Speaker Bios for the 2012

I am a designer with more than a dozen years of experience behind me, heavily influenced by my background in public relations, marketing, and journalism. I use the skills I've gathered in those areas to enhance my design work so each piece communicates to its audience with captivating clarity.

A Maine native, I have chosen to live and work in Maine. Like many, I left and returned with a deeper appreciation for my home state, and for those who choose to make this state the home of their business or service. Working with small businesses and nonprofit organizations is a great passion, and I have had the good fortune to have worked with both in my private life and my career.

Prior to starting Monique Bouchard Design, www.mbouchard.com, I have been designing for the Maine nonprofit community as the graphic designer for BHC Consulting Group, LLC and Gary Friedmann & Associates (both firms specializing in fundraising and development for nonprofit organizations) designing web and print pieces for many organizations and working with the media to promote events.

It has been my great privilege to have worked in Down East Maine both for, and in collaboration with, the Washington Hancock Community Agency. As part of WHCA's resource development team (now Downeast Business Alliance), I have advised and assisted dozens of small business owners with graphic design, marketing plans and assessments, media kits and public relations strategies.

A member of the University of Maine Honors College, I'm proud to have graduated with highest honors from the University of Maine at Orono in Mass Communications, with course concentrations in advertising and children's media. My honors thesis was a production of radio drama for children.

If I look familiar, it may be that you've seen me on the stage of the Grand Theatre, Penobscot Theatre, Maine Masque Theatre, Orono Community Theatre or singing with the St. John's Chamber Choir, Leafy Greens & Mutton or singing with the sea-chantey and madrigal trio, Port o' Call (available for weddings, bar mitzvahs and parties of all kinds!)

In my spare time, I re-enact medieval times with the Society for Creative Anachronism (an international nonprofit organization dedicated to recreating the best the medieval times had to offer); and am proud to be the graphic designer for BangPop! a new organization bringing events from the pop culture fringe to the Bangor area. And last, but by no means least, I enjoy time with my husband and son!

Suzanne Briggs

Technical Assistance Project Manager

Suzanne grew up on a wheat farm outside Great Falls, Montana. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in Textile and Clothing from Iowa State University. She spent twenty years in the apparel industry in Oregon, including production management positions with Nike and Hanna Andersson; and acquired an MBA from Portland State University.

In 1997, her path led back to farming when she helped found the Hollywood Farmers' Market in her Portland, OR neighborhood. This community-based farmers market attracts 100 volunteers, 45 vendors, and more than 4,000 customers every week from May through October; and has become a model for many other neighborhood markets in the Portland metropolitan area.

Inspired by the success of the Hollywood Farmers' Market, Suzanne helped revive the Oregon Farmers' Market Association and served as its President from 2000 to 2005.  During her tenure, she secured funding and developed the OFMA website (www.oregonfarmersmarkets.org), encouraged the development of farmers markets throughout the state from a total of 35 in 2000 to over 70 markets in 2005, and helped organize the first four years of the annual Oregon Small Farm Direct Marketing Conference sponsored by Oregon State University Extension.

In 2001, Suzanne helped promote the creation of the City of Portland/Multnomah County Food Policy Council, and was appointed a founding member of the council and later became chair.  She then mentored the creation of Washington's Clark County Food System Council.

In 2004 Suzanne developed a model program to utilize wireless card service technology to accept SNAP Electronic Benefit Transfer cards in the Hollywood Farmers Market. Since, she created a Debit SNAP in Farmers Market workshop for Oregon markets.  She has now presented similar workshops in eight states across the country.

Suzanne is currently a consultant for Kaiser Permanente NW's Community Health Initiative promoting healthy eating and active living (HEAL) programs in the communities it serves. In this role, Suzanne works with regional HEAL grant recipients, supports Kaiser Permanente farmers markets, and works with state and national organizations on sustainable food related initiatives, including Farm to School and School and Garden legislation and Healthy Food in Health Care campaigns

Deb Burwell is a grassroots organizer at heart who runs a facilitation business specializing in strategic planning with non-profits and small businesses. She is also a co-facilitator of Paddling the Rapids, a strategic forum for executive directors of non-profits and their boards. Deb is committed to exploring power dynamics and how women use their voices in service of what they care most fiercely about.

Amy Carrington, a member of Maine Farmland Trust (MFT)’s Farm Viability team, has ten years of experience in food systems development. She supports MFT with its project planning, implementation, and evaluation. Ms. Carrington has worked on a diverse array of independently-owned New England farms and has experience in agricultural marketing, animal husbandry, vegetable production, small fruit production, and greenhouse management.

Prior to her work with MFT, Ms. Carrington served as the Project Director at Cultivating Community where she led the farmers’ market and refugee farmer training initiatives. Ms. Carrington has also served as the manager at the Lowell Farmers’ Market, worked with immigrant farmers at Tufts University, and conducted field research at UNH’s Agricultural Experiment Station. Ms. Carrington holds a B.S. in Environmental Conservation and Sustainable Agriculture from the University of New Hampshire and is Girl Scout USA Gold Award recipient.

While Dave currently leads MOFGA¹s Agricultural Services Program, he has worked with MOFGA in countless ways since 1985 when his family's New Leaf Farm in Durham first received organic certification. Dave joined MOFGA's Board of Directors the next year and served for 18 years, including terms as Board President and Vice President. Dave also has been a member of the Finance, Apprenticeship, Certification and Ag Services Committees.  New Leaf Farm is a celebrated source of organic vegetables, fruits and herbs for markets and restaurants in the greater Portland area. The Colson Family has hosted dozens of farm apprentices, many of who have gone on to start their own organic farm operations in Maine. Now, as a member of MOFGA's staff, Dave is scaling back farm production somewhat, providing leadership to an evolving Ag Services staff, and sharing his wealth of knowledge of organic farming in Maine.  Dave has a BA in Agriculture as well as over thirty years of on farm management experience.

Diane Eggert is the Executive Director of the Farmers' Market Federation of New York. Under her leadership, the organization has developed a variety of programs and services to support and advance the farmers' market industry in New York State, including a commercial general liability insurance program for markets and participating vendors, market manager training programs, new market development in partnership with community organizations, and market promotional programs. The Federation also partners with the NY State Department of Agriculture and the NY State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance to offer a statewide farmers' market wireless EBT program to allow New York's farmers markets and other non-traditional retailers access to the food stamp program.

Craig Freshley is Owner and President of Good Group Decisions in Brunswick. As a professional facilitator and trainer, he helps groups of all types - government agencies, non-profits, corporations - make good decisions. In this capacity he has worked with the Maine Department of Agriculture, Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, the Maine Sustainable Agriculture Society,local land trusts, and many Maine downtown revitalization groups. He also does volunteer training sessions for the Maine Association of Nonprofits. In the past Craig has researched public policy and sustainable community development, and directed the Maine Downtown Center. Craig is married with two daughters, keeps a few chickens, and lives in a cohousing community that strives to make decisions by consensus.

Jay Friedlander is the founder of the Sustainable Business Program and the inaugural Sharpe-McNally Chair of Green and Socially Responsible Business at College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine. The first climate neutral college in the U.S., College of the Atlantic has been cited by the Princeton Review, the Sustainable Endowment Institute, Fast Company, SmartPlanet and others as a leader in sustainability.

 As Chair of the program, Jay has developed a sustainable business curriculum demonstrating how social and environmental responsibility creates competitive advantage. To move students beyond the classroom, Jay created a sustainable enterprise incubator fostering growth of traditional and social ventures. This unique academic program has attracted the attention of Newsweek, as well as Ashoka, who selected College of the Atlantic as one of five U.S. Changemaker Campuses in 2009. 

 Prior to joining College of the Atlantic, Jay was the chief operating officer for O'Naturals, Inc., a natural and organic fast-food restaurant group. O'Naturals was founded by Gary Hirshberg, the CEO of Stonyfield Farm, and board members included Peter Roy, a former President of Whole Foods Market.

 Since opening its first store in 2001, O'Naturals has received numerous awards for sustainable business and has been recognized for its innovative approach by: The New York Times, The Chicago Tribune, Boston Globe, Time, Vogue and media in Europe and Japan.

 Jay was instrumental in all elements of the start-up, including fundraising, concept development, daily operations and expansion strategy. Under his leadership, O'Naturals developed a franchising relationship with the $19.5 billion Compass Group.

In addition to his start-up experience, Jay has worked with senior executives of Fortune 500 companies. As a strategy consultant he developed and implemented global brand experiences and customer-centered growth strategies for clients including Citigroup and other industry leaders.

 Jay has a wide range of work and life experiences.  He has served in the Peace Corps in Mauritania; written an ecotourism business plan for a college in Costa Rica; broke fundraising records for Rails-to-Trails Conservancy; counseled Native American students; and taught environmental education.

 Jay's honors include being a ceremonial speaker for the Yale and Goldman Sachs Foundation on Non-profit Ventures; presenting academic papers at International Human Ecology Conferences; serving as an adjunct professor in new venture creation at Babson College for over 8 years; and serving as a board member for Maine Businesses for Sustainability.

 Jay received his MBA from the F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business at Babson College, where he specialized in new venture creation and graduated Summa Cum Laude, Valedictorian of his class.  Jay earned his undergraduate degree in Sociology and Anthropology from Colgate University where he graduated with Honors.

 In addition to speaking English, Jay is conversant in Spanish, French and Hassiniya Arabic.

 Jay is an outdoor enthusiast and has spent time living and traveling throughout North America as well as Africa, South and Central America, and Europe. His son Max has recently joined Jay and his wife Ursula in their adventures.

Mark Guzzi owns and operates Peacemeal Farm in Dixmont Me. After apprenticing on farms for a few years he attended the University of Maine Sustainable Agriculture program. There he worked on the Black Bear Food Guild a student run CSA and market garden and got his start in Orono Farmers Market.

After graduation he and two friends moved to Peacemeal Farm where they started their own market gardening business. Mark now owns Peacemeal where he grows ten acres of mixed vegetables. The produce is marketed at farmers markets in Orono, Belfast, Camden and Waterville. Mark is currently the chair of the Orono Farmers Market.

Nada Haddad is the Agriculture Extension Educator with the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension in Rockingham County.

Nada develops and implements educational programs to assist fruit, vegetable, forage, livestock producers, greenhouse growers and schools.  Her program efforts have centered on improving food production system that yields affordable, good quality food and agricultural products without depleting or damaging natural resources, keeping a clean environment and providing a good livelihood for farmers and developing new marketing opportunities.   Nada is on the teaching team of the Agriculture and Natural Resources Business Institute.

In the last  10  years Nada critiqued more than 60 farmers' markets vendors display and farmstands helping growers better market their farm products.

Nada holds a Bachelor of Sciences in Plant Production and a Master of Sciences in Plant Pathology from the American University of Beirut, Lebanon.

John has 22 years experience working as a farmer advocate and resource contact for the Maine Department of Agriculture. Prior to that John spent a total of 12 years as a farmer and small fruit researcher, managing the 256 acre Highmoor fruit research farm for the University of Maine and Cornell's 20 acre grape research farm in Fredonia, New York. He currently manages grant programs in agricultural marketing and water source development and administers a low interest loan program for the department. He teaches a farm business planning class and advises farmers on bookkeeping and financial management. He is involved in ag marketing policy development and recently completed a major market report on Maine's local agricultural sector. John's passion is small fruits and has a degree in horticulture from Penn State and a master's from Cornell. In his spare time he runs a cranberry nursery/greenhouse business with his wife Deb, in Mount Vernon.

Gretchen Henn is a Program Director and Business Counselor with the Maine Women's Business Center at Coastal Enterprise, Inc. (CEI). Through the WBC, she provides general business counseling for a wide range of clients in diverse industries, with a strong focus on the use of information technology-based solutions to business problems such as marketing and financial management.  Before joining the WBC in November of 2007, she was an independent business consultant to small and growing organizations in the Portland area, specializing in funding strategies and financial management, and sat on the Maine Technology Institute's Information Technology Peer Review Board for several years.  In addition, Ms. Henn has 25 years of experience in corporate America, working as a project manager for UNUM and in a sales and technical support capacity at IBM in Portland and the Midwest. She has also been a small business owner, having started one of Portland's first bed and breakfast inns.  She holds a BS in Computer Science from Purdue University.  She has been using QuickBooks since 1996 and teaches a Basic QuickBooks lab several times a year as part of her work at CEI

Ned Porter is the Director of National and Regional Policy for Wholesome Wave. In that role, he works at the local, state and federal levels to make it easier for partners to improve the access to and affordability of fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables. He also collaborates with other organizations at the intersection of food and farm policy, and seeks to educate state and federal officials about policy reforms that would improve the food system for underserved communities and family farmers. Previously, Ned served for 10 years as Deputy Commissioner of the Maine Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources, the State’s lead agency dealing with all aspects of the food system, from the field to the table. He also worked on Capitol Hill for six years, handling agriculture and natural resource issues for a member of Congress who served on the Committee on Agriculture, and has a background in journalism with the Bangor Daily News.

Bonnie Rukin is a social change activist from Camden, Maine. She has worked as a teacher, organic farmer, lay homeopath and non-profit leader for several decades. Her values and community actions have focused on sustainability in organizations and their related missions in the areas of health, philanthropy, education, social justice, agriculture and the environment. Since January 2010 she has been the Coordinator of Slow Money Maine, happily finding a match for her skills, interests and life experiences in leading a diverse and inclusive network of over 300 people actively engaged in varied forms of investing in local sustainable food systems. 

Tanya Swain is executive director of the Western Mountains Alliance (WMA), a community and economic development organization located in Farmington, Maine. In her role with WMA, Tanya promotes growth in the agriculture sector through marketing and promotion and helping to connect farms with new resources, tools and consumers. Under her leadership at WMA, the organization launched one of the state’s first online farm markets and developed western Maine’s first annually updated guide to farms and farm stands. Tanya coordinates the Franklin County Ag Task Force and is a member of Farm Energy Partners and the Maine Farm to School Working Group. Prior to her position at the Alliance, Tanya worked as a regional coordinator for the Maine Community Foundation and has a background in public relations and journalism. She has an M.A. in Public Policy and Management from the University of Southern Maine and holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Washington in Seattle.

Gregory Warren is a Senior Agent for Farm Family Life & Casualty Insurance Companies. Farm Family specializes in agriculture-related insurance and serves the northeast from their corporate headquarters in Albany, New York. Greg's office, Warren Associates, is located at 60 Main Street in Bucksport, Maine.

Greg was raised in rural Delaware and graduated from Clemson University in 1980 with a degree in Agriculture Education. He taught high school agriculture before starting his insurance career with Farm Family in Delaware in 1988. An opportunity to take over the Waldo, Washington, & Hancock County service area brought Greg & his family to Maine in 1990.

Greg & his wife, Anne, live in Penobscot and have four children and three grandchildren. Anne has worked with Greg in their insurance business since it began in 1988 and is currently the office manager for Warren Associates.

Tracy Weber is a program coordinator with The Opportunity Alliance's Communities Putting Prevention to Work initiative.  She has spent the last year and a half working with farmers' markets in the Lakes Region and community partners across the state to support markets in implementing EBT programs.

The Director of MOFGA Certification Services, LLC Mary has been working for MOFGA as director of its Organic Certification Program, a separate LLC, since 2002.  MOFGA Certification Services LLC is USDA-accredited to certify crops, livestock, handling and wild crops to the National Organic Standards.  It does so with a staff of seven, a board of five, approximately 15 seasonal inspectors, and many volunteer advisors on committees.  Prior to moving to Maine, Mary pursued a variety of environmental activities including ecological restoration work in the NY-NJ metropolitan area, outreach within the Mohawk Community of Akwesasne on the NY-Canadian border, and rare plant conservation networking via the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis.  She has a BS in Natural Resource Management and a Doctorate in Ecology, both from Rutgers University.