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About Trenton

I grew up in Pismo Beach and graduated from Arroyo Grande High School in 2008. I moved up to Santa Cruz to attend Cabrillo College with hopes of getting good waves and a solid education at the same time. I have been at Cabrillo for three years and have been studying crop production. I plan to transfer into Cal Poly San Luis Obispo within the year and major in Crop Science. In my spare time, I like to ride waves, travel, play golf, listen to music and of course, spend lots of time in the garden. I became intrigued with organic agriculture when I realized how conventional growers are treating the environment. I believe it’s absolutely necessary to reduce the use of toxic pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, and to improve upon the environment in which we grow. When I have time off, there’s a good chance you can find me at the beach or in my garden.
 

Trenton Hoover

About Amanda

Amanda was born and raised in the East Bay. She recently received her Bachelor's Degree in Enivornmental Studies and Politics from UCSC. Amanda speaks Swedish, French, and is currently studying Spanish. She loves to travel and experience new places and cultures. In her spare time, Amanda likes to cook, garden, read, and play outdoors - all the while being surrounded by friends and family. She thrives on chaos and loves to be busy. With an academic focus in sustainability and agroecology, Amanda is passionate about food's role in society and its impacts on the environment. She is very excited to work with CCOF's many facets in order to learn more about the field and discover her own niche within it.
 

Amanda Bennett

About Roger

Roger graduated from UC Santa Cruz in 2011 with a degree in Environmental Studies. He is originally from the Central Valley of California, where he gained an interest in organic agriculture. When he is not interning at CCOF, he enjoys experimenting with music, cooking, and playing with his dog. He loves collecting comic books, Cajun and Creole food, eating Nutella by the spoonful, and urban art.

Roger Gibson

About Jake

Jake graduated from UCSC in 2011 with a major in Environmental Studies. He is originally from the San Francisco Bay Area and enjoys art, film, the great outdoors, food, his cat Clementine and traveling. In the process of studying sustainable ideologies at UCSC, Jake fell into agricultural studies and loved it. Since encountering subjects like Agroecology and Sustainable Agriculture, he has had a personal affection to the organic and local farming movement, and wishes to expand such horizons while interning at CCOF.

Jake Reid

About Adria

Adria is a Bay Area native who recently moved to Bonny Doon. In May she graduated from Pitzer College with a double major in Environmental Studies and Art. Organic and sustainable agriculture has been a long time interest of hers, and it really blossomed while at college. She has since had wonderful opportunities in agricultural advocacy, such as interning with OFRF, working with CAFF, and attending the EcoFarm conference.  On her days off, she enjoys working in her garden, playing with her cat, and knitting.

Adria Arko

About Gina

Gina Lee is a San Francisco native who has always been aware of preserving the environment, but not until she transferred to UCSC, did she fully realize the importance for spreading sustainable living. Originally only a Psychology major, she decided to add Environmental Studies months after transferring. Gina took this internship with the intentions of helping the organic movement reach everyone everywhere; planting seeds of consciousness in people, hoping to grow awareness for embracing sustainability in more avenues of living. When not working for the cause, she can be found searching for adventures, playing with her pet rats, running races, or chilling at a café sipping coffee.

Gina Lee

About David

David Novick grew up in Portland, OR. and graduated from UCSC in 2004 with a BA in Literature and Music. After graduating, David moved to the Sierra Foothills, where he was able to refine a green thumb and follow his passion for organic gardening. In May, 2009, after deciding to try his hand at working on a large-scale farm, David moved to the Santa Cruz Mountains to work on an organic farm and was introduced to the realities of operating a farm. Fresh off the farm, David, as a CCOF intern, is very excited about working within the non-farming aspect of the organic movement, and applying his passion for writing and consumer education to a sustainable organic future.

About Lance

Lance Webb is a senior Environmental Studies student at UC Santa Cruz with a focus on organic agriculture and sustainable development. He was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, and received an AA Degree from Foothill College. His primary career goal is to creatively combine the physical and social sciences in order to develop a sustainable approach to living a healthier and happier life. You can find him hiking and biking trails around Santa Cruz County, or creating art to encourage the personal development of others.

About Matt

Matt was born in Santa Clara, CA and lived in Palo Alto, CA for most of his life until moving to Santa Cruz to attend UCSC. During his time as a student, Matt studied various aspects of plant science and agroecology (he graduated in June 2010 with a B.S. Ecology and Evolutionary Biology with a Concentration in Plant Sciences). He feels that it is his responsibility as a scientist and a knowledgeable citizen to educate the populace about why sustainable agriculture is important and how humankind's agricultural and culinary decisions affect our environmental and societal health. Matt came to CCOF to begin his journey as a catalyst for positive agricultural and social change.

Matt Auerbach

About Sarah

Sarah graduated from UCSC with a BA in Environmental Studies in 2011. She is interested in all aspects of preserving the environment, especially when it involves informing and inspiring others in a creative manner. Sarah grew up and attended high school in the Bay Area, where she first learned about the benefits of organic agriculture from her family and community farmers' markets. Sarah spends most of her free time in Santa Cruz treasure hunting at thrift stores, drinking coffee, gardening, and canning. At CCOF, Sarah hopes to gain the professional experience she needs to further pursue her environmental goals, and of course, to help save the world!

Sarah Watters

Sarah is currently CCOF Marketing Production Assistant. Contact her at swatters@ccof.org.

About Rosemary

Rosemary recently moved back to her hometown of Santa Cruz after a five year stint in San Francisco. After becoming a victim of the recession and losing her job in the big city, she found the silver lining in the fact that she is now free to pursue her passion for sustainable agriculture full time! Rosemary enjoys hitting up her local farmers' market and cooking veggies and tofu in her cast iron skillet. Rosemary has volunteered and interned at several Bay Area non-profits including the Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture and the California Food and Justice Coalition. She keeps her hands in the dirt at a local organic farm and continues to fight for Food Justice while scrubbing her fingernails.

Rosemary Quinn

Rosemary is currently CCOF Office Manager. Contact her at ccof@ccof.org.

About Sharol

Sharol Raifaisen adopted the concept of sustainable, organic food practices in 1967, shaping a personal philosophy hailed invaluable. Sharol moved to Santa Cruz in 1979 providing the critical community based awareness compatible with her own environmental, social, and political convictions. Professional integration combining her education and experience in the world of business guided Sharol to her current education in organic agriculture. The primary focus at Cabrillo College targeted the practical, legal, and regulatory implementation of sustainability, as written in the National Organic Program. Working with CCOF has been the target goal of my education. “Certifiably” organic is my badge of courage.

Sharol Raifaisen

About Paloma

Paloma is a third year student at UC Santa Cruz working toward a degree in Linguistics. While she considers herself to be from Palm Desert, she's also lived in other California cities, such as Santa Barbara, and has spent many summer months in Berkeley visiting her family. Though she spent most of her time growing up in the desert, she feels that she belongs the most in Berkeley, where she was immersed in its popular food culture. At CCOF, she hopes to learn more about the workings of food systems and how to make good, clean and fair food accessible to everyone.

Paloma Ortiz

About Jon

Jon grew up in the college town of Athens in rural Ohio. Before he left at the age of 22, he spent several summers playing in the dirt at one of the local, small organic farms. As much fun as he was having, he left for the left coast and a taste of the city life in Seattle, Washington. He spent two years in Seattle with a six month period in Portland inbetween. The progressive ideals that much of the northwest shares with California taught him about the healthy sustainable living and environmental equality that he hopes to work toward in his education at UCSC and here at CCOF. He's now 26 and in his junior year of undergrad, and is grateful to have the opportunity to live and work in such a beautiful place.

Jon Howard

About Jill

Jill Spevacek is a fourth year Environmental Studies and Economics combined major at UC Santa Cruz. In interning for California Certified Organic Farmers she is fulfilling her support of and appreciation for smart land management practices and organic farming. Jill recently spent two semesters studying abroad at Lincoln University in New Zealand and enjoying the incredible landscape and out-door activities. Jill likes gardening, beading, running, rock climbing, cooking, and being with friends and family. She is hoping to enhance her communication skills and professionalism, while expanding her knowledge of the organic food industry.

Jill Spevacek

About Lizi
Lizi graduated from UCSC in 2010 with a degree in Environmental Studies. She now fights for a sustainable food system by working as CCOF Marketing Assistant. When not at CCOF she is wandering the flea market, urban homesteading, gardening, frolicking in nature, or drinking Diet Coke. She’s a fiend for organic artichokes, berries, garlic, and tomatoes. Most importantly, she’s into her cat (Garth), Mola Molas, Buddhas, Indian religious art, ocean conservation, cooking and baking, all things Julia Child, Royal Taj Indian food, and her mini organic garden at her apartment.

About Melinda

Melinda moved back to Santa Cruz from Santa Barbara in September 2008 and took a six-month, part-time job as the intern coordinator/marketing assistant for CCOF. Eleven months later, she was still at CCOF, working full time as office coordinator and executive assistant (she currently holds the record for most position titles held at once: three). In August, she waved a sad goodbye to CCOF and took off to travel around Europe for three months. At this moment, she is either gorging herself on cheese and wine (organic of course) in Italy, harvesting olives in Greece, enjoying Oktoberfest in Germany or attempting to find a Zumba class in Ukraine. She appreciates all that CCOF has taught her, all of the amazing people who are working their booties off to get you certified, her marketing mentors and of course the fabulous interns who’ve probably coordinated her much more than she coordinated them. Ciao!

About Adam

Adam is a junior transfer student at UCSC majoring in Environmental Studies and Economics. He moved here recently from Rockville, MD, a suburb fifteen minutes outside Washington, D.C. “Hail to the Redskins, hail victory!” His interests include sports, cooking, gardening, live music, sustainability and TV on DVDs. His favorite sports are tennis, basketball, football and cycling. He loves his bicycle and his helmet, which has saved him many times from perilous doom. TV shows that he has seen every episode of: The Sopranos, Lost, Arrested Development, The Wire, Smurfs, X-Men, DragonBallZ and Seinfeld. He thinks Mel Brooks’s movies and Monty Python movies are hilarious, and he also loves The Usual Suspects. Common conversation topics include politics, money and ethics, usually a combination of all three.

About Alexandra

Alex now lives in Marin County, after graduating from UCSC in spring 2009 with honors in the Environmental Economics, University honors (Cum Laude), and Kresge college honors. She works full time in San Francisco as the Marketing and Administration Manager for Tommy's Original Margarita, Inc., a company that sells and distributes all natural fresh squeezed margarita, mojito, and bloody mary mixes.

About Paige

Paige currently works as an AGRA Watch intern at the Community Alliance for Global Justice in Seattle, WA researching the role of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation with agricultural development in Africa. I'll be returning to UCSC in the fall to finish my senior year and graduate with a B.A. in Environmental Studies with a concentration on sustainable development and agroecology.

Paige Miller

About Libby

Libby is a graduate student at UC Davis in their Community and Regional Development Department with a focus in local food systems. She is currently working on a research project with the Sacramento County Farm Bureau and UC Davis to determine how much locally produced food is being consumed locally, and to identify possibilities for increasing local marketing linkages. She is also working with the Sacramento Area Council of Governments working on a cost of production study for diversified farms in the area. Libby has also recently begun work on her Master's Thesis, tentatively titled Perceived and Actual Barriers to Farmer Direct Marketing in Sacramento County. Libby is greatly appreciative of her experiences while interning at CCOF and believes it to be a great place to start any career in organics.

Libby O'Sullivan

About Sara
Sara’s involvement with CCOF provided her great experience in marketing and allowed her to incorporate an environmental focus into her work.  She graduated from UC Santa Cruz with Honors in Psychology in 2008.  She worked as CCOF Internship Coordinator during 2007-2008, and helped set the intern team in motion.  In the future, Sara hopes to pursue a degree in organizational behavior and work toward a career that combines her psychological training, her interest in business, and her deeply felt passion for sustainability.  While no such position may exist yet, Sara looks forward to the challenge and will surely draw upon the lessons and skills she acquired while working with CCOF. 

Sara Thompson

About Nick
Nick was introduced to organic agriculture while attending farmers markets at a young age and has been a strong advocate of sustainable technology and farming methods ever since. As a marketing intern he learned the fundamental business skills required to maintain a non-profit while making positive contributions to the local organic community. For the past year Nick has been working for Grassroots Campaigns Inc on various fundraising efforts for organizations such as the Democratic National Committee and Save the Children. When he is not studying or working, Nick spends his spare time riding his bike and rock climbing. He will be attending UC Davis as an Environmental Science and Management major where he will be exploring a minor in economics and environmental toxicology. In the future Nick would like to make sustainable technologies and alternative energy a standard practice in the mainstream business community.

About Missy
Missy graduated in Sustainable Agriculture and Environmental Studies at the University of California - Santa Cruz. She enjoys singing, cooking, gardening, and loves to learn new things. She joined the CCOF intern program to gain hands on experience in a professional working environment. Missy is focusing on a career which combines both marketing skills and environmental issues and recently accepted a position at Safeway's organic program.

Missy Kampling

Patrick O'Connor

About Bridgett

Bridgett graduated from UC Santa Cruz with a B.A. in Environmental Studies. Her focus of study was on sustainable development, U.S. and international environmental policy and ecosystem/land use management. After finishing her internship with CCOF in Spring 2008, Bridgett spent a short summer working for Albert’s Organics but was promptly recruited back to CCOF to take on the role of Marketing Specialist. She was thrilled to be back in the CCOF family, talking to organic farmers and working with the new “crop” of interns. Her experience as an intern has opened many new doors and opportunities and she is excited to see where it will take her in the future. Outside of work, Bridgett enjoys writing, cooking, shopping for antiques and any activities that will take her outdoors.

Bridgett McGrath

About Sierra
Sierra is living in the Banana Belt of Santa Cruz, enjoying the excellent weather and the fruits of her fiancé’s backyard farming efforts. She's currently a sales manager for a local, CCOF-certified farm called Dirty Girl Produce, and is working to get their produce to farmers' markets, restaurants and groceries in the Monterey and San Francisco Bay Areas. She's very excited to also be contributing to the CCOF quarterly publication. Besides farming and writing, she's experimenting with cameras, soccer and preserving food.

Sierra Schlesinger

About Brian
Brian's passion for the organic movement began years ago during his childhood in a small agricultural town in Southern California. He graduated from the University of California at Santa Cruz with a degree in Environmental Studies, with a special focus in sustainability and policy implementation. Brian was last seen in Italy testing organic wines. For the future, Brian plans to work in the energy industry, and to one day begin his own environmental consulting firm.

Brian Bluestein