Meet Our Team

Elesha Belke

Elesha is a community and corporate leader with experience bringing integrated marketing campaigns to life, developing industry leading volunteer and employee engagement programs, working to infuse diversity and inclusion into every space she occupies. She currently leads the Diversity Marketing & Digital Content Innovations team within Capital One’s Enterprise Brand department. Elesha is an active mentor and committee co-chair in VOICES, Capital One’s Black Business Resource Group.

Elesha is fortunate to have gained experience in the private and public sectors throughout her career.  Driven by curiosity, Elesha feels most inspired by using strategic thinking, insights, creative problem solving, and broad perspective to deliver impactful results.

Elesha has previously served in volunteer roles for the Boys & Girls Club, Cadence Theater, Richmond Autism Integration Network, Madison Urban Ministry, as well as Vice President of the Madison Network for Black Professionals.

Elesha holds a BA and an MBA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and currently lives in Virginia. She’s an avid traveler, national park explorer, and a 500-hour Registered Yoga Teacher.

Sharon Blount

Board Chair, Racial Equity Committee Chair

Sharon joined the Board of Directors for Shalom Farms in 2019, after becoming aware of their work through Union Presbyterian Seminary (where the Northside Farm is located) and the avid support of both the seminary and her church, Second Presbyterian. The mission and values of Shalom firmly align with her own beliefs and desires to provide equitable access to good food and nutrition education to those in our community who are often denied those basic needs. Her board service includes serving as past chair of the Programs Committee and as the current chair of our new Racial Equity Committee where she leads the organization’s strategic initiatives to become an anti-racist organization. Sharon retired as a senior manager in the Internal Revenue Service after 31 years of federal service. These days, in addition to her work with Shalom Farms, much of her time is devoted to endeavors with Union Presbyterian Seminary, Second Presbyterian Church and The Presbyterian Outlook, where she serves as Board Chair. She enjoys spending time with family and friends, is an avid reader and loves to travel. She continually seeks out ways to incorporate service, creativity and a healthy lifestyle into retirement living.

Darren Broughton

Treasurer, Finance Committee Chair

Darren first became involved with Shalom Farms through volunteering. With a passion for building healthy communities, he wanted to further his support of Shalom Farms. He joined the Finance Committee in 2020 and the Board of Directors in 2021. Darren now serves as Chair of the Finance Committee and Treasurer. Darren is Vice President & Associate General Counsel at Altria Client Services, providing legal support to Altria Group Inc.’s operating and service companies. Since joining Altria in 2009, he has provided legal support in a variety of areas including sales, marketing, distribution, and brand and trade channel integrity. Darren and his wife live in Midlothian with their three active children, and as a family, they focus their volunteer efforts primarily in areas involving the food system, volunteering at a variety of local organizations.

Eric Clay

Eric Clay is a Senior Program Officer at the Community Foundation for a greater Richmond, and joined the Board of Shalom Farms in 2022. Eric manages the Foundation’s extensive health and wellness portfolio by serving as the content coordinator for multiple support organizations. He graduated from the University of Virginia, with a bachelor’s degree in Education. After graduating he completed 1 year of community service as an AmeriCorps member in Washington State, where he received an outstanding service award. In various senior leadership positions, Eric has championed the needs of marginalized communities. Outside of the office, you will find Eric hiking the trails of central Virginia.

Isabel Eljaiek

Isabel Eljaiek has spent the past decade working to support food access and equitable community development across her region in Richmond, VA, and nationally. She comes to this work with an evaluative lens and expertise at the intersections of data, technology, and impact evaluation. Isabel holds a Master’s of Social Work Administration & Policy from Virginia Commonwealth University, where she also earned her certificate in Nonprofit Management. She was selected as a Growing Power scholarship recipient for the Growing Power, Growing Justice training program and helped to develop urban corner store initiatives in Richmond and Henrico aimed at increasing local food access. Outside of the office, you can catch Isabel practicing headstands with her daughter and joining her partner in their backyard urban farm (once mosquito season is over).

Jeff Fender

Bio Coming Soon!

Johanna Gattuso

Board Vice-Chair

Johanna Gattuso is honored to serve as Board Vice Chair for Shalom Farms. She has been on the Board since 2019. Her interest in Shalom Farms started with volunteering with her church youth group at Shalom Farms’ first farm in Goochland, then with the Produce Prescription Program through the free clinics, as a registered nurse and clinical program consultant. She serves on several committees, and is a Master Gardener/Lead Volunteer. She holds an MBA from Case Western Reserve University and has worked on several wellness programs, including: Commonwealth Care of Virginia; Million Hearts; Healthy Communities Action Grant in Petersburg; and Richmond City Health District. Epiphany Lutheran Church members know her as a pre-K teacher. She loves spending time with her husband, grown children, beagle-mix pup, and at the library.

Linda Georgiadis

Having learned about Shalom Farms in 2019, Linda immediately wanted to be involved; she felt a strong connection with the farm’s purpose of providing equal access to healthy food.

Linda began her career working in the healthcare field (in emergency medicine and orthopedics) after graduating from Johns Hopkins’ physician assistant program. A few years later, her career path took a turn when she entered the University of Miami law school, which ultimately led to a 30+ year career defending individual healthcare providers and institutions.

After stepping back from practicing law, Linda became an ACE certified Health and Wellness coach, which reinforced her belief and commitment to the importance of healthy eating. When not volunteering, Linda enjoys playing pickleball, trying out new recipes, learning new dance steps and spending time with her two beautiful grown children.

Helen Ragazzi

Helen Ragazzi has served on the Board of Shalom Farms and the Programs Committee since 2021, lending her experience to our work of addressing food insecurity with nutritious food options, as a key step in helping folks in our community lead healthier lives. She is an MD and has been board certified by the American Academy of Pediatrics since 1994. She has lived in Richmond since 1999 and has worked clinically in a variety of settings including academic, private practice and a mobile health clinic for the uninsured, and has served on several boards for work related to health equity. She received an award from the AAP for her asthma quality improvement work and an honorary fellowship from VCU Department of Pediatrics for her community service. Her current work involves helping people reduce lifestyle risks and manage their chronic conditions through behavior change and education about proper nutrition, and she is a committed volunteer to Crossover Health Ministries. In her spare time, she enjoys sun, sand, biking, and traveling with her husband.

Steve Russo

Farm Committee Chair

Steve joined the Board in 2022, after five seasons as a lead volunteer at Shalom Farm’s Powhatan farm site. Steve has spent his entire career in the commercial real estate investment and finance industry, both with larger commercial/investment banks and most recently forming his own company. Steve holds a degree in Landscape Architecture from Virginia Tech. He currently lives in Midlothian, VA with his wife, two daughters and two dogs. Interests include yoga, farming, music and anything on the water.

Whitney Van Der Hyde

Whitney joined the Board of Shalom Farms in 2018, and most recently chaired the Fund Development Committee, bringing her talents and fundraising expertise to help ensure that all children and families have the opportunity to access nourishing food in our community. As a mother of young children, Whitney is drawn to the importance of healthy nutrition and its impact on the whole child including their academic and social outcomes. Whitney has over a decade of professional and volunteer experience in development at several health and human organizations in the greater Richmond area, including the World Pediatric Project and St. Joseph’s Villa. Whitney has a degree in History and Political Science from James Madison University.

Jennifer Wicker

Jennifer joined the Board of Shalom Farms in 2021. She currently serves as Senior Director of Policy and Government Affairs for the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association (VHHA), where her primary focus is behavioral health policy. Jennifer has over 15 years of experience in government relations at the local and state level; prior to joining VHHA, she served as the legislative director for Governor Terry McAuliffe and the policy analyst for the Secretaries of Health and Human Resources, Education, and Commerce and Trade. Jennifer currently serves as a board member for the Randolph-Macon College Society of Alumni, the Randolph-Macon College Multicultural Alumni Advisory Council, Mental Health of America – Virginia, VCU Pauley Heart Center Advisory Board, and Shalom Farms. Jennifer holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Virginia and a Master of Social Work from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia.

Tamara Young-Elmore

Tamara Young-Elmore is a community garden advocate and entrepreneur, and joined the Board of Shalom Farms in 2022. Tamara is a Founding Member of the Hotchkiss Community Garden (an early partner of Shalom Farms), where she continues to spearhead fundraising, volunteer coordination, community garden workdays, and rolls up her sleeves to help with everyday upkeep of the garden. After 20 years in the Hospitality Industry working in Operations, Sales, Event Planning and Information Technology with Marriott International, Tamara started garden consulting, has published two e-books for home gardeners, and runs the Tam In The Garden platform that includes over 10,000 active followers. Tamara is a dual degree graduate of Johnson & Wales University where she concentrated in Culinary Arts (AAS ‘94) and Food Service Management (BS ‘97).