Current Board Members

John works as a Membership Outreach Coordinator with the Minnesota Farmers Union and owns and operates Fairhaven Farm just north of Duluth. In his role at MFU John recruits new members and supports existing county chapters in Northern Minnesota as well as the Metro area. On his farm John raises starter plants for home gardeners, grows vegetables and flowers for direct sales, and shepherds a flock of Icelandic sheep. Fairhaven Farm also offers educational workshops and hosts seasonal pizza nights where the farm crew serves up wood-fired pizzas using ingredients grown on-site or from other local producers. John is also an Accredited Professional with the Savory Institute and is passionate about teaching Holistic Management and Holistic Planned Grazing. Besides farming, John loves playing bluegrass music and paddling in the Boundary Waters with his wife, Emily. 
 

Co-owns and operates Chisholm Trail Farm with her husband, Mike, and son, Alex, near Gary, Minnesota. Established in 1900, the farm spans five generations and uses regenerative practices to grow ancient, heritage, and modern grains, non-gmo soybeans, non-gmo corn, buckwheat, and millet. Brenda leads the farm’s value added business, bringing stone milled flour and grain products directly to consumers. She is passionate about soil health, strengthening local food systems, and helping people connect with the farmers who grow their food. Brenda and Mike also have two daughters, Savannah, a nurse and soon to be daycare provider, and Morgan is graduating from NDSU in December with a degree in Accounting and an internship with Eide Bailey in Fargo, ND. I enjoy reading, spending time with our children, and doing day trips with Mike. 
 

Paul has been an advocate for sustainable farming since his college days.  He owns Northern Light Farm in Jones Township west of Bemidji, where he has been farming with organic techniques since 2000.  The farm produces grass fed and finished Highland beef, produce, honey and eggs.  The farm ran a CSA for 20 years, and now sells at the Bemidji Natural Choice Farmers market.
 

Senior cross-sector leader with 15+ years advancing complex, matrixed institutions through coordinated external engagement, strategic partnerships, and advisory-board stewardship. Progressive executive experience as Managing Director, Chief of Staff, and Managing Director – Community Stewardship inside a University of Minnesota–affiliated institute, followed by leadership of an independent advisory practice serving higher-education, philanthropic, corporate, and community partners. Track record of building new capabilities from the ground up — including school-wide partnership frameworks, advisory-board engagement protocols, onboarding pathways, and measurement systems — that amplify distributed relationships rather than centralizing them. Translates institutional priorities into compelling, reciprocal opportunities for alumni, corporate, civic, and community partners, and earns trust with faculty, executives, and boards through disciplined follow-through and visible value creation. 
 

Marjorie is the Education & Outreach Lead for Green Lands Blue Waters (GLBW), a University of Minnesota-based organization that supports the transition to continuous living cover on working lands in the Upper Mississippi River Basin. Marjorie works across multiple GLBW projects to coordinate partners, develop educational materials and build outreach strategies to a wide variety of GLBW stakeholders. She has a BA in Sustainable Agriculture from Kenyon College and a MS from the University of Minnesota in Applied Plant Science.  She has over 25 years of experience in sustainable agriculture across many fields including farmers markets, retail food cooperatives, education and applied research.  In her free time, Marjorie enjoys paddling and camping in the Boundary Waters with her family, gardening, cooking and managing a small herd of goats.
 

Jake is a faculty member in the Dept. of Agronomy and Plant Genetics at the University of Minnesota. He leads a field research program focused on improving agricultural sustainability through crop diversification and perennialization. He also teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in agriculture. Jake is an avid fly angler, enjoys at least two canoe trips to the BWCA every year with his wife Jen, and stumbles around on skate skis during the winter. 

Ryan has focused on the intersection of food and community economic development for over 25 years as a farmer, educator, and business operator. Ryan co-manages Manna Food Co-op, a retail food co-op, in Detroit Lakes with his wife, Maree. Ryan also operates a commercial vegetable operation, Lida Farm, near Pelican Rapids. Focused on growing quality produce without chemicals, Ryan direct markets his produce via multiple farmers markets, a farm stand at the end his driveway, and thru Manna Food Co-op. Ryan has three kids. Sylvia and Willem attend U of M Morris and Graham is a junior at Pelican Rapids High School. Ryan has no hobbies :)
 

Lukas is a student at the University of Minnesota studying Political Science. This summer he interned at Doubting Thomas Farms through Renewing the Countryside, a non-profit focused on sustainable rural development and empowering farmers. As an intern, he had a firsthand view of sustainable agriculture, and gained an understanding of the unique challenges that sustainable agriculture presents. Lukas is excited to put this knowledge to use as a student representative on the MISA Board. Through his study of and interest in government and policy, Lukas hopes to bring a unique student perspective to MISA. Outside of school, Lukas enjoys spending time in the outdoors backpacking, mountain biking, and camping. 

Laura works as the Government Relations Director at the Land Stewardship Project, a grassroots member-led nonprofit working to create a more just and sustainable farm and food system through policy and programmatic work. Laura has worked on state and federal policy the last 6 years to support increased local food purchasing, land access for beginning and emerging farmers, and soil health programs and climate resiliency. She is a co-coordinator of the MinneAg Network, which connects community-rooted farm and food systems organizations to champion nonpartisan policy solutions at the legislature that nourish people and the planet and is also a member of the Minnesota Environmental Partnership board of directors. She is a graduate of the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, with degrees in Urban Studies and Public Relations and lives in Northeast, Minneapolis. When not in St. Paul at the Capitol or out on farms, you can find Laura hiking, camping on the northshore, cooking, gardening, and playing with her springer spaniel, Sesame.
 

I support MISA, NERSDP, and central RSDP administrators. I handle the support needs and meeting arrangements for seven leadership members  and assist with communications and evaluation work. I started with Extension in 2007 in the Cloquet Regional Office and when I took on a larger role with RSDP taking on statewide staff I moved to an office at UMD. I live in Carlton and am a recent widow. I have two sons: Ben is in the Air Force currently stationed in Omaha (first time in 12 years he’s been stationed on the same land mass and in the same time zone) and Nick who is currently an Ironworker living in Superior. I have 2 fur babies: Izzy (husky mix) and Annie (long-haired calico). I enjoy working with MISA and Partnerships and the amazing group of coworkers we have! The variety of work we do and the good it brings to greater Minnesota and the fabulous outreach we provide for the University is outstanding.
 

Madeline is the Fruit Crop Extension Educator for the University of Minnesota. In her role, she supports a wide range of fruit growers across Minnesota, focusing on both new and established growers. Her work emphasizes supporting fruit growers adopt sustainable production practices, which has led to her broader interest in sustainable agriculture. Through her work, Madeline also hopes to help growers have the tools needed to transition to organic agriculture and serves on the Organic Fruit Growers Association (OFGA) board. Each fruit crop has their own unique needs and culture, and through her work, Madeline hopes to leverage the effort it takes to understand the basics of caring for fruit crops, so growers can more easily adopt best practices. 
 

Molly serves as the Interim Associate Director for MISA. Previously, she served as Executive Director of the University of Minnesota Extension’s Central Regional Sustainable Development Partnership, a role she held since 2012. In this capacity, she led collaborative, community-driven initiatives that connect local expertise with University resources to advance sustainability. She holds a master’s degree from the University of Minnesota Duluth, where her research focused on advancing equitable access to local food systems for underrepresented communities. Outside of work, Molly enjoys spending time with her husband (Matt) and two sons (Liam and Maury) at their family farm, exploring ways to improve soil health through rotational grazing and agroforestry.
 

MISA Executive Director and RSDP statewide director, offices on St. Paul campus and in rural Big Stone County.  Provides support and oversight to the five RSDP (NE, SW, SE, SW and Central) regions, liaison to Extension administration and Deans Leadership Council, oversees RSDP administrative functions like financial, communications, evaluation and HR, oversight of statewide CERTs, and represents the Partnerships on and off campus.  Kathy and her husband (Mike Jorgenson) have three kids, Alma (Rural Mental Health clinical counselor), Jens, a nurse in Fargo, and Lake, a hydraulics buyer for Superior Industries in Morris, MN.  We have a family farm in Big Stone County, producing grass fed beef, and wind power. I enjoy jigsaw puzzles (I have a Liberty Puzzles lending library, let me know if you are interested!!) on winter days, and love flying kites (I recommend the Prism Stowaway Parafoil and my new favorite, the Bora 7).