Meet Our Team
Pete Kolbenschlag | Director
As a twenty-five year resident of the Western Slope and a committed front-line rural organizer it was only a matter of time before Pete found himself working at the intersection of agriculture, conservation, and small town economies. After working for a statewide environmental group for a decade, and as a consultant on a range of public lands, climate and other campaigns, he helped found the Colorado Farm and Food Alliance in 2015. Activism, a livable climate and healthy environment, and good local food are all things Pete loves, so he is honored to serve as director.
Contact: pete@colofarmfood.org
Elizabeth Agee | Just Good Food Manager
Elizabeth is passionate about helping people build their connection with the natural world through gardening and conservation. She began her education with a BA in Ethnobotany from University of Georgia where she learned about agricultural and cultural traditions around the world and volunteered at several community gardens. In 2015, she moved to Colorado to study permaculture at Central Rocky Mountain Permaculture Institute, seed saving at Rocky Mountain Seed School, Holistic Management at Holistic Management International and Southwestern agriculture and tradition. She values collaborations and supporting others' work in conservation and agriculture. She manages the Just Good Food suite of programming including the Garden Classroom at Arbol Farm, community education, and our food equity and sharing work. She loves seeds, community projects, books, her cows and dogs.
Contact: elizabeth@colofarmfood.org
Lauren Traylor | Secure Foodsheds Manager
Lauren’s first garden was tomatoes and peppers she grew in containers on her family's back porch in high school. Since then she has explored many different facets of land management and food production including rotational grazing and silviculture, urban gardens, wild tending seaweed, and monitoring plant health on public lands. Her vision for a better food system contains elements of all these land management styles (and more!). Now she works to facilitate secure food systems through creating connections, developing reports, sharing information, and supporting local leaders.
Contact: lauren@colofarmfood.org
Lisa Delaney | Partnerships & Development Manager
Lisa has a diverse background in green building, transportation planning, higher education administration, and environmental consulting -- with the common thread being a focus on advancing emerging ideas through information sharing, collaboration and relationship building. She has been working with Colorado Farm & Food Alliance since its early years, first as a grantwriter and more recently with an expanded staff role as Manager of Partnerships and Development. She is a graduate of UCLA (BA Communications, MA Urban Planning, MBA). Lisa moved to Paonia in 2013, drawn by the majestic surroundings, local food, and vibrant, small-town community. Her love for growing things began when she dove headlong into managing her children's elementary school garden, taking great delight in encouraging kids in their discovery of where their food comes from and how compost is made. Today, she loves supporting local farms and farmers and advocating for the natural environment through her work with Colorado Farm & Food Alliance.
Contact: lisa@colofarmfood.org
Sarsa Buck | Mountain Roots Healthy Futures AmeriCorps at the Colorado Farm & Food Alliance
Sarsa joins our team to support our programming to boost small farm and food system health and well-being in the North Fork Valley.
In Paonia for a year before she accepted this service position, Sarsa is excited about the sense of community she finds here, and is ready to keep making a positive impact on the lives of others.
Sarsa has her permaculture design certification specializing in high-altitude practices and completed an apprenticing through the Central Rocky Mountain Permaculture Institute (CRMPI),
She is helping CO Farm & Food Alliance learn from farmers about improving ease of production, beneficial practices, and local food-security.
Sarsa is committed to using her ongoing learning to support local farmers and contribute to the development of sustainable food systems.
Contact sarsa@colofarmfood.org