BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Sarah Lloyd

President

Sarah Lloyd farms with her husband Nels Nelson and his family on the 400-cow Nelson dairy farm just outside Wisconsin Dells in Columbia County. She works off-farm as a Food Systems Scientist for the UW-Madison Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems and a Supply Chain Specialist for the University of Minnesota Forever Green Initiative, working on the Grassland 2.0 Project. She also does work on development for the Wisconsin Food Hub Cooperative (WFHC), the farmer-led cooperative founded in 2012 focusing on fresh local and regional produce, owned by the farmers and the Wisconsin Farmers Union. Sarah has a PhD in Rural Sociology from UW-Madison and a Masters in Rural Development from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. She has a B.A. in Environmental Studies from Brown University. Sarah is the President of the Columbia County Farmers Union and serves on the Wisconsin Farmers Union Board.

Nicole Kite

Vice President

Nicole Kite is a fundraising professional and arts administrator focused on supporting artists, activists, and creative communities. She is the Development Manager at The Redford Center, an independent environmental nonprofit that supports filmmakers and frontline communities advance environmental solutions through the power of stories that move. Prior to The Redford Center, Nicole managed institutional fundraising, membership, and HR/operations at Headlands Center for the Arts, a multidisciplinary arts center and artist residency program in Sausalito, CA. She resides in the Bay Area and is an active member of her local chapter of SURJ (Showing Up for Racial Justice). Nicole has an MBA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Bolz Center for Arts Administration and a BA in landscape architecture from the University of California-Berkeley.

Gary Goyke

Treasurer

Gary Goyke is director of development and public relations for the Wisconsin Council of the Blind and Visually Impaired (WCBVI). Gary spearheads the council’s fundraising and legislative activities and works with individuals and foundations in the areas of bequests, gift-giving and grants to the Council. He is active in the Association of Fundraising Professional, National Public Relations Society and the Wisconsin Communicators Council. Prior to working at WCBVI, Gary was a Wisconsin State Senator from Oshkosh and is a former staff member for the late Senator and Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey. Gary is also the principal in Goyke and Associates, a Madison-based lobbying organization representing 14 associations and alliances. He has been a consultant and lobbyist for over 20 years. In addition to serving on the board of Clean Wisconsin’s 501(c)3 organization, Gary is the chair of the Clean Wisconsin Action Fund, the 501(c)4 arm.

Catherine Schwalbe

Secretary

Born and raised in Cedarburg, Wisconsin, Catherine Schwalbe has called Chicago home for nearly 40 years. She is a maker of objects and creator of experiences that may include mixed media, sculpture, found objects, bronze & iron, installation & site-specific works, and social practice, all centered around issues and aesthetics related to food systems, water, agriculture, and being human. She is a long-time studio member and instructor at Lillstreet Art Center, and makes works at Haptic Studio and Residency. She completed a BFA with a sculpture concentration at UW Milwaukee in 1983 and has taken additional classes at Artist Bookworks, Columbia College for the Book and Paper Arts, Chicago Industrial Arts and Design Center, and Aurora University. Catherine adheres to the Fluxus philosophy: “The distinction between Art and Life is irrelevant.”

Alfonzo Jones III

Alfonzo Jones III (AJ) is a California native and retiree from the United States Air Force, separating after 25 years of service with the rank of Chief Master Sergeant. He served as the Chief of Operations for the 115th Operations Group, and as the Aircrew Flight Equipment Superintendent of the 176th Fighter Squadron, he was responsible for managing a budget of $3 million that included maintaining and servicing life sustaining equipment for aircrew members. After leaving the military, AJ graduated from the Culinary Arts Program at Madison College in 2013, and launched the Whimsy Dish Catering company and food truck. He has since taught through the college's Adult Continuing Education and Entrepreneurship program, and worked on food initiatives that support local entrepreneurs and supply chains. Since 2010, he has served on the Board of the Kids and Mentors Outdoors (KAMO) program. He currently serves as a professional chef in Virginia, working under contract with the Federal Government.

Jay Salinas

Jay Salinas is an artist, farmer, educator and co-founder of Wormfarm, where he serves as Director of Special Projects & Outreach. He also runs the CSA farm that is central to Wormfarm’s Artist Residency Program. Jay is a network coordinator for the Rural Urban FLOW initiative and has worked to develop sustainable agriculture in urban and rural communities across the nation, working with Growing Power in Milwaukee and the Farley Center’s Gaining Ground project in Madison. Trained as a sculptor, he has developed and taught innovative art curricula for both at-risk youth and at the university level. He has taught sustainable farming techniques to farmers across the nation and continues to work with growers with diverse backgrounds and abilities to build sustainable food systems. Jay was born in and raised near Chicago and holds an MFA in Sculpture.

Donna Neuwirth

Executive Director

After a brief career in professional theater, Donna Neuwirth operated a scenic design company that specialized in themed special events. A self-described impresario and resourceful misfit, she has taken to heart Shakespeare's proclamation: "All the world's a stage." As co-founder and executive director of Wormfarm, Donna has developed numerous public art projects at the intersection of culture and agriculture, and connected the institute to a growing network of leaders in the arts, agriculture, economic development, philanthropy and civic engagement. She is a National Arts Strategies Creative Community Fellow and currently serves on the board of the Sauk County Development Corporation. She has a BFA in Theatre from The Art Institute of Chicago.