Meet Our Team

Administrative Staff

Shalom Farms | Sara Darland, Development Coordinator

Sara Darland

Development Coordinator
Shalom Farms | Sara Higgins, Development Director

Sara Higgins

Development Director
Shalom Farms | Shane Tippett, Director of Finance and Administration

Shane Tippett

Director of Finance & Administration
Shalom Farms | Erin Lingo, Director of Programs

Erin Lingo

Interim Executive Director
Shalom Farms | Sara Darland, Development Coordinator

Sara Darland

Development Coordinator

Sara Darland is the Development Coordinator at Shalom Farms. Sara started her career working with the Virginia Association of Biological Farming and Broadfork Farm, and worked as Shalom Farm’s Volunteer and Education Coordinator from 2015-2017. She will soon graduate with her Masters in Strategic Fund Development and Philanthropy from Baypath University. When not working at Shalom on or her thesis, Sara enjoys cooking (and never following the recipe), doing yoga, visiting the river, reading books, and spending time with her husband, Jeff and their sweet tabby cat, Claude.

Email:saradarland@shalomfarms.org

Shalom Farms | Sara Higgins, Development Director

Sara Higgins

Development Director

Sara Higgins is the Director of Development for Shalom Farms. Sara has a decade of experience in fundraising and communications at Richmond based nonprofits and is honored to be leading the fund development strategy for Shalom Farms. After graduating from Hollins University with her BA in Art History, Sara began her fundraising career at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. She then served as the first Director of Development for Blue Sky Fund. Sara is a member of Impact 100 and a Board Member of the Virginia Association of Fundraising Executives. She lives in Church Hill with her wife, Tracy. Outside of the office you can find her cycling the Virginia Capital Trail or visiting all 40 of Virginia’s State Parks.

Email:sara@shalomfarms.org

Shalom Farms | Shane Tippett, Director of Finance and Administration

Shane Tippett

Director of Finance & Administration

New Hire — Coming Soon

Email:shane@shalomfarms.org

Shalom Farms | Erin Lingo, Director of Programs

Erin Lingo

Interim Executive Director

Erin is currently serving as Interim Executive Director at Shalom Farms. Erin has spent her career working to increase market opportunities for farmers, providing technical assistance and networking opportunities to food hubs, teaching college courses on food systems and nutrition, and most recently partnering emergency food programs with healthcare systems and nutrition support to build true food and health equity. She is humbled to be part of the Shalom Farms team and always looking for innovative ways to deepen impact, creatively collaborate, and bring people together (usually over food). Erin holds an MA in Social Ecology and Community Food Systems from Prescott College. She lives in Church Hill with her husband Scott and son Asher, and when she’s not cooking or talking about veggies, you can find her riding her bike around town, teaching yoga, or playing guitar with her band.

Email:erin@shalomfarms.org

Programs Staff

Shalom Farms | Alistar Harris, Mobile Market Manager

Alistar Harris

Mobile Market Manager
Shalom Farms | Jason Muckle, Community Nutrition Manager

Jason Muckle

Community Nutrition Manager
Shalom Farms | Alistar Harris, Mobile Market Manager

Alistar Harris

Mobile Market Manager

Alistar is the Mobile Market manager for Shalom Farms. Born and raised in Cape Town, South Africa, Alistar brings with him a deep love for the natural world. His work with Shalom Farms takes place at the nexus of improving food justice, advancing nutrition security, and reducing food apartheid for all Richmonders. He believes that no matter where one lives or how little money one has, we all deserve quality food at affordable prices. His past work includes owning and operating a small-scale, organic, mixed vegetable production farm, leading outdoor experiential learning programs for youth-at-risk, and climate justice programming with subsistence food growers. He makes a home and garden in Richmond’s Battery Park neighborhood with his darling wife, Rebecca and his two children, Georgia and Miles.

Email:mobilemarket@shalomfarms.org

Shalom Farms | Jason Muckle, Community Nutrition Manager

Jason Muckle

Community Nutrition Manager

Jason Muckle is the Community Nutrition Manager for Shalom Farms. After teaching in Northern Virginia for several years, Jason returned to Richmond with plans of finishing his degree. Instead, he found himself merging his passion for teaching with his knowledge of food. He began volunteering with several organizations around Richmond before becoming an AmeriCorps Vista in Greater Fulton, an experience that emphasized the systemic food access issues in Richmond. Recently, Jason has been using food as a vehicle for change by teaching cooking classes through his business, CHEW (Cooking for Health Education and Wellness). When he is not cooking or talking about food, Jason enjoys making music playlists, dj-ing, and hanging out with his cats Butters and Munch.

Email:cook@shalomfarms.org

Farm Staff

Shalom Farms | Amber Albee, Northside Farm Manager

Amber Albee

Northside Farm Manager
Shalom Farms | Arin Burke, Volunteer and Education Coordinator

Arin Burke

Volunteer and Education Coordinator
Shalom Farms | Marc Charbonier, Farmer in Residence

Marc Charbonier

Farmer in Residence
Shalom Farms | Steve Miles, Director of Farm Operations

Steve Miles

Director of Farm Operations
Shalom Farms | Cheyenne Nicholas, Northside Farm Assistant Manager

Cheyenne Nicholas

Northside Assistant Farm Manager
Shalom Farms | Seyra Whitney, Powhatan Farm Manager

Seyra Whitney

Powhatan Farm Manager
Shalom Farms | Hannah Wittwer, Volunteer and Education Manager

Hannah Wittwer

Volunteer and Education Manager
Shalom Farms | Amber Albee, Northside Farm Manager

Amber Albee

Northside Farm Manager

Amber Albee is the Farm Manager at the Northside Farm. Amber graduated from the University of Connecticut with a dual degree in Agriculture & Resource Economics and Human Rights. Soon after graduating she joined the Peace Corps Food Security program in Madagascar and spent two years learning from and working with farmers, and singing much too much karaoke. Afterwards, Amber followed her passion for food justice by diving into a career in vegetable farming and hasn’t looked back since. Off the farm, you’ll often find her cruising around town on her bicycle, foraging for edible and medicinal plants, and relaxing with a nice cup of tea.

Email:northside@shalomfarms.org

Shalom Farms | Arin Burke, Volunteer and Education Coordinator

Arin Burke

Volunteer and Education Coordinator

Arin is the Volunteer and Education Coordinator at Shalom Farms. She has worked on and off with the organization since 2016, when she worked as a Farmer in Residence. During the seasons she wasn’t working with Shalom, she traveled through Europe and North Africa, and eventually settled for two years in the south of Spain. During her time abroad, Erin taught full time in a public school and spent her free-time volunteering at a nearby vegetable farm and farmer’s market. When not dreaming about vegetables or far away lands, she can be found soaking in the James river, carving crooked wooden spoons, reading in Spanish to her two precious nieces, burning something in her kitchen or perusing Richmond’s many thrift stores for the perfect vintage jeans.

Email:burke@shalomfarms.org

Shalom Farms | Marc Charbonier, Farmer in Residence

Marc Charbonier

Farmer in Residence

Marc is so happy to be joining the Shalom Farms team as a Farmer in Residence this season. Having studied Sociology and Environmental Science at William & Mary, Marc believes that all forms of social injustice manifest within our food systems and wants to be a part of building alternative systems that are rooted in justice, community well-being, and a mutually beneficial relationship with the earth. Marc’s favorite things are well-loved couches, long hugs, sunlight shining through the leaves, and staring at the moon. At any given moment, you can probably find them dyeing their hair bright colors or searching for Richmond’s best lavender latte. They love people and the earth, and see their work at Shalom Farms as a wonderful way to be caring for both.

Shalom Farms | Steve Miles, Director of Farm Operations

Steve Miles

Director of Farm Operations

Steve Miles is the Director of Farm Operations for Shalom Farms. He has over fifteen years of horticultural experience with his primary focus being on sustainable methods of farming both in greenhouses and in the field. With a Masters of Theological Studies from Vanderbilt Divinity School, he is especially passionate about the theological connections between food and faith, and he cannot imagine a job that more fully encompasses his interests. Steve and his wife Amanda have three boys: Eden, Asher, and Ezra. When he’s not on the farm, Steve enjoys spending time with his family, playing music that Amanda doesn’t really like, reading “good” books, and surfing the fickle waves of the Outer Banks.

Email:steve@shalomfarms.org

Shalom Farms | Cheyenne Nicholas, Northside Farm Assistant Manager

Cheyenne Nicholas

Northside Assistant Farm Manager

Cheyenne is the Assistant Manager at the Northside Farm. Cheyenne started with Shalom Farms as a Farm Intern in 2019 before becoming one of our Powhatan Farmers in Residence in 2020. Previously a barista and bookseller at Barnes and Noble just a few minutes from the Powhatan site, a coworker suggested she apply and the rest is history. Her favorite farm tasks include pruning and clipping tomatoes and her favorite vegetable is tatsoi. In her free time she likes to hike, camp, and hoolahoop in the sun.

Shalom Farms | Seyra Whitney, Powhatan Farm Manager

Seyra Whitney

Powhatan Farm Manager

Seyra is the Farm Manager at the Powhatan Farm. She has been with Shalom Farms since starting as Farmer In Residence in 2016. Seyra oversees hoop house production and produce distribution, and loves systems and problem solving. Seyra enjoys trying out new techniques for growing in the hoop houses and is always working to improve yields. When not at the farm, Seyra enjoys hiking, camping, swimming in various bodies of water, and cooking up a storm.

Email:farm@shalomfarms.org

Shalom Farms | Hannah Wittwer, Volunteer and Education Manager

Hannah Wittwer

Volunteer and Education Manager

Hannah Wittwer is the Volunteer and Education Manager at Shalom Farms. After finishing college, Hannah spent 5 years teaching preschool, milking cows and working on an organic vegetable farm. She earned her Master of Science in childhood education and NYS teaching certification in 2015, and is thrilled to join Shalom Farms in a role that allows her to facilitate exciting learning experiences on a working farm. She hopes to contribute to a more just food system by supporting the development of positive attitudes towards sustainable agriculture and healthy food. Off the farm, Hannah can be found knitting, baking, playing with clay, and hiking with her terribly cute and terribly behaved hound dog.

Email:volunteer@shalomfarms.org

Join Our Team!

Interested in joining the Shalom Farms team? Learn about our current job openings and internship opportunities.

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