BOARD PRESIDENT

Sara has been engaged in the local food system through gardening, farming, and coalition-building. Her interests pertain to the nexus of food and social justice, along with cultivating resilience through sharing food, supporting growers, and connecting people to one another and the land. With her background in applied sociology, environmental research, and extensive experience in agriculture and nonprofit work, Sara is uniquely equipped to make a significant impact in our local food system. She currently works at the Double Up Food Bucks Specialist at Pinnacle Prevention.

BOARD VICE PRESIDENT

Ryan moved to Flagstaff in 2012. He went to NAU for their ENV program where he learned that the level of gridlock in Bureaucracy requires a bottom-up approach when it comes to developing food systems. He joined Foodlink in 2022 because he believes it’s important to build a strong food system by educating the community through workshops that also complete a task simultaneously. He is well integrated into the community by working at Flagstaff Junior Academy as the garden educator and as a Farm Assistant at Forestdale Farm.

BOARD TREASURER

Born and raised in the farmland of rural Pennsylvania I grew up surrounded by small Pennsylvania Dutch family farms and was inspired by organic growing practices of the nearby Rodale Institute. My youth was filled with the pleasures of gardening and a love of playing in the dirt. Though that youthful passion was put on hold while spending an enormous chunk of my adult life working as a river guide in the Grand Canyon, after my daughter, Willa, was born in 1995 and full-time guiding was no longer an option I began to start dabbling with gardening once again. Following the road of return to my youthful passion has brought me back full circle to a life invested in community gardening.

BOARD SECRETARY

Alexis has been in Flagstaff since 2019. She went to NAU and gained her degree in Public Humanities (B.A) with a minor in Public Administration as well as a certificate in Nonprofit and Social Enterprises. In her time in Flagstaff she has worked with many nonprofit and other organizations including: TerraBIRDS, Martin Springer Institute, Hozhoni Foundation, Tynkertopia, Coconino Master Gardener Association and Flagstaff Family Food Center. Her passions for the food system led her to working at Forestdale Farm in town where she is the manger of the day-to-day operations there. 

BOARD MEMBER

Originally from Minnesota, Zenya has lived around different corners of the country before coming to Arizona. She received a dual degree from Eckerd College in Environmental Studies (B.A.) and Anthropology (B.A.), with a minor in Sustainability. Zenya then came to Flagstaff to attend Northern Arizona University, where she earned her Master’s degree in the Sustainable Communities Program (M.A.) in 2024. Her thesis focused on food justice, food access, and food assistance programs in Northern Arizona. She currently works as the Programs Coordinator at the Flagstaff Family Food Center. Zenya is a passionate advocate for equitable and sustainable food systems, committed to impact-oriented work.

BOARD MEMBER

Meg grew up in Flagstaff and graduated from Northern Arizona University with dual majors in Biology (B.S.) and Psychology (B.A.) with a minor in chemistry. Meg is the Founder and Market Manager for the Flagstaff Mountain-Town Market. While at NAU, she worked in a stream ecology lab as well as for cellular and molecular biology lab doing research funded by The Partnership for Native American Cancer Prevention. Since graduating, she has held many interesting jobs including positions at Hopi Tutskwa Permaculture Institute, the Flagstaff Medical Center, the Museum of Northern Arizona, and Kinlani Bordertown Dormitory. She has many passions including sustainability, community investment, environmental stewardship, art, education, and gardening.

BOARD MEMBER

Rachel was born and raised in Flagstaff, on her family ranch in the watershed of the peaks, Nuva'tukya'ovi. She spent several years living in Tucson, where she gained experience with school and community gardens and earned her BA in Geography with a minor in Gender and Women’s studies. In 2021, she moved back to town and began working on her graduate degree at Prescott College, pursuing a dual MBA and MS in Food Systems, working with local environmental education nonprofit Terra BIRDS. She also moonlights at local herb store Winter Sun, and is working towards her dream of turning the family ranch into an educational farm and community center.

COLTON GARDEN MANAGER

Sam hails from the PNW and grew up romping around his mother's garden, picking peas and tomatoes straight off the vine.  He graduated with a degree in Environmental Studies from Allegheny College, before embarking on a career with the USFS, which lead him to Flagstaff.  While he left the forest service, he still calls Flagstaff home and loves to promote community, sustainability and education through Colton Garden. For questions about the Colton Community Garden, contact Sam at coltongarden@flagstafffoodlink.com