Staff

Jennifer originally joined Food Works in 2017 to manage the indoor winter farmers market, spearhead Food Works' food access program, and coordinate the Southern Illinois Farming Alliance. Jennifer became executive director in 2018- Food Works' 10th year!

Paulson brings to Food Works over a decade of experience engaging stakeholders and coordinating projects using her skills in management and design. Before coming to Food Works, Jennifer worked at the Blanton Museum of Art at The University of Texas at Austin where she cared for thousands of objects of art and manuscripts, and managed and trained university students and volunteers. Paulson was also co-owner of Carsonhill Ceramic Studio, selling handmade pottery in farmers markets and art fairs thoughout the Austin area. She has also taught art and design courses in several universities and community colleges. Paulson relocated back to Southern Illinois in 2016 where she lives on a farmstead in Cobden. In addition to growing food with her family, she loves to paint and draw in her art studio, is a passionate home cook, and a strong believer in the importance of a robust local food economy.

Paulson earned a Master of Fine Arts at Southern Illinois University Carbondale and her Bachelor of Fine Arts at Columbus College of Art and Design.

Libby joined Food Works as the SIFA Coordinator & then later as the Community Farmers Market Manager in 2019. She also assists in supporting local farmers markets with Link match and she is involved with the Buy Fresh Buy Local & ReGenerate Illinois statewide collaborations. She and her husband Derek moved to Southern IL from Chicago in '17 after inheriting his Grandfathers Farm. They started their farm, Glaciers End in Johnston City, while taking the Food Works Farm Beginnings class. Since then, they have immersed themselves in everything they can related to farming, agriculture and networking in Southern IL. They started an orchard on their farm as well as trying to utilize as much as they can from their land. They are in several farmers markets throughout Southern IL as well as LEAF Food Hub. Libby has worked with Seniors and the Disabled for over 20 years and has experience in business, training, education and community outreach.

Liz is joining Food Works after 6 years as the Operations Manager for the Little Egypt Alliance of Farmers and having successfully co-written several grants to fund the Food Works Mobile Farmers Market. Her position at Food Works will include grant writing for all of Food Works programs. Liz is a graduate of the 2015 Farm Beginnings class, but has not realized her farm dream. (Maybe someday). Having grown up in rural Iowa she has a deep connection to sustainable farming and agriculture. She is a 2019 graduate of SIU’s MBA program and is passionate about her new business venture The Nutty Pig Cookie Co.

Jennifer owns a small diverse Heritage Farm with her husband Jason near Prairie du Rocher Il called Illinois Country Harvest. They proudly grow heirloom and native flowers, fruits and vegetables, heritage grains and raise heritage pigs using all natural, sustainable practices. Jennifer is passionate about holistic farm planning and practices in all aspects and loves sharing that passion with others.

Noah is joining the Food Works team as the Farm Beginnings Facilitator. He has been farming vegetables since 2019.. For the first three seasons, he worked on farms from southern Illinois all the way to Scarborough, Maine. After learning from many generous farming mentors, he launched BeetRoot Farm in Carbondale, IL in 2022. The farm grows over 40 varieties of fruits and vegetables and supplies a 30 member CSA, local farmers markets, and several local restaurants and grocery stores. Noah is passionate about equipping beginning farmers with holistic planning and business skills to take their farming enterprises to the next level.

Kyle McAdams is the Operations Coordinator at Food Works. With over 20 years of experience in small business administration, he supports our growth behind the scenes. He and his husband, Brian, graduated from the Southern Illinois Farm Beginnings program in 2021-2022 and own Pink Tiger Farm, located just south of Goreville. At their farm, they grow crops such as ginger, turmeric, and chilis for value-added products while also focusing on restoring biodiversity and native habitats on their land.

AlessandRa Nicholson is the Social Media Manager and Events Coordinator at Food Works, bringing her passion for sustainable agriculture and community engagement to the role. Growing up farming produce with her grandfather, AlessandRa developed a deep love for the Earth and its ecosystem, which sparked her curiosity for farming. A Farm Beginnings graduate, she has returned to work closely with Food Works to empower farmers and promote the vibrant agricultural community in Southern Illinois, using her skills in social media and event coordination to share the story of the incredible things growing in the region.

Ellen is passionate about place-based storytelling. She grew up in southern Illinois, the fifth generation of her family’s 140-year farm legacy, Lipe Orchards. In 2023, Ellen started Local Lore Farm, where she creates her own ice cream with naturally-grown botanicals, as well as other regionally produced ingredients. In addition to ice cream, Ellen has planted heirloom apple trees, medicinal and culinary herbs, and is hosting film festivals and other community events.

She has her MFA in Media Arts (2018) from Southern Illinois University, as well as a Master of Science in Geography (2022), with a thesis exploring local food in Southern Illinois. Ellen was a graduate of the Food Works Farm Beginnings program, a former Food Works board member, and is thrilled to begin work as a staff member!

Sam is an east coast transplant and moved to Southern Illinois with her husband in 2022. After years of working in a corporate environment, she left to travel the world and found herself volunteering on a cacao farm in Hawaii. This was her first taste of farm life and found that it suited her much more than she could have anticipated. She's since worked on other small farms, including BeetRoot Farm here in Carbondale, and she owned her own bean-to-bar chocolate company back in Connecticut. Sam is a self-proclaimed food nerd and is passionate about eating locally and an advocate for food accessibility.

Lova is our newest addition to the Mobile Farmers Market team. While originally from the west coast of Sweden, Lova had spent the last few years in DC working in food access and running farmers markets in the city. In Sweden, she comes from a line of homesteaders and millers, and looks forward to eventually following in their footsteps. Having relocated to Southern Illinois earlier this summer, Lova is excited to continue the work to shorten the food chain and strengthening the local food community.