Sierra Doehr (they/she) is a Filipinx-American who owes everything to Saticoy since moving to Azahar Street in 2011. Since then, they have found themself at the intersection of food security and racial equity as a health educator and farmer. Sierra was a Social Justice Fellow with Social Justice Fund for Ventura County (2021-2023) and a Community Food Systems Fellow with The Vital Village Network (2022-2023). Her favorite vegetable is kang kong aka water spinach!

Matthew Ruiz-Parra, a local resident of Ventura County, started volunteering with Saticoy Food Hub in May 2023. He has found himself surrounded by fields and agriculture his entire life, and has always carried a sense of pride with him about farming and farm land history. He has previously worked in conventional agriculture, including time as a pesticide handler, but now finds himself as a Food Hub Associate with Saticoy Food Hub, supporting the ever growing need for a true organic and sustainable future for Ag in Ventura County. His favorite fruit is a pineapple!

Lauren Weichert (she/her) was born in New Orleans, Louisiana and moved to Camarillo, CA at age 9. She graduated from UCSB in 2018 with a BS in Environmental Studies. She lived in Goleta and worked in ecological restoration for 3 years after graduating. In October 2021, Lauren moved back to Ventura county to work at an organic farm. She now calls Santa Paula home and is excited to be a part of the Saticoy community. She is passionate about food justice, building resilient food systems, and native plants. Her favorite vegetable is garlic because of its ability to make any meal better.

Emma Burke (she/they/he) was born and raised in the Bay Area of California. She grew up climbing trees, following deer trails, and munching on sour flowers. In 2024 she graduated from UCSB with a Bachelors of Science in Environmental Studies, where she learned about the impact of conventional agriculture and discovered her drive to develop local food networks and support regenerative practices for a healthier planet. She spent time working as a volunteer and education coordinator for a non-profit hydroponic farm in Santa Barbara and plans to bring this passion for community engagement into her work at the Saticoy Food Hub. Her favorite fruit is a mangosteen!

As a UC Santa Cruz alumna, Brenda received an academic background in Global Environmental Justice Studies and Agroecology, spending much time at the Alan Chadwick Garden and the Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems (CASFS) Farm on campus. At these sites, she studied pollinatorbehavior, sustainable agriculture, and organic gardening methods. It was also at this campus that she engaged with surrounding community gardens and learned the tremendous importance of food sovereignty. Some of her interests include ethnobotany, photography, and multi-media collage making. Recently, she has been researching various decolonial ecological theories such as ecopedagogy which have helped her (re)discover and (re)define her relationship to land, institutions, and have been allowing her to explore a more embodied knowledge. Her favorite fruit is prickly pear!

Jaycee Sacdalan (she/her) is from Arcadia, California and graduated from University of California, Santa Barbara with a B.A. in Environmental Studies in 2024. While at UCSB she began working on farms such as Ebbys Organic Farm and at farmers markets and was inspired by their dedication to growing healthy, organic food for people, despite overwhelming obstacles such as land insecurity and drought. She felt inspired to continue supporting small scale agriculture through her work, and hopes to run her own regenerative farm one day. She also has an ecological restoration background working with UCSBs Cheadle Center and Channel Islands Restoration and hopes to explore the intersection of land healing work and agriculture. Her favorite fruit is Mangosteen.

Patricia (Patty) Park (She/Her) is a Regenerative Agriculture Fellow here at the Saticoy Food Hub. Born and raised in Santa Barbara, Patty decided to stay local for her post-secondary education and attended UCSB. There, she received a BS in Environmental Studies, focusing on landscape conservation work. She later enrolled at the UCSB Bren School of Environmental Science and Management for her Master's in Environmental Data Science. Wanting to give back to her community, Patty started volunteering at the Santa Barbara Foodbank. She soon fell in love with working in a food-diversion non-profit environment and wanted to gain more experience in that sector. Patty is excited to help uplift the goals of Saticoy Foodhub through measurable action by helping lead programs that contribute to equitable food access and small-scale regenerative farming practices. Her favorite vegetable is zucchini!

Hello my name is Leonardo Martinez and I was born and raised in Ventura county. I grew up in Oxnard and during my teen years moved into Ventura county where I continue to reside. I attended Ventura college and received an Associate in Science for transfer in biological science which I used to transfer to UCSB where I would continue to major in Zoology. My role in the food hub at the moment is to lead the other fellows on how the hub operates as I have been volunteering at the hub for a few months prior to becoming a fellow. I plan to continue and expand Saticoy Food Hub’s programs like the farmers market, Saticoy Sowers and the community fridge. My favorite vegetable is a carrot. I like how they taste. They have a good crunch!