THE TEAM
Maria Moreira, Interim Executive Director
Maria Moreira stepped in as the Interim Executive Director of World Farmers following the departure of Henrietta Isaboke. As Board Chair and co-founder of World Farmers, Maria will lead the organization during the transition, and search for Executive Director.
Jessy Gill, Program and Policy Director
Jessy is responsible for program management and development, coordinating organizational and strategic partnerships, and any advocacy efforts. Jessy works closely with the farmers at Flats Mentor Farm to develop and refine all programs and services to fit individual needs, ensuring each Flats Mentor farmer is fully supported in their farming goals. Prior to joining World Farmers Jessy worked with a local NGO in the Marsabit region of Kenya, lived and worked on a farm in the Green Mountains, and worked in community outreach and led federal, state, and local policy efforts for the Community Food and Justice Coalition in Oakland, CA.
Amie Avila, Finance and HR Director
Amie Avila has been a vital part of the World Farmers team for 4 years, bringing her expertise and dedication to the organization. She holds a degree in Business Administration from Southern New Hampshire University. Prior to joining World Farmers, Amie founded and successfully operated her own non-emergency medical transportation company for 18 years. Amie's favorite aspect of working with World Farmers is the opportunity to interact with farmers and assist them in developing business plans, helping them experience the rewards of owning and operating their own businesses. Her passion for empowering others and supporting sustainable agriculture is evident in her daily work. Outside of her professional role, Amie cherishes spending time with her husband, Charles, and their two daughters, Aaliyah and Mariah. They love going on new adventures together, creating lasting memories through exploration and shared experiences.
Kurt Schuffels, Land and Conservation Manager
Kurt joins the World Farmers team, he first started out as a Merchant Marine for 18yrs travelling the world on ships, after leaving the Merchant Marines he began farming in Lancaster, Massachusetts [where he grew up] as a beginning farmer rehabilitating 200 acres of farmland over the course of 11yrs that had been neglected since the late 1980's and making it a fully functional hay operation producing quality blends of grasses for equine/cattle consumption. After some life changes he began working as an agricultural salesman at a local equipment dealer for 9yrs selling all types of agricultural equipment throughout Ma. and NH.to all the local farms, building lasting and trusting relationships with the farmers of our local communities.
Morgan Healey, Design Coordinator
Morgan has double major in computer graphic design and web design. While getting her degree, she designed and developed a brochure for the Ethnic Crops program with UMass Amherst’s Agriculture Department. Prior to joining World Farmers, Morgan was employed for 5 years at the Holden Landmark Corporation, later expanding as Worcester Magazine’s Graphic Online Designer. Morgan also has experience as a freelance designer. Additional expertise includes developing campaign materials for local city councilor, logo design and company branding for CrossFIT EXP and volunteering her time at a local school to raise money for a local animal shelter. At World Farmers, the materials she produces focus on small business marketing, branding, and identity design.
Audra Gross, Administrative Assistant
Audra has lived in many different states, but has called Massachusetts home for a little over ten years. She is very involved in her church and has participated in four mission trips to build houses and churches in the communities in Haiti, Dominica, Ecuador, and Costa Rica. Audra has a deep love for nature, hiking, and photography. She also enjoys getting lost in a good book. Audra grew up working with family and is happy to bring her skills and talents to join the mission of the World Farmers community as an Administrative Assistant.
Maressa Nascimento, CSA Coordinator
Maressa is from Brazil and comes from a family that farms in Brazil. Although she moved here very young, she fully appreciates all the hard work from all farmers and will make sure that our farmers get all the assistance they need to succeed. She has been with us for the past two years part-time working on a portion of our CSA program but now joins us full-time to oversee our CSA program. Maressa previously worked in retail and has over 10 years of experience with customer service.
Rael (Rachael) Onyiego, Farm Outreach Coordinator
Rael Onyiego originally from Kenya, born and raised in Kenya from a farming community as Omogusii, relocated to USA in search for a better opportunities, joined World Farmers in 2011 and resumed her passion for farming, her rich background in agriculture both in Kenya and U.S.A, fuels her dedication to improving farming farming practices and supporting her community. Currently working as a Farmer outreach coordinator, serving as a primary point of contact for farmers.In this role she plays a crucial part in supporting farmers access vital resources and fostering collaboration within the farming community, she coordinates workshops, training sessions, and field days designed to enhance farmers skills and sustainable farming practices, market access and other essential aspects of farming.she has a strong interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to build trust and rapport with diverse population. She enjoys spending quality time with her family and close friends.
Itayi Nyarota, Delivery Specialist
OUR BOARD
Maria Moreira, Board President
Maria has been mentoring beginning farmers since 1984. She has created several businesses, her first at age 23. She is a former dairy farmer who developed and operated a value added cheese making business to sustain her family’s dairy operation during its twenty-five year existence. She directed the marketing for the Ethnic Crops Program and the Beginning Farmer program at UMass Amherst from 2002 to 2012, and was instrumental in accessing USDA’s “Know Your Farmer Know Your Food” high tunnel pilot program for socially disadvantaged farmers in Massachusetts. Maria served as FSA County Committee Advisor for nine years, has been a member of the USDA Beginning Farmer & Rancher Advisory Committee, a Board Member of National Immigrant Farming Initiative, a 4-H Sponsor, and a member of the Massachusetts Farm Bureau since 1985. Currently, Maria is acting Executive Director of World Farmers, a Board Member of Rural Coalition, a Board Member of the Worcester Regional Food Hub, and a Steering Committee member for the Massachusetts Food System Collaborative. Maria has worked with local farmers to access new ethnic markets resulting in over five million dollars of ethnic produce sold over the past 12 years. Maria works tirelessly to prioritize and uplift the voice of the farmer.
Georgia S. Good - Board Member of World Farmers and Executive Director of the Rural Advancement Fund of the National Sharecroppers Fund (RAF)- Vice President
Ms. Georgia Good has assisted low-income rural South Carolina communities for over forty years. Born and raised on a farm, she would leave school every year from August to November to plant and pick cotton. In 1970, Ms. Good helped found the now Family Health Center; she also organized the Orangeburg County Consumer Health Council for poor families. Through RAF, and as Vice President of the Board for the DC-based Rural Coalition, Ms. Good assisted in passing a key program, called 2501, for small farm groups in the 1990 Farm Bill. She also worked to secure more than 30 sections of policy in the 2008 Farm Bill. Ms. Good promoted the settlement of the Pigford Claims, under which thousands of African-American farmers received settlements for being closed out of USDA programs for many years. In 2012, Ms. Good was selected by President Obama to participate in the White House Policy and Action Leadership Conference, and she has also served on committees under President Jimmy Carter addressing migrants and seasonal farm workers. Ms. Good received her education from Claflin University, UC Berkley, New York Training Institute, New York City College, and the MIT Fellowship. Ms. Good is a life member of the NAACP, attends Mount Pisgah Baptist Church in Orangeburg and is a proud mother and grandmother. She resides in Orangeburg, South Carolina.
John Peter Pacheco Jr. - Board Member of World Farmers and VP - Business and Branch Manager for Fidelity Co-Operative Bank - Treasurer
Born in Fall River, Massachusetts, John is a Massachusetts’ native and resides in Lancaster. During the day, John is Vice President for Fidelity Bank, a Community-based bank rooted in North Central Massachusetts; he has been with the organization since January 2018. John has worked in the financial sector his entire adult life. A graduate of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst with a dual degree in Biology and Criminal Justice, John grew up running a family business and naturally developed a sense of community where he resides in North Worcester County. He is heavily involved in the community through the Montachusett Area Rotary Club and volunteers at Mansfield High School teaching students in the color guard program. John has been teaching students since he was in college and continues to work and volunteer in the community where he lives.
Ruby Vargas - Board Member of World Farmers and VP - VP Branch & Business Development Manager for Fidelity Co-Operative Bank - Assistant Treasurer
Ruby Vargas is originally from Colombia and has been in the U.S. for 32 years. She lives in Leominster and began her career in banking in 1997, making her own way in the industry by taking management classes and studying for her certification tests in her free time. Ruby has worked in the banking industry for over 20 years where has extensive experience in financial and banking relationships and management. She currently works at Fidelity bank. Ruby is the mother of two boys and the grandmother to two grandchildren. In addition to serving as a board member for World Farmers, she is an active member of Leominster Rotary and the Board Director for the Spanish-American Center. She enjoys spending time with her family, being outdoors, and staying active where she is a licensed yoga instructor.
Lorette Picciano - Board Member of World Farmers and Executive Director of the Rural
Coalition - Director
Since 1992, Lorette has led Rural Coalition, a Washington, DC-based alliance of more than 60 culturally diverse community based organizations representing small producers and farmworkers in the US and Mexico. She works with RC’s diverse aBoard and members to promote just and sustainable development in rural areas, particularly in civil rights in agriculture. She is now leading efforts in her 8th Farm Bill Debate where in the past she has coordinated unified efforts to assure equal access to USDA programs for farmers, ranchers, and farmworkers helping to secure more than 35 sections of new Farm Bill Policies. Her education includes a BS in Agriculture and Life Sciences from Cornell University, and an M. Ed. from the University of Hawaii, where she was a participant in the Food Institute of the East-West Center and did fieldwork in the rural Philippines. She has worked on the farm crisis of the late 1980’s, on equity in food and farm policy, and on food security and fair trade issues. She helped secure farm credit borrowers’ rights and programs for historically underserved farmers in the 1987 Agriculture Credit Act and Section 2501 of the 1990 Farm Bill. She has long served on the Steering Committee for the USDA National Small Farmers Conference and also serves on the Boards of Directors of Agriculture Missions, Inc., and the Solidarity Economy Network.
Oliver A. Kia - Board Member of World Farmers, and Farmer- Director
Native to Cameroon, Oliver farms at Flats Mentor Farm between working as an Electrical Engineer and raising three children, ages 6, 9, and 12. He balances work, family, and farming, often taking his children to the farm to assist. Having lived in Cameroon’s countryside with his grandparents, where he developed farming skills, he grows most of the crops at the Flats that he grew there, including bitter leaf, garden huckleberry (Solanum scabrum), amaranth, taioba, tomatoes, pumpkin leaves, kale, okra, peppers, and more. He sells commercially, including through the World Farmers’ CSA and at various community gatherings. Oliver enjoys the cooperation between farmers that exists at the Flats, and he helps others in the farming he knows. He has received valuable information, including pointers on using social media in marketing and sales, encouragement from Maria Moreira, and explanation of farming techniques from Sangiwa Eliamani. He also improves his farming by attending training and technical assistance programs on the Flats. He also noted the biggest difference between farming in New England and farming in Cameroon is the spacing of crops and planting in rows, a practice he now employs, making weeding much easier. Oliver works in Maine, resides in Lowell, and farms at the Flats, enthusiastically bringing his experiences to the workings of the Board of Directors.
Fabiola Nizigiyimana - Board Member of World Farmers - Clerk
Fabiola Nizigiyimana, a White House Champion of Change, is a farmer in her 10th year of operation, running Fab Farms located in Lancaster, Massachusetts. Fabiola was a founding member of the Immigrant Farmer Marketing Cooperative–a USDA-Rural Development project established in 2013 which supports socially disadvantaged farmers. Since coming to the US in 2007, Ms. Nizigiyimana continues to be a leader with the Flats Mentor Farm’s immigrant community and beyond; born in Rwanda, Fabiola identifies as a Burundian refugee who fled to Tanzania from the Rwandan genocide in 1994. Driven to expand the impact of her operation in collaboration with their community, Fabiola has scaled her vegetable production over several acres. In addition to feeding her family, Fab Farms cultivates crops to serve diverse Cultural needs, selling to a wide variety of customers and markets. Fabiola is a great mentor to new and existing farmers at the FMF program. Not only does Fabiola have a passion for growing, she also has passion in educating new farmers with production and how to run successful farming enterprises.
OUR 2025 Interns Coming soon!
