Rebecca North | Executive Director

Rebecca North is a mother, queer, gardener, hobby herbalist and straight-edge punk. She has a masters degree in transnational feminism from SFSU and is the Director of Procurement for The FruitGuys. An East Coaster, Spartan racer, and lover of cherries, Rebecca lives in the Bay Area with her wife, son, cattle dog, lab, and Bernie the cat.

Abbie Erskine | Administrative Manager

Abbie has over a decade of experience working in the non-profit sector as a Program Coordinator, Wellness Center Manager and Administrative Coordinator. She is passionate about organic food, living harmoniously with Mother Earth and creating a sustainable future for the next generation. She connects with the greater community through running her own Massage Therapy and Holistic Wellness practice. She believes self-awareness and mindfulness leads to taking care of ourselves, the Earth and each other. Her past experiences include working with Habitat for Humanity and Mount Madonna Center for many years. She holds a B.A. from The University of Michigan and is currently pursuing her M.A. at Sofia University. 

Nancy Chang | Program Coordinator

Nancy is the Program Coordinator for EcoFarm and is supporting the planning of the EcoFarm annual conference and other events. Prior to joining EcoFarm, Nancy was a Community Education Specialist for UC Cooperative Extension, providing technical assistance to primarily Asian small-scale farmers in the central coast region. They have worked as a Bill Emerson National Hunger Fellow to address hunger on the local and federal levels, and have been invested in supporting farmers who grow the foods that nourish our bodies and our communities. Nancy holds a B.S. in Earth Systems (with a focus on Sustainable Food & Agriculture) and a M.A. in Earth Systems from Stanford University. Nancy enjoys cooking and sharing food, teaching natural dye workshops, and practicing healing arts.

Dina Izzo | Sponsorship & Exhibitor Manager

Dina has been involved with EcoFarm in some capacity for the past thirty years. She served on the Board of Directors for ten years and has been part of the planning committee for twenty five years. Dina is the founder of BluDog Consulting, a company that teaches beginning farmers basic marketing and sales techniques both one on one an in a classroom setting. Clients include Multicultural Exchange of Sustainable Agriculture (MESA), Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association (ALBA), Center for Land-Based Learning, and a host of farmers and businesses.

Joyce Rice | Scholarship and Special Events Manager

Joyce has been attending EcoFarm Conference for the last 15 years, as an attendee and most recently as a super-volunteer. She is passionate about food, farming and education. Joyce has over 25 years of experience working at UC Santa Cruz. Her jobs on campus included serving as the Company Manager for Shakespeare Santa Cruz, the Environmental Studies Undergraduate Advisor and Staff Program Manager for Student Sustainability. She spends time between upstate New York and California and is happiest being with her family & friends on both coasts, kayaking on rivers and growing food in her garden. 

Katya Baty | Marketing and Communications Coordinator

Katya is passionate about local food systems and has over five years of nonprofit work experience. She began working for local advocacy nonprofits while studying at UCSB and learned about the importance of local-led efforts in creating lasting change. Before joining EcoFarm, she was a Program Coordinator at Women's Economic Ventures and supported with coordinating their business planning courses for entrepreneurs. Her past experience includes working at the Santa Barbara County Food Action Network as a Communications Associate, where she supported the development of social media campaigns, outreach, and public-facing communications. She holds a B.A. in Environmental Studies and a minor in Professional Writing. Katya enjoys cooking and performing aerial arts. 

Peter Ruddock | Administrative Support

Peter Ruddock is an advocate for sustainable food and all things that strengthen local food economies.  He believes that when we make food choices, we must employ a triple bottom line:  choosing food that is good for the Earth, good for all of those who work to bring it to us and good for our health when we eat it.

Shannon Sweeney | Food Program Coordinator

Shannon is a passionate local food advocate who, for the past six years, has been involved in the food and farming community along the Central Coast of California. From farming abalone to flowers and traveling to learn about ethical food sources and systems, Shannon continues to follow her passions in small scale farming and community building through food. She can be found spending time in the ocean, gardening, or cooking up a storm for a community table during her free time.