Lily Gottlieb-McHale, Farm to Farmer Coordinator (King/Pierce)

Lily is a vegetable farmer and landowner in Enumclaw, Washington who has served on all sides of the land access spectrum – searching, buying, leasing, and now matching farmers and landowners. Lily studied organic farming at a local farm incubator program, learning side-by-side with an international cohort of talented farmers. Lily’s passion for sharing resources and working within a community of farmers led her to start her own farm business, Shared Soil. Shared Soil addresses issues of land access by renting farmland to beginner, immigrant, and socially disadvantaged farmers. While running Shared Soil, Lily worked for a community organization in South King County where she coordinated food access initiatives and organized a community farmers market with non-traditional farmers. After serving as an advocate and organizer for beginner and immigrant farmers in her community for several years, Lily is thrilled to formalize her land access and matching work through her role at Washington Farmland Trust. Lily serves as Coordinator for Farm to Farmer as well as the Working Farmland Partnership. Lily’s greatest sense of accomplishment comes from helping farmers navigate barriers to land access and realizing their farm visions.

Anna Chotzen, Farm to Farmer Coordinator (Skagit)

Anna is the Business & Marketing Manager at Viva Farms, a non-profit farm business incubator serving aspiring and limited-resource farmers in Western Washington. Anna manages Viva Farms' sales program, as well as the development and implementation of its business training program. She is deeply committed to helping farmers achieve financial viability, and has worked as an advocate for and advisor to small-scale farmers, particularly on topics related to business and marketing, for over a decade. As the Skagit County coordinator of Farm to Farmer, Anna collaborates with her colleagues at Viva Farms to draw on their knowledge and expertise on a wide range of agricultural subject areas, including diversified vegetable and berry production, food safety and land assessment, and leasing and purchasing land. Anna is thrilled to expand Viva Farms’ impact to the broader agricultural community through land access programming like Farm to Farmer, which aligns closely with Viva Farms' mission to empower the next generation of farmers and preserve our agricultural economy for generations to come. 

Nayla Jiménez Cabezas, Farm to Farmer Network Manager

Nayla was born and raised in Costa Rica surrounded by family and nature, having grown up on seven acres of land that her grandparents restored. She received her BA in Education and Business Administration, and went on to pursue a Master’s in Environmental Education with a focus on organizational sustainability from Goshen College. Nayla has worked as COO of a federally qualified health care center, as a small business development consultant, and as an independent project manager for a variety of organizations and businesses. As Farm to Farmer Network Manager, Nayla is excited to help launch the Farm to Farmer Network, a collaborative model for growing Washington Farmland Trust's land access work to serve more communities across the state. Motivated by her own journey and experiences as a Brown, gay immigrant, Nayla cares deeply about issues of access and equity, and is a strong believer in the transformative power of relationships. Nayla aims to apply these values to her work as she connects with farmers, landowners, and other partners across the state. 

Emily Trabolsi, Farm to Farmer Coordinator (Statewide)

Emily brings nearly a decade of experience working on local farms and at farmers markets to her role as Statewide Coordinator of the Trust’s Farm to Farmer program. Emily is passionate about uplifting local producers, strengthening the food system, and creating access to community resources for the “forseedable” future. Prior to joining the Trust, Emily served as a Retail Sales Coordinator for Oxbow Farm & Conservation Center, where she spent time implementing creative and sustainable land management strategies and cultivating a diverse and prolific network of good food advocates working to re-define our relationship with seasonal food. Emily received her BA in Environmental Education, Agroecology, and Sustainable Agriculture from Western Washington University. Outside of farming, Emily loves backpacking and hiking in the great outdoors, voraciously reading, laughing, cold water swimming, and cooking meals with family and friends.

Mark Bowman, Farm to Farmer Coordinator (North Olympic Peninsula)

Mark Bowman has lived and worked in rural communities throughout his life. Mark holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Agricultural Business from Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo. Currently, Mark serves as the Sustainable Ag Coordinator for North Olympic Development Council (NODC), where he helps farmers overcome hurdles to growing their businesses. Before joining NODC, Mark spent the last seven years as a rural economic development and lending consultant working with small businesses, non-profits, and farmers. Prior to that, Mark spent 17 years as a lender for Farm Credit System and Craft3, where he supported farmers, rural business owners, and First Nations communities. As the North Olympic Peninsula Coordinator for Farm to Farmer, Mark work one-on-one with clients to identify business risks, and finds creative solutions to promote stability and growth. Mark and his wife, Nancy, have lived and worked on the Olympic Peninsula since 1999. In his spare time, Mark owns and operates a goat ranch in Port Angeles, selling meat to restaurants, grocers, and individuals.

Joe Crumbley, Farm to Farmer Coordinator (Snohomish)

Joe has been working on community based urban agriculture projects with the Snohomish Conservation District for 3 years. He holds a Master’s of Science in Food Systems from Marylhurst University in Oregon. As the Snohomish County Coordinator for Farm to Farmer, Joe is enthusiastic about inclusion and access for historically marginalized groups, including increasing access to locally grown, nutritious food. Joe is also energized by the impact of sustainable agricultural practices on the food system. In his free time, Joe enjoys hiking, camping, cooking, and playing trivia.