Staff & Board
Learn about our one of a kind team, all based in Plumas County.
Vanessa Vasquez | Executive Director
Vanessa Vasquez is a nonprofit and community development professional who lives, works, and plays in the beautiful Lost Sierra. Vanessa has over 15 years of nonprofit experience including donor management, grant writing, communications, outdoor education programming, and land management planning. She has an MA in Environment and Community Studies from Humboldt State University where she focused her studies on sustainable food systems and policy. Vanessa grew up in Butte County with a family of food-loving outdoor enthusiasts. Together with her husband Greg, Vanessa participated in the Sierra Intensive Farmer Training Program in 2013. They have both been growing food ever since. When not working, Vanessa is likely botanizing by bike or enjoying a local swimming hole with her young daughter.
Natasha Holland | Farm Manager
Natasha is from and lives in Quincy. After graduating high school she visited Vienna, Austria as an exchange student. After returning to Quincy, she graduated from FRC in 2008 then graduated from Chico State in 2012. After receiving her DPT from University of the Pacific, she again returned to Quincy to work as a physical therapist. These days she spends time with her daughter and pets, gardening away in their beautiful mountain town. She looks forward to expanding her knowledge of farming with LSFP.
Jessica Ritchey | Farm Educator
Jessica grew up as a Quincy "mountain kid" and attended Feather River College before receiving her Bachelors degree in Nursing from Lewis Clark State College. She moved back to Plumas County after college and has worked as a registered nurse where her favorite part of the job has been educating and empowering patients to improve their health and well being. Her hobbies include crafting, gardening and looking for pine cones with her children.
Jessica is excited to continue acute care healthcare while having to opportunity to help teach Plumas County children about nutrition, local food systems and the joy of healthy soil under your fingernails as LSFP's Farm Educator.
Bethany Rouse | Program Manager
Bethany joined Lost Sierra Food Project in 2024 and is lucky enough to have grown up in Quincy, gardening each summer since she was young. While studying at Humboldt State University, she gained a greater understanding of environmental science and decided that the best way to care for the earth and her people is to grow food and flowers. Sharing beauty, hard work, and abundance with the community is her passion and she looks forward to the coming seasons out on the farm. In her free time she likes to cook, whistle, and take her dog on walks.
Emma Talamantes | Community Program Manager
Emma was born and raised in Oakland, CA and was lucky to end up in Quincy. While studying at UC Berkeley, Emma took classes on global food systems, worked in a variety of food service jobs, volunteered delivering homecooked meals to unhoused community members, and worked throughout the Bay Area farmers market circuit for a small organic farm— experiences which deepened an appreciation of food workers and passion for food justice.
Archie Arneal | Assistant Farm Manager
Archie grew up in Los Angeles, where they spent time volunteering on a small organic farm in the city, learning about regenerative agriculture, and food access programs. They graduated from Chico State in 2023 with a degree in Anthropology. They love hearing other people's stories and learning about the history of the Quincy area. They worked at the forest service as an archaeologist after graduating college and chose to stay when their field season ended after making connections with people who lived here. Archie heard about the farm when they moved to Quincy and worked as a volunteer, until they became assistant farm manager in 2025. When they're not working on the farm, they like to do creative stuff, hang out with friends, hike in Lakes Basin, and swim in the beautiful local lakes and rivers.
Marielle Fehrenbacher | Farm Education Specialist
Marielle grew up in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, where she spent time working on organic farms, community gardens, and exploring the forests and mountains of the Pacific Northwest. These experiences, along with a degree in Global Environmental Studies from University of Oregon, cultivated her passion for work that strengthens the relationship between community and land. She initially joined the team as a GrizzlyCorps fellow and after falling in love with Plumas County, decided to stay on with LSFP as a member of the farm crew and farm education specialist. In her free time, Marielle loves hiking, swimming in the creek, making soup for friends, making art, and listening to music.
Josh Nielsen | Board President
Josh is a fourth generation Plumas County resident, raised in Davis, CA. He holds a B.A. in Sociology from UC Davis and currently works for a local nonprofit, supporting people with disabilities. Before moving to Plumas County in 2017, he worked in Ashland, Oregon for a sustainable restaurant/ranch/brewery. Josh has supported the Lost Sierra Food Project since its founding, and is excited to be serving on the Board of Directors.
Marissa Rudder | Board Treasurer
Marissa grew up in a family of farmers and food entrepreneurs in rural Vermont. From a young age, she learned the value of healthy soils, good food, and a vibrant community. Her upbringing instilled a passion for environmental advocacy, food sovereignty, and a love for high alpine adventures.
Marissa holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Resource Economics from Colorado State University, with a concentration in Agribusiness and Rural Food Systems Development. Marissa has been deeply immersed in the local food movement for the last 12 years, advocating for climate action by building a more resilient food economy wherever she’s lived, from Vermont to California. Marissa has worked in all aspects of the food system, including production farming, managing farmers markets, wholesale aggregation and distribution, technical assistance, and hunger relief. She now serves as the Membership & Outreach Director for Mountain Area Preservation, a grassroots environmental advocacy nonprofit based in Truckee.
Marissa and her husband, Tyler, live in Eastern Plumas County with their two dogs, Lucy and Stu. When she's not working, you'll find her running, gravel biking, or skiing, both backcountry and nordic, through the Lost Sierra and beyond.
Marcie Wilde | Board Director
Originally from Rhode Island, Marcie moved to California in 2005. She fell in love with the Sierra Nevada mountains and Plumas County after starting her Outdoor Recreation Leadership degree at Feather River College in 2006. After pursuing her degree, Marcie decided to permanently call Quincy her home after meeting her partner while working at the original Panagea Café and Pub in downtown Quincy. She now is the General Manager for Feather River Food Co-op, which serves the community by being the only member-owned grocery in the county. She joined LSFP Board of Directors in 2023 and is excited to bring her work in food access to the table. Marcie spends most of her free time with her partner and six dogs hiking, kayaking, camping and relaxing in the Lost Sierra.
Carol Casaday | Board Director
Carol moved to Quincy over 50 years ago with her husband and sons and learned the beauty of people working together and building community. She was a founding member and the first executive director of Plumas Rural Services working to develop programs and services, that still exist today, to support local residents and communities. Carol worked as an independent consultant to nonprofit organizations, school districts, public health agencies, and foundations throughout northern California. She was successful in developing and funding programs and systems of care to support individuals and families through coalitions of engaged community members. For 12 years Carol worked as a fulltime consultant to an urban farm in Sacramento County. She learned the power of local agriculture to strengthen communities, protect the environment, and ensure access to healthy food. Carol has seen tremendous progress and accomplishments made by Lost Sierra Food Project over a very short period of time. She hopes to use her skills, experience, and commitment to the farm’s mission to ensure the organization has the resources, infrastructure, and support to help guide its long-term vision and impact for future generations.
