CT NOFA Board & Staff

The CT NOFA Board of Directors meets monthly to conduct business of the organization. CT NOFA members are always welcome to attend the meetings.

Board and staff at the 2010 Board Retreat
Left to right: Ron Capozzi, Chris Killheffer, Jane Maher, James Roby, Bettylou Sandy, Bernard Brennan,
Elizabeth Fleming, Kim Stoner, Marydale DeBor, John Turenne, Janet Heller, Bill Duesing

Board Members

James Roby, President

Elizabeth Fleming, Vice-President

Michelle Hartel, Treasurer

Chris Killheffer, Secretary

Janet Heller - A retired special education teacher, Janet is now an avid gardener and actively promoting sustainable living, environmental justice and local organic food, farming and landcare in her town (Manchester), in her UU church, and statewide.

Jane Maher

Ron Capozzi

Bettylou Sandy - Bettylou is the owner of Bettylou's Gardening in Manchester and a NOFA Accredited Organic Land Care Professional (AOLCP) focusing on Gardening Education.

Kim Stoner

Dr. Bernard Brennan (Behavioral Ecologist) is active in the Transition Movement (a hopeful and empowering vision of local sustainability and resilience in the face of peak oil, climate change, and economic meltdown), spearheading Greater New Haven's achievement of becoming the 30th official initiative in the US (http://www.transitionnewhaven.org/). He is a founding coordinator of a local currency (http://www.sharehaven.org/), sits on his town's Energy Use and Climate Change Commission, and works on national issues as an elected individual-membership-representative to the board of Green America (http://www.greenamericatoday.org/). An avid cyclist, he captains a yearly fundraising team riding from NYC to DC (http://www.climateride.org/). Bernard is a community gardener, farmers' market advocate, CSA core group member, farm volunteer, and Certified Master Gardener trainee. 

Marydale DeBor - Vice President, External Affairs, New Milford Hospital. Ms. DeBor joined the senior management team at New Milford Hospital five years ago and leads the community-based disease prevention programs that are central to the hospital’s mission as a community hospital.

A major initiative that Ms. DeBor coordinates is Plow to Plate ® (www.plowtoplate.org). Co-founded with Dr. Diane D’Isidori (pediatrician) and Chef Anne Gallagher in October, 2006, Plow to Plate is multi-faceted effort that engages as many individuals and organizations as possible in improving the health of residents of the NW corner of Connecticut. Leading the way, the hospital has exercised leadership by changing its dining services and working with the “fresh food” company Unidine. Coupled with the unique hospital dining serve, a host of community-based programs has distinguished Plow to Plate as national model: the initiative has been awarded the Northwest CT Conservation District’s Innovation in Sustainability Award; the Spirit of Planetree Award for Nutrition and Nurturing Aspects of Food and the Glynwood Center Harvest Award for Good Food for Health.

John Turenne - Founder and President of Sustainable Food Systems, was one of the lead innovators in sustainable food practices during the creation of the Yale Sustainable Food Project. Realizing the impact of food service decision-making on the world around us, John transformed a conservative university food service model, of which he has 25 years experience, to create a sustainable dining program through careful planning, teaching and development.

John continues as a leading innovator and consultant for bridging the gap between conventional and sustainable dining programs working with the Culinary Institute of America, Harvard Medical School, The New Hampshire Department of Education, Kaiser Permanente as well as several public hospital and school systems. Check out his Facebook page here.

Staff Members

left to right: Clara Buitrago, Ashley Kremser, Teresa Mucci, Deb Legge,
Marion Griswold, Bill Duesing and Carol Hannon (our much missed Accreditation Manager)

Bill Duesing, Executive Director - For over 35 years, organic farmer, author and environmental artist Bill Duesing has been working to promote organic agriculture and greater local food sufficiency in Connecticut and the Northeast through lectures, writings, media and community work.  He is currently the Executive Director of CT NOFA, the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Connecticut, and president of the NOFA Interstate Council.  He is author of Living on the Earth: Eclectic Essays for a Sustainable and Joyful Future.  He was founding president of CT NOFA and founding chair of the New Haven Ecology Project and its Common Ground High School, located on a farm in New Haven.

Deb Legge, Office Manager

Marion Griswold, Bookkeeper

Ashley Kremser, Organic Land Care Program Manager

Clara Buitrago, Organic Land Care Accreditation Manager

Teresa Mucci, Program Coordinator