We practice culture making by integrating skills building and organizing tactics with joyful strategies, art, community care and celebration.
We value food sovereignty, solidarity, inclusiveness, cooperation and egalitarian decision making and anti-racist participatory governance.
We value democratic worker led projects and policies, created by listening to and including community voices in decision making.
We value the local network of people working toward this shared purpose. We look to state, national and regional level solutions, and build partnerships and alliances with organizations succeeding in what we are striving for.
Ander Russell
Co-Director
Ander Russell (they/them) is the Co-Executive Director of Resources For Sustainable Communities and oversees all aspects of the organization’s advocacy, science and education work. They hold a B.S. in Wildlife Biology from the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry and an M.S. from the Environmental College at WWU. They have over 20 years of experience in wildlife and land conservation, coalition-building, and natural resource social science research. Ander has a strong interest in applying conflict resolution and collaboration skills to complex environmental issues such as water quantity and quality. Their work is always community-based and strongly focused on social and environmental justice. “We all do better when we all do better.” -Paul Wellstone
Rhys-Thorvald Hansen
Co-Director
Rhys-Thorvald Hansen (they/them) is an artist, facilitator, and consultant working in the intersections of food systems, land justice, and creative arts for social transformation. Their work at Whatcom Food Network is informed by their experience in cooperatives, rural economic development, and movements to de-commodify land tenure. Rhys serves as the Chair of Whatcom County Food Systems Committee, where they have been the Whatcom Food Network’s representative since 2022. Outside their food systems work, Rhys is a textile artist and enthusiastic non-fiction reader. Contact Rhys-Thorvald.
Rosalinda Guillen
Co-Director
Rosalinda Guillen (she/her) is the founder, visionary and lead strategist of Community to Community Development, within the ecofeminist leadership circle. Her perspective is influenced by the multi-racial, working-class community organizing model of the Rainbow Coalition, the Cesar Chavez house meeting model, The World Social Forum, the Landless Workers Movement (MST) of Brazil and growing up a farmworker in La Conner, WA. Rosalinda has organized farmworkers in WA State and the strawberry fields of Salinas CA. She has represented farmworkers in the Legislatures of California and Washington State and in ongoing policy and Movement building dialogues on immigration issues, climate change, labor rights, trade agreements, ecofeminism and strengthening the food sovereignty movement towards a Solidarity Economy.
Ellie Duncan
Steering Committee Member
Ellie Duncan is an artist, farmer, and food systems educator. She is the co-founder of City Sprouts Farm and currently leads an educational community food systems program through the Center for Community Learning at Western Washington University.
Ellie grew up in Western Montana (Séliš territory) and spent her childhood immersed in the creeks, hills, and woodlands of the Bitterroot valley. Her desire to connect deeply with place led her to study sustainable food systems and wilderness studies at the University of Montana. Ellie’s work is motivated by helping others pursue the joy and meaning that comes from connecting with food, the land and with one another.
Kristy Matta
Network Policy Lead
Kristy Matta (she/her) is a recent graduate from Western Washington University in Environmental Policy specialized in Agroecology. Her background in food service, farming and Culinary Arts gives her an intersectional view into the daily lives of the community. Kristy spent time as an intern with the Whatcom County Health Department and helped conduct the East Whatcom County Food Landscape Assessment of 2024 in partnership with the Foothills Food Bank. She is passionate about an equitable food future that centers nutrition access as a basic human right. In her free time, she enjoys cooking elaborate meals and sharing it with her friends.
Rachel SantaOlalla
Network Operations Lead
Rachel SantaOlalla (she/her) is a consultant focused on creating a regenerative and just society. Her background spans communications, project management, behavior change strategies, and collaborative design in service of systems-level change. An ecofeminist, her career in placemaking began at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture. Rachel has worked in both public and private sectors in various landscape-related fields, including conservation. Most recently, she led the Conservation Program Explorer project for the Cascades to Coast Landscape Collaborative. Rachel views equitable access to nourishment as essential to individual and community well-being, fostering collective care, safety, and dignity.
