Annie Cheatham, Executive Director of New England Farmers Union, started her career working in the U.S. Congress with Rep. Charlie Rose, D-N.C., when he was chair of the House Agriculture Committee’s Subcommittee on Family Farms and Rural Development. She went on to establish the Congressional Clearinghouse on the Future, a study group for members of Congress devoted to emerging issues. Al Gore was the chairman of the CCF. Most recently she has been the executive director of CISA, Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture, a nonprofit agricultural organization in southern New England which has one of the oldest "buy local" campaigns in the U.S. Before that, she founded and operated a full-service garden center in Amherst, Mass.

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Annette Higby, Policy Director, brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the job. Her career as an attorney, educator, policy analyst and advocate for family farm agriculture spans 30 years. Most recently she was the Grassroots Advocacy and Outreach Coordinator for the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition. She also coordinated the 2008 farm bill campaign for the National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture. Her Vermont law practice focused on generational farm transfer, farm business formation and farmland leasing and land tenure issues. Annette lives in Randolph, Vermont with her husband, Marty Strange and their son Benjamin. 

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Lisa McCrory, Communications Coordinator, is a certified organic farmer and livestock consultant living in Bethel, Vt. She operates Earthwise Farm and Forest with her husband where they live off grid, use draft animals for logging and fieldwork, and raise vegetables, flowers, herbs and grass fed meat and milk products. Lisa also works part time for NEFU affiliate member the Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance as the Newsletter Editor and Website Editor. And she works privately as a grazing consultant.

Lisa and her husband Carl were the Founders/Producers of the Northeast Animal-Power Field Days (2007–2010), and are founding members of the newly formed Draft Animal Power Network (DAPNet). Lisa worked for NOFA Vermont from 1997-2009, as a dairy and livestock advisor, organizing events and conferences, writing grants, and providing on-farm technical assistance. Prior to that, she worked at the University of Vermont as a grazing consultant for the Pasture Management Outreach Program. In her spare time, Lisa enjoys dowsing and its application in agricultural & personal growth, many outdoor activities, and spending time with her husband and three growing children (ages 14, 9, and 7). She is currently a board member for the American Society of Dowsers and Rural Vermont.

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Erika Olson, Administration, comes from a family that is passionate about food and cooking. Along with her family members, she takes pride in her gourmet creations. A member of the Franklin Community Co-op, she chooses to use local and organic ingredients in her food preparation. 

Born just outside of Washington, DC, in Silver Spring, Maryland, she moved to New England at an early age when her parents fell in love with the region’s land and fisheries. After studying economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, she remained in the area and began her career as a Financial and Administrative Consultant.  For 18 years, Erika served as a manager at Thomas & Thomas Rodmakers, Inc., manufacturers of fly fishing rods, where she valued working in an industry with ties to conservation. Following this tenure, she is excited to work directly within such an environmentally conscious organization.

Ten years ago, Erika and her husband Paul built their home in Gill, Massachusetts. They continue to live there with their daughter Karissa. 

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Bob Wagner, Policy Consultant, has worked in the field of farmland protection since 1981. Since 1985, he has worked in various senior-level positions at American Farmland Trust. Through his work with AFT, and earlier as a legislative assistant to then-Congressman James Jeffords of Vermont and a consultant to the Vermont Department of Agriculture, Bob has played an active role in the promotion and development of state and local farmland protection strategies and programs throughout the country. Bob lives with his family in Hatfield, Mass. He has served as the chair of the Hatfield Agricultural Advisory Commission since its creation in 2003 and as the chair of Hatfield’s Community Preservation Committee since 2008.

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