Board of Directors

Laura Robinson,
President

Laura has a Masters in Public Health, a background in qualitative research, and is a certified holistic health and wellness coach. Laura recently co-founded a small organic veggie farm in North Yarmouth (Riverside Farm), and through her public health lens, she is also starting a baby food company, uniting her passions to help moms and families live their healthiest lives.

Anna Franceschetti,
Secretary

After graduating from Bates College in 2018, Anna joined the Council's staff as the first Food Fuels Learning Americorps VISTA building food security in Portland Public Schools. She now works at Talbot Elementary School in Portland as the Garden Specialist, teaching students about growing food, nutrition, food systems and more. Anna also coaches nordic ski.

Kathryn Sargent

Kathryn is executive director of the Locker Project, a Portland-based nonprofit that operates school-based take-home food programs in partnership with Good Shepherd Food Bank. Kathryn has worked as an academic editor for more than 25.
She holds a B.A. in economics and religion from Bowdoin College, an M.A. in ethics from the University of Virginia, and a graduate certificate in applied research and evaluation methods from the Muskie School of Public Service, University of Southern Maine.

Richard Rudolph,
Vice President

Richard is a retired organic farmer, activist, teacher, board member of the Green Energy Consumer Alliance in Boston and Providence, and chairman of the Green Energy Committee. He has a Ph.D. in history from the University of Connecticut, is a pro-bono consultant, has published numerous articles, and hosts a half-hour public affairs program “Community Voices for Change” at WMPG.

Judy Gatchell

Judy is a registered dietitian with a background in Public Health Nutrition. She has worked with local communities to support healthy behaviors to promote health among populations at risk for chronic disease. Judy served as Nutrition Education and Training Coordinator for the School Nutrition Program at the Maine Department of Education and in that capacity worked with schools to develop and offer training and grant funds to strengthen local school nutrition staff.

Laura Rigby

Laura is the Director of Operations and Research at a technology startup (Reconnect, focused on reducing recidivism and addiction). She has an MBA from Dartmouth and Masters of Education from Pace University. She's worked with businesses and non-profits of all sizes in a variety of functions: finance, strategy, operations, marketing, and programming. She is passionate about community development and social justice.

Amy Carrington,
Treasurer

Amy Carrington is the Internship Coordinator and Program Specialist for USM’s Food Studies Program. She is an advocate, community organizer, avid gardener, and farmer. She has extensive experience supporting new American farmers and believes in the value of intercultural knowledge. She enjoys raising her own small herd of Nubian and Nigerian and is a recipient of the Girl Scout Gold Award.

Winslow Robinson, Ph.D.

Winslow is a behavioral designer / design researcher, specializing in the science of habit formation in design for social good. He is involved in state-level advocacy through the Southern Maine chapter of the National Young Farmers Coalition. With his partner, Winslow recently founded Riverside Farm using organic low/no-till practices with heavy emphasis on hand tools, mixed veggie production, and a small apiary.

Dawud Ummah

Dawud Ummah has been farming in Maine since he bought his first farm in Litchfield in the early 1990s. He is a veteran of the first Gulf War. He served as US Air Force Aerospace Medical Technician & Deployment Specialist for 10 years. He bought the farm he currently owns in Turner in 2018. As President and Executive Director of the Center for African Heritage, he founded an organization that connected community members to their agricultural roots.