Meet our amazing board!

Ashley Rozier is a real estate broker in Georgia who believes that closing the racial housing gap starts with education and action. She invests in the fight for fair and equal housing and commits to creating a more just and equitable future by leading workshops and informational sessions, and by offering technical assistance to future Black homeowners in navigating real estate transactions. 

Brian Roberts has served as the managing partner of a high-performance green building company; as an investor and advisor in a local net-zero energy agricultural neighborhood, and as a board vice-president for a beloved and highly regarded Montessori school, among many other roles. He currently resides in New Hampshire on Sun Moon farm, an intentional community and biodynamic farm.

Cheyenne Sundance is an ecological farmer who cultivates 2 acres of a diverse array of cut-flowers, herbs, vegetables, fruit and laying flock of hens in Ontario, Canada at her farm called Sundance Harvest. With a strong interest in incubators, community land trusts and cooperative farming, she co-founded Sundance Commons, a non-profit that provides the tools, long-term land access at four incubation farms, markets, and training for new farmers historically-excluded from the agricultural sector. 

Chris Gutschenritter is an attorney and the Director of the Land Conservation Program at Gathering Waters. Prior to joining Gathering Waters, Chris served as Director of Land Conservation and Stewardship at a Wisconsin land trust. While serving as a contractor to Gathering Waters, Chris led a collaborative effort to draft a Model Conservation Easement for Wisconsin.

Clara Coleman is a second-generation organic farmer, creator of Real Farmer Care, podcast host, farm consultant, writer, TEDx and keynote speaker on sustainable four-season farming. From 2016 to 2023, Clara led and operated the farm business at her family’s farm Four Season Farm in Maine.

Ian McSweeney of New Hampshire has been an active board member on conservation, agriculture, planning, and zoning commissions and boards at the local and regional levels, and has worked across the country with over 100 land trust groups, almost 100 communities, and regional, state, and federal partners to assist over 100 farms, protecting over 12,000 acres, and raising over $24 million providing benefit to farmland, farmers, and the local agrarian economy. 

Kristina Villa is a farmer in Tennessee, communicator, and community coordinator with over a decade of farming, communication, and fundraising experience. Most of her work in the land access space has focused on equitable land security for BIPOC growers, addressing the inequities and disparities in how land is owned and accessed in this country. 

Mark Lancaster of Ohio brings 40 years of experience in leadership and development of both domestic and international not-for-profit organizations, including board chair of Heifer International. He is ordained as a United Methodist clergy and has served as a pastor, a university chaplain, director of a college Annual Fund program, Executive Director of Institutional Advancement, creator of a technology center in Nigeria, and Major Gift Officer for several organizations.

Sayota Knight is an activist in Tennessee working to educate communities on Indigenous culture and to bring awareness and change to harmful racist practices and paradigms that exist within our societal and legal frameworks today. Sayota leads and facilitates Indigenous food sovereignty movements and events locally and nationally.

Shani Mink of New York is a seasoned farmer, experiential Jewish educator and the executive director of the Jewish Farmer Network. Over the last 12 years she has worked on farms as a field hand, educator, manager and consultant. Shani’s work with the land deepens her spiritual path, and the wisdom of the Jewish tradition lends endless meaning and intention to her work as a farmer.

Tonya Lewis is a new and beginning farmer and the founder of Wonderful People Micro Farm, a small-scale regenerative farm in Tennessee that provides agricultural education and technical training for youth, women, BIPOC and underserved groups. She is also an entrepreneur and creative consultant building space for the arts, community wellness, and environmental education.

The Farmers Land Trust will be presenting a workshop at the national Land Trust Alliance Rally happening in Providence Rhode Island from September 25-28 on the unique and innovative Farmland Commons model and the work happening around the country.

The Southeast Regional Biodynamic Conference is a high quality educational event with the feeling of a celebratory seasonal festival. For 38 years, farmers, gardeners, and homesteaders who are interested in biodynamic methods have been gathering to learn and celebrate the season together. There are educational workshops throughout the weekend including a presentation from The Farmers Land Trust’s Kristina Villa, as well as delicious home cooked meals, live music, skill sharing, and plenty of time to sit around the fire and enjoy the farm.

Novmeber 7-9 is the National Farmers Unions’ Women’s Conference in San Antonia, TX. This two-day conference has something for everyone: hear from speakers on farm financing, communications, marketing, and more. Kristina Villa from The Farmers Land Trust will be speaking on the innovative Farmland Commons work happening around the country.