Team Members

Just Roots’ capable, caring and enthusiastic team is made up of both paid and volunteer staff, a vibrant Board of Directors and a valued group of consultants. Our land and our community is cared for by many hands. We find joy in each other and in the work we do. Together we strive to achieve our shared mission. Learn more about our team below.

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Meet the Staff Team

Meryl LaTronica

Director of Farm Operations: meryl@justroots.org

Meryl (she/her) is a dedicated and experienced production farmer, farm-based educator, community organizer, mentor to new farmers and devoted member of the New England farm community. She has been farming for fifteen years in the Eastern Massachusetts farm community, focusing her work on balancing intensive organic vegetable production with a commitment to building strong communities around food and farms. In 2006, Meryl was given an opportunity to start a new farm project for the Trustees of Reservations, called Powisset Farm, which she managed for nine years. Powisset farm grew to include a large CSA, thriving on-site farmer’s market, educational workshops and a commercial kitchen operation for community programs. Collaboration of all kinds has guided and energized her farm work and she is particularly focused on top-quality, sustainable, vegetable production, community engagement, education and empowerment, and crew development. When she isn’t farming, you can find Meryl walking in the woods with her dog, banging on some drums, dancing or singing loudly, off key!

Joshua Faller

Program Director: joshua@justroots.org

Joshua (he/him) grew up on a farm just on the other side of the Berkshires where the erosion of farmland and the local foodshed there moved him to dedicate himself to rebuilding resilience and mutual aid into the food system. He studied history and ecological horticulture in California, and then spent several years out West as an outreach worker and harm reduction counselor. He then served with AmeriCorps supporting dynamic urban agriculture initiatives focused on providing food access for all. After that, Joshua spent time managing organic community farms in Eastern Massachusetts and the Hudson Valley, growing sustainable produce, and teaching others to do likewise. He left the region for Alaska when the opportunity to pursue grad school while running an educational farm presented itself. While in the far North he developed opportunities for students in sustainable ag, and organized in the local food system co-founding Alaska Tilth, a local food equity collaboration, and the first chapter of Alaska CRAFT, a farmer led initiative to share systems innovations and cross-train new growers. 

He lives in Easthampton with his wife Megan, two cats, and a tiny rhinoceros, and is excited to put down roots in the Connecticut River Valley and  work towards making sure that we all get enough to eat.

Emily Chiara

Program Manager: emily@justroots.org

Emily (she/her) is an experienced community organizer and dedicated food justice and access advocate. She grew up in the Pioneer Valley where she developed a deep love for growing, cooking, and celebrating local foods. She is a firm believer in the power of food and farming to break barriers, build community, and create a more equitable world. She first interned with Just Roots in 2018 while completing a Masters in Sustainability Science from UMass Amherst. She is thrilled to be working with the Just Roots team again and building deeper connections with the Greenfield community and beyond. She previously worked as the Community Engagement Coordinator for the up-and-coming Common Share Food Co-op in Amherst and served as a board member. She also led outreach and communications for the Sustainable Agriculture Education Association and has supported food education and community health organizations in Arkansas, North Carolina, and Guatemala. She lives in Conway where you can often find her experimenting in the kitchen, knitting various projects, hiking and biking around the valley, or playing copious amounts of board games with her partner.

Brooke Bullock

Community Engagement Coordinator: brooke@justroots.org

Brooke is a farmer and community organizer who moved to Western Mass from New Orleans, LA to join the Just Root’s Food Access and Equity Team. Brooke was previously the Executive Director of a non-profit teaching farm, Sugar Roots, where she remains an active board member. Brooke is passionate about food justice, food education, and land stewardship. Brooke looks forward to using her background in ecology, culinary arts, and alternative education to develop inclusive workshops, events, and to generate strong community connections. In her spare time, Brooke enjoys hiking with her dog, playing guitar, and partner dancing.

Irene Blasco

Community Care Manager: irene@justroots.org

Irene (she/her) was born and raised in Madrid, Spain. She studied Psychology, did her Masters in Educational Counseling, and then spent a couple of years working as a counselor in a bilingual k-12 school. During that period she had the opportunity to develop and implement educational programs based on the needs of the students, teachers, and families. After that, Irene went on a big trip for two years that took her to South America, South East Asia, and finally, France. She got involved in several farm-based community projects. She learned about permaculture, sustainability, food production, and natural building among other things. Since she moved to the Pioneer Valley, over five years ago, she has created a wood-fired pizza business with her partner. In the past year, she has been working with Families First, facilitating parenting and leadership programs for families across the state. She currently lives in Easthampton with her partner and their two-year-old daughter. She enjoys making things with clay, traveling, hiking and growing food and flowers in her backyard.

Kyle Zegel

Community Support Coordinator: kyle@justroots.org

Kyle (he/him) grew up in a suburb north of Boston before moving to western Massachusetts around 6 years ago to study Sustainable Food & Farming at UMass Amherst. Since then he has worked at livestock and vegetable production farms in the Pioneer Valley, including 3 years as Washroom Manager at Riverland Farm in Sunderland. He is a dedicated and passionate production farmer and a budding farm-based educator and community organizer. He also loves to cook, bake and ferment all sorts of delicious food that he is excited to share with community members! When he’s not at Just Roots he can be found playing guitar and drums, reading, hiking around New England, dancing like a maniac at concerts and raising small livestock wherever landowners will let him!

Annie Levine

Head of Office Operations: annie@justroots.org

Annie is excited to join the Just Roots crew as the new Head of Office Operations. Originally from the Boston area, Annie has lived in the valley for over a decade where she’s worked in local schools and honed her office management and bookkeeping skills at several small businesses and nonprofits. Annie brings her passion for increasing community resilience and food security to her job here at Just Roots. For the past seven years she has been working in her community through the Great Falls Apple Corps, a group she co-founded in 2017 that advocates for public edible landscaping, and is entering her fifth season running the Great Falls Farmers Market. Through her guidance, the market has become one of the only farmers markets in the country that is run by a municipality and funded entirely through a town budget. Annie is an elected Town Meeting Member for the town of Montague, and sits on both the Montague Tree Committee and the Montague Cemetery Commission. When not puttering around the garden or playing backgammon in the park, you can find Annie swimming laps at the Y, picking up a new fiber art skill, or cuddling at home with her husband Jeff and their two cats.

Fran Kleinsteiber

Farm Manager: fran@justroots.org

Fran (they/them) has been living and farming in Western Massachusetts since 2017. Fran’s love for plants and food began as a child in their hometown of Denver, Colorado, where they worked alongside their mom at her landscaping business and spent many years in the food service and restaurant industry. Fran’s experience and interests found a natural convergence in farming while studying at Hampshire College, with their studies in sustainable agriculture and food systems culminating in a thesis about local seed systems. Fran spent three years working for Riverland Farm as an assistant manager, and was managing the Hampshire College vegetable production program before coming to join the team at Just Roots. They are passionate about farm and community resilience, and are invested in contributing to a future of unconditional access to culturally significant and fresh, delicious food for all. Fran is honored to bring their experience in commercial agriculture and educational farming to the team at Just Roots, and is excited to continue to share the joy and fulfillment they find in farm work with their community. When not at the farm, Fran can be found walking in the woods with their hound dog Harold, relaxing at a quiet spot along the river, or tending to their personal seed-keeping project with dried beans. 

Avi Flynn

CSA and Volunteer Coordinator: avi@justroots.org

Avi (they/them) is excited to return for their second season as an Assistant Grower. Having grown up in a suburb of Boston, they are grateful to have stumbled into farming and have found so much joy and community in growing food. Avi studied Sustainable Food and Farming at UMass and feels lucky to have interacted with so many different farms across the state through that program and through briefly working with the vegetable Extension program there. They have spent the most seasons nerding out about vegetables, but have also cared for flocks of chickens, cows, bees, and other creatures that have been sources of nourishment in many forms. They draw a lot of hope from this humbling opportunity to be in relationship with this piece of land, and all the people who tend to and eat from it. 

Erev Egan

Assistant Grower

Erev (they/them) grew up in coastal Maine and found their way out to the Pioneer Valley after graduating from Clark University in 2021. Erev first became interested in agriculture after attending The Mountain School for a semester in high school where they developed a strong affinity for intentional community, being in right relationship with the land, and thinking critically and creatively about food ethics under global capitalism. They are excited to bring their several seasons of experience farming (most prominently at Many Hands Organic Farm in Barre, MA) to Just Roots this year and join a team of folks passionate about equitable food access and education. When not playing in the dirt out in the field, Erev enjoys filling their chest freezer with the summer bounty, cooking delicious and nourishing meals for friends and comrades, and organizing with folks around abolition and collective liberation. You can otherwise find them by a river with their pup Rina.

Erin Moran

Delivery Driver

Erin (She/herhers), an eastern Massachusetts transplant, moved to western Mass nearly a decade ago. Living with her dog and cat, she finds joy in flower gardening and hiking with her pup. Adventurous outings with her gal pals round out her love for the outdoors. Erin’s interests extend beyond recreation. She’s passionate about foraging, plant/food as medicine, and exploring end-of-life care and grief work. In the next chapter of her life, she aims to integrate these interests into meaningful contributions to her community. Her love language is sharing food with friends, a reflection of her commitment to fostering connections. Erin brings a grounded and empathetic approach to her work, embodying a spirit of generosity and community engagement.

The Just Roots family!

Just Roots exists because so many people have dedicated HUNDREDS/THOUSANDS of hours to bringing its mission to life! Thank you to all of our former team and board members who we proudly call members of our farm-ily!

Founder
Jay Lord

We wish to honor Jay in perpetuity. Our ground truth is that if it were not for his incredible vision and leadership Just Roots would not be what it is today! We love the story of Jay’s involvement which began with him looking for town land upon which to farm. He approached Mayor Bill Martin who suggested that Jay talk to a community group that had formed called Just Roots. Jay attended a meeting and saw a need he could fill: leadership to help Shepard the grand vision of this group of citizens which was to find space for people in our community to grow their own food and to make more locally grown food available for all people. Jay offered to volunteer his time and extensive experience for six months. Ten years later he officially retired. In those ten years, Jay helped to build the foundation for impact. Through his leadership Just Roots became a legal not-for-profit organization, gained a long term lease on town owned land, invested in infrastructure to create a community farm on that land, built capacity for staff and volunteers, grew a network of support and resulted in a food access organization that is now recognized as a leader in food access in Massachusetts. Just Roots is eternally grateful to Jay for his vision, leadership and good humor over the years. We look forward to seeing him often with his orange hat and his bright smile on the farm. Thank you Jay!

Jessica O’Neill (formerly Van Steensburg)
Former Executive Director (2016-2022)

Jessica (she/her) joined Just Roots in 2010, serving first on the Board of Directors and then in her role on Staff. Jessica, took the reins as Executive Director in 2016, following a two-year co-directorship with Jay Lord, the Founding Director. She has a background in nonprofit management including more than half a decade at the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA). Jessica chairs the Franklin County Food Council and is our resident expert in farm animal nutrition with extensive experience in equine management, including working draft breeds. She serves as President of the Heath Agricultural Society and as a member of the Heath Agricultural Commission and on the board of Friends of HAY. A native of New Hampshire, Jessica came to the Pioneer Valley in 2004. She lost her dear life-partner Jeff in 2015 to a tragic car accident, and now lives with her husband Sean in Charlemont along with a gnarly old apple orchard, a much loved garden, a bubbling brook, two adorable dogs (Darwin Scott and Joey), one sly cat (Yerba), two horses (Dickens and Quincy) and a heap of free-range, earth-loving chickens.

Laura Fisher
Former Executive Director (2022-2024)

Laura A. Fisher (she/her) was born and raised in Western Massachusetts and spent her childhood on her family’s farm in Easthampton where she formed early memories of harvesting fresh asparagus spears from rich Connecticut River Valley loam each spring. Laura brings with her over seven years of combined experience as a practicing attorney and higher education administrator as well as years of dedication to the advancement of robust, resilient, and equitable farming and food systems in Western Massachusetts. Previously, she founded the Easthampton Community Garden and coordinated its operations for a decade, and was a member of the Board of Directors for Grow Food Northampton. Laura currently serves on the Massachusetts Advisory Board for Conservation Law Foundation and as a mayoral appointee to Easthampton’s Agricultural Commission. Laura is a graduate of Smith College and received her Juris Doctor summa cum laude from Western New England University School of Law. She loves gardening, homemade Polish food, and travel (especially when it involves exploring new places on horseback and/or practicing her Spanish). She and her partner live on an historic small farm in Easthampton with two cats, a two hundred year old catalpa tree, and thousands of honeybees.

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