Mail: 1661 N Water Street Suite 307 Milwaukee WI 53202

Telephone: Tel: (262) 649-9212 (see below for individual extensions)

Rebecca Briggs | Eugene, OR | Communications, Website, and Media | rebecca@biodynamics.com | x3

Prior to finding her niche in communications and agriculture, Rebecca worked for four years as an attorney for a law firm in Washington, D.C. She joined the Biodynamic Association in the summer of 2007 as editor of the Biodynamics journal, a position that soon grew to encompass general communications and outreach. Rebecca received a B.A. in political science and religious studies from the University of Pittsburgh, a J.D. from Georgetown University, and an M.S. in environmental studies from the University of Oregon. She has been active in food and farming issues, including working on a small horse-powered Biodynamic® farm, editing and designing a local food and farm guide, and serving as a former board member and Secretary of the School Garden Project of Lane County. Based in Eugene, Oregon, she enjoys working in her garden, exploring the local food scene, and soaking up the natural splendor of the Pacific Northwest. 

Thea Maria Carlson | Santa Rosa, CA | Co-Director | thea@biodynamics.com | x5

Thea is a facilitator, farmer, educator, and artist, with roots in California and the Midwest. She lives in the Mayacamas Mountains in Sonoma County, California, and frequently visits other parts of the world. Her diverse experience includes farming biodynamic and organic vegetables, fruit and flowers; teaching gardening, nutrition, and beekeeping; designing, building and managing urban community and educational gardens; and organizing strategic communications training programs for nonprofit leaders. Since 2011, she has played a key role in developing the Biodynamic Association’s educational offerings, planning and implementing the biennial North American Biodynamic Conference, and exploring new ways to manage and evolve the organization. Thea earned a B.S. in Earth Systems from Stanford University, a permaculture design certificate from Occidental Arts and Ecology Center, and is trained in the Art of Hosting and consensus facilitation. Besides growing food, making compost, and helping others to do both, she loves to hike, play her cello, throw pottery, cook, read, and spend time with her family and many beloved friends.

Karen Davis-Brown | Sauk Centre, MN | Journal | karen@biodynamics.com

Karen Davis-Brown is Editor of the Biodynamics journal. Since her initial training in biodynamics in 1999, she has worked in organic and biodynamic agriculture as a grower, trainer, writer, marketer, editor, newsletter/website designer, inspector, and consultant, in most regions of the North American continent.

In addition, she is the Midwest Coordinator for the North American Biodynamic Apprentice Program (NABDAP).

Kaitlin Downs | Milwaukee, WI | Administrative Assistance | kaitlin@biodynamics.com |

Kailtin is a recent graduate from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, where she got her B.A. in International Politics. While at UWM, she completed three internships (one in the courthouse and two others in local nonprofits) and was very active in volunteering. She became interested in agriculture during her senior capstone, where she centered her studies around agrarian reform practices and land grabbing in Africa. She is especially interested in urban gardening, nutrition, and anything involving helping the bees. She plans to continue her education and return for her Masters in Public Health next fall. In her spare time, she loves camping, biking, reading, and selling vintage clothing.

Anna Emrick | Milwaukee, WI | Finances, Operations and Membership | anna@biodynamics.com | x2

Anna comes to the BDA with seven years of experience working in program and event management roles in nonprofits. Most recently, she served as a program manager for a regional educational series and helped to increase the efficacy and number of educational offerings of that society, as well as increasing the documentation and efficiency of operations. Her interests in process and policy, membership retention, organizational structure, and farming philosophies converge in her role with the BDA. She earned a B.S. in Nonprofit Management from Manchester College (now Manchester University). In her spare time she enjoys vegetable gardening (especially employing the principles picked up through the biodynamic movement), reading, sewing, cooking and baking, and hosting/visiting friends and family.

Robert Karp | Milwaukee, WI | Co-Director | robert.karp@biodynamics.com | 

Robert is a long-time social entrepreneur in the sustainable food and farming movement. Robert has helped start numerous innovative food projects, including community supported agriculture projects (CSAs), farmers’ markets, institutional buying projects and farmer-buyer-consumer alliances. He is also the founder of New Spirit Farmland Partnerships, LLC, which helps organic and sustainable farmers acquire farmland by linking them with ethical investors. Robert is the former executive director of Practical Farmers of Iowa and former board chair of the Michael Fields Agricultural Institute. Robert’s writings include an analysis of the sustainable food and farming movement in the light of Rudolf Steiner’s economic insights titled Toward an Associative Economy in the Sustainable Food and Farming Movement and an essay titled "Community and Agriculture: An Iowa Pilgrimage" published by Free River Press in Eating in Place: Telling the Story of Local Foods. Robert lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Zachary Krebs | Eugene, OR | Technology |

Zachary Krebs takes great joy in creating holistic and integrated technology systems that are built for people and their day-to-day use. Starting off with proprietary CRM software in 2006, he learned the ins and outs of the corporate software world. After making a transition to an open-source software business model, where software is free and support is provided at a fair rate, he noticed that his clients' websites continually improved and a feeling of reciprocity emerged. A website, just like a garden, yields the greatest sustainable fruit with constant attention and awareness of the entire system and what we give back to it. Zachary lives in Eugene, Oregon, and enjoys gardening, practicing Taijiquan, and drinking Taiwanese high mountain green Oolong tea.

Anthony Mecca | Red Hook, NY | Farmer Training | x14

Anthony began farming 10 years ago, in search of a place to wonder, explore, and serve. In farming, he found hot sun, hard physical work, and community to be potent medicine. After five years learning from a diversity of farms, Anthony was called to the Hudson Valley of New York to begin Great Song Farm in 2010. Here he found his kin and began deepening his work with biodynamic farming, anthroposophy, inner work, and community life. Fostering direct and meaningful relationships between nature, agriculture, and community is central to his work. Anthony brings experiences as a student, WWOOFer, apprentice, farm-worker, farmer, and mentor to his work coordinating Farmer Training at the BDA. He also enjoys cooking, reading, and sitting quietly in the grass with the cows.

Penny Molina | Madison, WI | Business Relationships | x7

With an ongoing sense of wonder at the miracles produced by biodynamic and organic farming, Penny is a city kid from Chicago who discovered farming at Echo Valley Farm in Ontario, Wisconsin, and never looked back. Penny began working with the BDA as its conference coordinator for the 2012 and 2014 conferences before moving into her current role at the BDA of fostering business relationships. With more than 25 years of experience in marketing, event planning, branding, and fundraising for agricultural clients, Penny brings a strong business perspective to the farming community. Her education includes a BA from Boston College in communications, a Stateline Farm Beginnings Certificate from Angelic Organics Learning Center, and various farming seminars at Michael Fields. Besides growing squash, pole beans, and snap peas in her garden in Madison, Wisconsin, she is learning to play the hammer dulcimer, loves to ride her tandem bike with husband, Phil, and camp in state parks in their teardrop camper.

Cindy Moran | Milwaukee, WI | Conference Registration

Cindy has spent the majority of her professional life working in the non-profit sector, including a 20-plus year tenure working in the arts community at a large Milwaukee theater. Her background includes public and community relations, writing, editing, marketing, promotions, and events. She continues to do be active in the Milwaukee arts community with consulting and advising for a number of groups as well as is the volunteer chair for a collaborative arts marketing group called ArtSpin. Prior to her life in the arts, she used to run the local metaphysical bookstore and ran a successful free lecture series on a wide range of topics. She and her husband Todd were introduced to organic farming and agriculture during their time when they lived on an eco-community in rural Wisconsin. Her interest in healthy foods and holistic worldview started at that time and continues to this day.

Kate Nagle-Caraluzzo | Seattle, WA | Development and Membership | x11

Kate joins the BDA with a long history in food and farming. She spent her childhood nestled on a small farm in the Finger Lakes region of New York. Her professional career started with the Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York (NOFA-NY), where she did a plethora of things including membership, registration, communications, and development work. She then dove into the academic study of food at Chatham University in Pittsburgh, where she completed her Masters in Food Systems. Jumping to the west coast, Kate spent time with Tilth Producers of Washington handling member services, communications, fundraising, and conference planning before an organizational merger. She then tried her hand in the start-up world, but came back to her roots joining the BDA team in September 2016. When she's not thinking about farming and non-profits, she spends her time in the kitchen experimenting with new recipes and exploring the great outdoors in the Pacific Northwest. 

Sarah Weber | Squamish, BC | Research | sarah@biodynamics.com | x10

Sarah first encountered biodynamics in 2000 and has continued learning about it ever since. Sarah is excited to play a role in supporting biodynamic research across the continent. Based in Squamish, Cascadia, Sarah conducted a biodynamic apprenticeship at C-Dar Lodge Farm, has taken part in biodynamic preparation making, organized biodynamic courses, and travelled to many farms and gatherings to see how biodynamics is practiced and understood as widely as possible. She is motivated to explore applications of biodynamics in forestry and land restoration. Sarah completed her M.Sc. Forestry and B.Sc. Natural Resources Conservation at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver. She has walked many miles in the woods conducting fieldwork for wildlife research, forest ecology, silviculture, and as a backcountry park ranger. More recently she has worked as a social scientist and cultural researcher, carrying out traditional land use and related studies. She is inspired by gardening and adventuring in the outdoors with her husband, their black dog, and friends by foot, bike, boat, and skis.