Our Team

We are proud of our collaborative leadership model with strong leadership direction from the Board of Directors. Our most recent strategic plan guides our work and clearly defines organizational structure and roles.

Our strength has always been in our ability to bring people together, so this model mirrors the flexible and nimble structure of our network. It helps to create shared knowledge, diversity, and increased resiliency.

Kent Fawcett

Co-Executive Director

Kent is a highly skilled food entrepreneur and founder of Local Pulse. He has a background in Biochemistry and worked as a Research Technologist at STEMCELL Technologies. Kent is passionate about food and is excited by the opportunity to work with prospective food entrepreneurs to turn their dream products into a “made in Kamloops” reality.

Sadie | Saeideh Hejazi

Co-Executive Director

Saeideh manages the administration and finance work at KFPC. She holds a master’s degree in urban and regional planning from the University of Tehran in Iran and a post-graduate certificate in Geographic Information Systems from Fanshawe College in Ontario. Saeideh is central to our organizational financial management. With an extensive volunteer background, Saeideh truly enjoys working with people who care about their local community.

James Maine

Distribution Manager

James Maine is our Distribution Manager.  He is a food systems professional with a background in remote supply chain design and implementation, culinary arts, and sustainable tourism.

James is dedicated to the ideology of food and food equity as a core building block for the foundation of community and culture.  He is keen to contribute to the ongoing history and objectives of food evolution and security with the Kamloops Food Policy Council.

Naya Macaulay

Communications Coordinator

Naya has always been passionate about food and its critical, overlooked places within societies and cultures.

Her dream is to open a sustainable coffee house and roastery while working in partnership with local food access organizations to supply meal programs.

After graduating from Thompson Rivers University in 2024 she became interested in nonprofit work. The KFPC values resonated with her immediately, inspiring her to join the team.

Ruby Bruce

Community Engagement Coordinator

After completing her undergrad at the University of Victoria, Ruby became interested in the sociocultural impacts of food and the ways in which it can bring people together to build a thriving community.

Coming from a long line of devoted gardeners and a background in sociology, she is thrilled to be coordinating the Gleaning Abundance Program and the Community Seed Library at the KFPC as the Community Engagement Coordinator!

Miranda Barnett

Food Hub Coordinator

Miranda is passionate about fostering connected communities through the sharing of local food and beverages. She has 12 years of experience working in restaurants and has most recently moved on from a general management position with a local cafe.

Miranda completed her BSc in 2020 at the University of Saskatchewan where she developed a deeper understanding of the threat of climate change and our need to develop systems for sustainability. She looks forward to becoming a positive force for change in building a more resilient and secure food system in Kamloops.

She has a great appreciation for our local food entrepreneurs who feed our community and she is dedicated to supporting them wherever she can. You can find her at The Stir upkeeping the facilities and supporting our Stirmakers!

Board Members

Greg Unger

Vice President

Greg is the Market Manager for Kamloops Regional Farmers’ Market and the Community Gardens Coordinator for Interior Community Services.

Greg appreciates all that the KFPC does for food security in Kamloops and has the skills and connections to contribute to the organization’s work in a meaningful way.

Lisa Troy

Director

Lisa is an advocate for local, transformative, just, and equitable economies, for everyone, everywhere.

They previously worked for Skeetchestn as the Food Sovereignty Community Liaison, where they were a conduit for community, education, inspiration, and confidence building around anything food and food related. Now, they “just” have a thesis left to complete to obtain a MSc in Environment and Management from Royal Roads.

Lisa is grateful for the skies, rivers, and seasons Secwepemcúl̓ecw offers. You can find her enjoying a sunny day at the river year-round.

Neha Raj

Director

Neha works as the Social Media Manager for Beckett Films (The Seeds of Vandana Shiva) and as the Research & Communications Coordinator at Navdanya International. She is also a full time student in Thompson Rivers University’s Master of Art in Human Rights & Social Justice program.

Neha resonates with the vision and values of KFPC and wants to contribute to fulfilling the KFPC’s missions.

Danielle Oliver

Treasurer

Danielle is a practicing lawyer at Cates Ford Soll and Epp LLP.  She grew up in the interior of British Columbia and has lived in Kamloops for nearly nine years.

First inspired by her undergraduate degree in biology, Danielle remains interested in the intersection of community connections to nutrition, the environment, and overall well-being.  She looks forward to becoming more involved in local initiatives that promote food security and sustainable practices, and is dedicated to supporting the KFPC’s mission of creating a more just and resilient food system.

Becky Blixrud-Dufour

Director

Becky has 15 years of experience working with municipal governments, regional districts and MLAs. She has been working since 2016 as a Certified Health Coach with a particular interest in local food as it relates to health. She’s currently at home with her son, where they enjoy gardening and are learning about how to preserve food.
Becky is passionate about community development, food security, gardening and connecting people to nourishing foods.
She joined the KFPC board with the intention of supporting the existing staff & programs and finding ways to contributing to increasing food security for everyone in our community. Becky is particularly interested in the GAP and is keen to support food entrepreneurs & education programs through The Stir.

Ananna Mitra

Director

Ananna Mirta is a passionate lifelong learner who loves connecting people, cultures and food. She holds a Bachelor of Arts and is about to begin her Master’s in International Humanitarian Affairs with the University of York. In her work with international Students, Ananna has built meaningful cross-cultural relationships, while her love for gardening keeps her grounded in her local community through the Kamloops City Community Gardens. A seasoned traveler who has explored many parts of the world, she dreams of spending a year abroad teaching English and discovering new places. As a board member of the Kamloops Food Policy Council, Ananna brings her warmth, curiosity, and global perspective to support a vibrant and sustainable local food system.

Sam Bregoliss

Director

A lifelong Kamloopsian with family roots dating back to the 1920s, Sam is a nonprofit professional with a background in arts, education and community engagement work. He believes that fresh, local food should be accessible to everyone. As a foodie Sam runs a local food blog Brego’s Kitchen, built on the belief “Mangia bene, ridi spesso, ama molto” (Eat well, laugh often, love much). Sam is excited to support the Kamloops Food Policy Council and help sustain its impact for years to come.

Nelson Gladders

Director

Nelson is passionate about food security and equitable access to basic needs for everyone in the community. He has a background in sociology and criminology, and his career spans law enforcement, nonprofit work, harm reduction, and public health. Between his work across these sectors, volunteer experience, and community organizing, Nelson is experienced in bringing people together to work for the common good of all. Nelson has deep admiration for the work of the KFPC and all of the organizations working to keep the people of Kamloops fed, safe, and thriving.

Laura Kalina
Honorary Director & Founding Member

Curious about getting involved at the Board level?
Here are some details about what it means to be on the KFPC Board:
Expectations
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