The NEFA team of experienced consultants and social entrepreneurs has completed hundreds of successful projects across New England, the Northeast, nationally and globally over the past 40 years. We work with investors and farm clients to make sure an investment in agriculture yields results that are good for the investor, the farmer and the land. We are successfully helping people to invest in agriculture.
Bob Bernstein, Managing Director
Bob Bernstein, an experienced community-based development practitioner, has been connecting individuals and groups with land, public facilities and affordable housing for 40 years. Bob has worked with multi-party initiatives, community land trusts, and individuals to develop and implement traditional and non-traditional legal and financing mechanisms for affordable land and housing. He brings this wealth of experience, perspective, and tenacity to Northeast Farm Access, LLC, a company he founded in 2013. At NEFA, Bob recruited the following highly skilled professionals to help fulfill a common vision for a company that builds reciprocal relationships between experienced farmers and socially minded investors ,while promoting working farms and growing good local food. To read more about Bob’s experience with other organizations, click here.
Jacob Meyer, Attorney
Jacob Meyer brings a background in law and policy to the challenge of identifying and encouraging professional, consumer, and charitable investment that honors sustainable agriculture as the root of social and economic health. He has 13 years’ experience in legal and public policy research, writing, and analysis, applying clarity and precision to complex legal, business and social issues. To read more about Jake’s experience with other organizations, click here.
Karen Fitzgerald, Landscape Architect
Karen Fitzgerald has over 25 years of experience as a landscape architect. Karen has demonstrated expertise in public process and team synthesis, earning her the respect of local leaders, citizen groups, and public agencies. As part of the professional team at NEFA, Karen works with prospective farmers and farm owners on land planning and farm transition. Her knowledge of planning and development policy, design and construction, and agriculture are critical elements in the work of preserving farmland for future farmers. To read more about Karen’s experience with other organizations, click here.
Jonathan W. Jaffe, Advisor, Farm Credit East (SVP)
Jonathan Jaffe has over 28 years’ experience working for Farm Credit East as a loan officer, appraiser, tax specialist, business consultant and provider of critical program oversight and planning. In addition to this extensive professional experienced with farm financials and accounting, Jon has personal experience from his childhood and young adulthood on the family dairy farm. Jon brings this expertise and a critical eye to all NEFA projects to provide project underwriting. To read more about Jonathan’s experience with other organizations, click here.
Casey Coyle and Kahlil Lozoraitis, Branding and Design
Casey Coyle is an accomplished art director and designer; Kahlil Lozoraitis is a branding expert. Based in New York City, Casey and Kahlil are a dynamic team who have worked with many Fortune 500 beauty, food and beverage companies to bring new products to the market. Their broad experience in design and branding translates brilliantly to the development of NEFA’s farmers’ products and NEFA’s own business strategy.
Claudia Ford, Project Management, Community Development
Claudia Ford brings a depth of combined project vision and global management experience that informs the community development, sustainable agriculture and farmer/investor/land relationship success of NEFA’s farm initiatives. Claudia brings to NEFA her commitment to making farmland available to diverse populations and has had a career spanning three decades and all continents. Some of Claudia’s clients include: The Women’s Initiatives for Gender Justice, The Oprah Winfrey Foundation and Angel Network, Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund, The World Bank, and The Global Fund.
