Board of Directors

Alexander Steward

President

Alexander Steward has been involved with several Michigan Farmers Markets for many years, currently serving as the Market Manager of the Westside Farmers’ Market in Ann Arbor and the Market Assistant at the Farmington Farmers & Artisans Market. He completed the MIFMA Farmers Market Manager Certification Program in 2018 and has participated in numerous MIFMA programs and events, including presenting multiple times at the Michigan Farmers Market Conference. Alexander currently serves as Chair of the MIFMA Advocacy Committee. He is the proud graduate of Schoolcraft College and the University of Michigan - Dearborn. Additionally, Alexander has served for over a decade as a Community Events Organizer in Southeast Michigan.

Rachel Bair

Treasurer

Rachel managed the Downtown Ypsilanti Farmers Market in 2008 and was active in MIFMA’s early work to expand SNAP access at markets. From 2010-2015, she was a program manager and director at Fair Food Network, again working with MIFMA and farmers markets statewide to expand the Double Up Food Bucks program from a Detroit-based pilot to the statewide program it is today.

Now in her role with Kalamazoo Valley Community College, Rachel oversees the activities of the ValleyHUB urban farm and food hub which works to get more local food on local plates in southwest Michigan. She would bring strong skills in organizational leadership, grant writing and administration, instructional design, and a broad network and knowledge in food and farming systems in Michigan to MIFMA if elected.

Amy Fisher

Amy Fisher currently serves as the Dean of Business and Professional Studies at Mid Michigan College. In her role as dean, Amy oversees the Business & Accounting programs at the college as well as the Criminal Justice, Early Childhood Education, and Computer Information Systems. Amy also works with international students and directs the LUCES program at Mid. Prior to her role as dean, Amy served as a Senior Business Consultant with the Mid-Michigan region of the Small Business Development Center. During her time with the SBDC Amy obtained her Certified Global Business Professional (CGBP) designation as well as her Certified Small Business Consultant (CSBC) certification. Prior to joining the team at Mid Michigan College Amy worked in the Risk Management and Insurance field. Amy obtained her Bachelor of Business Administration from Saginaw Valley State University and her Masters of Science in Administration with a concentration in Leadership, from Central Michigan University. In addition to her degrees, Amy also has obtained her Graduate Certificate in College Teaching from Central Michigan University. Amy currently lives in Midland Michigan with her husband Jim and their dog Bella. Together they have four children who live throughout the beautiful state of Michigan.

Carol Moody

Carol Moody is a Recreation Coordinator and a Certified Farmers Market Manager for the City of Mt. Pleasant. Carol has worked in the recreation field for more than 25 years and has a background in event management. In 2012, Carol welcomed the opportunity to expand on her career portfolio and manage the Mt. Pleasant Farmers’ Market and participate in the Market Manager Certificate Program. Since then, Carol's dedication to collecting and sharing metric data at the market, including customer counts and market sales, has proven beneficial and quantifies that Mt. Pleasant Farmers’ Market is truly one of Mt. Pleasant’s community treasures.

Carol says, "I have a passion to see all people have access to locally grown foods that are fresh and nutritious. Farmers markets are in a unique position to offer so much more than just food. They offer an ideal gathering place for the community that promotes healthy and active lifestyles, a place for small businesses to connect with shoppers and the exchange of information through partnerships and programs to name a few."

Emily Lyons

Emily’s professional market experience began with operating the token program for the financial partner of the Midland Area Farmers Market in 2014. In 2016, she accepted the Farmers Market Manager position with the Midland Area Farmers Market. She is a member of MIFMA’s Racial Equity Committee and a Certified Market Manager. Emily says she would bring to the Board an awareness that one size does not fit all and there is always an opportunity to learn, no matter how long someone has been doing the work.

She says, “MIFMA works hard to support Michigan agriculture, Michigan community-driven marketplaces, and anyone who purchases food from said marketplaces. It would be a joy to be more involved and give back to an entity who has provided me with support and engagement over the years.”

Dr. Prashanti Boinapally

Dr. Prashanti Boinapally is the Director of Programs and Quality with Authority Health and has experience as a partner with MDHHS and Eastern Market in various programs related to food. In addition to her current position, she has an educational background as a medical doctor along with 20 years of public health experience in various roles across the State of Michigan.

Prashanti is a member of MIFM’s Racial Equity Committee where she has learned more about MIFMA’s work. She says, “I strongly believe public health work needs to be integrated into the clinical world for better patient outcomes. I look forward to playing a role on the MIFMA Board of Directors to help me achieve some of my goals.”

Rachael Pressley

Rachael volunteered for the Houghton Farmers Market for several years before cofounding a non-profi t organization, From the Ground Up Farmers Market Collective, that now manages three farmers markets in Houghton County in 2022. She has experience serving on multiple boards during this time, including with Main Street Calument and the Lake Superior Stewardship Initiative.

Located in the Western Upper Peninsula, where the surrounding six counties only have a population of 80,000 people, Rachael looks forward to providing a rural perspective to the Board. Rachael says, “I am interested in connecting with other farmers market professionals. Learning from them about how I can help our regional farmers markets be more accessible and develop sustainable infrastructure based on shared models and experiences.”

Sarah Longstreth

Sarah has extensive experience as a farmer and vendor, including thirteen years of being a farmers market vendor, fifteen years of being a vegetable and livestock producer, ten years of being a certified organic producer, and ten years of being a small business owner and farm and people manager. She is a farmer mentor through Marbleseed's Farmer-to-Farmer Mentorship and works with Taste the Local Difference to get local produce into Midland school cafeterias and educate students.

Sarah says, “I value farmers markets as one of our few true public, community spaces. They offer important startup opportunities to small producers, and they can offer an inclusive environment for which consumers can build meaningful relationships with farmers and other food producers, bringing them several steps closer to the food they feed their families.” Currently, she is a vendor at the Midland Farmers Market and operates a CSA program.

Stefanie T. Stauffer, PhD

Stefanie has managed the Ann Arbor Farmers Market since the 2020 season and has been a vendor at the Ypsilanti Farmers Market since 2010. She was the Program Manager of the Tilian Farm Development Center farm incubator from 2014 to 2017, where she provided support to the incubator farmers, including connecting them with community-driven marketplaces and other markets for their products. Prior to these experiences, Stefanie wrote her Sociology dissertation about farmers markets, urban agriculture, and support for local food movements in Michigan and California.
Stefanie says, “As a participant in both the Advocacy Committee and Racial Equity Committee for MIFMA over the last two years, and as a participant now in the Racial Equity Cohort, it seems like a natural progression to become more involved as a member of the Board of Directors.”

Suzannah Barrie

Suzannah has 25 years worth of business experience learned through starting her own farm, becoming a vendor, and completing MIFMA’s Market Manager Certifi cate Program. She served for several years fi rst as the secretary of the Caledonia Farmers Market before spending over a decade as the president before resigning in late 2023.

Suzannah says, “As a female farmer, vendor, and market manager, the information I've received throughout the years of working with MIFMA has been indispensable in my various positions with Michigan farmers markets and I truly enjoy having such an organization with proper knowledge that has helped me to exceed in these areas.”