Board of Directors

Andy Burnes, President ​
Andy is the President and CEO of HallKeen Management, and has over thirty years of acquisition, development and management experience across a broad spectrum of real estate. Andy owns and operates Jordan Farm in South Dartmouth, MA, a grass-fed beef operation. 
Darrin Mendes, VICE PRESIDENT ​
Darrin owns and operates Tupelo Hill Farm in Dartmouth, MA and manages Triple S Farm in Westport, MA. He has nearly 40 years experience in raising livestock. Darrin is President of the Bristol County Farm Bureau, and serves on the Massachusetts Farm Bureau state livestock committee and the Massachusetts Farm Bureau state membership committee. Darrin is a past board member for SEMAP (Southeastern Mass. Agriculture Partnership) and the Dartmouth Agricultural Commission. 
JON PREVIANT, TRESURER
Jonathan most recently was the Executive Director of The Farm Institute on Martha's Vineyard, where he resides. Prior to this Jon has been active in agriculture on every level (from farming to executive) both domestically and internationally for over 45 years.
ELIZABETH FRARY, CLERK
Elizabeth owns and operates Copicut Farms a 65 acre diversified livestock farm in Dartmouth, Ma. The farm includes a custom built on-farm poultry processing facility. Prior to starting her own farm she helped run her family's fourth generation fruit and vegetable farm in Dighton, Ma. She sits on the Board of Directors for the Hingham Farmers' Market and serves as the Market Manager for the Hingham Winter Farmers' Market.  Her current work is informed by her background in both Education, Biology, and Environmental Studies. ​
JOSEPH PEREIRA
JJ owns and runs a diversified farm (The Silverbrook Farm in Acushnet, MA), growing vegetables as well as raising cattle, hogs, chickens, turkeys, sheep, and goats. In addition to his extensive experience in agriculture, JJ has helped plan and execute fundraising events for Helping Hands of Farmers, Inc and St. Jude.
Philip DeNormandie
Philip was raised on a dairy farm in Lincoln, MA and now owns an all-natural Angus beef farm in Fairhaven, MA. Philip founded and runs DeNormandie Companies, which develops, maintains, and manages unique properties around the country. Philip is on the board of the American Farmland Trust, which helps preserve farms in the United States through public policy and acquisitions. He is also a member of the Advisory Council of the Maine Coast Heritage trust and the Vice President of the New England Forestry Foundation, which supports the preservation of working forests in New England.  ​
JOYCE MEADER
Joyce Meader retired from UConn Extension, providing dairy and livestock farmers with the University research to help with nutrition, housing, health, and crop production decisions. Her previous life included dairy farming in MA, CT, and Nebraska where she studied Ruminant Nutrition.
SHERYL MICHENER ​​​
Sheryl has had a gentleman’s farm for over 15 years raising fresh meat and goat dairy products for her family of six. As part of TyDy-Farm, she and her children raise Tunis sheep, a heritage breed, for both meat and fiber in Rehoboth, MA. Sheryl spent over 15 years as a licensed veterinary technician with both small animals and livestock. In addition, she owned and ran a dog/cat boarding/grooming facility for over 10 years.  Sheryl studied Animal Science at the University of Florida, and her love of farming started in childhood helping a local dairy farmer every weekend.  Sheryl’s children are very active in 4-H and are happy to support the movement towards local and sustainable meat production.  Sheryl currently works for the USDA implementing government programs to help sustain farming. ​​​

Staff

BARRY GROSS, INTERIM PLANT MANAGER
Barry has been involved in the local agricultural community for several years, including raising livestock, working at a grass-fed cow dairy, and distributing local meat and produce to many of the finest restaurants in Boston. He is the co-chair of the processing subcommittee of the Massachusetts Farm Bureau Federation Livestock Committee.  Barry also spends his time playing music around the region, doing art and architectural photography locally and abroad, working with the Mass Audubon Society, and enjoying the waters of Buzzards Bay.
SARAH COGSWELL, PROGRAM 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

​Kevin McCullough
Kevin has over thirty-five years of experience in the meat packing industry, including working directly for some of the largest meat processors in the country such as IBP, Inc. in Nebraska and Packerland Packing in Wisconsin.  Kevin is a graduate of the Harvard Business School in 1974 and Harvard College in 1965. Kevin helps the facility by utilizing his industry knowledge to structure and implement a successful plan to operate a small, high quality packing plant. 
​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.