Our Team
Heidi Witmer, Founder and Executive Director
Heidi brings a strong background in sustainable agriculture and youth development work. Growing up in a farming family, Heidi has always kept her hands in the dirt and has managed both educational and production vegetable farms in Maine and Vermont. Heidi also brings 15 years of experience in the youth development field, working as an instructor in a wilderness-based therapeutic program, teaching in a traditional classroom, and then becoming the head administrator for an all-girls private school. Heidi received her B.A. from Haverford College with a major in Religious Studies and Peace Studies.
The inspiration to start LEAF came from the combination of Heidi’s experiences while working with the United Nations in Kigali, Rwanda, seeing firsthand the power of using agriculture as community development. Then later as a school administrator, she observed how few opportunities her students had to do meaningful work during summer breaks. Heidi perceived a regional opportunity to connect one of our region’s strengths (a vibrant agricultural sector) with an untapped resource (youth employees) to meet some of our most pressing challenges: food insecurity, rise in food-choice-related health challenges, and workforce development. LEAF Youth Interns gain valuable and lifelong skills while connecting our community to the food we eat, the land on which it grows, and to one another.
Heidi and her husband, Shane Kaplan, currently live in Perry County on the LEAF Farm and share a lifelong love of travel and adventure. Despite many attempts, their dog Poppy has not adopted their love of whitewater paddling.
Ricki Horne, Operations Director
Ricki started working with LEAF in 2019 as Program Coordinator and has grown with LEAF every year. Now, her job is to make sure everyone has the resources they need to thrive. Ricki comes to LEAF with a strong background in youth development, first working to build leadership and life skills through cooking with high schools students in D.C. and then, at Operation Understanding D.C. as Program Director. She is passionate about social equity, environmental sustainability and art — particularly in the rare moments when all three are in coexistence.
Debra Brubaker, Farm Manager
Deb brings a lifetime of experience to our staff team. Growing up with a dad who loved to educate the next generation of farmers, she and the rest of their siblings quickly found their family farm to be a place where they could continue his legacy. While managing the family farm, Village Acres, Deb had partnered with LEAF in different capacities since our inception. Now stepping into this role, she is excited to continue growing - vegetables, herself, and our youth crew!
Emma Stone, Community Engagement Coordinator
Emma was involved with LEAF from 2017-2019 when she worked as a member of the Youth Crew while in high school! After studying Environmental Science and Outdoor Recreation Leadership in college, she worked as an Environmental Scientist. It didn’t take long for Emma to realize that LEAF is where her heart longed to be. LEAF has certainly changed since when she was in high school, but being an Alumni of the program brings such a complex perspective to her position!
Alex
Greenawald, Program Coordinator
Alex started working with LEAF in 2023 as Program Coordinator and began helping out in the ever-growing kitchen program shortly after. Before LEAF, they worked on a college farm growing food for the community there and worked in a variety of different restaurants and food programs, learning the behind the scenes of food service and growing a deep appreciation for the wide variety of people who make our food system possible. Alex is passionate about the arts, food, and building strong communities, and their hope is to connect with young people and help them feel excited about the future.
Grace Hoover, Program Coordinator/Farm Assistant
With a degree in Acting from Otterbein University, Grace’s biggest takeaway of theatre was the infinite complexity and beauty of people. Upon graduation, that love and fascination took her all around, from the NC mountains, to upstate NY, to Guatemala.
As a camp counselor in NC, she worked with youth leading co-ed backpacking trips and saw the impact of high expectations (hint: they rise to the occasion). And that is beautiful to see.
While Grace’s course shifted from theatre to farming after the pandemic, her love of people and the outdoors has stayed the same. The intersection between farming and youth development is one that she cherishes.
Grace believes in Good Work with Good People and is so thankful to have landed here at LEAF where she gets to do both.
Shane Kaplan,
Over the last several years, Shane developed curriculum in collaboration with local schools for Pre-K, 4th grade, and 7th grade that involve in-class and on farm experiences that teach about our food system and the science we use to raise food. Shane's favorite things about LEAF are working with powerful young people, teaching cooking skills, and having the opportunity to teach.
Shane loves any opportunity to teach...about anything really. We once saw him get passionate about teaching the life cycle of a toad with the tadpoles on the farm. Was it relevant to LEAF... kinda.... but was it fun and amazing? - always!)
Our board members
kelly kundratic, Chair
Becky Hammell, Vice Chair
Olaf Hasse, Treasurer
Kaitlin Hedberg, Secretary
Joan Adams
Max Crumlich
Mackenzie Johnson
“We trust each other; we know that we can count on each other to complete a task. Sometimes times are tough, but everyone manages to pull together and continue working only creating a strong bond among us.
Andrew O’Rourke, 17
2015”
