Meet the 2021 Board

NCGA Board of Directors meets monthly at our offices in Arcata or on Zoom. The board 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: board@northcoastgrowersassociation.org

Lauren Ballard-Riley, Board Member
Growing up in the middle of monoculture farms and feedlots, I was not interested in becoming a future farmer.  That was until I met my 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 we have grown our farm and our family.  Raising four boys and now a baby girl not only on a farm but along side us selling our produce at the many farmers markets throughout Humboldt, has truly been a great blessing in my life.  Getting to know my community through the abundance of farmers markets is akin to sharing meals with family.  That is why I 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.
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Facebook: @arcatafarmersmarket

​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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​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

​Niki Gribi, Board Member
Niki joined the NCGA board in 2021 as a community member representative. She has more than 15 years of experience working with non-profit organizations including the Watershed Stewards Program and Food for People, and has been a long time advocate for strong local food systems. Niki is currently working as a caregiver and fruit tree pruner. 

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​Chris Moore, Board Treasurer
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 

River Walker, Board Member
River Walker and his partner Jessica Brown started Happy Hearts Farm based out of Fieldbook in 2015. Since then the farm has moved and grown, and now operates on a beautiful acre in Petrolia. River manages all the growing and marketing of veggies, and you'll find him at most of the weekly town markets and Saturdays on the plaza, for as long squash or tomatoes are in season.

​Hope Wright, Board Member
Hope Wright from hopespringsbotanicals.com is now a board member. HopeSpringsBotanicals has been selling at the Garberville Farmers Market for 18 years and is very happy to be at the Arcata Winter Market.

Facebook: @hopespringsbotanicals

Meet the staff

​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. 
portia@northcoastgrowersassociation.org 
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​Laura Hughes, Director of Market Operations, Arcata Farmers' Market Manager
Laura has been with NCGA since 2010. In addition to managing the Arcata Plaza farmers' market, she oversees market staff and operations at our 9 other weekly locations. Laura is the main point of contact for our market vendors and handles vendor membership in the association. She also manages our bookkeeping and facilitates a number of member committees. 
laura@northcoastgrowersassociation.org

Megan Kenney, Manager of Cooperative Distribution
In addition to managing the Fortuna and McKinleyville Farmers' Markets and assisting at the Arcata Plaza Farmers' Market, Megan coordinates the Harvest Box program (a multi farm CSA style produce box) and connects local resource and health centers with wholesale local produce to provide to their clients.  She is currently working alongside other locally focused organizations to improve Humboldt's food infrastructure, which will allow for increased collaboration between multiple aspects of our local food system, leading to an improvement in our region's food security.

megan@northcoastgrowersassociation.org ​

David MacCuish, Eureka Farmers' Market Manager
David manages all 3 farmers' markets in Eureka: Henderson Center, Old Town, and the farmers' market portion of the Friday Night Market. David enjoys being a part of the farmers market community and is known for his flair and great sense of humor. 
david@northcoastgrowersassociation.org

Ivy North, Director of Programs
Ivy oversees NCGA programs and grants including our various food access voucher and token programs, Know Your Farmer, Friends of the Farmers Market, and our Zero Waste program. She also manages the new website and the member and community newsletters. Ivy is a voting member of the Humboldt Food Policy Council, and sits the board for the Humboldt Permaculture Guild.
ivy@northcoastgrowersassociation.org ​

​Toni Stoffel, Miranda Farmers' Market Manager
Toni has been the manager and a vendor at the Miranda Farmers' Market since it's beginning in the early 2000's. She and her husband, Kurt, were "transplants" from East San Diego County, to Southern Humboldt in 1982. After working for fifteen years making maps for a local land surveyor, she decided to devote her time to their old homestead in the hills near Miranda. As Moonshadow Farm, they now sell mainly orchard fruit, seeds, and medicinal plants at the Miranda, Garberville, and Henderson Center Farmers' Markets.
toniandkurtstoffel@gmail.com

​Mia Wapner, Garberville Market Manager
Mia began working with NCGA in the 2019 season, assisting with the Eureka and Arcata markets. She manages the Garberville market and continues to assist in Eureka and Arcata. Mia has a background in water quality and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). She is excited to expand her skills and knowledge in local food systems and social programs.  
mia@northcoastgrowersassociation.org

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​Nathan Davis-Floyd, Assistant Market Manager
Nathan assists with the Arcata and Eureka Farmers' Markets. He began assisting with market operations in the 2020 season. He is an HSU alumni and an avid cook with a passion for quality locally sourced produce.
nathandf89@gmail.com 

Argie Muñoz, Assistant Manager
Argie assists the manager at the Arcata Plaza Market and provides experienced back-up lead management for multiple markets. Argie also works for Open Door Health coordinating community gardens and sits on the North Coast Community Garden Collaborative steering committee. In her role with Open Door, we are happy to be working collaboratively with Argie on the Know Your Farmer program. ​
amunoz@opendoorhealth.com

​Katherine Nunes-Siciliani, Assistant Manager
​Katherine assists with the Arcata Plaza Market and produces videography for NCGA. She has been with NCGA since 2018, when she began assisting with the Eureka markets. She is an HSU alum, and her passions include local business development, media production, and of course, our local food system.
sicilianik@gmail.com

Colleen Poe, Assistant Manager
Colleen assists weekly at the Arcata Plaza Farmers' Market. She is a seasoned member of the NCGA staff and brings many great skills and experiences to her work with us. ​

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Contact us

By Phone: (707) 441-9999
By Mail: NCGA, PO Box 4232, Arcata, CA 95518
By Email: info@northcoastgrowersassociation.org
Visit Our Office in The Greenway Building, 1385 8th St, Suite 122, Arcata. Office hours vary. We welcome you to just stop by or contact us in advance to schedule an appointment.