Carol Bennett (Secretary) 

I am Cook County Master Gardener and I am an enthusiast of all things related to food: gardening, food preservation, cooking, and enjoying. My education and work background reflect these passions: retired assistant professor of nutrition, chair and instructor; retired Culinary Arts Community College director and instructor, coordinator of the Duluth Plant-a-Lot community gardens. I believe every person has a right to nutritious, quality food, preferably sustainably produced. I want to share my knowledge of gardening and cooking with others so they may have a more sustainable, nutritious source of food. The mission of NFP very closely with my own beliefs.

Eric Edgin (Chair)

Eric grew up in rural southern Illinois with fishing, hunting and foraging as a way of life. He continues to build on the skills and knowledge of his roots with coopering, hand tool woodworking, commercial fishing, shepherding, hide tanning, foraging, and applying food preservation and fermentation methods from around the world in a local context. He is building a subsistence based homestead connecting ecology with handcraft. 

Dave Mills (County Commissioner Liaison)

I have many interests and am always looking to better our lives. Most of my hobbies spur from efforts to develop a stronger connection to the land and community while gaining more independence in life. Homesteading summarizes my interests fairly well. We garden, raise chickens, harvest firewood, and live “off-grid”. I like to work on vehicles, small engines, dream up heating systems, and continually educate myself. I highly value outdoor activities and style of living. I listen to audiobooks as often as I can while I work, and prefer literature, both modern and classic.

Kristina Mattson

Kristina is the Cook County Statewide Health Improvement Program coordinator. 

Hartley Newell-Acero (Past-Chair)

I was lucky enough to be raised in a gardening family, and I credit (blame?) Laura Ingalls Wilder for sparking my lifelong fascination for growing, foraging, and making food.  I came to the Northwoods Food Project in 2017 as part of the job I held at that time.  While I'm now a health coach in private practice (www.renewellresources.com), I've stayed on the NFP board because I believe that access to healthy food is a human right.  It's an honor to be part of an organization that works to make this possible at a local level. 

Sarah Waddle  (U of MN Extension Educator  & Community Center Director for Cook County) 

In her Extension role, she supports the local food system by connecting local farmers and gardeners to educational resources and by working to develop conditions that make a sustainable local food system thrive. Through her Community Center work, she is involved in the Community Garden, Farmers Market, and Food Business Incubator Program which all take place at the Cook County Community Center. She loves learning new things, meeting all the characters of Cook County, and cooking with local foods. 

Nick Wharton

I am a local small scale farmer interested in expanding access to local food and opportunities for local producers as well.  I have lived in Cook County since 2000 and have been farming here since 2008.