Farm to Family Market Development Specialist
Adam is the Farm to Family Market Development Specialist at the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. In this role, he acts as a resource and counselor for small and medium-sized farms and food businesses to promote and facilitate market development at various points along the supply and value chain. He serves as a liaison between farmers and current or prospective buyers, other MDARD units, state agencies focused on economic value generation, and external partners. He has experience as an Outreach Specialist and Regional Coordinator in the Michigan State University Department of Horticulture and the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service. He co-owned and operated Ten Hens Farm in Bath, Michigan from 2007 to 2024.
Adam earned his Bachelor of Arts in English from Michigan State University and his Master of Science in Horticulture from Penn State. He lives in Bath with his wife and two daughters. Outside of work he spends his time growing too large of a garden, teaching and writing poetry, playing and coaching soccer, cooking, assistant directing the Bath Community School’s Drama Club, and spending as much time outside as possible.
Farm to Family Nutrition Consultant
Callie is the MDARD Farm to Family Nutrition Consultant. In this role, she provides guidance and resources for local procurement in institutional foodservice operations and supports public health and food safety within local food systems. She came to this role from the Michigan Department of Education, where she coordinated the USDA Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program. Prior to working at the State of Michigan, Callie worked as a dietitian for a foodservice management company serving K–12 schools and higher education institutions across the Midwest. Callie earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Eastern Michigan University and completed culinary school at Schoolcraft College. She is a Registered Dietitian (RD), Certified Culinarian (CC), Foodservice Management Professional (FMP), and School Nutrition Specialist (SNS), and holds a Wild Mushroom certification with MDARD.
Farm to Family Program Manager
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Cheyenne is the Farm to Family Program Manager at the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. In this role, she develops partnerships, supervises staff, and establishes the strategic vision for the program. Through her work, Cheyenne aims to build a food system that uplifts farmers and food businesses and is rooted in healthy food, grown sustainably. She came to this role after working on Farm to School, child nutrition data, and grant management at the Michigan Department of Education for four years.
Cheyenne earned a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Public Health from Yale University, with a focus on food systems and climate change. She lives on the Eastside of Lansing with her husband and two cats. In her free time, she enjoys reading, hiking, cooking, and sewing.
Farm to Family Program Coordinator
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Elena is the Farm to Family Program Coordinator at the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. In this role, she administers the program’s grants, plans community engagement events, and develops communication materials.
Prior to MDARD, Elena earned a Bachelor of Arts in Public and Nonprofit Administration and Spanish at Grand Valley State University. New to state government, she brings two years of experience in the non-profit sector, with a background in grant writing, program support, and administrative assistance.
Local Promotion Specialist
She/Her
Jeanne is the Farm to Family Local Promotion Specialist, supporting program staff in the areas of marketing, communications, promotional materials development, event planning, food system learning opportunities, and local food and agriculture business promotions. She provides agritourism subject matter expertise to department stakeholders and assists in building a department-wide culture of Local Food First. Jeanne has been with MDARD for more than 38 years, and has managed MDARD’s Select Michigan domestic marketing program, agritourism program, the Pure Michigan FIT local foods, nutrition, and food safety program, and spent nearly a year serving as acting communications director for the department. Throughout her career, promoting local food and agriculture products and businesses has been a passion on and off the clock.
She holds Bachelor of Science degrees from Michigan State University in Agriculture and Natural Resources Communications and Animal Science. Jeanne resides in Bath and is the proud mom of three adult sons. She enjoys golf, hiking, traveling to new places, and anything that involves animals and children.
