Meet our staff

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    Caitlin grew up in Colorado and has farming and ranching family roots in Oklahoma. Caitlin is proud to be a founding member of the FJNWA steering committee.

    Prior to FJNWA, Caitlin led the Food in Communities initiative at Tri-County Health Department for four years, where she collaborated with resident leaders and community-based organizations to address root cause issues perpetuating inequities in the NW Aurora food system. In her work, Caitlin draws on her experiences as a Spanish Immersion teacher in Portland Public Schools, Oregon, and working on community-based food projects with Adelante Mujeres, a nonprofit working with Latina women and families in Forest Grove, Oregon. Caitlin loves learning and holds a Masters of Science in Agriculture, Food, and Environment and a Masters of Arts in Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning, both from Tufts University, as well as Masters of Arts in Teaching from Lewis & Clark College. 

    Caitlin tends a community garden plot and strives to produce as many tomatoes as possible each season. However, her jurassic-sized collard greens are the stars of her garden.

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    Jorge grew up in Washington, D.C., with family roots in Bolivia, Spain, and Serbia. He is a proud father of three boys, all born and raised in Colorado.

    Before joining FJNWA, Jorge spent 15 years as a high school Spanish teacher in Denver Public Schools, working with traditionally underserved communities in West Denver, Montbello, and Green Valley Ranch. He brings over 20 years of experience as a Spanish teacher, business owner, and consultant in the Denver metro area, collaborating on educational and professional projects with local business owners and students.

    A lifelong learner, Jorge holds a Master of Arts in Teaching from Lee University in Tennessee. In his free time, he enjoys practicing yoga and spending time outdoors with his sons, hiking and camping. However, he finds the most joy in creating art and writing poetry.

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    Maddie was born and raised in Denver, Colorado, with family roots in Ghana. Prior to joining FJNWA, she received a Bachelors in Political Science from the University of Colorado Boulder. She went on to oversee the university’s food assistance programs, increasing equitable food access for students through direct resource distribution, individual case management, and trauma-informed nutrition education. 

    As a lifelong resident of Colorado, Maddie is passionate about contributing to the collaborative strengthening of its food system and ensuring all members of the community are engaged in decision-making. She is specifically motivated to work with historically-marginalized communities to address their unique barriers to food security.

    Outside of work, Maddie spends her time cooking, going to concerts, taking care of her plants and raising her cat.

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    Imelda was born and raised in Texas with family roots in Mexico. She is passionate about preventative health education and creating a just, equitable food system. She holds a Bachelors in Community Health from Texas A&M University, a Masters in Public Health from the University of Tennessee, and is a certified Community Health Education Specialist. 

    Before joining FJNWA, Imelda led the implementation of an opioid and substance use disorder prevention program for rural middle school communities, educating youth on health advocacy strategies and substance use prevention. Most recently, she worked with the United Way of Greater Knoxville to engage stakeholders and community gardeners to collect baseline data on garden needs and production, and create a digestible report to support community garden expansion, enhancement and resource allocation.

    Outside of her career, Imelda enjoys kayaking, upcycling, cooking, hiking, and live shows.