Steve Schwartz - Executive Director
Steve has led California FarmLink since its inception in 1998. He has over ten years of experience in the fields of rural development, environmental protection, and sustainable agriculture. He has presented numerous workshops on the use of conservation easements for farm transitions, farm succession planning, and innovative financing techniques for farm purchases. Steve is a board member of Sonoma County Farm Trails, the Community Reinvestment Coalition, the National Farm Transition Network, and was formerly on the board of the Community Alliance with Family Farmers. He holds a Master of Arts in Public Administration from the University of Southern California and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics. In addition, he has completed a one-year leadership program in non-profit management supported by the Packard Foundation. He enjoys growing mushrooms and raising his two daughters.

Bruce K. Shimizu- Program Manager

Bruce Shimizu is a 4^th generation Sonoma County native, born & raised on a chicken ranch in Cotati, attended local public schools, and is the first college graduate his family. For the past 20 years, he has been involved with regional non-profits and his own development company to provide affordable housing opportunities for over 300 working families in communities throughout Sonoma and Mendocino Counties. Prior to his involvement in affordable housing, he was a medic in the U.S. Coast Guard, the National Youth Director for the Japanese American Citizens League, and practiced Landscape Architecture in San Luis Obispo and in Mill Valley. He has an AA from the College of Marin, a BS in Landscape Architecture and is a MS candidate in Architecture from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. Bruce’s career path has been varied, but community service has always been the focus of his efforts. As a young boy, his elders taught him that in helping others was a noble calling. Inspired by JFK’s “ask not” speech, his personal mission has been “to ask what he could do . . .”

Reggie Knox - Central Coast Regional Program Coordinator
Reggie Knox has worked for twenty years on behalf of sustainable agriculture in the areas of land use planning, economic development, policy advocacy and organizational development. He currently serves as the Central Coast Coordinator for California FarmLink and works part time as an agriculture and land use consultant. He spent nine years with the Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF), coordinating the statewide Lighthouse Farm Network and as program director, helping to implement all CAFF programs. Prior to that he worked with the CA Certified Organic Farmers developing certification standards, doing farm inspections and working on the national organic standards.He spent several years managing a diverse eleven-acre organic farm, worked with the Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau and served on the board of the Santa Cruz County Resource Conservation District. He has worked as a consultant on sustainable     agriculture projects in Sri Lanka, India and Africa.

 

Kendra Johnson - Central Valley Regional Coordinator
Kendra is a Master of Science candidate in the Community Development Graduate Group at the University of California at Davis. She has managed a market garden and Community Supported Agriculture project and has been involved in a number of city and youth projects related to food and agriculture. In 1998, Kendra independently researched and prepared a report on rural food security and agricultural development in Ghana, West Africa. Kendra has a B.A. in Environmental Studies from Macalester College, MN. Kendra enjoys working in the lovely old farmhouse at Glide Ranch in Davis.

Andrea Krout - North Coast Regional Coordinator

Andrea Krout is the new Regional Program Coordinator for the North Coast Region. Andrea grew up in Sonoma County and Attended California State University Fresno where she received a Bachelors of Science in Agricultural Business. Through her involvement with other organizations, Andrea has been anavid spokesperson for the Dairy, Rodeo and Horse industries. Andrea is a member of the North Bay Dairy Women and owns a small herd of registered Holstein Dairy Cattle. She also owns registered Quarter Horses. Besides livestock production, Andrea has taken part in local farmers marketsand in planning the Marin County Fairs Agriculture Events Area. Andrea is committed to help California Agriculture thrive and is excited to be new member of California  FarmLink's staff.

Linda Peterson - Marketing Communications Associate

Linda  has worked in sustainable agriculture for over 17 years.  She currently oversees FarmLink's public image, which includes media relations, editor of CFL’s quarterly newsletter, marketing materials, and shepherding  our website’s facelift, in addition to assisting with FarmLink’s matched savings program clients.  She is an independent journalist with her work published in magazines, newspapers and journals.  Her career has also included cheesemonger in training, Idaho pioneer, high tech marketing communications Coordinator, and brief stint as farmer. 

Recent VISTAs: AmeriCorps VISTAs are sponsored by the Corporation for National and Community Service. VISTAs (Volunteers in Service to America) build organizational capacity for charitable organizations all over the country by providing indirect service for at least one year. They have played a pivotal role in the development of California FarmLink's programming since 2004.

 Aaron Wooden - AmeriCorps*VISTA

Aaron is California FarmLink's 2008-2009 AmeriCorps*VISTA.  He joined Farmlink at the end of January, having relocated from Grand Rapids, MI, where he spent some time getting involved in Community Development and Arts Administration.  He has a B.Hum. from Carleton University in Ottawa, ON, Canada.  He enjoys attempting jazz and bluegrass guitar and hopes one day to have his own radio program.