Joann Held (Chair) is one of the original members of the Pennington Farmers Market Board. She has served as Treasurer and then Chair in the past and is now back for another stint as Co-Chair.  Over the past 11 years, Joann has worked on publicity, staffing, sustainability, and many other aspects of the Market. She especially enjoys the community aspect of the Market and can be seen most Saturdays at the Information Table welcoming visitors to the market.  Joann has lived in Pennington Borough for the past 40 years.

She retired from the NJ Dept of Environmental Protection Air Quality Program in 2005. Now she is focused on local sustainability projects and community service.  In addition to her work with the PFM, Joann’s affiliations include the following: the Hopewell Valley Green Team (Chair), the Pennington Environmental Commission (Member), League of Women Voters Hopewell Valley (President), St James Church (Liturgy Coordinator), NJ Site Remediation Professionals Licensing Board (Vice Chair), and the Pinelands Preservation Alliance (Board of Trustees).

Michelle Templon (Treasurer) retired from Princeton University and has lived in Pennington since 1983. She joined the Farmers Market Board in 2018 and served as Secretary for 2018. She was elected Treasurer in 2019.

She is interested in farming and farm markets because she comes from a long line of truck farmers in CT. Some of her best childhood memories are being on her great grandfather and great uncle’s farm. She also enjoys baking and cooking and trying new organically sourced ingredients.

In addition to her work with the PFM, Michelle’s affiliations include: St James Church (Eucharistic Minister Coordinator), Hopewell Valley Girl Scouts Gold and Silver Award Advisor, Project Linus blanket maker, and NJ Sharing Network Certified Volunteer.

Clara Kuppe (Secretary) retired from the Hopewell Valley Regional School District in 2016 where she was the Administrative Assistant to the Business Administrator/Board Secretary for 20 years.  She lived in Pennington/Hopewell Township from 1990 to 2021.  She now resides in Ewing with her husband, Steve.  Clara is very interested in local farmers and organic eating.  She became a member of the Chickadee Creek Farm CSA almost from the very beginning and continues to enjoy cooking with the variety of vegetables, herbs, and fruits that Chickadee Creek offers and supporting many of the other local vendors that have become part of the Pennington Farmers Market. 

Kate Fullerton has been on the Pennington Farmers Market Board since 2011. From May 2014-May 2018 she was the Board Secretary and worked on fundraising. In the spring of 2018 she stepped up to Co-Chair the Board with Eileen Heinzel. Kate has worked on grant applications for the Farmers Market, as well as the business sponsorships for the weekly bands. 

She enjoys the organic fruit and vegetables from the local vendors. She is warming up to mushrooms, thanks to many discussions with the providers at the Farmers Market.  Away from the Farmers Market, Kate works in East Amwell to preserve farms and open space.

She lives in Pennington Borough with her husband and their two children, who are in Hopewell Valley elementary schools and participate in a variety of activities. She is also a member of the Pennington Shade Tree Committee.

Helaine Barr has been on the Pennington Farmers Market Board since 2020. Helaine is an environmental planner with experience in climate change mitigation, watershed planning and sustainability working for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP). She lives in Titusville with her husband and their two children, who are in Hopewell Valley elementary schools.  They enjoy hiking, gardening and supporting local community initiatives. 

Barbara Kirsh has been a member of the Pennington Farmers Market Board since 2017. Barbara organizes the community tent and table each week to local nonprofits to help them inform market customers of their mission and expand support.  She retired from ETS in January 2019 after 47 years. Barbara is a sociologist and worked in the research departments for a decade before moving to corporate divisions reporting to senior officers. Barbara took on many varied roles and increasing executive responsibility. 

Outside of work, she has served on several nonprofit boards, including on the Hopewell Valley Education Foundation, the Mercer Alliance to End Homelessness, the Pennington Historical Commission, and the Princeton Adult School. She also helped create the NJ Education Foundation Partnership to share ideas among NJ communities to enhance public education. 

Leisure activities include taking classes, travelling with family, and being a member of a couples’ book group and a women’s book club that has lasted 21 years.  She and her husband have lived in Pennington since 1984. 

Jess Niederer is a graduate of Cornell University with a degree in Natural Resources. She traveled through the country and Latin America during her college years only to discover that there is no place like home! Jess also realized that for her, there was no vocation like the family vocation. After stints in conservation biology, ornithology, disaster relief, and development work, she started Chickadee Creek in 2010. 

She started the farm with two acres, borrowed tractors, no money, and over a hundred hours of work per week. The farm has grown to 13 acres of organic vegetables and small fruits, with a crew of 6-8 full time farmers, and a fleet of 7 tractors.  

In addition to managing the farm, she is also the mother of twins.

Athena Sarafides has been a member of the Pennington Farmers Market Board since 2019.  Athena retired from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection in February 2019, where she developed and advanced sustainability policy and programs for 32 ½ years. 

She believes it is important to support the local economy, especially farmers!  She has been a CSA member for 28 years.  In her spare time she practices yoga and travels the world as much as she can.

Jeff Griesemer retired from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection after working for 30 years as a hydrogeologist.

He has been going to the Pennington Farmers Market since it was located in the Pennington Shopping Center parking lot.  He has participated both as a customer and as a performing musician.  Jeff regularly shops at the PFM because it supports local small businesses and promotes the purchase of products that aren’t transported far from their source.  He also likes the social fun of stopping by the market.  Jeff enjoys the guitar, hiking in nature, and bicycling.

Ellen White joined the Pennington Farmers Market Board in January 2023.  Ellen enjoys being a member of the Chickadee Creek Farm CSA and admires the community connections of our Farmers Market.  She has a particular care for climate and food justice.  During her graduate studies at Princeton Theological Seminary, she earned a Certificate in Theology, Ecology, and Faith Formation.  Ellen also worked for the “Farminary,” a project integrating small-scale regenerative agriculture and theological education on a 21-acre farm at the border of Princeton and Lawrenceville.  Ellen grew up in Pennington and is currently the Director of Children, Youth, and Family Ministry at Pennington Presbyterian Church.

Staff:

Kathleen Lauricella was born and raised in Pennington from a family with a not too distant farming background. When the Pennington Farmers Market first opened, she was a college student who spent most of her time lobbying for farm to table initiatives in her school’s dining hall.

She began volunteering at the PFM in 2011 creating informational displays for the Education Corner. Kathleen served as a Board Member and Volunteer Coordinator from 2012-2015 while working as a Teacher-Naturalist at the Watershed Institute and Preschool Teacher at Painted Oak Nature School. Kathleen and her husband recently returned to Hopewell Valley after living in central PA, where the farmers markets were great but at least a forty-minute drive.

She thrives on the joy of connecting children to the natural world which she is thankful to witness every day in her work. Kathleen relishes summer days cooking tasty local veggies for dinner with friends, enjoys practicing and teaching yoga, and walking in the woods.