Meet our team

Born and raised in the East Bay, Jeremy received his Bachelor’s of Arts in Environmental Studies & Sustainable Resource Management from California State University, East Bay. While in college, he developed a deep appreciation for how our food choices affect the health of our physical environment, impact local economies, and influence community wellness. And so, for the past decade, Jeremy has thoughtfully engaged in both food-based nonprofit and for-profit work to develop a deeper understanding of how to build a more sustainable food system in the Bay Area. At Fresh Approach, he oversees their brand development, social media channels and digital content creation, quarterly newsletter, and organizational-wide outreach activities to help uplift and bring awareness for their programs and fund development. Jeremy approaches his work with curiosity, creativity, and a lens of food equity and social inclusivity.

Jeremy Dutra
(he/him)

Marketing & Communications Manager

Raffaella has been at Fresh Approach since 2018. She grew up in Italy, the daughter of avid farmers, who still live and farm in a small village, where thin strips of vegetable gardens were created hundreds of years ago on cliffs that plunge down to the ocean below. She earned two Master’s degrees in Agronomy and a Ph.D. in Agro-food Economics. She began her career doing research projects related to food and farming in order to promote organic and local food systems in Europe. After moving to the USA, she had a burning desire to work on fostering food justice and nurturing equitable communities, where everyone can have easy access to fresh fruit and vegetables.

Raffaella Cerruti
(she/her)

Development Director

Kate joined Fresh Approach in November 2025. In her previous role, Kate coordinated program evaluations and grant development for UK government agencies including the Department for Environment, Farming, and Rural Affairs, spanning initiatives that supported farmers and community food access. She has cultivated her connection to food and farming through volunteering in community gardens around the US and UK. In the summer of 2025, she spent the season living and working on organic vegetable farms in England, France, and Denmark.
Originally from the Midwest, surrounded by industrial corn and soybean fields, Kate witnessed how corporate agriculture disconnects people from their food. This sparked her passion for ensuring small farms have access to markets and her belief that local food systems are essential to thriving communities. Kate holds an MSc in Global Sustainability Solutions from the University of Exeter and a BS in Biochemistry from the University of Kansas. Now based in the Bay Area, she is excited to contribute to Fresh Approach’s mission by securing funding that strengthens connections between communities and local farmers.

Kate Zimmerman
(she/her)

Development Specialist

Lisa Carmack is a Castro Valley alum with a background in journalism and marketing. She graduated from San Francisco State with dual degrees in journalism and psychology. After working in public policy, nonprofit, and tech, she took her experience back to her community in Castro Valley to help build public resources through the school district that raised her and local businesses and nonprofits to develop marketing strategies. As a lifelong camper and camp counselor, she loves creating activities that facilitate learning and creativity.

Lisa Carmack
(she/her)

Communications Specialist

Anthony started his journey after graduating with a degree in sustainable environmental design from UC Davis. From there he entered the food access sphere, where he eventually found his way to working as a community ambassador with Fresh Approach. As a lifelong Bay Area resident, Anthony developed a passion for community development while working through Fresh Approach programs like the mobile farmers market, outreach, and rain gardens. Now, as a Community Garden Program Specialist, he hopes to couple his burgeoning passion for community with his experience in landscape design. In his free time you may find Anthony out in nature hiking, fishing, or camping, or inside playing board games. 

Anthony Otonari
(he/him)

Community Garden
Program Specialist

Born and raised in the SF Bay Area, it has always been Lyndsis’ passion to serve her community by addressing health disparities in any way possible and coming from a trauma-informed lens. In 2021, Lyndsi earned a Bachelor’s degree in Nutritional Science from San Jose State University. This grew her passion for community nutrition and multicultural health, which led to her joining Fresh Approach to support the Veggie Rx classes, food demonstrations with the Mobile Farmers’ Market in the South Bay, and development of our Train the Trainer program. In her down time, she is usually spending time with her dogs, hiking, cooking, or listening to some throwback music.

Lyndsi Datangel
(she/her)

Nutrition Education
Program Specialist

Tia began her Fresh Approach journey in 2021 as the Marketing and Food Access Specialist. She previously focused her studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz, in Environmental Studies and Economics with a focus in Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems. Now, as the Outreach & Engagement Program Manager, Tia brings her passions for building meaningful connections and strong community engagement to the center of her work. Outside of work, Tia enjoys community building, art, and working toward a world that is less oppressive for all creatures.

Tia Neal
(she/her/they/them)

Outreach & Engagement
Program Manager

Jackie grew up between California’s Central Valley and Napa Valley, where her passion for agriculture, food systems, and community first began. She graduated from the University of California, Davis with a degree in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems and a minor in Spanish. Her background includes bilingual communication, agricultural outreach, education, and community engagement, and she is passionate about making sustainable agriculture more accessible and inclusive for diverse communities. As a native Spanish speaker, she values language learning and cultural connection, which inspired her to become a Spanish educator dedicated to supporting others through language instruction, educational mentorship, and cultural engagement within her community. Outside of work, Jackie enjoys running, reading, dancing, staying active, and spending time with family and friends. 

Jackie Menchaca De La Cueva (she/her)

Outreach & Engagement
Program Specialist

Sasha has always been passionate about the intersection of food, culture and community. She has served as an educator since 2018 and has worked to increase access to nourishing foods through community cooking and gardening programs in New Orleans as well as in Mexico, Uganda, Italy and the UK. Sasha comes to this work with a background in Sociology and Latin American Studies and recently completed a Masters in World Food Cultures at the University of Gastronomic Sciences. Originally from Central California, Sasha is excited to be back working among her community while creating joyful experiences to cultivate positive relationships to one’s body, the natural world and community. In her free time, Sasha enjoys cooking, going on long runs, traveling and exploring new places with her friends and family.

Sasha Solano-McDaniel
(she/her/they/them)

Food As Medicine
Program Manager

Vera joined Fresh Approach as a Food Access Program Coordinator in 2020 and became our Community Garden Specialist in 2022. She helps run all our gardening programs in East Palo Alto. Having lived in San Jose for most of her life, Vera has been focused on community-based service since high school. In her spare time, you can find her volunteering at Ulistac Natural Area and Education Project in Santa Clara, or some other restoration project in the Bay Area. She is a certified arborist and a master composter. You may find her on the 1st Saturday of the month hosting our monthly gardening workshops.

Vera Cordova Mendoza
(she/her/ella)

Community Garden
Program Manager

Jazmin joined Fresh Approach in January 2025 as a Community Ambassador with the hope of getting better acquainted with her community. Born and raised in East Palo Alto, she attended Eastside College Preparatory high school and later went on to attend Ohio University to major in Media Studies. Feeling the need to serve people, Jazmin returned to the Bay Area and explored her interest in Primary Education and Home Care. Finally she found Fresh Approach and was able to merge her passion for gardening and community service. In her free time Jazmin runs around juggling multiple social meetups while trying to squeeze in time for her growing list of crafting hobbies.

Jazmin Perez
(she/her)

Community Garden &
Food Access Program Specialist

Shelby joined Fresh Approach in 2018 as a Volunteer Program Specialist through Public Allies, an Americorp program. After completing her time with Public Allies, she became the Outreach Program Specialist and later Community Engagement Program Manager, focusing on community engagement and outreach programs. Now, as the Education & Engagement Program Director, she oversees the Volunteer, Intern, Community Ambassador, outreach, and nutrition education programs. Previously, she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies with an emphasis on Environmental Sustainability and Social Justice. Through this work, Shelby is committed to leadership development within communities to create transformative change. In her free time, you’ll find her cooking, working on creative projects, and exploring the Bay Area.

Shelby Bustria
(she/her/they/them)

Education & Engagement
Program Director

Yohana Ramirez was born in Mexico but grew up in Redwood City, California. She graduated from UC Merced with a Bachelor’s Degree in Molecular/Cell Biology. It has always been a priority for Yohana to serve and help her community in the field of preventative care. That’s why she decided to join Fresh Approach as the food accessibility and garden intern. Where she grew more passionate about spreading the message of food is medicine and joined the nutrition team. In her free time, she loves to weightlift, dance, and spend time with her little brother.

Yohana Ramirez
(she/her)

Nutrition Education
Program Specialist

Acacia joined Fresh Approach in December 2024 and is excited to continue supporting small farms and emerging food systems with the Farms Together program. A recent graduate of Stanford who studied Earth Systems with a concentration in Sustainable Food and Agriculture, she has spent the last three years working at all levels of the food system, from being a farm hand at small farms to a policy intern at the California Department of Food and Agriculture. Outside of work, she enjoys climbing, kayaking, and generally being outdoors.

Acacia Lynch
(she/her)

Farms Together
Program Specialist

Born and raised in the Bay Area, Darolyn grew up being involved in community outreach programs associated with her church. She has always been passionate about helping people both in the field and sharing important resources to those in need. She has an A.A degree in Sociology. Previously working in transit exposed her to countless numbers of people across the Bay Area in need and from that side she felt as if she couldn’t really make a difference. She strongly believes in the importance of health, exercise, and accessibility to healthy food options. That is what brought her to Fresh Approach as a Food Access & Education Specialist. In her spare time she works out, travels, and reads.

Darolyn Turner
(she/her)

Food Access
Program Specialist

Andy Ollove is the Food Access Program Director at Fresh Approach. Andy has been working to build resilient food systems since 2014. In that time, he has been particularly focused on increasing the linkages between small-scale, mission-driven farms to communities who have historically been denied access to healthy food landscapes. Andy has developed unique program interventions around the country, he has worked with corner store owners in the Bronx, food pantries in Brooklyn, gas stations in the Navajo Nation, farmers’ markets in Mexico, and cooperatives in rural Maine. In the Bay Area, he leads food access work at Fresh Approach, managing a diverse portfolio of projects including two mobile farmers’ markets, traditional farmers’ markets in low-access/low-income neighborhoods, and now the USDA Farmers to Families Food Box Program.

Andy Ollove
(he/him)

Food Access
Program Director

Lidia Cajucom is a Bay Area Native. Born in San Francisco then moved to Richmond at a young age. She was a stay at home mother for a few years before joining Fresh Approach as a Community Ambassador in April 2022 and is now a East Bay Food Access Program Specialist. Lidia has a passion to serve in her community in any way possible and will continue to do so now by helping make healthy food more accessible for everyone. Through this short time at Fresh Approach she is finding a new passion for sources of foods and their nutrition information. In her free time, you can find her spending time with family, cooking up new recipes, and cuddling with her fur baby Daisy.

Lidia Cajucom
(she/her)

Food Access
Program Specialist

Christina joined Fresh Approach in July 2024, eager to work in an interconnected food justice space. As a class of 2024 grad in Sociology, Spanish, and Sustainable Food Systems, she uses her background in research, urban agriculture, education, translation, and public health to inform her role as the Food Access Program Manager at Fresh Approach. Her work in food systems, community, and urban agriculture has been cultivated at Garden to Table Silicon Valley, where she has been a volunteer lead since 2023. Born and raised in Colorado, she felt called back to her family’s roots in the Bay Area, which she has always considered her second (and now primary) home. Christina’s interests include gardening, cooking, sewing, going to concerts, and creating and appreciating art.

Christina Nelson
(she/her)

Food Access
Program Manager

Samiha grew up mostly in the midwest as a first-generation Pakistani immigrant. She began her career in ecological restoration and conservation biology, and relocated to the Bay Area/mostly Miwok and Huichin lands in 2014. Since then, she has worked in various capacities within agroecology, land sovereignty, and food and farmer justice & advocacy. Her passion for this work was strengthened during her time in Peace Corps Panama, where she served as a Community Agro-Environmental Conservation Agent. She graduated in 2022 with a Masters in International Agricultural and Rural Development and Indigenous Studies from Cornell University. Prior to that, Samiha worked at Fresh Approach in 2018-2020.

Samiha Hamdi
(she/her)

Farms Together
Program Manager

Alicia Arguello Castro (she/her), Richmond Nutrition Education

Alvin Rodriguez-Machuca (he/him), Community Garden & Nutrition Education

Angela Vasquez (she/her),
Richmond Nutrition Education

Diya Baliga (she/they),
San Mateo Community Compost Hub

Graciela Figueroa (she/her),
East Palo Alto Community Farmers’ Market

Judy Curtis (she/her),
Community Garden

Katie Kitaura (she/her),
South Bay Nutrition Education

L.A. Granados (they/them),
Community Garden

Mia Boukaka (she/her),
San Mateo Community Compost Hub

Miriam Martinez (she/her),
Richmond Nutrition Education

Rocio Ramos (she/her),
Mobile Farmers’ Market

Towanna Turner (she/her),
Mobile Farmers’ Market