Staff

Conservation Scientist

email: rebecca[at]ofrf.org

Rebecca Champagne (she/her/hers) is the Conservation Scientist at OFRF and joined the team in September 2024. She is an agronomist by training with a research background in organic agriculture, having worked with a diverse array of crops and on practices such as cover cropping, reduced tillage, and managing weeds. She also brings experience in interdisciplinary science communications and policy work to the team. Rebecca previously worked for soil health non profit Land Core, and as an analyst for the ag-tech company Gro Intelligence. She is passionate about transforming our farm and food systems to be more sustainable and equitable for all people.

Rebecca has a PhD in Environmental Science from the University of Maine, an MS in Agronomy from The Pennsylvania State University, and a BS in Sustainable Agriculture from The University of Maine. In her free time you can find her at the gym, exploring Maine, reading, cooking, and finding more house plants to add to her collection.

Research & Education Senior Scientist

email: heather[at]ofrf.org

Heather Estrada has been a part of the organic farming community for the past 20 years, as a scientist, professor, grower, and advocate. She has worked with transitioning and certified organic farmers in the field, conducted organic crop and weed research, and has spent much of her career educating students in regenerative organic farming principles and practices. 

Heather started her organic agriculture career in Edmonton, Canada, studying and researching organic wheat breeding and agronomy. She graduated from the University of Alberta (BS, Crop Science; PhD, Plant Science) and then moved to Kalispell, Montana to work as a cropping systems research agronomist with Montana State University. Heather switched her career focus to education in 2012, taking on the role of college professor and Agriculture program director at Flathead Valley Community College in Kalispell. While there, she created degree programs and curriculum, started a working educational vegetable farm on the college campus, and taught classes such as plant science, soil nutrient management, integrated pest management, practical farm production, and building community food systems.

Heather is looking forward to bringing her experience and passion for research and education to OFRF, and hopes to make a meaningful contribution to the lives of farmers through her work.

Communications Manager: Programmatic Content & Design

Brian Geier (he/him) has worked within organic agriculture for over 20 years. His interest in farming was sparked when he volunteered with the Landless Peasant Movement in Brazil as a teenager, where he learned to see sustainable and equitable farming as a foundation for broad social change. In college, he studied under Marianne Sarrantonio in the Sustainable Agriculture program at the University of Maine. Following seasonal internships at various crop/livestock farms, he worked under Dr. Michael Bomford on soil-borne disease control in organic vegetable systems at Kentucky State University. He has 8 years of experience as a small farm operator and with commercial, organic, and value-added processing, and was a co-founder of the Organic Association of Kentucky. In recent years, Brian worked with land-based non-profits with a focus on education programs, including White Oak Farm and Education Center and the Vesper Meadow Education Program, both in Oregon. He currently lives on and operates Bundle Sticks Farm in Lanesville, Indiana.

Communications Manager: Outreach, Engagement, and Partnerships

After a couple of years as a freelance communications contractor working with OFRF, Elizabeth Tobey (she/her) is delighted to join the staff as Communications Manager: Outreach, Engagement, and Partnerships in December 2024.

Elizabeth has been involved in organic agriculture for as long as she can remember, growing up on a small family homestead in Oregon, and later pursuing sustainability, community building, and food systems in her work and studies. Unschooled in her youth, she later earned a degree in Sustainable Community Development from Prescott College, with a focus on Mentoring Future Generations. She has extensive experience as an educator in both indoor and outdoor settings, with preschoolers through adults. She is motivated by a deep desire to connect people to the land on which they live and believes that we all have a responsibility to care for the earth and each other.

She lives in the Ohio River Valley, on the traditional homelands of the Shawnee in what is now known as Southern Indiana. She is a farmer, crafter, and program coordinator at Bundle Sticks Farm, where she and her partner produce high-quality materials for land-connected craft and bring people together to share skills. On the farm and in all life, Elizabeth honors the complexities of power and privilege and is committed to ongoing learning around how to be a better ancestor, ally, and activist. When she’s not at work in front of a computer, or out tending to the land, you’ll likely find her cooking delicious food to share with friends.

Research and Education Program Manager

mary[at]ofrf.org

Mary Hathaway is the Research and Education Program Manager at OFRF. Over the past decade she has worked as an activist and farmer in the sustainable and equitable food movement in the Southeast. Her most recent experience includes managing direct marketing farms, administering USDA grant projects, and organizing regional food summits.

Mary specializes in supporting local food systems and is passionate about creating opportunities for organic farmers to be leaders in climate change solutions. Mary has a Master’s Degree in Agroecology that helps her frame the necessary work before us with a collaborative, systems thinking approach. She is a powerful force in the workplace and uses her positive attitude to encourage others to work hard and be engaged participants in their community.

In her free time, Mary likes to play in the ocean, talk at great length about composting, and build Legos creatures with her son.

Communications Director

ashley[at]ofrf.org

Partnerships & Development Director

email: leah[at]ofrf.org

Leah Lawson has been an active and passionate advocate for an equitable food system that uplifts communities and reinvigorates the land for the past decade. She fell in love with agriculture while working on a process evaluation in a small farming community in Maharashtra, India, as part of her Masters’ degree in International Development. The combination of regenerative practices and community-led action left a deep impression on her work. Since then, she has built skills in grant writing, fundraising, board structure, strategic planning, project management, and facilitation, which she uses to further the creation of a strong and inclusive food system.

Leah lives in Chicago, where she has worked for organizations that serve rural and urban farmers, including Angelic Organics Learning Center, one of her favorite places in northern Illinois. She enjoys board service and helping new and young organizations get their footing. She has served on the board of Advocates for Urban Agriculture and North Branch Projects, both community-based orgs. Currently, she sits on the board of Windy City ToolBank, an affiliate of ToolBank USA, where she is helping to establish programming that allows organizations in the region to participate in radical sharing; ensuring everyone has access to tools they need to create, improve, and care for their community.

Research & Education Program Director

thelma[at]ofrf.org