MOFGA Ambassador Program

Empowering MOFGA Volunteers Across the State

The purpose of the ambassador program is to empower MOFGA volunteers around the state to effect positive change in the communities where they live and work. MOFGA ambassadors serve as part of a cohort, and ambassador terms are one year in length.

As this is the first year of the program, MOFGA ambassadors will have the opportunity to co-create the program and design the work of the cohorts to come. They will be supported by MOFGA staff and offered leadership training to help them achieve personal and professional goals.

2025 MOFGA Ambassador Cohort

Read more about our first cohort of MOFGA ambassadors!

A person smiles sitting on a mountain peak.

Cameron Barone

Ethan Clarkson headshot

Ethan Clarkson

A person smiling in front of a pile of spinach.

Heather Collins

A person smiling while bagging spinach

Sam Dolan

Bear Geister headshot

Bear Geister

A person smiling building a raised bed.

Elliott Greene

Ambassador Jason Hawkins

Jason Hawkins

Ambassador Deirdre Mailloux

Deirdre Mailloux

A person posing with a bouquet of orange dahlias

Sofia Oliver

Ambassador Liz Steckler

Liz Steckler

An adult and a baby take a selfie.

Bernie Welch

A person smiling in a field.

Nimhue Willow

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The Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association

Mailing Address:
PO Box 170
Unity, ME 04988
Physical Address:
294 Crosby Brook Road
Unity, ME 04988

Media Inquiries:
Contact Jennifer Wilhelm [email protected]

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Originally from Long Island, New York, Cameron Barone has lived and studied in Boston, Italy, and Spain, and now calls Maine home. She holds a B.A. in English, Communications, and International Affairs from Northeastern University and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in English at the University of Maine. Barone discovered her passion for agriculture in 2022 at Waltham Fields Community Farm. Since moving to Maine, she has worked on organic soil research with the USDA and recently accepted an apprenticeship at Hart Farm in Holden, Maine, for the upcoming season. Barone plans to pursue a career in the non-profit sector, focusing on sustainable agriculture and food access. She is excited to work with MOFGA and build connections throughout the state of Maine. When she’s not farming, Barone can be found baking sourdough bread, pickling vegetables, or enjoying a hearty vegan meal.

In 2010, Ethan Clarkson’s life changed forever when he accepted an apprenticeship with Nature’s Harmony Farms in Elberton, Georgia. His new job was to ensure that the 1,600 plus farm animals had clean water, food, and a fresh paddock to graze in every day. A few years later, he hitch-hiked to Little Rock, Arkansas, and got involved with local community gardens, where he signed up with an Arkansas-specific branch of AmeriCorps, called GardenCorps. Through the program, he started a large community garden called Plan-It! Earth Gardens that helped fill the shelves of a local food pantry. Eventually, he built an 8-acre homestead and learning center called Barefoot Gardens, where he began teaching educational workshops about permaculture, homesteading, and self-sustaining practices. Clarkson is currently the Food Sovereignty Coordinator with Wabanaki Public Health & Wellness, where he drives the mobile food pantry to Maine native communities and teaches educational workshops about ethical/organic gardening practices.

Heather Collins is a 20 year Mainer who retired from the technology industry in 2024. Her favorite pastimes are exploring the world by bike riding, gardening, hiking, and cooking. Collins loves experiencing new things. Since retiring, she has spent two weeks working on a goat farm in Vermont, a summer weeding at a flower farm, and a harvest working at a local organic vegetable farm. These experiences have opened her eyes to the beauty, hard work, challenges, and intense, unwavering commitment needed to operate a successful farm. She is excited to act as an advocate for the many wonderful things these farmers provide to our communities as a MOFGA Ambassador.

Originally from New Jersey, Sam Dolan has spent the last two summers working at small-scale organic veggie farms in Southern Maine. Before Dolan moved to Maine, she was working at a junior boarding school in Upstate New York, where she maintained the barns and gardens, and taught Edible Schoolyard to 4th and 5th graders. She enjoys swimming at Kettle Cove, drinking tulsi tea, hiking short mountains, and watching The Great British Baking Show with her roommates.

Bear Geister grew up in Michigan, and completed his undergraduate studies in the scenic Upper Peninsula. Shortly after graduation, he moved to Alaska to work at a national park. He holds a black belt in martial arts, lives with his gray tabby cat, and comes with years of experience in the food industry. His commitment to health, food, and farming, motivated him to become a MOFGA Ambassador.

Born and raised in Eliot, Maine, Elliott Greene attended the University of New Hampshire and received his bachelor’s degree in political science. Since then, he has spent his career in the nonprofit sector, and currently serves as the director of volunteer engagement at United Way of Southern Maine. An avid gardener, outdoorsman, and volunteer, Greene believes building community and stewardship of the natural world are important steps in building a better, more sustainable future. He has hopes of starting his own small farm someday and is excited to support Maine’s agricultural community as a MOFGA Ambassador.

Born and raised on a small farm in the Southern Western Mountains, Jason Hawkins has lived his whole life in the great state of Maine, working and playing in its many beautiful environments. For over a decade, he has been blessed to experience many of the offerings MOFGA provides, and has volunteered in different capacities, mostly relating to the Common Ground Country Fair. He currently lives between Anson and Monroe, Maine, where he works, plays, and practices on the lands to create spaces for others who seek to remember how to be human, while connecting to themselves, nature, and other beings. He is passionate about family, community, fungi, plants, and animals! He is blessed to receive this opportunity to help bring more of what MOFGA offers to his local communities, with the hope of aligning us all together to create a secure and bountiful farms-to-foods future for generations to come.

Deirdre Mailloux lives and gardens in Portland, Maine. Her roots are in Queens, New York, and after that, she and her husband have lived in M states only: Massachusetts, Missouri, Maryland, and now Maine! She has a love of the outdoors and being active throughout the seasons — skiing, mountain biking, sailing, and hiking, are a few activities she enjoys, plus being in her garden! Speciality cut flowers grown from seed bring her much satisfaction. She’s excited to share her knowledge and experience of gardening with others and hopefully grow seeds of joy!

Sofia Oliver grew up in Austin, Texas, where her love of plants stemmed from her family and her experience working for a local nursery. She later gained experience working with local arts and conservation non-profits, and managing logistics and operations for a coastal restoration company. She began farming in Maine at Fawn Meadow Flowers in Scarborough and joined the Maine Flower Collective as their Operations Manager in 2023, where she has been connecting local flower farmers with floral designers to help grow the local flower movement.

 

Liz Steckler is originally from Hudson Valley New York, but has travelled extensively in the past few years. Now, she has landed in Maine and is so happy to be here. Steckler has a Masters in Social Work from Columbia University. She has worked with multiple different populations doing mostly case management, however, she wanted to shift her focus to make a wider impact. Steckler has always been passionate about the environment, farming, animals, and overall sustainable practices. Steckler is so excited to be a MOFGA Ambassador, to work on something she is passionate about, while gaining profound experience in creating a more equitable and sustainable future for the community.

When Bernie Welch was born, Harry Truman was president, which seems appropriate to share, since he is from Missouri. His wife, Jody, is from Vassalboro, Maine, and they met in Alaska. Their three kids were born in Aruba, Riyadh, and Maine, respectively. They taught overseas for 22 years before coming back to Maine and buying Full Circle Farm in Vassalboro in 2002. Their transition to Maine was terrific for their children, and a challenge for them as teachers and farmers. The farm kept them focused, and MOFGA served as a guide. Their farm has been part of MOFGA since 2005. They are active at their grange and contra dance. Since retiring, he has been Maine Agriculture in the Classroom’s IPM Educator and has visited more than 35 school gardens.

Nimhue Willow is a lifelong Mainer with a passion for organic food. She came to Mid-Coast Maine to be a part of its vibrant farming community. Her motivation for becoming an Ambassador is to connect with locals to find ways to increase food security. When Willow isn’t writing articles or working in the garden, she can be found helping frogs cross the road, painting, or fishing off her kayak.

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