Our Board

Niki is the founder of Central Oregon Locavore and a Bend native who grew up eating fresh seasonal produce from her mother’s garden and enjoying fresh raw milk from the local co-op, as well as various local foods of all kinds.

After earning a bachelor’s of science in nursing from Oregon Health Sciences University in Ashland, Nicolle moved to Denver where she worked as a labor and delivery nurse in a large, high-profile hospital. It didn’t take long for her to become disillusioned with city life and she soon found herself working part-time on a raw milk dairy near Boulder where she became reacquainted with the local food scene.

Since Nicolle’s return to Bend, she has made many good friends among the farmers and local-food advocates of Central Oregon. Seeing a need to support the local economy and food movement, Nicolle assisted in forming a small food co-op, which transformed and evolved into the current nonprofit, Central Oregon Locavore.

Nicolle is a firm believer that we have to be the change we want to see in the world and is actively trying to take steps to create a more balanced, loving, sustainable and earth-friendly society.

In addition to founding Central Oregon Locavore, Nicolle currently works at St Charles Medical Center in Bend and Redmond as a labor and delivery nurse. Nicolle recently became a board certified lactation consultant (IBCLC) and is now part of the lactation team at SCMC, which is headed by her mother!

Nicolle’s dream is to bring the local food movement to the forefront and reconnect everyone with the importance of local food.

Lindsey is an Architect who has assumed a leadership role in delivering several noteworthy projects and is committed to volunteer work in her local community. Her diverse experience ranges from affordable housing to innovative STEM educational environments, whole healthcare clinics, and higher education campus master plans. Throughout her work over the last decade, Lindsey seeks to positively impact cities and communities of all scales. Lindsey earned dual Master's degrees in Architecture and Urban Design from UNC-Charlotte. 

Where Lindsey grew up in North Carolina, there is a strong bond between the people and the land. She grew up with horses and worked at several farms when she was young. In architecture school, she learned about our impact on the environment and the resulting climate change after which she began to strive to live and work more sustainably. She had studio projects that explored urban agriculture to combat food deserts in low-income communities which became a core value for her. She joined a CSA and taught herself how to cook. 

Through her participation on the Locavore Board, Lindsey will strive for a more sustainable future: supporting local farmers and economies, connectivity to land, ethically and humanely sourced food, and public education around these systems that need to be revised to meet the growing demands of our populations. For Lindsey, Locavore is a leading example of "getting it right," and she is honored to be a part of its continued growth and development. When she's not working on projects, Lindsey is often hiking, climbing, horseback riding, cooking/baking, or playing tennis. 

Karen comes to us with 30+ years experience in the non-profit healthcare financial sector, most recently serving as the CFO of St. Charles Bend. After retirement, Karen returned to school and obtained a degree in nutrition through the Nutritional Therapy Association and provides nutritional consultation services. Karen is a long time Locavore member, supporter, and avid shopper at the marketplace. Karen's passion for local food,  experience with non profit financial management, and keen discernment make us feel like we just won the board member lottery.

After spending 30 years in the kids’ toys and entertainment industry, Jessi relocated to Bend to play in the outdoors full time. She spent most of her career in toy product marketing (Star Wars), brand licensing (Disney and Mattel), and consulting for major studios and toy companies. Jessi now brings her wealth of knowledge in strategy, marketing, and business development to help the Locavore team grow and expand for the future!

Natalie was a lucky beneficiary of the digital workplace revolution and was recently able to relocate to Central Oregon while maintaining her position as a senior manager at the Sierra Club Non Profit. Natalie enjoys public speaking, event management, bringing people together and she is a people person who thrives in the social sector. Natalie is an avid supporter of local food and regenerative agriculture and enjoys volunteering as a back country guide with the Sierra Club in Alaska. Watch out folks, this board is on fire!

Andrew is the founder of the company LookSharp, which helps college students find internships and jobs. He is also a financial investor for several companies that provide cutting edge technology to enrich the lives of many, such as PlenOptika and Voatz. As a venture capitalist by trade, Andrew now manages his own fund called Volo Ventures, and is the COO of Elevate Labs. How does he have time to serve on the Locavore board you ask? He makes the time because he believes in our mission. He was greatly impacted while living for a short while at one of our partner ranches, Splitting Aces. Seeing the difference between grass-based husbandry and CAFO farming was enough to inspire this activator to dive into the local food scene and make it better.

Colleen has been involved in the community both professionally and through volunteer efforts since moving to Bend in 2004. Colleen works with a talented team of data analysts at the City of Bend - a position that has allowed her to become intimately familiar with many of the challenges and opportunities in our community. She's an avid gardener who believes that eating locally-produced, sustainable food is not only good for our health but good for our environment and community as a whole. When she's not tending to her veggie garden, you'll find Colleen out on the trails or at a local learning or networking event.