Staff

Joseph McIntyre, Executive Director

Joseph leads the Ag Innovations Network team. As a trusted neutral facilitator, Joseph has led hundreds of critical dialogues between farmers, environmentalists, community leaders, workers, and consumers. Joseph joined AIN in 2001 as a facilitator on our Santa Barbara County Technical Advisory Committee for Rural Resource Protection project. From there Joseph’s role expanded until he became the lead facilitator for the Ag Futures Alliance project and senior consultant for strategic planning and organization change. In 2006 he took on the Executive Director role.

Katy Mamen, Director of Programs

Katy leads Ag Innovation Network’s teams on both our Food System Alliance Program and the California Roundtable on Agriculture and the Environment. Prior to joining Ag Innovations Network in 2005, Katy was a consultant to various food and agriculture organizations around California and previously coordinated the US Local Food Program at the International Society for Ecology and Culture.

Tim Griffin, Director of Consulting/Senior Facilitator

Tim Griffin joined AIN in March 2012 and leads our Consulting Services team as well as serving as a senior facilitator supporting the Alliance project. Tim spent the last 5 years as an organizational change consultant supporting Fortune 500 companies including Walmart, Duke Energy, AT&T, and Johnson & Johnson deepen their sustainability and corporate social responsibility performance. Tim has a rich background in facilitation and training, ranging from organizing grassroots leadership networks to leading c-suite visioning sessions.

Trish Blue, Director of Finance

Trish Blue joined Ag Innovations Network in January of 2013 as Director of Finance. She leads our Fiscal Sponsorship program, accounting and finance team, and manages operations. Prior to Ag Innovations Network Trish spent 5 years as Controller at Traditional Medicinals, a large herbal tea company. She has held finance and management positions at the Post Carbon Institute, Agilent Technologies, and the Santa Rosa Symphony. In addition to her finance background, Trish is a farmer and owns Blue Newton Farm. Trish can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Gisela Wendling, Ph.D., Director of Water Programs/Senior Facilitator

Gisela Wendling, Ph.D., joined Ag Innovations Network in January of 2013 to lead the California Roundtable on Water and Food Supply. She also serves as a Senior Facilitator in our Consulting Services program. Gisela’s expertise is based in twenty years of working within a wide range of organizations in the private and public sectors. Gisela has held leadership positions in the high-tech industry and in education, and holds a doctorate in human and organizational systems from Fielding Graduate University.

Dan Schurman, Director of Resource & Business Development

Dan joined AIN in 2009 and leads our resource and business development efforts, as well as serving as a facilitator focusing on land use, housing, and labor issues. Dan is a deeply skilled not-for-profit organization leader with more than thirty years of executive experience leading a variety of not-for-profit organizations. He has served as Executive Director for the San Mateo County Food Bank, the Sonoma Land Trust, the Sonoma County Bar Association, and the Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation.

Eric Cárdenas, Alliance Facilitator

Eric joined the AIN team in 2010, and coordinates the Santa Barbara and Ventura Ag Futures Alliances. He graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1998 with degrees in Political Science and Environmental Studies, and has dedicated his career to supporting environmental and community health and well-being.

Most recently, Eric worked for the Orfalea Foundations, serving as the s’Cool Food Initiative’s Agriculture and Infrastructure Manager responsible for developing farm-to-cafeteria programs in Santa Barbara County schools.

Keryna Johnson, San Diego County Alliance Coordinator

Keryna joined AIN in May 2012 and serves as the coordinator for the San Diego County Food System Alliance. She received her BA in Business Management from San Diego State University, and is in the process of completing a Master of City Planning degree, also from SDSU. Keryna’s experience enacting community-based change includes supporting non-profit organizations in the sectors of affordable housing, economic development, watershed restoration, healthy food access, wellness and nutrition education.

Kara Lang, Ph.D., Fresno County Alliance Coordinator

AIN is pleased to announce that Kara Lang, Ph.D., has joined our staff team as the coordinator of the Fresno County Food System Alliance. Thanks to a grant from The California Endowment, the FFSA will have dedicated local staff to support their meetings, initiatives, projects and communications. Kara holds a PhD in Nutritional Biology from UC Davis and is a member of Class X (2012-2013) of the Fresno County Farm Bureau Future Advocates for Agriculture Concerned about Tomorrow (FAACT) Leadership Program.

Lisa Badenfort, Sonoma County Alliance Coordinator

Lisa joined the AIN team in early 2013 to serve as the dedicated coordinator for the Sonoma County Food System Alliance. Having spent her entire career in the public sector, she brings to AIN a unique and comprehensive experience as analyst, representative, funder, community organizer, service provider and advocate. While completing her education (BA in Sociology, Masters in Public Administration), she represented two Members of the State Legislature, both of whom continue to lead California’s natural resources, health and human services, and fiscal policy efforts.

Serena Coltrane-Briscoe, Program Coordinator

Serena coordinates AIN’s current efforts around environmental regulations and agriculture, as well as providing staff support to the California Roundtable on Agriculture and the Environment and the California Roundtable on Water and Food Supply. She also manages the online Agricultural Water Stewardship Resource Center. Serena joined AIN in 2010; since then, her role has evolved from largely administrative to primarily program-based. A centerpiece of her previous experience was coordinating the Central Coast Farm-to-School program for the Community Alliance with Family Farmers.

Helen McGrath, Alliance Network Coordinator

Helen joined AIN in Feb. 2011 to support the Food System Alliance Program. She has worked over ten years supporting community-based programming in various capacities in New York and the Bay Area, with organizations such as Streetside Stories, CELLspace Pacific Coast Farmers’ Markets Association, and the Planned Parenthood Federation. She also served as a founding board member of the Global Lives Project for over 5 years. She holds a BA from Sarah Lawrence College and is a graduate of the International Honors Program: Global Ecology, 2001-2002.

Idalia Pagán, Bookkeeper

Idalia joined AIN in May 2012 and serves as Bookkeeper. Idalia’s background is in bookkeeping and human resources, and she has worked with non-profits, consulting companies, and primary and post-secondary schools in this capacity. Idalia has also worked in academic fiscal services, including the College of Marin and Marin Education Fund (now 10,000 Degrees). Idalia is an English major at Dominican University working on her BA. She volunteers at local family homeless shelters, food banks, and literacy programs. Idalia is a California native and lives in Sonoma County with her husband, two sons and daughter. Idalia can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Erica Gross, Intern

Erica Gross joined AIN in July 2012 as a member of the internship program. She supports the Santa Barbara and Ventura Ag Futures Alliances and the Regulatory Program. In 2007, she received her BA from Harvard University in Government and spent the next 6 months interning with the UNHCR home in Jerusalem. Erica developed an interest in food systems and food justice while spending a year in France teaching and working on organic farms. She enjoys traveling and speaks French and Spanish. Erica can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).