PRESIDENT

As an educator, Amy brings a passion for equity and inclusion to the Bend Farmers Market board. Her family was made up of both farmers and ranchers, so she chose the Bend Farmers Market from all of the other amazing nonprofits in Bend because she wanted to get back to her family roots and have a positive impact on farmers, ranchers and local purveyors as well as the community at large. Amy enjoys volunteering and has found that Wednesdays at the market booth have been a very rewarding volunteer opportunity.

In her spare time, Amy can be found camping along a river or hiking, rock climbing, and mountain biking in the beautiful PNW.

VICE PRESIDENT

Justin has over twenty years of experience as a professional chef and brings this perspective to the Bend Farmers Market Board. Growing up in Vermont as a young chef he sought the freshest and most local ingredients to work with. Justin developed relationships with the farmers and realized that local food systems are true pillars of a healthy community.

Justin saw board service as an opportunity for him to regain focus on local food and enjoys being a part of something meaningful, local and bigger than himself.

In his spare time, Justin can be found dancing, fishing, camping or enjoying a quiet night with friends or a good book.

SECRETARY

As a registered dietitian, Sarah brings a wealth of knowledge to the Bend Farmers Market Board. Food means so much to Sarah, she believes that it connects us to each other in a really special way, and she love being part of it. She has a passion for food access and community nutrition. As a lover of food, especially food that was grown or raised near her, she supports local farmers and ranchers and enjoys being a part of the community.

In her spare time Sarah is a mom to three little boys and enjoys gardening, cooking, swimming, cross country skiing and anything she can do outside.

BOARD MEMBER

An Oregon native, Eliza has a background in floristry, agriculture, and architecture & design. Along with her husband, she owns and operates Roots Wild, a flower farm and floral studio in Terrebonne. Roots Wild grows fresh cut flowers for farmers markets, their flower CSA and design studio where they specialize in creating high quality florals for weddings and elopements. Eliza brings this unique perspective to the Bend Farmers Market board. Her interest in agriculture and the local community is deeply rooted in the connection between humans and the natural environment.

When Eliza can find time away from the farm, she enjoys being outdoors with her husband - backpacking, hiking, paddling, biking, and foraging. She enjoys cooking, reading, traveling, writing, and music.

BOARD MEMBER

Courtney is a former chef turned rancher; along with her husband, she owns and operates North 44 Farm in Bend. North 44 Farm raises grass fed and finished lamb and beef and are vendors at the Bend Farmers Market. Courtney brings her vendor and rancher's voice to the Bend Farmers Market board and enjoys interacting and hearing other perspectives within the local food space as well as being a part of making a local market happen.

While there's not a lot of spare time when it comes to ranching, when Courtney does get off the farm, she likes to white water raft or be near the water in any way.

BOARD MEMBER

Ashley has been a mixed vegetable farmer since 2016 and along with her husband, owns and operates Sungrounded Farm in Terrebonne. Ashley brings her farming and market vendor experience to the Bend Farmers Market board. Since the inception of Sungrounded farm in 2019 they have primarily been a market farm and have attended the Bend Farmers market. The farming community is her community and she wants to help the budding local food community continue to thrive.

As challenging as farming is, Ashley has found a true passion in it and is so happy to be growing in central Oregon for her community. When Ashley is able to escape the demands of the farm, she likes to spend her time in nature, in the kitchen, and preferably with good friends.

Ann has a background in community organizing in the food systems space and a passion for food equity issues - including a strong belief that all people should have access to affordable, locally produced, culturally significant foods. She loves that the Bend Farmers Market is a true ‘farmer’s farmers-market’ dedicated to supporting local food producers and providing a place for people to access fresh, sustainably produced, local food. Her goals are to continue to support Central Oregon’s food and farm network, to nurture a thriving market where community members can gather, learn and shop in ways that support local businesses, and to support and grow the food access programs available at the Bend Farmers Market.

In her spare time, Ann can be found hiking, paddling, skiing, and spending every spare minute of her time immersed in the PNW wilderness or working as a Venue Ambassador at Hayden Homes Amphitheater to feed her love of live music.

As a retired mail carrier, Rich brings a friendly, kind and ‘happy to help’ attitude to the Bend Farmers Market information booth. He started as a volunteer to help his wife and former market manager. When she retired from the market, Rich decided to stay on and support the market vendors and the community. Rich regularly says that market days are his favorite day of the week because he enjoys seeing and helping the people who come by the market booth every week. We know the customers equally enjoy seeing Rich’s smiling face each week.

In his spare time, Rich enjoys spending time with his wife and their many fur babies as well as supporting animal rescue efforts.