Adriana Broullon
Web Management & Market Manager - Thursday & Sunday Marin Civic Center
Email: adriana@agriculturalinstitute.org
Phone: (415) 472-6100 x101

Adriana grew up in Marin County and became interested in the sustainable agriculture movement while working on a farm in Patagonia, Argentina. She graduated from the University of San Francisco with a BA in International Relations and a minor in Latin American Studies. Adriana has been working for the Ag Institute since fall 2008 and enjoys being a part of a non-profit where she gets to wear many hats, ranging from farmers market manager to web manager. Adriana is passionate about building a viable local food system, supporting small family farms, and making “local” a part of the average family’s diet. In her free time she can be found gardening, practicing yoga, and wandering through trails on Mt. Tam.

Amelia Spilger
Marketing & PR
Email: amelia@agriculturalinstitute.org
Phone: (415) 472-6100 x113

Amelia oversees the Ag Institute’s advertising, public relations, and marketing efforts. In 2005, Amelia taught English in a rural mountain community in Costa Rica. By good fortune, her host family happened to be farmers. As an adopted farmer’s daughter, Amelia developed a deep appreciation for the small family farm and the experience of being intimately connected to one's food. Amelia joined our team in 2006, enthusiastically putting her experience as a teacher, outdoor guide, and writer to work for the local food movement. When she’s not juggling her roles at the Ag Institute, Amelia savors surf sessions in Bolinas, bike rides in the Marin Headlands, and delicious home-cooked meals shared with family and friends. She holds a BA in English Literature from UCLA.

Ann Huseman
Chief Financial Officer
Email: ann@agriculturalinstitute.org
Phone: (415) 472-6100 x106

Ann’s passion is working for nonprofits whose mission she believes in: previous incarnations saw her working for a hospital, symphony orchestra and retreat center. As the Ag Institute’s Financial Administrator for the last six years, she is responsible for the accounting, human resource, information technology, contracts/permitting, insurance and corporate record-keeping functions. She enjoys working with people and does whatever it takes to make sure the Ag Institute’s operations and systems running smoothly (including making morning coffee!). Her latest agricultural interests are biodynamic farming and learning how to cook. She holds a Master’s in International Management from the American Graduate School of International Management in Phoenix, Arizona.

Brad Burger
Market Manager - Grand Lake & Sunday Marin Civic Center
Email: brad@agriculturalinstitute.org
Phone: 415-472-6100x110

Brad splits his time between the Grand Lake – Oakland Farmers Market and the Sunday Marin Farmers Market. He relocated to the Bay Area in early 2009 after spending five years working for a non-profit organization in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Brad is passionate about developing a more just food system both in the Bay Area and abroad. In addition to working at the Ag Institute, Brad is a member of the Oakland Food Policy Council (http://www.oaklandfood.org), which aims to develop a more equitable and sustainable food system in Oakland and the surrounding communities. He is an avid hiker and backpacker and more recently became obsessed with rock climbing. Brad’s favorite food… cereal with fresh seasonal fruit three times a day.

Brian Boone
Administration & Market Manager - Stonestown & Marin City
Email: brian@agriculturalinstitute.org
Phone: 415-472-6100x108

Brian is a new addition to AIM's team of market managers, managing our markets in Marin City and Stonestown - San Francisco. Brian was raised in Marin County before heading East to attend college at the University of Maryland. He obtained a B.S. in Emergency Health Services, while also training to be a Paramedic. Brian’s dedication to health is not limited to medicine. Brian believes that a full belly of hearty, nutritious foods is the key to life-long health, and working with AIM provides him the opportunity to get that message out there. Brian spends his spare time outside, whether sailing, cycling, or just meandering a hillside. As a native to Northern California, Brian has a vested interest on making “local” more a lifestyle than a simple word.

Brigitte Moran
CEO/Executive Director
Email: brigitte@agriculturalinstitute.org
Phone: (415) 472-6100 x109

In 2004, Brigitte Moran joined the Ag Institute, and its sister organization Marin Farmers Markets, as our Executive Director. She has over 20 years experience facilitating farmers markets, having started the downtown San Rafael Farmers Market on 4th Street in 1989. She has owned and operated a restaurant with her daughter and mother, and coordinated a diverse array of public and private events as an event producer. Brigitte is dedicated to realizing the Ag Institute’s vision of building a pavilion focused on celebrating the region's agricultural roots, while simultaneously supporting the development and the success of our 500 local farmers, food purveyors, and artisans, and educating and connecting communities to local agriculture. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Center for Volunteer and Non-Profit Leadership, the San Rafael Chamber of Commerce, and the Farmer Market Coalition, a non-profit representing farmers markets nationwide.

Chris Blackburn
Market Manager - Newark & Novato
Email: chris@marinagriculturalinstitute.org
Phone: 472-6100

Christopher manages our Newark and Novato Farmers Markets. He grew up in the 1970’s counter culture of Eugene, Oregon. His family has deep roots in the lumber industry, which made for interesting dinner conversations during a wave of environmental change, and continues to be a central connection to the valued traditions of his hometown. After college, Christopher served two years with AmeriCorps traveling throughout the US and neighboring countries providing disaster relief through the American Red Cross and working with inner city youth in Washington, DC and Charleston, South Carolina. After returning home from service he became a fire fighter/EMT in Florence, OR. Christopher has a strong sense of service and humor and is life-long Oregon Duck fan. An interesting fact: Christopher met his wife (Emily) at an Ag Institute farmers market in the East Bay.

Jessica Payne
Administrative Assistant
Email: jessica@agriculturalinstitute.org
Phone: (415) 472-6100

Jessica Payne is a Marin native. Her interests in natural food and alternative medicine stemmed from the arrival of her daughter, Ashlyn, and prompted Jessica to enroll in the Holistic Practitioner Certification Program at Sky Hill Institute, School of Holistic Arts in Petaluma. In the Summer of 2008, she joined Outstanding in the Field, Farm to Table as a food server, where her interest in the local food movement was confirmed by each celebratory feast. Jessica joined the Ag Institute in February 2010 by way of Marin Works Now and thanks to federal economic stimulus funding. Jessica is still studying for her holistic practitioner certification and is grateful and excited to join the Ag Institute team and to do her part to support her local farmers and community.

Leah Smith
Director of Outreach
Email: leah@agriculturalinstitute.org
Phone: (415) 472-6100 x111

Leah Smith has served at the Ag Institute’s Director of Outreach for more than 3 years, and has worked in Marin County to further the sustainable agriculture movement for more than 10 years. She previously worked with Marin Agricultural Land Trust (MALT) and directed EECOM’s Marin Food Systems Project. Leah attended Pitzer College where she was the first person to graduate with honors in Environmental Studies. She then received a Rotary International Ambassadorial Scholarship to live and do agricultural research in Nepal for a year. She has more than a dozen years of experience in agricultural education, community outreach, event planning and program development. She is committed to and passionate about local food and sustainable agriculture. Having worked on a farm and as lover of cooking, she finds great pleasure in the work she is engaged in.

Mary Williams
Accounting & Marketing
Email: mary@agriculturalinstitute.org
Phone: (415) 472-6100 x103

Mary, an Interior Designer, earned her degree at the Design Institute of San Diego, and is Certified by the California Council for Interior Design Certification. She went on to own and operate a small Interior Design Firm in San Diego, focusing on Commercial and Hospitality Design. Born and raised in Michigan, Mary has a deep appreciation for the communities that are sustained by the land on which they live and the resources at hand. Mary moved to the Bay Area in 2008, where she lives with her husband.

Matt Toy
Market Manager - Fairfax & Hayward
Email: matt@agriculturalinstitute.org
Phone: 415-472-6100

Matthew, sometimes known in the office as “Bok Choy,” can be found running around downtown Hayward on Saturday mornings as he turns City Hall into a fruit and vegetable paradise. On Wednesday nights you’ll find him bringing the locally grown abundance to Fairfax’s Bolinas Park. When not managing markets, he can be spotted dashing between schools, the Ag Institute’s office, and the Marin Farmers Markets in San Rafael, working to connect the public with farm-fresh food and the lovely people who grow it. Matt earned a B.A. in Spanish and International Studies from Cal State University, Long Beach and the University of Granada, Spain. While in school, Matthew helped conduct environmental outreach in Los Angeles, ultimately realizing that food was his passion. If you still can’t find him, look for him gliding up and down the grassy Marin hills on his bicycle.

Tanya Small
Senior Market Manager & Membership
Email: tanya@agriculturalinstitute.org
Phone: (415) 472-6100 x104

Tanya grew up in St. Helena, and got her start in agriculture at an early age picking grapes and helping her family make wine. She has a BA in International Studies from the University of Arkansas Little Rock, which she attended on a volleyball scholarship. Tanya worked at Folie a Deux winery, Enterprise Rent-a-Car, and was a sales representative for a medical supply company before joining the Ag Institute in 2004. She enjoys knowing and talking with the people who grow and raise her food, and loves the community feeling that comes from managing and attending the farmers market every week. She spends her free time with her family, traveling to Mexico, playing volleyball, dancing to Cajun and Zydeco music, and is known to break dance spontaneously.

Tyler Thayer
Director of Education
Email: tyler@agriculturalinstitute.org
Phone: (415) 472-6100 x114

Tyler has been working in farmers markets for over 23 years. He has worn most every hat imaginable since he joined our team in 2000, ranging from managing markets to leading our market tour programs to keeping track of all of the applications, permits, and forms that come through our office for our over 500 members. He is now transitioning to lead our educational outreach programs. He especially loves to work with children of all ages to help them learn how to make healthy food choices by leading fun-filled farmers market tours of our Thursday market (his new nickname is “Mr. Green Jeans”), as well as engaging students by talking with them directly at their schools. Spending time with his family, taking his wonderful dog on long runs and hikes, playing tennis, and photography keep him out of trouble.

Yank Frances
Operations Manager
Email: yank@agriculturalinstitute.org
Phone: (415) 472-6100 x112

Charles Ashton Frances III was born on the 4th of July – hence the name “Yank.” Yank has been AIM’s Operations Manager since 2004. When things are running smoothly behind the scenes, from a safe fleet of vehicles, to the Marin Farmers Market's royal restrooms & ATM - we have Yank to thank. Yank’s interest in food and agricultural issues is deeply rooted. His family grows organic walnuts on 12 acres in Lake County, CA which he happily managed for a number of years. He has been associated with food-coops in Washington D.C., Santa Barbara, Isla Vista and Ocean Beach both as a member and employee. In the 1990's, Yank pursed an education and career as a set designer for the theatrical stage and got his B.A. at San Francisco State University and an Master of Fine Art at UC San Diego. But the best theatrical experience he’s found over the years are Farmer's Markets, and he’s proud to be a part of some of the best in the Bay Area.