Northeast Organic Farming Association
of New Hampshire
A Voice for Organic Agriculture in NH
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Meet Our Staff & Board of Directors
NOFA-NH Staff Members
Xochiquetzal Berry
Marketing & Communications Coordinator
Xochiquetzal Berry is a food systems specialist and certified permaculture designer with a background in culinary arts and sustainable food and farming. In her 14 years of experience, Xochi has worked as a chef, garden designer, permaculture program head, and agricultural educator. Through her life’s work, she has become acutely aware of the beneficial impact organic, regenerative, and just farming practices have on our people and planet, and she is eager to help the food loving folks of New Hampshire develop a resilient, equitable, and vibrant regional food system. Xochi lives on an urban homestead in Concord with her husband, daughter, dog, and 6 chickens.
Kyle Jacoby
Education Program Coordinator
Kyle Jacoby is an environmental education professional who has worked with nonprofits across the country that are focused on improving our natural and social systems. He has held roles in teaching, support, and program directing for organizations such as Cuyahoga Valley National Park (CVNP), Mass Audubon, The Trustees of Reservations, and Tower Hill Botanic Garden. During his career, Kyle built an appreciation for the impact farming can have while teaching and leading farm-based education programs at CVNP, Drumlin Farm (MA Audubon), and Appleton Farms (The Trustees). He believes farming can change the world and loves getting the opportunity to work with our NH Community to make that a reality. Kyle lives in the Seacoast region of NH.
Nikki Kolb
Operations Director
Nikki is an organic farming and local food advocate with over 10 years of experience working with non-profits. She has a degree in writing and publishing, and a background in wildlife conservation, experiential education, and universal design. Nikki has worked with NOFA-NH since 2017 and previously held the positions of Office Administrator and Fundraising Coordinator. She lives and gardens in Canterbury with her family, and is a co-founder of the media arts company Know Stone Unturned.
Denise Rico
Bulk Order & Finance Coordinator
Denise Rico is a NOFA Accredited Organic Land Care Professional. She holds degrees in Horticulture and Landscape Design. She has owned and operated a small landscape business in NH for over 20 years and has grown certified organic vegetables for market for 7 years. She currently lives on her farm on the banks of the Blackwater River in Contoocook, NH, where there are no stones in the soil.
NOFA-NH Board of Directors
Julie Davenson
President of the Board of Directors
Julie Davenson served as the Executive Director of Stonewall Farm for 7 years from 2015 to 2022. During her tenure at Stonewall Farm, she transitioned the farm into an innovative demonstration HUB for regenerative agriculture. She now works with the Regenerative Food Network, Southshire Meats, and the Northeast Healthy Soil Network. She holds a masters degree from Antioch University in Organization and Management. She has served in a leadership capacity in a number of non-profit organizations and is an experienced experiential educator and facilitator. She has been passionate about social justice and environmental causes throughout her career trying to connect the issues. She worked on reforming federal housing regulation while developing innovative housing programs as a director at Keene Housing. She is trained in holistic management with the Savory Institute including studying at the African Center for Holistic Management in Zimbabwe.
Karl Johnson
Vice President of the Board of Directors
Karl grew up in a southern New Hampshire farming community and went on to a 50-year career in marketing and advertising. He recently retired as Marketing Director for Pete and Gerry’s Organic Eggs but is still active in helping the company keep in touch with consumers. Karl is passionate about keeping small family-owned farms alive and thriving in New Hampshire.
Steve Forde
Treasurer of the Board of Directors
After a career spanning more than 35 years as an electrical and computer engineer and certified project management professional, Steve, and his wife Dawn, settled in Henniker, NH, to sow the seeds for their retirement. In 2014, they started Hop N Hen Farm, a small-scale, solar-powered family farm where they produce a wide variety of certified organic fruits and vegetables, rotationally-pastured and organically-fed poultry for meat and eggs, as well as honey, jams and jellies, using only sustainable and humane agricultural practices. Steve believes that healthy foods depend on healthy soils and is a firm believer in the importance of vibrant and robust local food systems. He has been a member of NOFA since 2011.
Steve has a long history of volunteer service and leadership with a number of organizations, including the Central Massachusetts Chapter Project Management Institute, Mohegan Council Boy Scouts of America, and Appalachian Mountain Club. He is currently a member of the Small and Beginner Farmers of New Hampshire and the American Pastured Poultry Producers Association.
Steve joined the NOFA-NH Board of Directors in 2017 and currently oversees the Finance and Quality Committees.
Edith Pucci Couchman
Secretary of the Board of Directors
Edith Pucci Couchman has been teaching youngsters about both the visual arts and environmental science for over thirty years. She has participated in the Cooperative and Organic Food Movements since the ‘70's because she believes that these are both key for creating beautiful, just, and ecologically-sound human lifeways. She was named NOFA-NH’s Volunteer of the Year for 2012, Hillsborough County Conservation District’s Conservation Teacher of the Year in 2014, and received the 2017 NH Excellence in S.T.E.M. Teaching Award (elementary school level) from the New Hampshire Society of Professional Engineers. Edith is active in the Greater Nashua Food Council and the NH School and Youth Gardening Network. Her articles have been published in the Canadian environmental magazine GreenTeacher.com and she edits the teaching website evolvingbeauty.org.
Kate Dobrowski
Member of the Board of Directors
Kate is owner and co- grower with her son at Greenhill Farm NH. Greenhill Farm NH is a diversified off-grid Solar powered family farm in central NH producing a variety of Certified Organic fruit, vegetables, mushrooms, herbs, flowers, woodland, and value -added products grown in healthy soils with regenerative practices. Kate’s work and educational herstory is as diversified as the farm’s and most recently include a clinical herbalism and nutrition business. She believes that good health and environmental health are synonymous. She also has background as a licensed massage therapist, program developer, retail buyer, electronics tech, decorative painter and more. By far, her greatest endeavor was raising three talented human beings all of whom love and respect the natural world. To amuse herself, she likes to plant and graft heirloom fruit trees, especially apples, nuts, and unusual perennial vegetables in freeform - not rows. Rambling through the woodlot to check on her beloved trees, cooking up a farm to table meal, wearing flannel and making people smile are a few things she finds comforting.
Joyce Ford
Member of the Board of Directors
Joyce Ford, and her husband, Jim Riddle, moved from Minnesota to New Hampshire in 2020. Joyce and Jim still own their certified organic Blue Fruit Farm in Winona, MN, but are mentoring a younger couple to take over and buy the farm. Blue Fruit Farm is located on an organic land cooperative in SE MN where they built their own home and used solar and wind energy for many years. Soil fertility, conservation and problem prevention are the main tenets of their organic farm management program. Joyce has been an organic farmer since the 1980’s and an organic inspector and auditor for over 30 years. She and her husband, Jim Riddle, helped organize the Winona Farmers Market in Winona, MN. She co-authored the International Organic Inspectors Association (IOIA) inspector curriculum manuals, the Organic Trade Association Good Organic Retailing Practices, and the certification chapter in Organic Dairy Farming. She has trained organic inspectors for the IOIA and monitored pipeline construction on organic farms, enforcing MN Agricultural Impact Mitigation Plan’s Organic Appendix. She served on the MN Healthy Food Charter Steering Committee and other local committees. She has expertise on organic certification, specifically in developing record-keeping systems.
Joyce and Jim were awarded the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service (MOSES) Organic Farmer of the Year in 2019, for their outstanding work in conservation, outreach and farming innovations.
Joyce enjoys hiking, fishing, and helping take care of their 2 granddaughters here in Weare, NH. She currently lives on Emerald Lake in Hillsborough. Joyce has served on a number of boards, and is looking forward to being of service to NOFA-NH.
Joan O'Connor
Member of the Board of Directors
Joan O’Connor has a long history of leading and supporting agriculture and farmers’ markets initiatives in New Hampshire. She’s enjoyed over 25 years as the owners of Joan’s Famous Composting Worms, selling at Farmers’ Markets and leading workshops. She served as a Market Manager in Manchester and Site Manager for a multi-farmer CSA. She founded and directed the successful Concord Winter Farmers’ Market for two years, and the Tilton Winter Farmers' Market and the Tilton Farmers’ Markets for four years. In 2016, she worked with NH legislators to bring forward Senate Bill 306, a law which now allows beer and wine sampling at farmers’ markets. Joan spent the first 21 years of her career selling on the road as a Manufacturers’ Representative for jewelry manufacturers, importers, designers, craftspeople and artists. She lives in Henniker, New Hampshire in a one-room, renovated schoolhouse with her cats and worms.
Rue Toland
Member of the Board of Directors
Rue is a business and transactional lawyer with Preti Flaherty, where she advises a wide array of clients on strategic and other matters. She lives with her husband and three children on a small farm in Canterbury, NH, where they raise sheep, goats, chickens, geese, and assorted other animals. A long-time knitter and spinner, Rue is thrilled to craft intricate sweaters from the wool of her flock.
Bill Wardwell
Member of the Board of Directors
Bill is currently the owner and operator of Applecroft Farm in Dunbarton, NH, a diverse, organic farm growing fruits, nuts, mushrooms, vegetables and herbs as well as raising quail, chickens and soon ducks and geese for eggs. He has lived and worked in Baku, Azerbaijan for the past 9 years managing a print and design company. Previously he managed print, design and distribution operations in Maine, Vermont, Rhode Island and New Jersey. His personal interests include healthy living and eating, travel and exploring food from different cultures.
Board Committees
NOFA-NH has eight Board Committees made up of board members and volunteers:
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion - Chair: Nikki Kolb, Members: Joan O'Connor, Emma Dooley, Emily Murphy, Nadine San Antonio
Finance - Chair: Steve Forde, Members: Ron Christie, Denise Rico
Fundraising & Marketing - Chair: Nikki Kolb, Members: Edith Pucci Couchman, Karl Johnson, Joan O'Connor
Governance & Quality Assurance - Chair: Karl Johnson Member: Steve Forde
Outreach, Education & Membership - Chair: Phillip Browne, Members: Edith Pucci Couchman, Kate Dobrowski, Bill Wardwell, Amy Antonucci, Aniket Gurav, Gene Jonas, Nida Khan
Policy - Chair: Julie Davenson, Members: Edith Pucci Couchman, Gene Jonas, Bill Wardwell
We're always looking for enthusiastic volunteers to join our committees! Please email info@nofanh.org with your interest, and to learn more.
Office Hours
By appointment. Please email us or call to schedule.
Main Phone & Email
(603) 224-5022
Office Staff
Xochiquetzal Berry
Marketing & Communications Coordinator
Kyle Jacoby
Education Program Coordinator
Nikki Kolb
Operations Manager
Denise Rico
Bulk Order & Finance Coordinator