Rebecca Briggs, Communications Coordinator | rebecca@biodynamics.com

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 public relations. 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, Director of Programs | thea@biodynamics.com 

Thea is a farmer, organizer, educator, and artist with roots in California and the Midwest. She joined the Biodynamic Association while farming with Turtle Creek Gardens in 2011, and continued to balance both roles until she became Director of Programs in 2013. Her previous work includes teaching gardening, nutrition and beekeeping; developing community and educational gardens in California, Chicago and Maine; organizing strategic communications training programs for nonprofit leaders; and farming with Blue House Farm and Mendocino Organics. 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. Her photography graced the covers of the Fall 2011 and Spring 2012 issues of Biodynamics, and was featured in A Sense of Place, a collaborative exhibition between The Greenhorns and 18 Reasons.

Robert Karp, Executive 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, with his wife and two children.

Penny Molina, Conference Coordinator | penny@biodynamics.com

Bringing her twenty-five years of event coordination and marketing experience to the team, Penny oversees all planning, marketing and logistics for the biennial North American Biodynamic Conference. In her spare time, she is a farm hand at Echo Valley Farm in Ontario, Wisconsin, making and selling apple butter, learning about the land, and studying Navajo weaving.

Jessica St. John, Director of Operations and Enterprise | jessica@biodynamics.com

Currently serving as the Director of Operations and Enterprise for the Biodynamic Association, Jessica was previously the founder of Aesera Advisory, where she served as a consultant to Fortune 500 companies including Harley-Davidson, as well as a number of leading arts and culture-based non-profit organizations across the country. She also served as the Director of the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in New York City and as the Director of the SVA Theatre, one of New York City's leading arts organizations and premier entertainment venues, host to the esteemed Tribeca Film Festival. In her spare time, Jessica produces documentary films and is currently developing the films Other Battles and Standing Ones.

Sarah Weber, Research Program Coordinator | sarah@biodynamics.com

On the biodynamic learning path for twelve years, 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 long taken part in biodynamic preparation making, and organized and helped teach biodynamic courses. In order to see how biodynamics is practiced and understood as widely as possible, she has traveled to attend an array of biodynamic workshops and conferences. She is motivated to explore applications of biodynamics in agriculture, forestry, and land restoration. Sarah completed her M.Sc. in Forestry and B.Sc. in Natural Resources Conservation at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. She spent numerous years walking the woods conducting fieldwork for wildlife surveys, forest ecology, silviculture, and as a backcountry park ranger. More recently she has worked as a social scientist with an environmental consulting company. She is inspired by gardening and adventuring in the outdoors with her husband and their black dog by foot, bike, boat, and skis.