Staff
Kate Fitzgerald, Senior Policy Associate, initiated the Texas Department of Agriculture’s Food Assistance Programs under Commissioner Jim Hightower and was the founder of the Sustainable Food Center, Austin TX. She holds a B.A. from the University of Texas in Government and Economics.
Ferd Hoefner, Policy Director, has been NSAC’s senior Washington D.C. representative since 1988. He has worked on nearly every federal agricultural budget and appropriations bills as well as each of the omnibus farm bills since 1977.
Annette Higby, Grassroots Advocacy Coordinator, is an attorney and farm policy analyst based in Randolph, Vermont. She was on staff for many years at the Center for Rural Affairs before establishing a rural law practice focused on generational farm transfer. She helps to coordinate NSAC’s grassroots advocacy campaigns through the Grassroots Council.
Julie Hudson, Director of Development, has worked on fundraising and programs with the Center for Food Safety, The Wilderness Society, Sierra Club, and the E.F. Schumacher Society. Julie has an M.A. in Environmental and Resource Policy from the George Washington University.
Ariane Lotti, Policy Associate, is shared with the Organic Farming Research Foundation and works on organic agriculture, research, and appropriations. She has an M.E.M. from the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies and has farmed in Maine, Iowa, Connecticut, and Italy.
Martha Noble, Senior Policy Associate, is a lawyer and policy specialist on agriculture and environment issues. She is a vice-chair for the Agricultural Management Committee of the American Bar Association’s Section on Environment, Energy, and Resources. She also serves on the Executive Committee of the Clean Water Network’s Board of Directors and is a member of the U.S. EPA Farm, Ranch, and Rural Communities Advisory Committee.
Aimee Witteman, Executive Director, guides organizational development and long-term campaign planning, including ensuring a strong synergy between NSAC’s policy and grassroots capacity-building work. She is a past W.K. Kellogg Foundation Food and Society Policy Fellow and has an M.S. in agriculture and environmental policy from Tufts University.