Sherry Stevenson (she/her)
Executive Director
Sherry has a passion for social and environmental justice and is inspired by community-based initiatives for social impact. She previously led community food initiatives with the Food Action Team of the Ecology Action Centre (Halifax) and has worked with farmers markets, food networks, and food justice advocates.
Farm Team
Camille Flanjak (she/they)
Director of Farming and Operations
Camille is a farmer with experience in Urban, Community, and Homestead growing. She is known by many as ‘the mushroom girl,’ having connected people with the mycelial network for over 10 years.
Cheyanne Ripley (she/her)
Farm Manager
Cheyanne has been working as a farmer since 2016, and is passionate about creating healthy and resilient communities through sustainable, small-scale farming. She studies western herbalism in her spare time and can be found crafting all sorts of herbal potions in her home kitchen.
Jaimie Rosenwirth (they/them)
Suwa’lkh Farm Program Lead
Jaimie brings diverse work experience to the Fresh Roots team. Having worked with folks with autism since 2015 they bring qualities of patience and understanding. Jaimie’s relationship with Fresh Roots started out by volunteering with an individual at Suwa’lkh School who has autism in 2018 and has grown into the Environmental Education Lead role.
Youth Empowerment Team
Tathali Urueta-Ortiz (she/her)
Youth Program Manager
During the last 10 years, Tathali has been working in diverse capacities at the intersection of two worlds: Food and Education! Her professional experience in these years has been shaped by her interest and passion in sustainability education, garden-based learning, science education, and food studies.
Experiential Learning Team
Kat Vriesema-Magnuson (she/her)
Director of Experiential Learning & Programs
Kat loves to help kids literally get their hands dirty, and seeing a kid hold their first worm is the highlight of her day. Kat has a Graduate Certificate in Education, Environment and Community from IslandWood, an M.Ed. in Teaching and Curriculum from the University of Washington, and over a decade of experience in environmental education.
Andrea Lucy (she/they)
Experiential Learning Program Lead
Andrea enjoys the curiosity, wonder and play that comes from spending time on the farm, whether it’s digging in the soil or tasting plants where they grow. With a background teaching in museums and gardens, she is passionate about hands-on learning and environmental education.
David Sahlmueller
Experiential Learning Program Lead
David is a science educator and communicator with a passion for science, nutrition, nature, the climate, and sustainability. With a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and a certificate in Sustainability Leadership, he is fascinated by the interrelation between food systems and sustainability. Whether he is leading field trips that give students hands-on experience working with plants, getting his hands dirty on the farm, or developing engaging activities to advocate for good food, he loves to spark an interest in science and environmental stewardship with students and the community as a whole.
Operations & Engagement
Caroline Manuel (she/her)
Communications Specialist
Caroline is an East Coast transplant who spent her formative years spinning yarns and attending university in Halifax where she studied ethnolinguistics and anthropology. After living abroad in Asia and Europe Caroline finally put down roots in Vancouver where over the years she has owned and operated a diner, produced documentary TV, and in recent years has applied her communications and fundraising skills to increasing awareness about food insecurity through her work in the non-profit sector.
Vivian Cheung (she/her)
Operations and Digital Engagement Speacialist
Vivian gets excited by details and systems, whether it is life or data. Her curiosity for food systems began while working at her family’s restaurant and flourished as a 2016 Fresh Roots intern.
Hope Rapp (she/her)
Fund Development Coordinator
Moving to Vancouver from England, Hope joined Fresh Roots as a chef educator for LunchLAB in the spring of 2023. With an Anthropology degree and strong experience in London’s non-profit food waste and food education fields, she loves working within school communities to create change from the ground up. Bringing her partnership-building, writing skills and the belief that food is one of the most powerful ways to connect with others, beyond the LunchLAB kitchens and gardens, she supports us in our fund development.
Accounting
Gillian Cofsky (they/them/she/her)
Accounting & Payroll Manager
Gillian is a former dancer, movement instructor, and entrepreneur who left the dance world for a career in the accounting industry. Gillian is the founder of Make It Count – bookkeeping, tax services, & financial education for creative entrepreneurs!
2023 Seasonal Staff
Experiential Learning Team
- Tirpat Sekhon – Assistant Camp Director
- Chloe Baknes – Camp Program Specialist
- Kira Slykhuis – Camp Facilitator
- Charlie Sutherland – Camp Facilitator
- Min Zhou – Camp Facilitator
- Tallulah Mund – Camp Facilitator
- Fahima Mohibi – Camp Facilitator
- Bea Banack Tapia – Camp Facilitator
- Freya Inghammar Windsor – Camp Facilitator
SOYL Team
- Ria Pearson – SOYL Vancouver Facilitator
- Carolina Diaz – SOYL Vancouver Facilitator
- Benjamin Ingoldsby – SOYL Suwa’lkh Facilitator
- Maria Gesualdi – SOYL Suwa’lkh Facilitator
Good Food Farm Team
- Clementine Nixon – David Thompson Lead
- David Hanam – Van Tech Lead
- Nicole Bruce – Market Lead
- Stephanie Slen – Market Assistant
LunchLAB Community Eats
- Luca Schifano – Vancouver Chef Educator
- Mary Yap – Suwa’lkh Chef Educator