BOARD OF DIRECTORS & STAFF
OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Marilyn O’Connell
President
Marilyn brings to the Board more than 25 years of marketing experience in the telecommunications industry, and a passion for food, wine and community. After moving to Napa in 2010, she partnered with Catherine Bergen, founder of the restaurant C CASA in Oxbow Market, to help expand the business. She later joined another CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates of Napa County) as a volunteer advocate for children in the foster care system.
Caroline Wiegardt
Secretary
Caroline has lived in Napa for the past 25 years, and before becoming a realtor she had a successful career in the consumer-packaged goods industry as a creative services graphics and packaging manager. She brings to the board extensive volunteering experience in the Napa Valley including Feed Napa Now, Citizenship Legal Services, and also sits on the board of directors for the Napa Recovery Resource Center. Caroline believes the Napa Farmers Market encourages dynamic connections between farmers, artisans and shoppers where small businesses can thrive, and all people can have access to healthy and locally grown food.
Greg Clark
Board Member
Greg is a former Napa County Agricultural Commissioner with 25 years of experience working with local government to promote and protect farmers, as well as the environment. He came to Napa in 2000 to become the County’s Assistant Agricultural Commissioner, and he and his wife raised their twin sons here. His deep understanding of agricultural operations, challenges and solutions give him a unique perspective and appreciation for the Napa Farmers Market.
Karla Enedina Gomez-Pelayo
Marketing Chair
Karla (she, her, ella) was born in Jalisco, México, and raised in the Napa Valley. She is a first-generation graduate from the University of California, Berkeley, with a Bachelor’s Degree in Ethnic Studies and Chicano/a Studies and is currently pursuing a graduate degree at the California Institute of Integral Studies. During the past five years, Karla taught Ethnic Studies to 6-12th grade scholars in the Legacy Youth Project and served as their Marketing Director. A storyteller at heart, Karla brings over a decade of marketing experience as a community organizer, educator, and artist. She loves all the vegan options and fresh flowers from the market!
Carine Hines, PhD
Farmer Representative
Carine co-owns Sun Tracker Farm with her husband Robert and son Albie. They farm their 28-acre property in beautiful Capay Valley using organic and sustainable practices that promote diversity of the land’s soil, plants, and fauna. Carine is also a scientist with a PhD in Plant Molecular Biology, and an educator for college-level and elementary school students. Being half French, she loves to speak with the many Francophile customers that visit the market.
Dave Layland
Past President
Dave moved to Napa in 1996 after living in Chicago for most of his life, and worked in commercial real estate until he retired in 2012. He joined the NFM Board in 2013 after an unsuccessful bid for the Market Manager job, and led the organization as President for the next six years. Dave is a U.C. Master Gardener and president of its Napa County steering committee. He grows vegetables, fruits, olives, and winegrapes in Carneros, where he lives with his wife, Jeanine.
Robert Jordan
Vice President
Robert is an executive consultant and chief of staff for Kaiser Permanente with a distinguished career in education and nonprofit management. Before joining Kaiser, he worked for almost two decades directing administration for Napa’s De La Salle Institute and Justin-Siena High School. He brings to the Napa Farmers Market Board extensive experience in strategic nonprofit partnerships, collaborative community development, and creative problem solving.
Curtis Strohl
Treasurer
Curtis is the General Manager of B Cellars Vineyards & Winery, but shares his skills and leadership to support the financial oversight of the Napa Farmers Market. Most Saturdays, you can find Curtis at the Chef Demo stage using his team-building communication skills to get the spectators excited for what our featured chef has in store. Curtis and his wife Carrie live in Napa and consider gardening, cooking, eating and drinking well essential to their life together.
Cindy Deustch
Fundraising Chair
Cindy is a former wine sales executive and market research specialist who has lived in Napa Valley for more than 30 years. She joined the Board in 2020 as Fundraising Chair, tapping her enormous personal network to mobilize supporters of fresh, locally grown food. She and her husband Steve have been loyal Napa Farmers Market volunteers and customers for many years, and she looks forward to helping build even greater community support.
Imane Hanine
Board Member
Imane is a first-generation New York City native currently living her untamed dreams in Northern California. With a Bachelor’s degree in Geography & Urban Studies and over 15 years of hospitality & production experience under her belt, she landed in Napa in 2018 in pursuit of diving deeper into a career in wine and getting her hands dirty in the vineyard and cellar. The path to her present sojourn began in the nonprofit sector following her graduation from Temple University bolstering a passion for an equitable & just food system, sustainable agriculture and on the other side of the spectrum: food & beverage. Over the years, her exposure to farmers, producers, chefs & sommeliers illuminated her track toward a career in wine. Imane now works for her longtime heroes at Matthiasson Wines, which serves as a leader in upholding values and practices rooted in environmental and social sustainability, responsibility and equity.
Sandy Sauter
Culinary Director
Sandy is the Executive Chef of Public Programs, California, at The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) and also co-owner and managing partner at Spork Kitchens, a commercial rental kitchen in Napa. She has developed and taught most of the CIA’s food and wine classes for the public, but her culinary career in Napa Valley also includes time at such institutions as Bouchon Bistro, Dean & Deluca, and the original Copia: The American Center for Wine, Food, and the Arts.
OUR MARKET STAFF
Cara Mae Wooledge, MPH
Market Manager
Cara Mae supports the Napa Farmers Market Board of Directors in fundraising, strategic partnerships, marketing, and community engagement. She brings with her inexhaustible energy, and over 14 years of experience working to improve public health and increase wellness in Napa County. Cara Mae feels the Napa Farmers Market is a unique asset that encourages us build community around local food, and she works to ensure our market is a welcoming, accessible, inclusive and safe environment for all.
Tristan Smith
Senior Market Assistant
Before being hired as Senior Market Assistant in 2018, Tristan had been volunteering with the Napa Farmers Market since he was 12 years old! Tristan has watched the growth of the CalFresh Market Match program and appreciates how the Napa Farmers Market supports our low-income neighbors.
Mimi Adams
Assistant Manager
Mimi oversees day-to-day operations and vendor communications for the market. Growing up in New Jersey, she worked at an organic co-op grocery that fueled her passion for environmental sustainability and awareness. She worked several years in the beauty industry, but returned to her roots to join the Napa Farmers Market team in May 2019, tapping into her enthusiasm for community-driven businesses and organizations. She buys her body weight in vegetables every week.
