Staff
Thomas (T.J.) grew up and worked on the family farm in Kansas. For five years he also worked on a farm with a large diversity of vegetable, berry, and fruit crops. After graduating from the University of Kansas with an English Literature degree, T.J. worked on a large market farm until joining Colorado Farm to Table in 2014. T.J. was drawn to Colorado Farm to Table's unique farming and hunger relief mission, and was impressed with the professionalism, passion, and vision displayed by the founder. After working full-time with Mr. Madone as the assistant farm manager, gaining experience with high-altitude farming and learning about the unique challenges inherent to nonprofit farming, in 2021 Thomas stepped up as Colorado Farm to Table's farm manager. As the second farmer in Colorado Farm to Table’s 25-year history, Thomas is thrilled to advance the mission of this farm into the future.
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Farm Manager and Director
Thomas J. McDaniel
Executive Director
Laurie Kari
Laurie joined the organization as Executive Director in January 2023. Her position will include administration, fundraising, grant seeking, grant writing and grant management, budget management and strategic planning. She is very dedicated to the CFTT farming and food distribution mission and is very excited to serve the Colorado community with the farm. She will serve alongside Thomas McDaniel, the CFTT Farm Director.
Laurie’s previous nonprofit experience will bring value to her new role. She and her late husband moved to Alaska in 1985, where she founded Family Promise Mat-Su family homeless shelter in 2002. She served as Executive Director of the nonprofit affiliate in Alaska for 11 years. Her talents there included grant writing, fundraising, program and volunteer coordinating, strategic planning, budgeting and administration.
In 2019 she moved to Buena Vista, Colorado to care for her mother and continued her grant writing and volunteering with area nonprofits.
Laurie grew up in Wisconsin and attended the University of Minnesota. She earned a Bachelor of Science in 1983. She moved to Alaska in 1985 where she worked as a Veterinary Technician for 6 years and took masters level classes at the University of Alaska.
Laurie has two children and enjoys dog agility training.
Board of Directors
Allison Groom
Board President
Allison brings experience from a health not-for-profit background. As a market research consultant with the American Heart Association, she has explored motivations and challenges to living a healthy life. Nutrition security is key to optimal heart and brain health. The Colorado Farm to Table’s mission of providing fresh produce at no cost to families in need can have a life-changing impact on well-being.
Allison is a recent and enthusiastic newcomer to Colorado. Born and raised in Texas, with a brief detour in Caracas, Venezuela, she feels blessed to be a part of this community. She graduated from Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, with B.S. in journalism. She earned her M.A. in advertising from The University of Texas at Austin. Her career has focused on market research in the advertising, health, and non-profit sectors. She enjoys hiking, reading, cooking, traveling, and discovering new experiences with her husband, Brad, and children, Meredith and Ryan.
MP Mueller
Secretary
MP Mueller's career of 35-plus years spans advertising, marketing, writing, and nonprofit roles. A graduate of the University of Denver, MP started and ran Austin ad agency Door Number 3 for two decades, before selling it in 2015. She now offers advertising and marketing services through her collaborative group, Due West Co. MP was a featured blogger for nearly three years for the New York Times, scribing Branded for the Times’ You’re the Boss business section.
Born and raised in Corpus Christi, Texas, she lived in Austin most of her adult life and loved being a part of the vibrant non-profit community there. Her past board service includes the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce, the New Milestones Foundation (mental health), and I Live Here I Give Here (increasing philanthropy in Austin and branding/launching of their annual giving day, Amplify Austin). She has volunteered with nonprofits serving immigrants, breast cancer patients and survivors, political races, and solving food scarcity. She is an active board member of Foster Angels of Central Texas and Colorado Farm
to Table.
In earlier roles, MP was a standup comedian and worked for a US Senator in Washington, D.C. On the home front, MP has two fully launched children and splits her time between Buena Vista, Colorado, and her farm in Johnson City, Texas.
Stephan Siegfried
Treasurer
Stephan is treasurer and a volunteer for Colorado Farm to Table. He is also the Global Facilities Manager for Thermo Fisher Scientific and a licensed architect in Colorado and Wisconsin with over 32 years experience in Design and Project Management. He is the designer of multiple custom homes in Wisconsin, Oregon and Colorado.
Stephan is an avid skier and a beginning fly fisherman and mountain biker.
David Wood
Director
Bio Coming Soon
Doug Weddell
Director
Doug has lived in Colorado for over 45 years. He graduated from the University of Colorado School of Law and commenced his legal career with the District Attorney’s Office in Colorado Springs. He opened his firm in 1983 specializing in workers compensation, personal injury and social security disability. He continues to practice in Colorado Springs.
Doug is an active member of Broadmoor Community Church which supports food services for the underserved in Colorado Springs, including Westside cares and Care and Share. His church regularly has food drives and operates a food pantry. When contacted, he was interested in supporting the mission of Colorado Farm to Table.
Doug resides in Colorado Springs but has a mountain home near Chalk Creek. He enjoys skiing, biking and hiking.
Jessica Dean
Director
Jessica Dean moved to Colorado with her brother about 23 years ago with a passion for helping others. She stepped away from Colorado to finish her bachelor’s degree in biology, with an emphasis in Biochemistry at Oregon State University. After graduating from OSU, Jessica got granted a few opportunities participating in field/lab work abroad with the Bermuda Institute of Oceanic Studies as well as the Ecological Division of the EPA in Newport, Oregon.
Missing the beautiful mountain range and sunny days, Jessica decided to move back to Colorado in 2011 to work on her health after a long onset of stomach issues. Currently she resides in the mountains near Rollinsville, Colorado and brings to CFTT a handful of experiences including scientific research, field studies, community outreach, non-profit support as well as health and science journaling.
When she is not working, writing or learning a new skill; Jess is enjoying the great outdoors, snowboarding, biking, fly fishing, gardening and practicing yoga. Her dream is to bring these skill sets and creative passions to the table when it comes to community outreach and empowering people on a local level about the importance of nutrient rich food on a molecular level.
Nabeel Siddiqi
Director
Nabeel is an experienced career consultant with a diverse background in artificial intelligence applications in marketing, sales, and pricing. With 12 years of industry experience, he has worked at reputable firms such as Ernst & Young, Kearney, and The Boston Consulting Group (BCG). It was during a pro bono consulting stint for nonprofits that Nabeel became interested in giving back to society, leading him to join Colorado Farm to Table. In 2022, Nabeel founded his own firm, Moksha AI, which specializes in providing pricing services to e-commerce companies.
Originally from Houston, Texas, Nabeel pursued his higher education in India, where he earned his Bachelor's degree in Business from Agra University, an MBA from the International Management Institute, and a Master's degree in Data Science from the University of California, Berkeley. In his free time, Nabeel enjoys hiking, meditating, and practicing yoga with his wife.
Azul Cohlmia
Director
Azul has spent a considerable amount of time in different areas primarily related to operations. The majority of his operational experience has been in healthcare and medical device manufacturing. Azul brings over 10 years of experience specifically in operational management and oversight. He has founded both non- and for-profit businesses and has worked to promote operational efficiency to maximize growth potential in various business sectors. Azul is Co-Founder/Director of Operations at Advanced Vein Centers and Operations Lead at
RetMap Inc.
His non-profit experience has been focused on the development of sustainable business practices to promote revenue generation with a focus on supporting the charitable activities of the organization. While not a native Coloradan, Azul is an avid supporter of hunger initiatives and sustainability which align closely with the goals of CFTT.
In his free time, he enjoys traveling all around the world and exploring new and exciting cultures. Additionally, Azul enjoys gardening, hiking, generally being in nature and, most importantly, spending time with his wife and their 3 rambunctious dogs. Azul is originally from Chicago IL, and currently resides just outside the city.
Nicole Gallicchio-Elz
Director
Nicole is a Chief Operations Officer at Virtual Assist USA. She is a highly systematic and detail-oriented executive with the initiative to lead a team, specializing in operations, expansion, and initiatives. Nicole's passion is assisting business owners in achieving success by equipping them with the skill sets and enduring operation processes necessary to maintain a flourishing, dynamic business. Nicole's educational background has provided for a highly diverse and well-rounded education with a strong emphasis on science and mathematics. Nicole is very appreciative of the opportunity to contribute to an organization that provides fresh nourishment to those in need. Nicole resides with her husband, two daughters, and two Boston terriers in New York.