Board of Directors

GEORGE LEWIS, PRESIDENT

Bio coming soon!

JUSTIN SHEPARD, TREASURER

Bio coming soon! ​

​BARRY GROSS, CLERK

​Barry's profile coming soon! ​​​​​​

​JENNIE KAPSZUKIEWICZ

Jennie is the owner/operator of a grass-fed, pasture-raised beef herd in Plainfield, Connecticut. In addition to farming, she has been a special education teacher and now disabilities administrator for over 20 years. Jennie utilizes her teaching and educational leadership skills to advocate for local agriculture through her work establishing and chairing her community's Agriculture Commission.  Her efforts focus on fundraising and offering scholarships to inspire the next generation of farmers as well as provide educational opportunities for the community to explore backyard farming.

GARY BAKER

​​Bio coming soon!​​​

Staff

Travis PERRy, INTERIM Meatworks PLANT MANAGER

Bio coming soon!

SARAH COGSWELL, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Born and raised in Southeastern MA, Sarah has been a strong supporter of farms and local agriculture throughout her career. Sarah developed many close relationships with area farmers during her 7+ years working with agricultural non-profits including SEMAP. She now owns and operates her own small-scale certified organic farm in Little Compton RI where she lives with her wife and teenage son.

Industry Consultants

​BRYAN PETRUCCI

After 14 years in various roles with the American Farmland Trust in Illinois and Great Barrington Mass, Bryan has been working for the last 10 years both as an Agricultural and Natural Resources consultant (Bos Native Meats, LLC) and as the Livestock Coordinator for Dole and Bailey. Bryan brings an extensive network and knowledge of New England meat processing to the TLI project.

BRIAN SAPP

​Growing up on a caladium farm in Lake Placid, Florida, Brian threw himself into the study of agriculture and food production at a young age, eventually earning a B.S. in Food and Resource Economics, as well as a Masters in Animal Sciences from the University of Florida. During his studies, he also got the opportunity to work in several different roles at the university's meat processing center. In 2008 Brian brought his wealth of knowledge to White Oak Pastures' brand new certified humane beef processing plant where he is in charge of day-to-day operations. Recently Brian's domain widened when he was put in charge of constructing the new White Oak Pastures poultry processing plant.