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Saulo Araújo – (Vice Chair) (Boston, Mass.) 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.
Mark Barnett – (Jamaica Plain, Mass.) is the Vice President for Business Development and General Counsel of Sun Catalytix. Prior to joining the company, Mark co-founded and co-chaired the Energy Technology & Renewables practice at Foley Hoag LLP, helping to build it into one of the leading practices of its kind in the region. Previously, Mark served as Counsel to the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund, a quasi-public state agency supporting the development of clean energy technology. Mark has spent over 15 years in the energy and environmental technology sector building and advising business enterprises in various capacities. Mark received his J.D. from Yale Law School and B.A. from Yale University.
Eugene Benson (Chair) – (Arlington, Mass.) 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. He has been active in and led local and regional volunteer organizations. Gene received his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center, Washington, D.C.
Danny Chin – (Brookline, Mass.) is the father of three children, one of whom has participated in The Food Project’s youth programs, including the Summer Youth Program in 2010, the 2010-2011 Academic Year Program and, most recently, as an agricultural Intern in the Summer Internship Program in 2011. Danny grew up in the Boston area and attended Tufts University Medical School. He has volunteered along with his wife at various Food Project events. Currently, Danny is a primary care physician at Mass General Hospital in Boston. He has been serving a diverse population in his offices in Boston and Revere for over 25 years.
Rosemary Infante Costello – (Beverly, Mass.) is currently a stay-at-home parent and volunteer-at-large. Previously, she worked in community and economic development at the state and national levels. She was educated at Bryn Mawr College (B.A., the Growth and Structure of Cities) and the University of Pennsylvania (M.S., historic preservation). A volunteer with Beverly Main Streets, the North Shore United Way, the Glen Urquhart School, and the Essex County Community Foundation, she lives in Beverly with her family, and is a member of The Food Project's North Shore CSA.
Keely Curliss – (Cambridge, Mass.) is a senior at Cambridge Rindge and Latin High school. She began working at The Food Project in the summer of 2008. Keely balances participating in a modern dance company, playing soccer, babysitting, consulting for Gedakina, and serving as an Academic Intern for The Food Project. This is Keely's second year as a youth member of the Board of Trustees.
Hannah Sharpless Graff – (Swampscott, Mass.) 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.
Marcos Luna – (East Boston) is an Associate Professor of Geography at Salem State College. He specializes in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), environmental policy and history, and environmental justice. He is also a member of Alternatives for Community and Environment (ACE) and works with a variety of community organizations in the greater Boston area on issues related to environmental justice, urban history, public health, social equity, and climate change. He received his Ph.D. in Urban Affairs and Public Policy from the University of Delaware in 2007 and has been teaching in the Geography Department at Salem State College since 2004.
Eva Macdonald – (Boston, Mass.) was a student at Boston Latin Academy until this year when she decided to complete her senior year through a home-based education program called Clonlara School. She has been involved with The Food Project as a youth since the summer of 2009 and is currently a part of the Academic Internship Program. Through her time with TFP, she has focused her interest in helping the wider community on promoting a sustainable food system as well as discussing the social barriers that currently exist. Eva is in her second year as a youth member of The Food Project Board of Trustees and has recently joined the Boston Collaborative for Food and Fitness Youth Advisory Board.
Gordon MacFarland – (Arlington, Mass.) serves as Chief Operating Officer at the Ceres organization. He oversees all aspects of operations including finance, information technology, and human resources. Gordon is a certified public accountant with over 15 years of experience with international accounting firms and his own practice. Gordon also was executive director of the Vermont Economic Progress Council and held management roles with the Vermont Institute of Natural Science and the SmartWood Program of the Rainforest Alliance. Most recently, he served as CFO for two renewable energy companies. Gordon has a MPA in environmental policy from the University of Washington, a Masters in accounting from Colorado State University, and a B.A. from Miami University (Ohio).
Philip Nguyen – (Dorchester, Mass.) attends the Boston Latin School. Phil plays football and has been involved with The Food Project since the summer of 2009. Currently, Phil is an Academic Intern at The Food Project and this is his first year serving as a youth member of the Board of Trustees.
Christopher Powell – (Maynard, Mass.) currently works in sales for Dancing Deer Baking Company, a socially responsible for-profit business based in Boston. Chris has worked in the food and beverage industry for the majority of his career, and is interested in understanding what we eat and how it gets on our table. Chris is also a board member of The Osprey Foundation, a family foundation that strives to empower individuals and communities through education, health, economic opportunity, and human rights in a sustainable way. It is through his work with The Osprey Foundation that Chris first encountered The Food Project in 2009, and has been involved with the organization in various ways since that time. Chris graduated from The University of Richmond in 2005 with B.A. in political science.
Dominique Powell – (Dorchester, Mass.) was born and raised in Boston. Dominique is a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps and currently serves in the U.S. Air Force. A recent just graduate of the University of Massachusetts at Boston with a degree in Political Science, she plans to pursue a Master's Degree in government and/or international relations. Ms. Powell is a native of Boston and worked as a youth member of The Food Project while in high school.
Sharon Reilly – (Boston, Mass.) became executive director of The Women's Lunch Place in July 2007. She was hired by the board of directors to lead the Women's Lunch Place to its next level of maturity as an organization. Sharon is leading the organization's effort to implement a three-year strategic plan, including a comprehensive evaluation system to measure the impact of the organization's services in the lives of women who are poor and homeless. She is also raising the Women's Lunch Place's profile among target constituencies in an effort to diversify and expand the organization's base of support. Prior to joining The Women's Lunch Place, Sharon was the Director of Community Relations at The Food Project where she was responsible for the organization's public policy initiatives and leveraging relationships to build brand awareness in the Boston market. A native Mississippian, Sharon has a passion for social justice issues. She grew up on a sharecropper's farm during the 1950s and 1960s and she understands the plight of poor people and the devastating effects of poverty.
C. Dylan Sanders (Treasurer) – (Milton, Mass.) 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.
Danah Tench (Clerk) – (Dorchester, Mass.) 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.
Lenore Gessner Travis – (Lincoln, Mass.) has spent most of her adult life involved in the production of live entertainment and community building events. Her professional and volunteer lives have allowed her to be able to support wonderful organizations that work with children, community, traditions and farming. She has spent many years with, among others, Revels, Inc., Codman Community Farms, The Farm School, and Shady Hill School.
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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 Gene Benson or send a message to info@thefoodproject.org.
