resource rights and food sovereignty. An agronomist by training, Saulo works with organizations dedicated to “agroecological development,” a framework that values local knowledge and addresses local and global needs for sustainable resource management through community supported practices. In New England, he has worked with environmental justice groups in inner city neighborhoods, supporting the work of residents to protect open and green spaces and environmental health. He is a senior fellow of the New England Regional Network of the Environmental Leadership Program (ELP) and co-founder of the Worcester Immigrant Coalition. Saulo has a Master’s Degree in International Development and Social Change from Clark University.
Gene Benson (Arlington, MA) is Legal Counsel and Program Director at Alternatives for Community & Environment (ACE), Roxbury, MA, where he represents and advises community groups and coalitions and ACE member committees fighting for environmental justice and transit equity. His earlier positions include Associate General Counsel for Environmental Law at Massachusetts Water Resources Authority and Executive Director of Cambridge and Somerville Legal Services. Gene has been co-chair of the Boston Bar Association Environmental Law Section and a member of its Steering Committee and has been active in and led local and regional volunteer organizations. Gene received his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center, Washington, D.C.
Jess Brooks (Cambridge, MA) is Director of Development and Communications at Boston Community Capital, a community development finance organization that connects low-income communities with mainstream sources of capital. Jess has worked for the NY Times, as a security trader on Wall Street, and in non-profit administration. Her involvement with The Food Project began though Social Venture Partners.
Amy Cooper-Ayles (Braintree, MA) has been working in volunteer management and community outreach since her arrival in Boston 11 years ago. She has worked with Families First, MSPCC, The Junior League, Big Sister Association and now directs Boston's largest volunteer program at The Greater Boston Food Bank. Amy has loved volunteering with The Food Project ever since she learned about it through Boston Cares and was inspired by the youth who led the work in the fields so effectively. Amy is also an avid painter, photographer and novice gardener/cook and has two adorable stepkids.
Meg Coward (Jamaica Plain, MA) is a non-profit and philanthropic consultant, and Chair of The Food Project's Board of Trustees. She was formerly the Executive Director of Waltham Fields Community Farm. Prior to that position, she served as the Program Officer at the Merck Family Fund overseeing their urban green space and youth organizing grants. Meg began her work in local agriculture and community development at The Food Project, starting as an intern from Harvard Divinity School in 1995 and taking on increasing responsibility in the youth programs over the next five years. She then moved to Athol, Massachusetts to become the Program Director and Dairy Manager at The Farm School. When she moved back to Boston in 2004, Meg was thrilled to join The Food Project's Board and continue her work with the organization in a new role.
Hannah Sharpless Graff (Swampscott, MA) is currently the stay-at-home mother of two boys, ages 1 and 3, and a dog. Prior to becoming a mother, she headed the development office of a non-profit school and adult education center in Dorchester, and before that taught English and Social Studies in Boston Public Schools. She graduated from Wesleyan University with a BA in Psychology/Sociology and received her MEd from Lesley University and the Shady Hill School Teacher Training Course. She lives in Swampscott and is a member of The Food Project's North Shore CSA.
Duwan Grant
Julie Johnson (Waltham, MA), Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), is the Managing Director of Fresh Pond Capital, a socially responsible financial advisory firm. She has worked in socially responsible investing since 1998 and earned the CFA designation in 2006. Before joining the investment field, Julie worked as a community organizer for MASSPIRG and the Sierra Club. Julie became involved with The Food Project when a friend first took her to one of the TFP's Community Lunches. In addition to her support of The Food Project, she is active in supporting local agriculture and children through her work with Waltham Fields Community Farm and with Camp Starfish, a non-profit providing summer programs for children who are behaviorally and emotionally challenged. She graduated from Bowdoin College and has two stepchildren and two young sons.
Liz Luc Clowes
Rose Mendelsohn (Brookline, MA) is currently a senior at Brookline High School. She began working at The Food Project as a member of the Summer Youth Program in 2008. She went on to participate in the Academic Year Program the following year, and has learned more from TFP in the past year than she can easily express. Rose is committed to the mission of TFP and to working for social justice in the global food system and social and economic equality in the United States and beyond.
Amirah Mitchell (Boston, MA) is a sophomore at The Winsor School. She participated in The Food Project's Summer Youth Program in 2007 and continued on into the Academic Year Program. She is currently working as a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) intern at TFP's Lincoln site. Amirah has been strongly impacted by the mission of The Food Project. In the future, she hopes to become an organic farmer and travel internationally helping local farmers in countries experiencing hunger to set up healthier, sustainable food systems in order to promote healthy eating and independent local economies.
Joshua Nyambose (Belmont, MA) is interested in the role of political and economic development on health and nutrition, particularly among women and children in developing countries. His specific research interests include maternal nutrition during pregnancy, food security, and design, monitoring and evaluation of health and nutrition programs. Joshua Nyambose holds a Ph.D. in Nutrition from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, a Masters of Arts degree in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, and a Bachelor of Social Science degree from the University of Malawi. He recently rejoined the Massachusetts Department of Public Health in Boston as Senior Epidemiologist in the Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Division after spending almost two years at i3 Innovus, a research company for the United HealthGroup. His responsibilities include: designing and implementing research studies, including preparing grant applications, data analysis and interpretation, quality assurance, statistical analyses, supervision of analyst, providing technical guidance to program staff and conducting program evaluations. Prior to coming to Massachusetts, he worked for several years in Malawi for the University of Malawi, Center for Social Research and USAID.
Girish Pathak (Sudbury, MA) Girish Pathak is a leading North American expert in IP-based digital convergence. He is currently responsible for the transformation of products, technology, operations, support systems, and strategic marketing of a full-service telecom provider with focus on broadband, wireless and data. He also advises top-tier New York-based investment banking and securities companies on the IT/telecom industry. Prior to founding ITE Services, Girish was chief technology officer and chief customer strategist of TELUS Communications, Canada. Dr. Pathak served as the technology expert for Vancouver’s successful bid for the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympics Games. He also has been a keynote speaker at various national and international conferences within the information and communication technology industry.
Dominique Powell (Dorchester, MA) was born and raised in Boston. She is a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps and is currently in the U.S. Air Force. She recently graduated from UMass Boston with a degree in Political Science and plans to go to graduate school to pursue a Master's Degree in government and/or international relations. Dominique was a youth member of The Food Project when she was in high school.
Jill Preotle (Boston, MA) works with early stage companies seeking angel and venture funding. She is a co-leader of the Boston forum of Golden Seeds, LLC, a network focused on funding women entrepreneurs. She serves on various boards, including Zipcar and Dancing Deer Baking Company. Formerly an attorney in private practice in New York, she holds a J.D. degree from New York University Law School.
Amelie Ratliff (Brookline, MA) has had an extensive volunteer career working for social justice in a variety of grass roots organizations including TFP where she coordinated the collection and data input of alumni contact information. Currently, she is also a volunteer for United for a Fair Economy, is raising funds for rebuilding the Gulf South through Gulf South Allied Funders, and is a member of Gulf Coast Funders. She has also been a volunteer for the Democratic Presidential Campaign, Parents United for Child Care, Boston Area Youth Soccer, the Brookline Soccer Club, and the Brookline Yes Campaign. Professionally she has been a campus minister, a consultant to the Boston Women’s Fund, a research associate for Work/Family Directions, and an Assistant to the Director of the Expository Writing Program at Harvard University.
C. Dylan Sanders (Milton, MA) is a lawyer at Sugarman, Rogers, Barshak, and Cohen, where he concentrates on land use and environmental litigation. Previously, Mr. Sanders was a partner at DLA Piper and, prior to that, practiced law at Hill and Barlow. He received his law degree from Northeastern University School of Law. Prior to practicing law, Mr. Sanders was a journalist. Mr. Sanders is a native of Athens, Georgia, where he grew up on his family's farm.
Andrew Schiff (Needham, MA) is Executive Director of the Rhode Island Community Food Bank in Providence. The Food Bank distributes over 8 million pounds of food each year to community-based food assistance programs throughout Rhode Island. Before taking on the leadership of the Food Bank, Andrew was Assistant Director at Project Bread – The Walk for Hunger. He holds a doctorate degree in clinical psychology from Emory University.
Josh Solomon (Somerville, MA) is the Associate Director for Technical Assistance at YouthBuild USA and manages technical assistance and program improvement for a portfolio of 80 YouthBuild sites. Josh has an MBA from the Yale School of Management and over 12 years of experience in nonprofit management, fundraising, information technology and operations. He previously served in management positions at Teach For America and on staff at The Food Project for 5 years. Josh is currently the chair of the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network's national board and has served on The Food Project's board since 2004.
Karen Spiller (Lowell, MA) Karen’s work experience for the past nineteen years is in the areas of program development and training; resource and assessment; and counseling in the fields of health, labor, and education. Most recently, Karen was employed at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (BCBSMA) where she served as Project Manager for the “Jump Up and Go” program designed to combat childhood obesity. Prior to BCBSMA Karen was employed at the Harvard School of Public Health. She is very active in a variety of community and youth organizations and she currently serves on the boards of City Mission Society and Raising Children’s’ Voices. Professionally she is a member of the American Public Health Association (APHA), the Society of Public Health Education, the Massachusetts Public Health Association and the Massachusetts Partnership for Healthy Weight.
Danah Tench (Dorchester, MA) is a staff attorney with Environment Northeast (ENE), an energy and environmental policy and advocacy nonprofit working on climate change issues throughout New England. Prior to joining ENE, Danah was an Assistant Attorney General in the Environmental Protection Division of the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office. As Assistant Attorney General, Danah litigated cases under a variety of state and federal laws, and addressed issues relevant to wetlands protection, clean water, air pollution, oil and hazardous materials, asbestos and lead paint. Danah is also a 2006 New England Regional Fellow with the Environmental Leadership Program. Danah is also on the board of Alternatives for Community and Environment (ACE) based in Roxbury, and a former board member of the Greater Four Corners Action Coalition in Dorchester.
Our Board of Trustees meets four to six times per year.
The Food Project is always looking for talented people to join our Board of Trustees. In particular, individuals with finance, fundraising, legal, communications/media, social enterprise or agricultural background/ experience are being sought. If interested, please contact Board of Trustees Chair Jess Brooks.
