Maine Farm & Sea to School Institute Planning Committee

Alida Peterson

Alida is the Food Systems Coordinator at Healthy Communities of the Capital Area and coordinates the Maine Farm & Sea to Institution Network.

A native Mainer, Alida returned to her home state of Maine in the summer of 2023 after several years working in the Vermont food system in various capacities— from farming and cooking, to working as a Local Food Access Coordinator where she managed hunger relief programs and worked with charitable organizations to increase their local food offerings. Prior to this work, Alida served with AmeriCorps as a Farm-to-School Coordinator, educating elementary students through cooking and gardening, encouraging them to build a deeper understanding of where our food comes from and its impact on our bodies, communities, and ecosystems. Alida recognizes the inseparable link between these metrics of sustainability and sees great potential for improvements in our food system to influence social, economic, and environmental justice in Maine. In her free time, Alida enjoys crafting of all kinds (sewing, ceramics, stained glass, printmaking) and spending time in nature.

Email: a.peterson@hccame.org

UMaine School of Food & Agriculture

Email: amelia.sullivan@maine.edu

Executive Director, Maine Agriculture in the Classroom

Willie Sawyer Grenier has served on the Maine Farm to School Network since inception. Her background as a farmer, teacher, Ag Educator, and leader in Agriculture in the Classroom program across the country, brings educational strategies and resources to the group. In 2017-18 she served as the National AITC President and in June 2018 MAITC hosted the National Conference in Portland, welcoming 426 educators from across the country with more than 50 Maine tour hosts and volunteers. Annually MAITC holds a Summer Teachers Institute with classroom and onsite Ag Professional Development for PK – 12 classroom teachers. Willie truly supports both Farm to School and School to Farm! She has two grown children that are both involved in the movement, and lives with her husband, Mike, in Albion.

Farm to School Area of Expertise: Agriculture Education

Email: maitca@maine.gov

Martha was the Food Service Director for the Falmouth School Department, overseeing three production kitchens providing healthy meal options to 2100 K-12 students. The nutrition program uses scratch cooking and local foods to the greatest extent possible. Martha was also the coordinator of Falmouth’s Farm-to-School program which roots the farm-to-school movement into Falmouth’s cafeterias, classrooms, and learning gardens. Martha fell in love with the Maine woods, lakes, and coast at the age of 16 and has made Maine her home ever since. She is a graduate of the University of Maine (BS in Botany) and Southern Maine Technical College (Assoc. Degree in Culinary Arts). Favorite foods are pie and barbecue.

Farm to School Area of Expertise: Local Procurement for School Nutrition Programs

Email: mpoliquin@falmouthschools.org

UMaine School of Food & Agriculture - Assistant Professor, Human Nutrition

Email: jade.mcnamara@maine.edu

FoodCorps Maine

Malia is the Team Leader with FoodCorps Maine, coordinating the state's cohort of ten service members. She previously served with FoodCorps for two years in Belfast, Maine at the Captain Albert Stevens School.

Email: malia.demers@foodcorps.org

Regional School Unit (RSU) 22 - School Nutrition Director

Kathy has been School Nutrition Director since 2014, with 19 years in food service administration at The University of Maine. She holds a B.S. degree in Nutrition. She is most passionate about providing excellent service and programming and implementating of healthy menu items including local foods.

Email: kkittridge@rsu22.us

Full Plates Full Potential

Anna was born and raised in rural Maine. She received her Masters in Public Policy at the Muskie School of Public Service at the University of Southern Maine where she focused her studies on poverty, food security, and education policy. She is passionate about supporting and strengthening School Nutrition programs across our state, and believes that they are critical to ensuring a bright future for Maine children. Prior to her work with Full Plates Full Potential, Anna worked as a server for 16 years. She lives in Portland with her partner Brian and 9 year old son Arlo, loves to be outside, and enjoys all things food related.

Email: akorsen@fullplates.org

Maine Department of Education Child Nutrition - Farm & Sea to School Coordinator

Email: katie.knowles@maine.gov

Full Plates Full Potential

Email: ktenney@fullplates.org

UMaine Cooperative Extension

Viña holds a Master’s degree in Environmental Education from Antioch University New England and a B.A. from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Viña was born and raised on Martha’s Vineyard where her father worked as a commercial fisherman and her mother in public education. She has happily transplanted roots to midcoast Maine where she lives with her husband, daughter and dog. If she’s not in her office the most likely place you can find her is in the garden where she enjoys growing food, especially garlic!

Farm to School Area of Expertise: School Gardens

Email: vina.lindley@maine.edu

FoodCorps Maine

After graduating from the University of Maine with a Bachelors of Music Performance, Ryan landed a job with the United States House of Representatives. He left the House to start his own commercial, micro-scale, diversified farm, which grew to become the largest year round CSA in Maine. While building his farm business, Ryan became interested and involved in food and agriculture policy, and has lobbied and written extensively about both. Prior to working with FoodCorps, Ryan worked with the Natural Resources Council of Maine to establish Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, and then wrote the book, literally, on school food waste reduction.

Farm to School Area of Expertise: Policy, School Gardens, School Food Waste Reduction

Email: ryan.parker@foodcorps.org

Maine Farm & Sea to Institution Network

Sarah is Food Systems Program Associate at Healthy Communities of the Capital Area (HCCA).

ReTreeUS

Email: richard@retreeus.org

The Ecology School at Riverbend Farm

Email: rich@theecologyschool.org

Executive Director, Healthy Communities of the Capital Area

Renee Page is the Executive Director for Healthy Communities of the Capital Area, a local public health organization that serves southern Kennebec County, where she oversees nutrition, obesity prevention, and access to local foods projects. Renee approaches farm to school work with a public health lens and sees it as a way to prevent chronic disease and improve health through increased access to fresh, local foods while helping local communities thrive.

She holds a Masters degree in Public Health and did her undergraduate work in Food Science and Human Nutrition and Business Management and Accounting.

Farm to School Area of Expertise: Procurement

Email: r.page@hccame.org

Let's Go! MaineHealth

Email: Sarah.A.Carter@mainehealth.org

Gulf of Maine Research Institute

Email: sscott@gmri.org

Full Plates Full Potential

Robin grew up in Freeport where her parents ran a bed and breakfast for nearly two decades. It was here that her foundation of sharing meals with others grew into a lifelong passion for using food as a connection to community and people. She left Maine to study and work as a classically-trained pastry chef, earning degrees from the Culinary Institute of America and Drexel University. Since returning to her home state in 2013, Robin has continued to work in food systems, trying everything from dairy farming to selling seafood, always with an interest in expanding her skills and palate. Robin has worked in jobs across the food service and farming sector, all with the goal of supporting markets for farmers and producers while keeping local, fresh food at the heart of the community. She is committed to reducing barriers to healthy food and making sure that everyone has equitable access to food that keeps our bodies and environment healthy.

Robin lives in the Midcoast area where she is slowly, seed by tiny seed, starting a goji berry farm. 

Email: rkerber@fullplates.org

Maine Dairy & Nutrition Council

Email: sarah@drinkmainemilk.org

Maine Dairy & Nutrition Council

Email:CATHERINE@DRINKMAINEMILK.ORG

Gulf of Maine Research Institute

Email: rlea@Gmri.org