Meet the NCGA Board and Staff

Board of Directors
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NCGA Board of Directors meets monthly and represents the interests of the membership in guiding the work of the staff. NCGA Board members and staff facilitate member working groups to develop specific areas of our operations and markets. Member participation in working groups is vital to the success of the organization! 

​Contact the board directly by emailing: [email protected]
Melanie Cunningham, Board President
Melanie is a partner at Shakefork Community Farm: a highly diversified, oxen-powered farm using regenerative practices to produce beef, chicken, eggs, turkey, strawberries and vegetables for the Humboldt foodshed. She has been farming in Humboldt County since 2004, a member of the NCGA since 2008 and a Board member since 2018.

Instagram: @shakeforkcommunityfarm 
Facebook: Shakefork Community Farm
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Lauren Ballard-Riley, Board Member
Growing up in the middle of monoculture farms and feedlots, Lauren was not interested in becoming a future farmer.  That was until she met her husband Ino, who grew up farming organically in Humboldt and has been a member of the NCGA since 2001.  And so together for the past 15 years, they have grown their farm and family.  Raising four boys and now a baby girl not only on a farm but alongside selling produce at the many farmers markets throughout Humboldt, has truly been a great blessing.  Getting to know the community through the abundance of farmers markets is akin to sharing meals with family.  That is why Lauren decided to accept a board position, to continue to foster the growth and access of ALL NCGA farmers markets, so farmers can continue to provide farm fresh produce to ALL walks of our amazing community.
Mike Egan, Board Member
​Mike operates Mycality Mushrooms, a farm located in Northern California that specializes in bringing fresh and dried cultivated mushrooms to local stores, markets and restaurants. He uses sustainable practices to grow all of their products.

Facebook: @mycalitymushrooms
​Chris Moore, Board Member
Chris operates Woody Ryno Farm in Dows Prarie. His farm raises quality pasture raised pork and chicken through planned rotational grazing that improves the health of the animal and land.

Facebook: @woodyrynofarms 
Instagram: @woodyrynofarms
Mike Connors, Board Member

Mike is passionate about great food and drink and knows it's vital to champion organizations striving for food sovereignty while also supporting local farmers and culinary artisans. He has been interested in food since college, where he managed a student eating club and has since gone on to work with a family winery and an artisan bakery. He also has a broad diversity of professional experiences, ranging from start-ups to the Fortune Global 500, and is currently the treasurer of the North Coast Co-op. Mike loves engaging with people, thrives in collaborative settings, and is eager to give back to the community he loves. -- [email protected]
Emma Zierer, Board Member

​​Emma is the daughter of Andi and Lisa Zierer of Flora Organica. They have been members of the NCGA since 1985 and Emma grew up on the farm and at the farmers market. She is our first second generation board member! She is also a flower farmer and florist with Buttermilk Floral as well as the baker behind the cottage food operation Rose Flour Bakery. She is passionate about supporting our local food system and working to provide greater access to fresh local produce.
​Frances Drachenberg, Board Member

Frances is a partner of Fern Mountain Eats, a pop-up burger stand where local sourcing is the central ethic, and is complemented with non-local organic ingredients to make delicious, from-scratch, poison-free food! Frances is passionate about the vitality of the Humboldt food system and has been a member of NCGA since 2023.

Staff
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Portia Bramble | Executive Director 
Portia oversees all NCGA markets, programs and staff. Contact Portia to talk about any NCGA business including our budget, rules, regulations and bylaws. Portia is the primary representative for NCGA on local, state and national policy issues. Portia is a Steering Committee Member of the California Alliance of Farmers' Markets and a member of the California Department of Food and Agriculture Certified Farmers' Market Advisory Committee. 
[email protected] 
​Laura Hughes
Director of Operations 
Laura has been with NCGA since 2010. She oversees NCGA's operations and market staff. She also manages NCGA's bookkeeping.
laura@northcoastgrowersassociation.org
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Megan Kenney
Harvest Hub Director
​As the director of Harvest Hub, Megan seeks to increase the access our community has to local food infrastructure like cold storage and distribution systems.  This includes the coordination of the Harvest Box program (a multi farm CSA style produce box), Farm-to-Freezer project (a freezer for use by NCGA members), and overseeing the operations of Harvest Hub.  She sits on the board of Humboldt Made and is the co-chair of the Food Access Working Group in the Humboldt COAD.  She is a registered and certified Trainer with the Produce Safety Alliance through Cornell University.  Megan is honored to have been awarded the Community Alliance with Family Farmers 2022 Farmers' Market Champion of the Year and is a graduate of the Food Systems Leadership Cohort and Leadership Redwood Coast in 2023.
[email protected] ​
​Ivy North | Agricultural Programs Director
Ivy has been with NCGA for over a decade. As the Ag Programs Director, Ivy partners with various offices, organizations and funding sources to develop localized training programs and connect critical services & funding opportunities to local small scale and socially disadvantaged farmers including the Climate Resilient Farmer Training Program. Partnering with the North Coast SBDC, Ivy provides a farm business program and farm business advising. In 2023 Ivy began partnering with HCRCD and NRCS to provide workshops, events, and outreach materials related to NRCS climate-smart agriculture programs to reach historically underserved farmers and is in the process of establishing the North Coast Land Match program. Ivy is the founder of the North Coast Agricultural Collaborative, is a voting member of the Humboldt Food Policy Council representing NCGA and is on the board for the Humboldt Permaculture Guild.
[email protected] ​
Katherine Nunes-Siciliani | Farmers' Market Coordinator
Katherine manages our Old Town and Henderson Center markets in Eureka, and assists with the behind the scenes of all nine NCGA farmers' markets, ensuring all our market managers have what they need. She is our point person for membership related questions, outreach, and assists our Communications Coordinator with NCGA marketing. She has been with NCGA since 2018. Contact her at [email protected].
Hailee Nolte | Harvest Hub Coordinator
​​Hailee oversees the Harvest Box program and assists with Harvest Hub operations. She runs the Harvest Box program, a multi-farm Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), that brings local produce right to your door. She also assists in distributing wholesale quantities of Humboldt grown produce for buyers such as schools, restaurants, food trucks, tribes, and organizations like Food for People. She is dedicated to ensuring that Humboldt County continues to prioritize fresh, locally grown food and the working landscapes that Humboldt’s farmers steward. She has found her perfect home at the Harvest Hub, where she can live in the heart of the redwoods, collaborate with local farmers and producers to help build a sustainable, thriving food system.


Outside of work, Hailee can often be found next to any body of water or on a nature walk with her trusty sidekick, Mr. Bleu. 

​[email protected]
Carly Ringenberg | Arcata Plaza Assistant Market Manager
​Carly began working with the North Coast Grower's Association in early 2023. Her passion for supporting local and sustainable food providers began when she worked in the culinary arts within central Ohio preparing dishes with locally sourced ingredients. As an assistant market manager, Carly is eager to help inform the public about how they can support their local food purveyors. When Carly is not at the market, she is busy getting her hands dirty making pottery and spending time with her family.
James Koch | Nutrition Outreach Coordinator & Friday Night Market Manager 
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James joined the NCGA team in 2022 and is excited to be assisting in community food sustainability. James is an avid gardener and enjoys all things outdoors! You can often find him kayaking Big Lagoon on sunny days. Originally from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, James has spent most of his adult career as a Sous chef for various restaurants and resorts along the East Coast before moving to the West Coast to explore and create in a new community. James and his partner, Charlene, also own a business they operate in Humboldt County, Fringe & Clay.​
Sheryl Cummines | Garberville and Miranda Market Manager
Sheryl started her journey with NCGA in 2019. She is an avid outdoors woman; from mushroom hunting to surfing, you’ll always find her outside. She is extremely excited to be apart of NCGA and continue her work with the Garberville and Miranda Farmers' Markets. 
[email protected]
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Isabelle LeMieux | Communications Coordinator
Isabelle joined the NCGA team in February of 2024. She is multi-passionate but her true love is all things food. She enjoys growing, cooking and eating with equal gusto. In her free time (when not doing one of those three activities) you can find her hiking or playing in the water. 
[email protected]
Victoria Cooper | Fortuna Market Manager
Victoria, also known as Tori, has hands-on agricultural experience, working directly with a local farm that provides nutrient-dense food to people all over Humboldt County. She spent her first season at the farm harvesting and attending farmers' markets as a vendor and the next season mostly in the pasture milking the cows and tending to the various animals. This season she will be back on the farm in addition to managing the Fortuna Farmers' Market, where she has already made several lasting connections with local farmers and their employees, as well as returning customers.
​[email protected]
Ruth Magee | Mckinleyville Market Manager
Ruth is passionate about sustainable agriculture. She is NCGA's McKinleyville Market Manager and serves as back-up manager for our other markets. In her spare time, Ruth enjoys tending to her bees, gardening, reading a good book, and spending time with her dog, Zara.
​Alfredo Calderon | Arcata Plaza Market Assistant Manager
Alfredo recently graduated Cal Poly Humboldt with a degree in physics (what a nerd). He loves tending to plants, farming, and gardening as well as helping out people in his community. He loves to cook because it creates the perfect environment for him to experiment with and develop flavors. He's very friendly and approachable, feel free to have a conversation with him.
Gwilym Walker | Conservation Planning Specialist
Gwilym Walker majored in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems from Green Mountain College in 2018 and since then has worked on various organic farms in New England and Humboldt County as a farmhand and farm owner. As NCGA's Conservation Planning Specialist, Gwilym is excited to help farmers practice environmental conservation and improve production systems. Gwilym is also an avid home gardener and printmaking artist and is always happy to talk about gardening, art, and anything nature related.
​Courtney Weseman | Arcata Plaza Market Manager
Courtney is the Market Manager for the Arcata Plaza Farmers' Market, where she combines over ten years of experience in alternative therapy and holistic nutrition to bring the community together. With a talent for Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), she has helped create personalized wellness plans that support individual health goals and boost community well-being. Passionate about making nutritious food accessible, Courtney loves building a fun, welcoming space for local producers and community members. In her free time, she enjoys making sourdough and delicious sourdough crackers, as well as exploring the great outdoors. She’s excited to help cultivate a healthier, happier community!
Karen Castro | Arcata Plaza and Fortuna Assistant Manager
Karen is a multitalented member of our team. You can find her at the Arcata Plaza and Fortuna markets, assisting with market management. Beyond her Saturday duties, Karen serves NCGA as a certified Spanish interpretation and translation consultant. Her passions include advocacy for public health through mindfulness, healthy eating practices, and movement. Outside of NCGA she has been a local interpreter/translator for over 15 years. She works with many organizations including hospitals, working with disabled adults, children at First 5 Humboldt, HCOE, & RCRC. She is a certified Yoga Teacher currently teaching at Vibes Yoga Studio and Healthsport in Arcata. She believes a healthy body plus a healthy mind equals a healthy, happy community, that we are what we eat, and that farmers are gold.
Lauren Picone | Agricultural Programs Coordinator
As the Agricultural Programs Coordinator, Lauren is excited to support all NCGA’s 
Ag programs, coordinate farmer and rancher trainings and workshops, and provide technical assistance and grant-writing services to local producers.  Lauren has years of experience managing programs for a non-profit, regenerative farm on the central coast and recently completed her MS degree from Cal Poly, SLO where she researched the long-term effects of regenerative practices on soil health.  Lauren is very passionate about supporting small-scale farmers and promoting sustainable farming practices. You can find Lauren rafting down a river, hiking deep in the redwoods, or exploring the coast. 
[email protected]
Ashley Vellis | Dockside Market Coordinator
Ashley is the Humboldt Dockside Market Coordinator - an open-air pop-up market for fishers located on Madaket Plaza in Old Town, Eureka. She focuses on supporting our fish vendors, managing the Dockside social media accounts, and operating our mobile fish processing station. Ashley brings her knowledge of the local fishing industry to the team. Her vision is to support the community's access to the local seafood and education by creating new pathways to engage with local fishers. Ashley and her husband Travis own Ashley's Seafood and the F/V Aguero. They have been members of NCGA since 2019 and have since sold their catch at many of our farmers market locations. 
[email protected]

Contact us

Phone: (707) 441-9999
Mail: NCGA, PO Box 4232, Arcata, CA 95518
Email: [email protected]
Visit Our Office at the Harvest Hub: 5720 West End Road, Arcata, CA 95521
Office hours vary. We welcome you to contact us in advance to schedule an appointment.