Staff and Advisory Committee
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Stacey Purslow, NH Farm to School Program CoordinatorStacey Purslow is the Program Coordinator for the NH Farm to School Program. She started the position in June 2009. She holds a culinary degree, a BFA in photography from the Corcoran School of Art in Washington, DC, and is currently enrolled at UNH's Thompson School studying nutrition and dietetics. Stacey has spent many years in the food service industry, most recently with the Headstart program in Strafford County, and before that as a restaurant owner. She originally hails from New Jersey and has been living in New Hampshire for eleven years. |
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Kate Donald, Special Projects CoordinatorKate Donald is a part-time Special Projects Coordinator for UOS's Food & Society Initiative (FAS) and Culture & Sustainability Initiative (CAS). She began working at UOS in February 2009. For the past nine years, Kate has been an organic vegetable farmer and CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) manager. As an advocate for local agriculture, Kate assists with Seacoast Eat Local’s winter farmers’ markets and educational programs. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the Seacoast Growers’ Association. Her past work includes urban agriculture and food security projects, development of school gardens, and teaching organic gardening and composting. Kate holds a B.S. in Foreign Service from Georgetown University and a Certificate in Ecological Horticulture from the University of California at Santa Cruz. |
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Elisabeth Farrell, Office of Sustainability Program CoordinatorElisabeth "El" Farrell is the Program Coordinator of the Food and Society and Culture and Sustainability Initiatives at the Office of Sustainability. In this role, she assists with the organization and implementation of curricula, research, projects and events related to issues of culture, public arts, community, food, local and sustainable agriculture, nutrition and other related issues. El has worked for the Office of Sustainability for over five years managing initiative projects and events, including the New Hampshire Center for a Food Secure Future, the Local Harvest Dinner, the Cultural Excursions program, and many others. She holds an M.F.A. in writing and literature from the Bennington College Writing Seminars and a B.A. in anthropology from the University of New Hampshire. |
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Lynda Brushett, Ph.D., Program ConsultantLynda Brushett is the principal of Niche Marketing, a rural development consulting practice founded in 1983 to support community-based, community-led, community change and a Senior Partner with the Cooperative Development Institute, the technical assistance provider for cooperative development in New England and New York. She is the Facilitator for the New Hampshire Coalition for Sustaining Agriculture, an informal network that brings together members of the farm community and non-farming public with agricultural and community development professionals to enhance the social, economic and environmental sustainability of agriculture in New Hampshire, In this capacity she is the Program Director for the New Hampshire Farm to School Program. She is the co-author of Market Planning for Value-Added Agricultural Products, the author of a related publication, Specialty Food Business Fundamentals, and numerous food, agriculture and rural development studies. She holds a Ph.D. in Natural Resources from the University of New Hampshire. |
Advisory Committee 
Lynda Brushett, Ph.D.
Project Consultant, NH Farm to School Program
Rick DeMark
Executive Director, North Country Resource Conservation and Development Area
Jodie Duclos
Teacher, Hilltop Elementary School, Somersworth
Nathan Duclos
Former Program Coordinator, NH Farm to School Program
Elisabeth Farrell
Program Coordinator, UNH University Office of Sustainability
Mindy Fitterman, MEd, RD
Nutrition Consultant, NH Fruit and Vegetable Program, NH Department of Health and Human Services
Nada Haddad
Extension Educator, UNH Cooperative Extension of Rockingham County
Patricia Laska
Food Service Director, Portsmouth School District
Gail McWilliam Jellie
Director, Division of Agricultural Development, NH Department of Agriculture, Markets, and Food
Stacey Purslow
Program Coordinator, NH Farm to School Program
Elaine VanDyke
Administrator, Bureau of Nutrition Program and Services, NH Department of Education



