New staff at SLV Local Foods Coalition

THINGS are changing for the better in the world of local foods.

With the San Luis Valley Local Foods Coalition’s executive director of more than 13 years, Liza Marron, taking office as Saguache County commissioner, Max Gibson has joined her in co-directorship. Gibson brings a wealth of experience in community development, food systems and local policy change. He has worked in several organizations across Colorado, Africa, and the Middle East to promote local agriculture and access to healthy foods, and is excited to lead the Coalition alongside Marron over the next year.

Gibson is joined by six other new team members who bring different skills and expertise to the organization.

• Armando Vigil, education coordinator at the Rio Grande Farm Park, works to develop educational programs and resources that support local food production and community farmers. Vigil has coordinated a robust lineup of workshops during the farming off-season, and will be leading the Rising Stewards summer high school program. 
• Jae Sanders, community food and ag assessment coordinator, and director of the SLV Seed Exchange, focuses on understanding the current state of the local food system. Sanders works with food and ag system participants in identifying areas for improvement across all six counties of the San Luis Valley. 
• Daliah Torrez, marketing and outreach coordinator, and lead organizer of Mercadillo en el Rio, uses her 13-plus years of social media and online marketing skills to spread the word about the LFC’s programs and resources. 
• Jerald Montoya, finance director, and Adams State alumnus, ensures that the organization’s financial resources are used efficiently and sustainably. 
• Josh Phifer, equity coordinator, strives to ensure that the benefits of the local food system are shared fairly across the community, and is launching Alamosa Open Doors, a program to work with major employers, retailers, and service providers to review and update their policies and procedures to make sure that all manner of customers, clients, and employees are welcome. 
• The newest addition is Maria Karahalios, who moved from New Jersey to join the Valley Roots Food Hub as its community supported agriculture (CSA) fresh box coordinator and renewable energy coordinator.

The Local Foods Coalition team works to make local and regionally grown food more accessible to the community. Through its robust lineup of programs, including the Rio Grande Farm Park, the Valley Roots Food Hub, the MoKi Food Truck, Cooking Matters, and the Community Food & Agriculture Assessment, the organization is well positioned to make a significant impact on the local food system in the coming years. 

The San Luis Valley Local Foods Coalition (SLVLFC) is a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering an equitable local food system that restores the health of the people, community, economy, and ecosystem.  Find out more at slvlocalfoods.org.