“We are not a team because we work together. We are a
team because we respect, trust, and care for each other.”
STAFF
Missy Brashears, Marketplace Crew
Missy is a transplant to New England and has lived on both the East and West coasts and in the South. Life up North is very different, but she enjoys the small town life. (Though she does like to enjoy the snow only through a window!) Missy is an artist of all kinds. You name it, she probably has the supplies for it. Her main hobbies include leatherworking, sewing, painting, and crocheting. During the spring and summer, she enjoys foraging and growing mushrooms, and in the fall, she enjoys turning into a pumpkin.
Missy grew up in a small farming community in California where sheep and tomatoes dominated. While she didn't live on a farm herself, her family made sure to support the local farmers at the fairs and markets. As an adult, Missy attended the National Heirloom Festival repeatedly and is a big fan of the farmers who are working to save heirloom and heritage seed varieties. Tomatoes and squash hold a special place in her heart but she doesn't shy away from trying to grow new and weird varieties of any vegetable or fruit.
(Hair color subject to change.)
Dr. Melissa Grella, Founder & Executive Director
melissa@taprootnh.org, (603) 788-4183 ext. 2
Melissa grew up in Jefferson, NH and left upon graduation to explore, grow, and learn. She returned to the North Country to complete her last semester of graduate school with the Audubon Expedition Institute, a traveling program that changed her life and outlook on how we learn and educate; her thesis focused on the level of environmental education in 14 middle schools in Coös County. Over the last 25 years, starting with her very first environmental education job as an intern with California Audubon, Melissa has worked with students from pre-school through college as a trip leader, educator, and administrator. From the field to the classroom, she aspires to nurture care for the environment through relationship building, aesthetic experiences, and holistic capacities. Melissa received her BS in Natural Resources from the University of Maine, an MA in Environmental Education from Lesley University’s Audubon Expedition Institute program, and a PhD in Environmental Studies from Antioch University New England. As Taproot’s founder, Grella was drawn to create her vision of a non-profit organization that works at the intersection of empathetic, developmentally appropriate environmental education, local agriculture, and community in the North Country. The initial seed was planted as a result of her master’s thesis in 2002. After a state of dormancy, the idea evolved into its current form inspired by her doctoral research, her work with the local food system in New Hampshire, and from being a founding faculty member of the Central Vermont High School Initiative, a Waldorf High School in Plainfield, VT. When not working, Melissa enjoys spending time hiking, Nordic skiing, swimming, gardening, camping, biking, knitting, and reading. She resides in Lancaster with her beloved husband, Kyle, and their fluffy, gray cat, Grigio.
Sally Livingstone, Bookkeeper
info@taprootnh.org
Sally grew up in central NH and moved to Lancaster about 40 years ago. She has lived in her current home for almost 30 years with her husband Eric. She went to UNH and studied food and nutrition for two years, then continued on and completed her bachelor’s degree in business administration. She has spent most of her adult life growing her own vegetables and enjoys all aspects of cooking nutritious meals from local products. She enjoys gardening, cooking, traveling, quilting, needlepoint, kayaking, hiking and cross-country skiing.
Gracie Phillips, Food Access Assistant (seasonal May-October)
Gracie is a farmer, gardener, herbalist, and lover of nature. She believes that nourishing fresh food should be accessible to all and that having a relationship with our food and the earth makes for a healthier community and planet. She grew up locally on a small organic apple and herb farm in Groveton, NH. This is where she developed her love of working with the earth and growing, and eating, tasty food. She graduated with honors from Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, MA. After college she spent time traveling, exploring herbalism, sustainable farming practices, and working with food. She currently manages the orchards and gardens on her family farm and educational center, Heartsong Farm and Lost Nation Orchard. She also helps teach and host educational programs about herbalism, orcharding, and sustainable living.
Taylor VanDyke, Local Direct Vendor Coordinator
taylor@taprootnh.org, (603) 788-4183 ext. 1
Hailing from the Berkshires of western Massachusetts, Taylor has had a love for all things local ever since winning a market tote back in a raffle at a farmer’s market when she was little. She attended Champlain College and studied public relations/marketing. Over the next few years, she called both Burlington, Vermont and the greater Boston area home while working at various communications agencies with food, hospitality and lifestyle clients. With a change of scenery and change of career on the brain, Taylor found her way to the White Mountains in 2022.
She is excited to build relationships with local farmers, producers and artisans. Outside of work you can find her reading, enjoying time by the river, crafting or snuggling with her cat, Pinecone.
Sam Zuk, Food Access & Community Engagement Coordinator
sam@taprootnh.org, (603) 788-4183 ext. 4
Sam grew up just a stone's throw away in Littleton. She attended Saint Johnsbury Academy and then went on to Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, NY. It was at Sarah Lawrence while she was a dance major where she was exposed to the writings of such luminaries like Jane Jacobs and had the immense privilege of learning under teachers like Kimozi Woodard and Julie Abraham who encouraged her to dig deeper into the oppressions and implications behind public policies and societal prejudices. It was through learning about these radical community activists she became inspired to play her part in opening up the world to be fair and accessible for all and is overjoyed to be joining the Taproot team to further those goals. When she's not in the office or community garden she can be found playing tennis when it's sunny out, knitting when it's not so nice out, and intrepidly trying out new recipes she found online all the times in between.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Coming Soon