STAFF

Mary Embleton

Mary Embleton has been with the organization since it was first envisioned by a group of committed folks in the late 1990’s.  She was born in Seattle, lived on a ranch in Montana for most of her youth, and really learned to appreciate community and diversity of views as a college student at Berkeley.  She is an economist by training, but Mary’s greatest strengths are communication and getting things done.  Buoyed by an incredible work ethic and a talent for collaboration, she is committed to supporting and promoting our local farmers and building a better food system for all of us.  She also has two dogs, Libby and Wiley, who secretly wield ultimate power behind the organization.

Alex Moore

Alex Moore came to us from California where he was director of operations for eCycle Group, LLC, regional manager for Growers Collaborative, LLC, and program coordinator for UC Davis Hansen Trust. He has a BA from Colorado College, an MSc from University of KwaZulu Natal, and an MBA from Bainbridge Graduate Institute.

Alex is deeply committed to strengthening our regional food economy through the application of financial tools and effective marketing solutions. You can find his thoughts on food and finance at www.breadrising.com.

Sheryl Wiser

Born and raised in the land of Jersey tomatoes, CHC's Public Relations Manager Sheryl Wiser has lived and cooked her way through several locales, including Boston (where she studied journalism at Boston University), New Hampshire and Colorado before moving to Seattle in 1984. Her favorite food group, besides Italian, would be cheese, chocolate, olive oil and bread, not necessarily in that order.

For over the 25 years, Sheryl has been a passionate supporter of community based organizations directing public relations and marketing for non-profits, special events and civic institutions, including Seattle Center, Earth Ministry, Hedgebrook, Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center, The Early Music Guild, The Olympic Music Festival, Fremont Fair and much more. She has also worked with Good Food Strategies on projects for Snohomish County’s Focus on Farming Conference, Washington Environmental Council, Sightline Institute and Tilth Producers of Washington.

Sheryl and Blue, her energetic Australian Shephered enjoy outdoor adventure, cooking for friends, music and gardenin.

INTERNS

Valerie Campbell

Valerie Campbell grew up on a (mostly cherry) farm in Eastern Oregon and realizes more every day how lucky she is to have that background. She moved to the big city, graduated from the University of Washington and eventually landed at The Seattle Times. As a copy editor, she worked on the newspaper's food sections and learned about Seattle's restaurant scene and about chefs who were incorporating more organic and local ingredients into their dishes. In 2006, she and her husband -- a farm boy from Illinois turned Boeing engineer -- biked through the Piedmont region of Italy and embraced the Italians' regional, celebratory, "slow-food" approach to eating. As often as possible, she likes to put together dinners from whatever she finds at her local farmers market; it takes her back to days on the family farm.

Being part of Cascade Harvest Coalition's mission to promote healthy, sustainable food and farm systems helps her breathe easier. Valerie is a development/grant-writing intern.

PETS

Libby and Wiley

Libby and Wiley enthusiastically greet visitors at the CHC office.  They're more than happy to take you on a tour of the beautiful grounds, show you the bunnies and squirrels, and engage you in a rousing game of fetch.  We're working on their phone manners.