Bonnie is CFAC’s co-founder and Executive Director. She has over 20 years experience with food security and hunger reduction issues as Program Operations Manager of Missoula Food Bank and Director of Women’s Opportunity & Resource Development.
Throughout CFAC’s history, she has held primary responsibility for facilitating CFAC, ensuring that the work of the organization moves forward, and carrying out the fiscal and administrative oversight. Bonnie served on the steering committee of the original Community Food Assessment (2002-2004). She organized subsequent community meetings leading to the formation of CFAC in 2005 and worked to get a joint resolution passed by the City and County government sanctioning the formation of CFAC, as well as funding to start the coalition.
She has led CFAC through its strategic growth and the creation of new programs and initiatives since its inception. Bonnie initiated the Farmers Market EBT Food Stamp program in Missoula and actively participates in several state-wide coalitions associated with food security and non-profit organization and collaboration. A social worker by training, Bonnie has considerable experience with community development, strategic planning, Community-based Participatory Research, and group facilitation. She received her Masters of Social Work from the University of Montana in 2007.
Jenny serves as our Communications and Development Director. She is here to tell the story of CFAC, analyze the impact of our work past, present and future, and connect CFAC with our community of supporters in new and exciting ways.
Jenny comes from a background in leadership, development and fundraising, communication and outreach, financial and strategic planning in both the non-profit conservation sector and for-profit corporate world. Most recently, she was the Executive Director at Five Valleys Land Trust and before that, Development and Outreach Director at the Jeannette Rankin Peace Center. She has an M.B.A. in Green Business and Non-Profit Management from Antioch University of New England.
Jenny has a long history of living and working in local agriculture. She grew up on a dairy farm in Western New York where her father leased conserved agricultural lands for his dairy operation. She went on to work at a community vegetable farm during graduate school, was a Board member of a county food pantry and hot meals program, The Community Kitchen, in Keene, New Hampshire and worked to protect farmland in New England as Development Director for the Monadnock Conservancy, a local land trust, serving 35 towns in Southwest NH.
In her free time, she loves to garden, hike, bike, fish, and kayak with her two pups, Lily and Andy, and her partner Billy. She is known for her campsite huckleberry pancakes, love of weeding, and dedication to multiple community causes.
Mary serves as the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Program Manager at CFAC. Mary oversees all aspects of the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Program, including managing the Farm Link Montana site, providing one-on-one technical assistance to beginning farmers, and organizing and leading classes and workshops across the state.
Her work in food systems first began when she helped revitalize student gardens and a compost system on her college campus. This experience motivated her to move West after graduation to work on a small farm in the mountains of Washington. She then spent two years serving with AmeriCorps and FoodCorps managing small high school farms in Oregon and helping farmers sell their produce to local schools, while also working part time on a local organic farm.
Interest in deepening her knowledge of sustainable farming and food systems brought Mary to the University of Montana, where she graduated with her master’s in Environmental Studies. Her master’s research focused on programs that help producers conserve wild spaces and species, while also growing food for their communities. She is excited to bring her 8 years of experience with farming and education to CFAC and looks forward to supporting local farmers through CFAC’s new and established programs.
Ian’s work at CFAC focuses on both the Beginning Farmer and Rancher (BFR) and Food Access (FA) programs. For the BFR program, Ian supports the planning, delivery, and evaluation of BFR events and Farm Link Montana services. On the Food Access side, Ian assists regional farmer’s markets and retail stores with implementing the Double SNAP Dollars (DSD) program, which provides a dollar for dollar match for SNAP participants when purchasing locally-grown fresh fruits and vegetables.
Ian has worked to increase the sustainability and equity of Montana’s food system since moving to Missoula in 2006. After graduating from the Environmental Studies program at the University of Montana, Ian worked on farms across the northwest before directing the UM Farm to College Program, an agricultural economic development initiative building local food supply chains and educational gardens. Ian then worked as the chef at Buttercup Market & Cafe, building his knowledge of kitchen processes necessary to work with local farms. He is dedicated to using his skills from farm to table to build a better food system with CFAC.
Ellie serves as the Operations & Finance Director at CFAC and there is nothing that gets her more riled up than thinking about community health and agriculture. Her passion for CFAC’s programs in food access and sustainable farm systems brought her to the team as staff in 2022. Yet, her story with CFAC began long before that when in 2013 she assisted the push for state legislative advocacy efforts to protect farmland.
Since 2011, Ellie has spent her warm seasons growing produce with small-scale sustainable farms from the Bitterroot northward through the Mission valleys. Exploring how to create resilient food systems, she received her M.S. from the University of Montana in Environmental Studies with a focus on sustainable food systems. Now growing produce for her own farm business Black Bear Soups & Produce, Ellie can be spotted slinging a ladle or selling decorated garlic at events around Missoula.
Most recently, Ellie was the Tasting Room Manager & Bookkeeper for Western Cider, but her career spans a wide range. She has worked in trail maintenance, agriculture, arts centers, tool libraries, yoga studios, environmental NGOs, and craft beverage businesses. She’s been employed by most of her favorite nonprofits in Missoula, and is glad to continue the trend at CFAC.
Born and raised in Western Washington, Claire grew up hiking through cedar forests, baking blackberry pies, and gaining an appreciation for her natural environment. She moved to Missoula in 2013 to study resource conservation at the University of Montana and has been here ever since. After graduating, Claire worked in numerous positions with nonprofits across the state serving in environmental education, community outreach, event planning, and operations roles which solidified her passion for public service.
Food has always been an important part of Claire’s life and she took a few years to explore a career as a baker, but the pandemic spurred her to return to school to obtain an M.P.A. with a focus on nonprofits. In her free time, you can find her frolicking in the mountains, binging a crafting project, or cozying up for a movie with her partner, Jory, and their cat, Twig Newton.
Andrea oversees the Western Spoke of our Double SNAP Dollars (DSD) program, alongside two other spoke coordinators in the Northwestern and Central/Eastern regions of Montana. She’ll also work on training and onboarding new and existing DSD sites, in addition to providing support through technical assistance, communications, and marketing strategies and materials. Andrea is committed to support DSD project partners in effectively implementing the program in various communities and to improve access to local produce for Montanans.
Andrea earned a Master’s in Health and Human Development from MSU in Bozeman, and successfully completed MSU’s Sustainable Food Systems-focused Dietetic Internship from 2016-2017, where she traveled throughout West/Southwest Montana for 10 months working in the clinical, community, and food services domains of dietetics. Andrea relocated to the Flathead Valley shortly after she became a registered dietitian (RDN) and began working for the Flathead County WIC program, where she provided nutrition education, referrals to community services, and breastfeeding support to low-income families and new mothers.
Britta serves as a Beginning Farmer and Rancher Manager, overseeing the Certified Farm Startup Program and developing events and workshops, offering technical assistance, and providing website management.
Her love of farming was nurtured at a young age growing up in rural Western Washington on S’Klallam and Chimakum land. She learned about the joy of growing and eating fresh produce and eggs and carried this love of land and food with her. During her undergraduate degree, Britta became involved in Food Justice advocacy, working for community gardens and food access centers in Ohio and Oregon. Following the completion of her degree, she began farming full-time. She has worked on farms ranging from large-scale full production organic to .5 acre homesteads across three states. Most recently, she worked as the Farm Manager for County Rail Farm and Field Five Flowers in Huson, MT. Britta found her way to Western Montana to pursue her MS in Environmental Studies from the University of Montana, focusing on Sustainable Food and Farming. She is elated to be weaving her six years of farming experience with her passion for new and beginning farmer advocacy and building resources and support for farmers and ranchers in Montana.
After working in bakeries and restaurants across the country, and owning a small batch sourdough bakery of his own, James found his way to CFAC to provide technical assistance supporting CFAC’s Beginning Farmer & Rancher and Food Access programs.
He is passionate about food justice and access, and works to empower communities to make affordable, nutritious, and sustainable decisions about what’s for dinner. After tinkering in the kitchen for so long, James is excited to get to work supporting market vendors, food producers, and SNAP beneficiaries across the state of Montana.
Originally from Indiana, James moved to Missoula to be closer to the enviable bikepacking, mountaineering, and huckleberry picking that Montana has to offer. In his free time, you’ll likely find James on his bike, in the kitchen, or petting someone else’s dog.
Bridget is an AmeriCorps VISTA who joined the CFAC team as a Double SNAP Dollar (DSD) Special project assistant. She works closely with Ian and Aly to help increase food access and SNAP programs within Montana communities, as well as assisting with DSD communications and marketing. She will also work with the Beginning Farmer Rancher Team (BFR) to help plan and organize Farmer Field Days as well as Beginning Farmer Rancher Workshops.
Bridget received her bachelor’s degree in Nutrition and Dietetics from the College of Saint Benedict in St. Joseph, Minnesota. She became passionate about nutrition early on because food impacts all aspects of life and plays a prominent role in individual and community health. During a study abroad semester in South Africa, her interest in food access and community nutrition grew as she volunteered in the kitchen unit and community garden. Her interest heightened during her non-profit internship with Open Arms of Minnesota, where she helped prepare and deliver medically tailored meals to clients living with chronic illnesses around the Twin Cities. Witnessing firsthand how food functions as medicine drove her to learn more about sustainable practices. She has since worked on an organic farm and various community gardens. Wanting to pursue a career that incorporates non-profits and addressing food insecurity within communities, she found her way to CFAC as an AmeriCorps VISTA!
Community Food & Agriculture Coalition
Increasing the production and consumption of Montana-grown foods, so that everyone has local food, farmers are successful, and farmland is in active production.