Staff

Interns

Trustees

Sergio McCollam

Farmers’ Market Business Engagement Coordinator

Tracy Emrick

Chief Executive Officer

temrick@countrysidefoodandfarms.org

Tracy has served Countryside in multiple capacities since 2012 and was appointed to CEO in March of 2017. She graduated magna cum laude in 2010 with her degree in Political Science from Kent State University. Tracy is passionate about farmland preservation; sustainable agriculture; social and environmental justice and policy; and she is committed to building a resilient food system that ensures equity and viability for all. She’s been actively involved in agriculture since 2004. She is a member of the Ohio Farm Bureau, and served as a county Board member, food and animal issues committee co-chair, and a county delegate at the OFBF Annual Meeting. Tracy has been a life-long entrepreneur, small business owner, as well as farmer and outdoorswoman. She lives is Wayne County Ohio on a tiny farm once belonging to her grandparents.

Daena Johnson

Office Manager

admin@countrysidefoodandfarms.org

Daena joined Countryside in August of 2019 after leaving a career in promotional products manufacturing. Her interest in food access and supporting local businesses brought her to Countryside. She is also passionate about sustainable practices both in the workplace and in the home. This passion started in her youth with clothing created from recycled and unconventional materials and led to the creation of her own business making long lasting products using recycled papers. Daena is a lifelong resident of Cuyahoga Falls and enjoys frequent visits to the library, second-hand stores, and all the local breakfast joints with her husband, Anthony.

Christina Hill

Marketing and Communication Specialist

chill@countrysidefoodandfarms.org

Christina joined Countryside in the summer of 2018 as the Farmers’ Market Culinary Intern. Since, she has graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing Management from The University of Akron and moved into the role as Marketing and Communication Specialist. Christina has always had a love for cooking throughout her life and working at Countryside combined her two passions of cooking and marketing perfectly. When Christina isn’t working, she loves to spend time outdoors hiking, kayaking, and boating.

Rachel Kent

Farmers’ Market Manager

rkent@countrysidefoodandfarms.org

Rachel became determined to work in local foods after taking a Food Politics class in college. That determination eventually led her to working for a food sovereignty program located in the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota, where she helped support a market garden and the reservation’s only farmers’ market. A native of NE Ohio and a lover of all things CVNP, Rachel is excited to be back home and to be working with Countryside. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, biking, kayaking and visiting the many local ice cream shops in the area.

Ginnette Simko

New Farmer Academy Program Manager

gsimko@countrysidefoodandfarms.org

Prior to joining Countryside in January 2020, Ginnette served on the faculty of the Sustainable Agriculture program at Lorain County Community College, where she taught technical courses in crop production and plant propagation. She holds a BA in English from Baldwin Wallace College and had a long career in management and administration before switching gears to follow her lifelong passions for growing and eating really high quality produce. Ginnette lives with her family on a one-acre homestead in Hinckley. Her hobbies include hanging out with her chickens and making small batch fermented hot sauces.

Jenna Eastman

Food Access Manager

jeastman@countrysidefoodandfarms.org

Jenna joined Countryside in March of 2021 as the Food Access Manager. She has a background in food and nutrition as a dietitian, and is currently completing a Master of Development Practice. She was drawn to Countryside’s food access programming as she believes in approaching food and nutrition via the social determinants of health, and that food access is an important component of health equity. Jenna enjoys crafting and DIY projects, photography, comedy, and getting outdoors to hike & swim.

Marcia Coleman

Old Trail Farm Manager

mcoleman@countrysidefoodandfarms.org

Marcia is passionate about growing the next generation of farmers, food accessibility, and creating an environment that educates and connects consumers to growers. Marcia serves on the faculty of the Sustainable Agriculture program at Lorain County Community College, where she teaches technical courses in crop production and Business Principles for Sustainable Agriculture. She holds a BA in Business Administration from Saint Anselm College and had a long career in management and administration before starting her 2.5-acre farm in Avon Lake, Ohio. She is a member of the Sustainable Agriculture Curriculum Advisory board at LCCC and a member of the Ohio Farm Bureau. Her hobbies include kayaking, anything outdoors, cooking and traveling.

Sergio McCollam

Farmers’ Market Business Engagement Coordinator

smccollam@countrysidefoodandfarms.org

Sergio joined Countryside in the summer of 2021 as the Farmers’ Market Business Engagement Coordinator. He received his certification in Commercial Art from Lakeland Community College and later attended Kent State University for Communication Studies specializing in Public Relations. Sergio spent his late teens and early twenties as a touring musician, networking, and building business relationships which eventually grew into a passion for business ownership, and servant leadership. That passion led to a position with Countryside. Sergio currently enjoys meeting new people, traveling, designing NFTs and Digital Art, and making music from a small home studio.

Emily Kuhn

Farmers’ Market Associate

cheese@cvcountryside.org

Besides being the resident ‘Cheese Lady’, Emily is the lead graphic and page designer for the Record-Courier and Akron Beacon Journal. She has also been involved in Northeast Ohio craft events as a vendor and volunteer for over 10 years. Emily spends her free time cooking, powerlifting, and adventuring in Cleveland.

Staff

Tracy Emrick

Chief Executive Officer

Daena Johnson

Office Manager

Christina Hill

Marketing and Communication Specialist

Rachel Kent

Farmers’ Market Manager

Ginnette Simko

New Farmer Academy Program Manager

Jenna Eastman

Food Access Manager

Marcia Coleman

Old Trail Farm Manager

Sergio McCollam

Farmers’ Market Business Engagement Coordinator

Emily Kuhn

Farmers’ Market Associate

cheese@cvcountryside.org

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