Ceres Staff
Cathryn Couch
Executive Director
Cathryn Couch, M.B.A., is a professional chef and activist. Her life work centers around helping people connect with local, seasonal and whole foods, discover the joy of cooking for themselves, and find meaningful ways to engage in their communities. She has worked in the corporate and not-for-profit worlds, including four years as Director of Communications for The Hunger Project-U.S., an educational organization focused on changing our understanding of the causes of and solutions to hunger in the world. Cathryn has been supporting The Ceres Community Project’s flowering since its inception in the summer of 2006.
JoEllen DeNicola
Nutrition Director
JoEllen DeNicola APP, NE believes that nutrition is the foundation of health and that whole foods are the basis for good nutrition. Her background as a Holistic Nutrition Educator and organic gardener created the perfect fit with The Ceres Community Project’s intention of reconnecting people to healthy whole foods. As Ceres’ Nutrition Director, JoEllen created the Healing Foods Cooking Course to give people dealing with illness the tools they need to eat for health and healing . JoEllen has a BS from the University of Michigan’s School of Natural Resources. She received a certification in Polarity Therapy in 2001 and in 2007 completed the Nutrition Education certification from Bauman College of Holistic Nutrition. She also has been an organic gardener for 25 years and is a certified Permaculture Design Consultant.
Margaret Howe
Director, Healing Meals Program
Margaret Howe is a community and peace activist. The Ceres
Community Project brings together her passion for creating a more humane just world through compassion, people power and action. She has worked on peace, human rights, demilitarization, community organizing, and local food issues for many years. She loves bringing people together in creative projects like Ceres, and especially likes seeing a spark in kids when they are contributing to their world.
Deborah Ramelli
Fund Development Manager
Deborah is grateful to be involved in an organization that speaks so directly to her life's passions: food, well-being, community and kids. She has a diverse background which includes working for corporations and not-for-profits in addition to running her own small business. Deborah holds a BA in Political Science, is a yoga teacher, and a Nutrition Educator. She is also an enthusiastic gardener and cook, and loves bringing people together over a table of great, healthy food.
Sue Smith
Director of Operations
& Human Resources
With more than a dozen years of business management, human resources and start-up experience, Sue comes to Ceres Community Project with a commitment to enhance existing operational structures to support Ceres' growth and effectiveness. Sue's undergraduate education includes both Environmental Studies and a B.A. in Culture, Ecology, and Sustainable Communities from New College of California. A native of northern California and happy to be back in Sonoma County, Sue also works with a sustainable producer of local lamb and wool products, and recently completed an M.S. in Nonprofit Management and Leadership. She is in the 2012 class of the Leadership Institute of Ecology and the Economy.
Marsha Wachs
Client Relations Manager
Marsha Wachs brings her 15 years of experience in the counseling field to her position as client relations manager. She is passionate about traveling and exploring, gardening, hiking, and cooking. She practices Yoga regularly, and participates in an ongoing book group. "Once I felt 'out of the woods' in terms of my own breast cancer experience I wanted to be of some service to others. I was drawn to the entire concept of The Ceres Project and began by delivering food to our clients. I've been so nurtured and inspired by the connections that have developed both with clients and with all of the volunteers associated with Ceres. I feel honored to be a part of this journey!!"
Rob Hogencamp
Teen & Kitchen Coordinator
Rob's love of growing and preparing whole foods, and his commitment to empowering young people, led him to join the Ceres' team as our Teen & Kitchen Coordinator. With more than twenty years in a wide range of commercial kitchens, a degree in Hotel & Restaurant Management, and a certificate from the Santa Rosa JC Sustainable Agriculture program, Rob brings a wealth of skills to the job. In addition to managing the preparation of meals each week and training our teen chefs, Rob is playing a vital role as we develop a vibrant teen program that includes learning about growing and cooking whole foods as well as the local and global implications of our food choices.
Julie Stuffelbeam
Kitchen Manager
Julie's interest in nutrition, food and herbs has been an evolving journey. Beginning with organizing food coops in the midwest to feed her family healthy organic food, she moved through being a vegetarian and vegan to now learning about traditional diets that include fermented foods, sprouted grains and organ meats. It's been quite a journey. She brings her love of learning about food and her organizational skills to the job of Kitchen Manager for the Ceres Project.
Kosima Grundy
Assistant Volunteer Coordinator
Kosima Grundy is the assistant volunteer coordinator for Ceres Community Project and has worked with non-profits for many years. Kosima's experience includes managing and coordinating non-profit programs, in addition to event planning. Kosima was drawn to the Ceres Community Project because she was raised on whole and organic foods and knows the incredible benefits that healthy eating and living bring. Kosima coordinates adult volunteers for Ceres and enjoys working with a diverse group as they help make the Ceres Community Project's mission come to life.
Bim Lipp
Delivery Co-coordinator
Bim Lipp has been volunteering with community projects in Sebastopol since 1992. Bim began with The Ceres Community Project in February 2008 as a delivery volunteer and has helped coordinate the weekly deliveries since mid 2008. He enjoys the deeper sense of involvement with the community that he feels through this work. In addition to his time spent volunteering, Bim enjoys growing and making red wine, travel photography and flying ultralights.
Nancy Paulus
Bookkeeper
Nancy Paulus is a bookkeeper and office manager with a B.S. in Business Administration. She found non-profit work very satisfying after working three years at a small senior center in the Sierra Nevada foothills. For many years she has been interested in wellbeing from nutrition to energy healing. She is also a massage therapist and Reiki Master. She began with Ceres Community Project as a volunteer delivery person in 2009 and assisted with month end accounting. She is delighted to work with Ceres in teaching teens nutrition and sustainability while benefiting health-challenged clients and supporting Planet Earth in organic agriculture.
Kim Stuffelbeam
Creative Director
Kim Stuffelbeam has a diverse background in graphics and advertising. He started his creative career at a book publisher in Chicago, moving on to work in design and advertising agencies and eventually teaming up with a writer and starting his own freelance business. Moving to California in 1988, he continued freelancing along with working for a small record company in Petaluma. Then for something completely different, Kim invented a toy in 1998 and began manufacturing and selling the BeamO Flying Hoop. Along the way, he met Jeff and Cathryn and worked with them on several freelance projects. When Cathryn was starting up the Ceres Project, Kim helped with some of the initial graphic and web design work. As Cathryn's vision grows and touches so many in our community, Kim is honored to be able to help tell this amazing Ceres Community Project story.
Sara McCamant
Garden Coordinator
With over 25 years of experience, Sara specializes in connecting gardens with kitchens and creating gardens that are educational, beautiful and productive. Sara ran the gardens at the Shenoa Retreat Center and the Boonville Hotel and is a local food activist who founded the West County Seed Bank and is active with iGROW Sonoma and Transition Sebastopol. When she left her last garden at Lynmar Estate Sara knew it was time to make one of her dreams come true. She approached Ceres and said "I'm ready to start the Ceres Garden". A few weeks later the land and initial funding came together and the vision was planted.
Paula Reynolds
Development Assistant
Paula was born and raised in Santa Fe, NM., and moved to Sonoma County in 2004 from the Bay Area where she lived for 6 years. She graduated from the Colorado Institute of Art with a degree in Visual Communications.
Paula's life goal has been to create sustained health through diet, nutrition and fitness. She has been sole proprietor of her own healing arts business since 1996, as a certified Natural Therapeutic Specialist and Pilates Instructor with focus on repetitive stress relief and core alignment.
Paula is thrilled to be a part of Ceres Community Project to live and work for something higher, bigger and better than herself.
She is blessed in the joy of sharing, educating, learning and growing with family. She shares in the joy of healthy whole organic cooking and dining with family and friends
