Our Team
Matt Stephens
Board President
Growing up working on a farm, Matt got a picture from a very early age of how the food supply system works and the challenges of the American farmer. After college, Matt moved to Cincinnati and started coaching inner city sports. He quickly realized how many of the children on the team had no idea what a healthy meal was or how important a proper diet is. Motivated by these two past experiences, Matt decided to take action.
Tevis Foreman
Executive Director
Tevis has over ten years experience addressing issues of population health and public policy, with a focus on healthy, equitable food system development. He serves on the OH Food Policy Network Governance Committee, the OH Department of Health – State Health Improvement Plan, the Greater Cincinnati Regional Food Policy Council, and the Cincinnati Health Department’s (CHD) Health Impact Assessment (HIA) committee, among others.
Tevis holds a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy & Religion from Wilmington College and a Master’s degree in Sustainable Development & Global Leadership from Hawaii Pacific University.
Ana Bird
Director of Programs
Ana’s love for food, farming, and sustainability began when her family moved to West Virginia to homestead. Since then, she explored her love of farming by volunteering on organic farms in Lithuania, France, and Italy for two years prior to moving to Cincinnati. Before her position with Produce Perks Midwest, Ana managed the Northside Farmers Market, where she developed educational programming and projects to address food insecurity. In her time away from the office, Ana teaches ballet.
Ana has a BA in Global Cultural Studies from Point Park University.
Debbie Serenius
Director of Health Partnerships
Debbie is a registered dietitian nutritionist with a passion for helping individuals and groups improve their health. As a founding member of Produce Perks Midwest, she serves as the Director of Health Partnerships, with a focus on health initiatives and PRx prescription programming. She provides Medical Nutrition Therapy to individuals, and is a sought after public speaker and a wellbeing consultant to local organizations.
Erin Molnar
Director of Data & Evaluation
Erin is passionate about local agriculture, food production and food systems equity and equally passionate about data and analytics, and efficient and effective process creation and management – a perfect combination for her role at Produce Perks Midwest.
Erin was previously the Director of Local Food Programs at Countryside, where she oversaw Countryside’s farmers’ markets and coordinated food access programs as a Produce Perks Midwest regional lead. She was the recipient of the 2019 Summit Food Coalition Local Food Hero award for her work on food access through farmers’ market.
Erin holds a degree in Anthropology from Kenyon College, where her love and appreciation for small, sustainable agriculture first took root. Erin lives just outside Akron, OH and enjoys cooking, gardening, reading, rehabbing her house and taking bicycle adventures near and far.
Daena Johnson
Operations Manager
Daena comes to Produce Perks Midwest as a finance and operations professional with a passion for nonprofits, sustainability, and supporting local. Previously, she worked as the Office Manager for Countryside, a nonprofit focused on promoting local food and farming initiatives. Daena is a member of Torchbearers, Class of 2022, a nonprofit focused on developing emerging leaders in the Greater Akron area.
Heather Collins
Accounts Manager
Heather graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the University of Cincinnati and has previously worked as an auditor for the Auditor of State of Ohio and as an Accountant for Hamilton City Schools as well as serving as the Treasurer for the Williamsburg PTA. She is passionate about children and animals. She lives on five acres in Williamsburg, Ohio with her husband, three children and a variety of animals.
Anna Schlegel
Program Coordinator
Anna graduated from the Ohio State University with a Masters in Social Work, and has experience working in the nonprofit sector, including with Mission of Mary Cooperative in Dayton, Ohio. Working on the farm sparked her passion for local food systems, sustainability, and nutrition incentives. Outside of work, you can find her hiking, gardening, reading, or trying new recipe
Chelsea Csuhran
Senior Development Manager
Chelsea grew up in a household focused on helping others. After healing herself through food, she realized the impact local food can have on one’s health and developed a deep passion for increasing food access to those in need. She has worked in the local food system and nonprofit sector for over 8 years, and most recently served as the Food Rescue Program Director at Hunger Network, where she leveraged Food Rescue Hero technology to help recover edible fresh food destined for the landfill and redistribute it to those experiencing food insecurity. Chelsea has a B.S. in Food Studies with a Concentration in Anthropology from Ohio University. She lives in Chesterland, OH with her husband and dog and enjoys traveling, thrift shopping, reading, gardening, cooking, and spending time with family and friends.
Sarah Braun
Program Manager
Sarah has dedicated her career to strengthening communities as both a social worker and a small business owner. She has over a decade of professional and volunteer experience in the non-profit sector, during which she has held positions focused on behavioral health, access to quality education, and systems change aimed at addressing social determinants of health. Sarah and her husband also own and operate Modern Methods Brewing Company in Warren, OH, where they live with their two young children, two dogs, and a turtle. In her (very limited) free time, she enjoys cooking, attempting to garden, and sailing and being near the water.
Sarah holds a bachelor’s degree in Community Health and Sociology from Brown University and a Master’s degree in Social Work from Columbia University.
Emily Diefendorf
Program Manager
While living in Pennsylvania, Emily discovered her passion for local foods and relationships with the people that grow and produce that food. This passion turned into a career when a position became available at the Northside Farmers Market as an assistant manager and later manager. Over the next nine years, Emily focused on supporting the community and growers and producers. Emily wrote and received several grants to further the work of food and nutrition education and community engagement. She lives in Cincinnati with her husband and two children. In her free time, Emily enjoys being in nature, spending time with her family, traveling, reading, and knitting. Emily holds a master’s degree in Secondary Science Education from The Pennsylvania State University and a Bachelor’s degree in Geology and Environmental Studies from The University of Tennessee.
Rachel Tayse
Program Manager
Rachel is a vegetable enthusiast who owned and operated certified organic urban produce farms for eight seasons and is passionate about centering farmers in food and land access projects. Rachel’s career includes roles as a program coordinator and executive director for the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association, the program and systems manager for the Center for Mindful Self-Compassion, and an independent sustainable agriculture consultant.
Rachel’s work with nutrition incentives began in 2016 as a farmers’ market vendor and coordinator for central Ohio’s incentive, then called Veggie SNAPs. She went on to serve as a member and facilitator of the Ohio Nutrition Incentive Network before joining the Produce Perks Midwest team.
Rachel holds a Bachelor of Arts in Geological Sciences from the Ohio State University. She currently makes her home on a ten acre parcel of rural Highland County with her partner and pets where she loves to cook, hike, and make ceramics.
Katie Jameson
Program Manager
You may have seen Katie last summer supporting the TANF fruit & veggie coupon program at local farmers markets across the state as one of PPM’s Market Events Coordinators. Katie has long been a champion of sustainable agriculture and fresh food access, starting with her time as an AmeriCorps VISTA for a community garden initiative at Wilmington College. She has worked for local producers, helped support rural agritourism opportunities, and enjoys growing her own food. Katie has a deep passion for rural and working together with communities and organizations to create positive change. Prior to joining PPM, Katie supported grassroots rural community building efforts in farming and ranching communities in Southern Oregon and Northern California.