MEET OUR BOARD

Chris Fry ❧ President

Pronouns: he/him/his

Chris believes every person deserves access to tasty, nutritious, sustainably produced, local food. Chris has been a board member since 2009, serving as president during some of those years. In that time, he’s seen TGP’s ability to evolve and meet the ever-changing needs of our community. In an era of rising environmental problems, social inequities, and overly processed foods, Chris believes TGP has and will continue to play an important role in educating and empowering our community in relation to food justice.

Chris works as an attorney in private practice in Longmont, CO. He has an undergraduate degree in economics and middle eastern studies from Columbia University and received his law degree from the University of Colorado, where he focused on environmental and natural resource law issues. In his spare time, Chris enjoys spending time outside, whether that be in the mountains or growing vegetables in his garden.

Jordan Tucker ❧ Treasurer, Stewardship Committee Chair

Jordan has been on the Board since October 2021 as Treasurer and is the current head of the Stewardship Committee. He has lived in Fort Collins since 2011 and works as an accountant for Nutrien in Loveland.

Jordan enjoys spending time outside running, hiking, climbing, riding bikes, etc. Jordan and his wife have a small garden they keep in their yard with their two dogs and two cats.

Matt Fetissoff ❧ Secretary, Governance & Oversight Committee Chair

Pronouns: he/him/his

Matt is a designer and permaculture activist who has been growing in Fort Collins since 2013. His support for The Growing Project began in 2014 as a volunteer at the main educational garden we had at that time, then as a mentor gardener assisting the Urban Food Outreach program where he provided growing help while keeping soil and residents healthy with fresh vegetables every season. His love of cooking gave him plenty of opportunities to creatively use garden harvests to feed and educate program attendees with treats like homemade pickles, squash waffles, and zucchini bread. Matt also loved ( and misses) cooking for community meals at the small farms we’ve had in the past since it was such a wonderful opportunity to give back to our hard-working volunteers.

Matt’s family life is busy with his wife’s creative genius – which fills their home inside and out – and raising two kids who are full of energy and curiosity. He hopes his family will thrive from his dedication to building rich soil which will grow healthy food to eat and share, empowering them with the skills to keep living in our changing climate. Matt’s home garden is a laboratory of growing where he tinkers with season extension and a mission to grow year round.

Maricela DeMirjyn

Maricela DeMirjyn is an Assistant Professor in Ethnic Studies at Colorado State University, and affiliated faculty with the Center for Women’s Studies and Gender Research, as well as the Italian Studies Program and the Latin American Studies Program. In her scholarly work, Maricela is interested in intersectionality and identity construction, particularly as experienced by Chicana and Latina populations. She is a participant in the emergent discourse regarding visual narrative analysis within the contexts of social activism and marginalized communities. Her past work as a director and counselor in the respective fields of familial violence and addiction treatment has fostered her advocacy interests in leadership and issues concerning equity both within the University and local communities. In addition to serving on TGP’s board, Maricela is a consultant for the CA7AE: HIV/AIDS Prevention Project and co-chairs the Northside Aztlan Community Center Advisory Board.

Emily Gallichotte

Pronouns: she/her/hers

Emily is a research scientist at CSU, studying viruses and mosquitoes. She moved to Fort Collins in 2019, but previously lived in North Carolina, Southern California, and Seattle. Emily has many indoor plants, but it wasn’t until 2020 that she began gardening! She is involved in many local community groups and local politics, and is excited to organize with TGP!

Jared Hill

Pronouns: he/him/his

Jared Hill is a recent graduate from the Education Program at CSU. He joined the TGP board to participate in the community and feed folks. He spends his spare time reading, playing music, and being nice to cats.

Kat Kowalski

Pronouns: she/her/hers

Kat is a food justice enthusiast. Before moving to Colorado, she organized a regional food systems network in Massachusetts focusing on topics such as food access, local farm and food business viability, farm to institution, and food waste reduction and composting. Her work in food justice illuminated the link between food systems and health, which landed her in Fort Collins to pursue a Master’s Degree in Public Health at CSU. Her continued focus is to change systems that perpetuate oppression and inaccessibility to health-promoting services and environments.

Lauren McKnight

Pronouns: she/her/hers

Lauren has been on The Growing Project’s Board since February 2022. She believes in the healing properties of food and the power of an empowered community. Lauren holds a BBA in Business Management and is a SHRM certified HR professional. With experience in both the for-profit and nonprofit sector, she is passionate about using her skills to help organizations increase their effectiveness and efficiency. Outside of work Lauren can be found enjoying the outdoors, spending time with friends, and trying out new recipes.