Staff

Michael O’Gorman, Executive Director

michaelo@farmvetco.org

Michael has been a pioneering organic farmer for over forty years. The last twenty years he has been the Production Manager for some of the nation’s largest organic vegetable companies, including TKO Farms, Mission Organics (Natural Selection Foods) and, most recently, Jacobs Farm/DelCabo where he oversaw 1600 acres of tomatoes, basil and mixed vegetables in the Northern half of the Baja Peninsula. Michael  began the Farmer-Veteran Coalition out of the back of his pick-up in January, 2008.   He splits his time between helping the FVC grow and mentoring many of the young veterans in our program.

Tia Christopher, Director of FVC Fellowship Fund

tia@farmvetco.org

Tia is a proud US Navy Veteran.  After her honorable discharge in 2001, she received her BA in Humanities with a focus in Psychology and currently works for the Farmer-Veteran Coalition as the Director of FVC’s Fellowship Fund. Prior to her current post, Christopher lived and worked in Washington, DC for Concepts, Inc. PR on the National Resource Directory, a joint project of the Departments of Defense, Labor and Veterans Affairs. Prior to coming to DC, Christopher served as the Women’s Veteran Coordinator for the Iraq Veteran Project in San Francisco. Christopher speaks nationally on issues facing women veterans, has testified before state and national legislature, and was a community instructor for the National Center for PTSD, Menlo Park. Christopher serves as an advisory board member for The Pathway Home: California Transition Center for Care of Combat Veterans. In March 2009, she helped organize an all women veteran gallery art show, with the goal of empowering women who haveserved. In its third year, the art show is now a feature of the San Francisco Modern Art Museum.   She is the author of You Are Stronger Than You Think You Are: A Straightforward Transition Manual.  Christopher is the recipient of the 2010 “Returning Veterans Resiliency in Response to Trauma” Award.

Chris Ritthaler, National Veteran Outreach Coordinator

chris@farmvetco.org

Chris Ritthaler served in the Marine Corps from 2002-2006 with a Primary specialty of Infantry Rifleman and a secondary of Security Forces/ Anti-terrorism. He has 2 OIF tours as well has a tour in Guantanamo Bay as the Marine Corps Security Forces Liaison Officer to the Joint Operations Center. He was awarded both a Combat Action Ribbon and a Joint Service Achievement Medal. Since leaving Active Duty in 2006 as a Sergeant, Chris has obtained a B.S. Psychology (Biology) from the University of California, Davis. He has worked in various positions in the outdoor industry from sales staff at REI, to rafting and back country guide for the UC Davis Outdoor Adventures program. He is also a Registered EMT-B and Swift Water Rescue Technician. In his spare time he loves to help out at the winery of a family friend, or help his fiancee with her horse.

Amanda Roberts, Administrative Assistant

amanda@farmvetco.org

Amanda is currently finishing her last year at UC Davis where she is double-majoring in Economics and Political Science.  She plans on attending law school and working in the sports industry after she graduates. Along with the FVC, Amanda is also the Vice President of her sorority, Delta Gamma, and a member of various honor societies. Working with FVC has been such a rewarding experience for Amanda and she hopes to continue non-profit work and philanthropy throughout her life.

Emily Randall, Communication Specialist

emily@farmvetco.org

Emily is a fourth year Communication and Spanish double-major at UC Davis. She will be graduating in March of 2012 and is excited to work in either Public Relations or Journalism. She belongs to several honors societies, including the National Society of Collegiate Scholars and Phi Beta Kappa Academic Honors Society. She is also Music Director of her a cappella group, The Spokes, at UC Davis. Emily believes FVC’s mission to be inspiring and is glad to be a part of the organization’s commendable and rewarding work.

Sasha Klein, Fellowship Fund Assistant

sasha@farmvetco.org

Sasha is a recent graduate of the University of California, Davis with a BS in International Agricultural Development, specializing in small-scale vegetable and fruit cropping systems. Sasha found her love for agriculture in Northern Thailand, where she conducted a year-long research project looking at sustainable agricultural practices in small-scale vegetable and rice based farming systems. Sasha returned to the states in 2008 and was a produce buyer for City Feed and Supply, an all-in-one grocery/cafe/sandwich shop in Boston Ma. As the produce buyer she worked with a handful of local farms, sourcing local produce throughout the year. In 2009, Sasha returned to university at UCD to finish her bachelor’s degree. While at UCD, Sasha worked on the Student Farm as an assistant to the farm manager and in the Ecological Garden. In June 2011, Sasha graduated from UCD and started The Cloverleaf at Bridgeway Farms in Davis, Ca. The Cloverleaf is a 2 acre organic vegetable and melon farm with 4 acres of stone fruit. In her spare time, Sasha loves to go hiking with her dog Elsa and cook delicious food.

Ross Erickson, Farm Support and Resource Development

ross@farmvetco.org

Ross Erickson is a Marine Corps Veteran who served from 2004-2008. He has one OIF deployment and deployed to Okinawa, South Korea and the Philippines before receiving an honorable discharge as a Sergeant. He grew up on a produce farm in Northern California that has been in his family for three generations, and currently resides there. After service, Ross held several technical positions before continuing education where he received his AAS in Business Administration. Currently, Ross is pursuing his career in agriculture through farming and assisting veterans in the transition from the military to an agricultural lifestyle.

Melissa English, Graphics Provider
melissaannenglish@gmail.com

Melissa has created our FVC logo and graphics for all of FVC’s branding on documents, posters, hats, t-shirts and events.