Our Team

Meet the team that make this work possible

As a nonprofit organization, we are owned by no one in particular. Instead, we are governed by a dedicated board of directors, while day-to-day operations are carried out by a team of founding members, staff, and volunteers.

Since first starting out in 2015, Kearsarge Food Hub has grown from 6 volunteer co-founders to a team of over 20 employees, including full time and seasonal positions, working across our various programs.

We are excited and grateful to be creating jobs in our community and welcoming new folks into the fold!

Leadership Team

Board Members

Portrait Kathleen Bigford

INTERIM CO-CHAIR

Kathleen Bigford
KFH Co-founder, Volunteer, Community Member, Educator

  • Since joining the team of co-founders in 2015, I have been involved in every Sweet Beet activity and have enjoyed every minute.

    I come from an educational background having taught 10 to 14-year-olds for twenty-five years. Learning is my jam. So, it was with learning in mind that for three years I grew flowers on Sweet Beet Farm. I learned about commercial baking in the Café kitchen.

    Being on the KFH Board keeps me involved in overall operations. As always I enjoy time with kids in KFH education programs.

Portrait of Leon-C Malan

INTERIM CO-CHAIR

Leon-C Malan
Professor, Colby-Sawyer College

  • I am a member of faculty at Colby-Sawyer College, teaching subjects in environmental studies and sciences. I am committed to supporting a local food system where food is produced in a regenerative way and where everyone has access to healthy and culturally appropriate food.

    At Colby-Sawyer College we introduced a permaculture garden and food forest and also a small farm as examples of regenerative food production and as a place where  we  can constantly learn. All the food we produce is donated to food pantries.

    I live in Sutton and love to hang out in Sweet  Beet Market or at Sweet Beet Farm.

VICE CHAIR

Courtney Perron
Director of the Center for New Americans

  • I am the Director of the Center for New Americans, an educational community center for refugees and immigrants in downtown Manchester. My strengths are in program development and management, community listening and education, and cross cultural liaising.

    I have a shared passion for food access, and recently launched a produce delivery program that brings fresh fruits and vegetables grown by New American farmers into the homes of resettled refugees.

    I now call Bradford home, and live on Lake Massasecum with my husband, Ethan, and toddler, Leon. The porch at Sweet Beet is easily one of my favorite places to be.

TREASURER

Amanda Brendell
Manager, Nathan Wechsler

  • I am the Manager at Nathan Wechsler & Company, PA, an accounting and business advisor firm in Concord, NH. I am a certified public accountant and hold additional certifications. My strengths are in finance, budgeting, and taxation.

    I believe strongly in giving back to the community and truly support the mission for Kearsarge Food Hub.

    I live in Sutton, NH with my significant other Jim and our dog, Winston. When not at work, you will find me gardening or hoping over New England to attend a variety of concerts.

Portrait of Seddon Savage

SECRETARY

Seddon Savage
MD, MS, clinician, educator, and advocate

  • I was a nutritionist before becoming a physician and serving people with pain and/or addictive disorders for over three decades.  I am currently education director of a virtual program at Dartmouth Health that engages health workers and community members in interactive learning around diverse health-related issues. 

    I also serve on the faculty of Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth and work to shape health policies in a variety of contexts.   The interplay of mind body spirit and the balance of science and intuitive understanding in human and planetary health have always been central to my work and life. 

    I perceive that KFH’s mission is at the nexus of all these things and feel privileged both to learn from KFH’s brilliance and to help support it in thriving.

DIRECTOR

Steve Forde
Owner, Hop n Hen Farm

  • I started Hop 'n' Hen Farm with my wife Dawn after careers in tech. Hop 'n' Hen is a solar-powered family farm producing a wide variety of certified organic fruits and vegetables, rotationally-pastured and organically-fed poultry for meat and eggs, and other goodies.

    I believe that healthy foods depend on healthy soils, and on the importance of vibrant and robust local food systems. I have also been a board member with our friends over at NOFA-NH and strongly advocate for organic, local foods and regenerative practices.

MEMBER

France Hahn
Kearsarge Food Hub Executive Director and Co-Founder

  • I am a co-founder and Executive Director here KFH and through these roles function as a bridge between our Board of Directors and Staff.

    I have been driven to do this work since day one by a deep love of nature and growing my own food. My ultimate hope is to help open doors so that more people can access healthy food grown in New Hampshire soil and more farmers and producers can pursue viable careers in agriculture and food.

    Personally, I am motivated to lead the Kearsarge Food Hub in a heart-centered and community-focused way to build a bright, food secure, and joyful future for my son Olivier and subsequent generations.

DIRECTOR

Steve Horan
Retired technology executive

  • I am a retired technology executive and now spend time as a board member for ShelterBox, a global disaster relief organization based in the UK. I previously served as Board Chair for ShelterBox-USA, an affiliate organization focused on fundraising.

    I enjoy volunteering with Kearsarge Neighborhood Partners (KNP), have previously been on multiple medical missions to Peru, have served as an Overseer with the Boston Museum of Science, and have traveled to Nepal following the devastating 2015 earthquake for Habitat for Humanity. 

    I reside in Sunapee with my wife Heather.  Beyond my volunteer work, I enjoy spending time outdoors with my family (including my 4 grandsons) and friends.  I am currently half-way through my lifelong dream of section-hiking the AT and hope to finish in 2026.

DIRECTOR

Andy Jeffrey
Kearsarge Neighborhood Partners, Nature’s Way, Holistic Health Coach

  • I am a Holistic Health Coach and board member of Kearsarge Neighborhood Partners and developer of Nature’s Way: A Place to Connect, Nourish and Grow at the Sunset Hill Educational Institute in Bradford, NH.  My mission is to address public health from a holistic “systems'' perspective, whereby every element within the ecosystem is both connected to and affected by every other element within the ecosystem. 

    The work of the Kearsarge Food Hub addresses health at the cellular level by providing healthy, locally grown food; at the individual level through education, employment and volunteerism; and at the community level through promoting awareness, celebration and engagement.  What inspires me about KFH is they believe the impossible is possible, and all growth begins with the seeds of beliefs!

DIRECTOR

Mary Lougee
Director of Human Resources, Co-op Food Stores

  • I am the Director of Human Resources for the Co-op Food Stores in the Upper Valley area of NH and VT. I found my ‘home’ when I joined the Co-op. I bring expertise in employee relations and development, strategic workforce development, benefits administration, and culture work. I strongly believe that all should have access to healthy, nourishing food, as it is the life line that courses through all aspects of life and experience.

    I also believe it is important to share the knowledge of sustainable farming and growing practices on to each new generation. These passions led me to join the KFH Board and the Co-op Food Stores.

DIRECTOR

Bill Reinstein
Former CEO and co-founder of MedData Group

  • I have been an entrepreneur most of my professional career predominantly in the healthcare technology and digital advertising markets.  Most recently, I retired from my role as CEO and co-founder of MedData Group after leading that company from start-up to a leadership position in healthcare data.   I continue to advise early-stage ventures and work on mergers and acquisitions for a major US private equity firm.  I am excited to use my business development experience and leadership skills to help KFH continue to increase its footprint, expand and optimize the critically valuable services it provides to the Kearsarge community. 

    With my wife Marcia, we moved to the Lake Sunapee area in 2020 and fell in love with the beauty and bounty of the Kearsarge region.  I am an avid skier, biker and boater and love to share those activities with friends as well as our three adult children and grandson.  A passionate home chef, I have always had a deep desire to learn more about as well as concern for our local food systems and food insecurity locally and around the world.  

    Having discovered Sweet Beet Market and Kearsarge Food Hub a few years ago, I have greatly enjoyed becoming a part of the learning, amazing community and valuable mission of KFH.  I look forward to assisting to further its range of programs and ensure continued success.

DIRECTOR

Dena Shields
Registered Dietitian, recently retired faculty at Keene State College

  • I have been a resident of Newbury for 17 years.  I am a Registered Dietitian and clinical faculty member of the Health Sciences Department at Keene State College (KSC) where I teach Medical Nutrition Therapy, Food Science, Food Service Management, Counseling and Education, and more. I have recently completed an Ayurvedic Health Counselor program, recently I completed my tenure as the Chair of the NH Licensing Board for Dietitians, after serving for 7 years.

    I am passionate about the topics of nutrition, food, food security and health. In my downtime, I love to hike, cook/bake, read historical fiction novels, eat, and see and do new things.

Interested in joining the KFH Board of Directors?