We hope you’ll take a moment getting to know us, our stories, and why we each choose this work. The humans really are the best part of Rock Steady.

D Rooney (ANY PRONOUN, D)

DIRECTOR OF FARM OPERATIONS

CO-Owner & Founder

D@RockSteadyFarm.com

D is a mixed Latinx, gender non-binary farmer. D got connected to farming after working as a carpenter, in addition to the music/audio industry and in the NYC restaurant industry at Blue Smoke, when D’s passion for food cultivated a desire to understand why there are inequities in our food system. In 2012, D then became a certificate student of Farm School NYC, which D states was a life transforming experience that helped identify D’s path and callings in life. During D’s tenure with Farm School NYC, D also worked with EcoStationNY,  a nonprofit that focuses on social, environmental and food justice. D used their farming and carpentry skills as vehicles to talk about larger social and societal issues around race, class, gender and sexuality. Working with youth at the Bushwick Campus Farm (a project of EcoStationNY) the Farm School community, other nonprofits focusing on food, social and environmental justice, enabled D to dive into many of these topics. D also worked as a fellow for Design Trust for Public Space in NYC, in partnership with Farming Concrete, to work with community gardeners about creative ways of collecting data that strengthens resiliency among community gardeners in NYC, nationally and globally.

From 2013 to 2015, D was working with friends and peers, Lorrie Clevenger, Jane Hodge, Michaela Hayes, Karen Washington and Maggie Cheney and collectively founded, Rise & Root Farm. After this, to expand upon the knowledge of growing food D had been learning in NYC, D decided to move out of the city to dive full-time into large scale farming. D spent the 2015 season working at the five-acre Sister's Hill Farm, in Stanfordville, NY, cultivating their large-scale farming skills and new love for CSA farming. At Sister’s Hill D learned about efficient farm systems, how to drive a tractor and helped to co-manage for their 250 member CSA. In the off season D enjoys being a nerd and scheming about building and organizational projects for the farm, learning about tractors and motorcycles, connecting with friends, focusing on organizing and advocacy projects, as well as listening, dj-ing and dancing to music, a forever passion of theirs.

Maggie Cheney (THEY/THEM)

DIRECTOR OF Non-Profit OPERATIONS

CO-OWNER & FOUNDER & Farmer

Maggie@RockSteadyFarm.com

Maggie Cheney grew up growing & loving food. They have been involved with food and farming their whole life. In 2006, they worked in Oakland and then the University of California Santa Cruz’s Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems, where they taught and co-founded the first Queer Farmer Field Day. After farming a few seasons in the Hudson Valley and Staten Island, they moved to NYC in 2011, where they met Rock Steady co-founder D, and many of the Rock Steady Community partners while consulting for numerous ag projects across the city and co-directing EcoStation:NY & The Bushwick Campus Farm. When in NYC they helped start both the NYC Youth Food Policy Council and Youth Food Justice Network, Farm School NYC, which they still facilitate for in winters, and co-founded Rise & Root Farm.

While at Rock Steady, they collaboratively started the North East Queer Farmer Alliance, which now has 500+ members. And in 2020 they were instrumental in the formation of the Food Sovereignty Fund, which currently funds food access projects across New York State by sourcing from 30 different BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ run farms, totaling $465,000 in funds for food.

When not on the farm you can find Maggie talking with folks about national and international queer farmer visibility and organizing, writing and engaging in local and national anti-white supremacy and racial justice work. When not working you can find them swimming in the quarry next to the farm or hiking around the farm’s surrounding mountains and enjoying the healing powers that nature provides.

Kyle Ellis (HE/THEY)

Field MANAGEr

Co-OWNER

Kyle@RockSteadyFarm.com

Kyle came to Rocksteady Farm in 2019. Currently a Millerton local, he has lived in the Dutchess County for 20 years. Born in Trinidad, He grew up in Poughkeepsie and studied Plant Biology at DCC. Kyle started farming at Wassaic Community Farm in 2006. There they provided organically-grown vegetables to low-income farm markets in NYC. He believes that farming will continue to be important work for the future and that permaculture and sustanible farming are how we will reach that future. Kyle enjoys the physicality and kinetic nature associatied with farming. He is interested Rocksteady's vision of ensuring access to food and balanced nutrition to at-risk members of the LGBTQI and BIPOC communities and specifically access to land for BIPOC farmers. He is an avid wrestling fan and loves to talk about it. He plays guitar in the Millerton-based band, Captain Minx.

Rica Bryan (THEY/THEM)

HARVEST & DIstribution Manager

Co-OWNER

Rica@RockSteadyFarm.com

Rica grew up one hour east of Millerton and after years as an outdoor educator in the northeast and pacific northwest, Rica moved to NYC to pursue public health nutrition. They were involved with a number of food access related programs including Grow NYC's Learn It, Grow It, Eat It and NYC Department of Health's Farmers' Markets for Kids. Prior to leaving NYC in 2018, Rica was coordinating health/wellness programs for Community Access, a non-profit partner of Rock Steady that expands opportunities for people living with mental health concerns to recover from trauma and discrimination through affordable housing, advocacy, and healing-focused services including urban farming and culinary skill-training.

Rica is a graduate of Farm School NYC which trains local residents in urban agriculture in order to build self-reliant communities and inspire positive local action around food access and social, economic, and racial justice issues. Farm School NYC has informed tremendous undoing and relearning for Rica around privilege, whiteness, and decolonization and inspired them to take the leap, pursue farming full-time, and root with Rock Steady on the vegetable crew in 2019. Off farm, Rica is fond of woodsy walks with their wife and dog, karaoke, neon, and 90’s dance parties. They can also sing with their mouth closed.

ainhoa (noa) Woodley (THEY/them)

farmer & Farm Education MANAGER

Ainhoa@RockSteadyFarm.com

noa is a queer, Black, gender-non conforming land steward, community organizer, witness & student of the earth. their soil-tending journey began in the old-growth temperate rainforests of the Pacific Northwest, where they spent most of their childhood, and stretched with learnings across the world before coming to settle in the northeastern realm of Turtle Island. 

noa works with their eco-dreams (yearnings to continuously be in deeper kinship with ecological systems) and (tr)ancestral connection to build up human and other-than-human ecosystems, through earth-based education and the practice of pleasure & presence. in knowing that land has been the site of deep-rooted trauma for Black and brown folks, they also know that it has been the foundation of sacred relationship, sanctuary, and nourishment. they believe that through nurturing the land together, we can better imagine and attain our liberated futures.

Camille Braswell (THEY/them)

Farm Education COORDINATOR

Camille@RockSteadyFarm.com

Camille is a Black lesbian land steward, friend to the bees, community organizer, student of the trees, and casual fiber enthusiast from Sacramento, CA. Spending much of their childhood between Sacramento and the California Central Valley, Camille has always loved food, farms, and getting their hands in the soil. 

Since going to Chicago to complete an undergrad degree focusing on environmental studies and urban agriculture, Camille has worked in the food system doing everything from retail, to research, to fundraising, and growing food. They continue to pursue their belief and passion for Black and brown healing on the Land and radical equity and community in the food system.

When Camille isn’t coordinating events or farming you can find them foraging for natural dye materials, hunting for vintage stained glass panels, and watching horror movies with their cat Goldie.

Luca DiMambro (THEY/them)

CSA Lead & Farm Team Member

Luca grew up in Maryland with an inherited love of food. They have always enjoyed cooking with their family and sharing delicious food with those they love. After many years of working in food service, they found themselves at an educational farm in Baltimore teaching elementary schoolers the joys of looking under rocks for worms and planting seeds. They followed their own curiosity about farming to The Farm At Our House where they learned how to grow food at a production scale. They hope to empower and inspire curiosity about the food system by providing fresh produce for their community. When not farming, Luca is often knitting something, cooking something, or doing a crossword puzzle.

Ris Lansing (THEY/them)

Wash pack Lead & Farm Team Member

Ris is a trans, mixed race, neurodivergent, disabled, queer grower! They grew up surrounded and nurtured by their Black family on one side and Eastern European Jewish family on the other. With this racial, cultural, and religious blending, they have been called to continue bringing folks of marginalized identities in spaces that feel empowered, safe, and where we can bring our fullest selves. It is their dream to create spaces with their community where we can reconnect with our joy, grow food together, and learn how to cook ancestrally important recipes.

Ris has been called to heal their roots to the land in the Hudson Valley, as their ancestors were enslaved in Lansingburgh, NY (Schaghticoke & Mohican lands/Troy area). Healing for Ris is creating their own liberated, abundant relationship with the land, on their terms. This includes eating nutrient-rich, chemical free foods that make their body sing alongside their loved ones. Eating veggies and foods that are kind to their digestive system and body has been one of the most physically healing mediums for them, helping them reclaim power and agency in their life. They hope to continue to share that healing with their community too!

Burning out after starting a youth-led climate justice organization and working in the sustainability nonprofit world led them right to farming. It just felt right: reconnecting with the land in this way, beginning this lineage-healing work, while also finding solace and reprieve through steady movement and the land loving them back. Building local climate resilience through this meaningful work has felt not only impactful but extremely joyful. After growing on Cayuga (Ithaca, NY) and Lenapehoking (Philadelphia, PA) lands, they are eager to join the Rock Steady team to deepen their technical, operational, and mechanical knowledge of farming. They are also yearning to build care communities and webs with fellow growers who are giving so deeply to community while struggling with invisible disability, chronic illness, and pain - something so prevalent in the QTPOC community. Outside of farming, they are reading books that are too serious, admiring their handsome polydactyl cat, Juice Box, laying in the sun, embroidering, exploring their taurus/gemini/scorpio feelings, tending to their house plant children, or playing Bananagrams.

AD KIM (THEY/them)

Farm Team Member

Ad Kim is a trans, korean/jewish farmer from Brooklyn, New York. They fell in love with the Hudson Valley agricultural community in the summer of 2017, when, avoiding working yet another food service job in the city, they applied to be an apprentice at the creamery at Hawthorne Valley Farm. That magical summer led them to the Yale Farm, where they found community, good soil, and received the bulk of their undergraduate education. On summer break and during their extended leave-of-absence from college during the pandemic, they worked at various farms, gaining experience in livestock, dairy, vegetables, hay, and grains.

Prior to joining Rock Steady, they learned to grow rice under the guidance of Jeana Park and Yong Yuk at Et Cetera Farm in Ghent. Connecting to the legacy of Korean farmers and carrying out the tradition of growing rice (in New York, of all places!) was pivotal for Ad and they hope to continue to learn about and to contribute to the ever growing resources on small-scale ecologically grown rice in the Northeast.

When they aren’t farming, Ad is running around with their dog Chester, fermenting something, or trying to touch their toes.

Rhylie Woodley (THEY/THEM)

SEASONAL FARM TEAM MEMBER

Rhylie grew up in the Pacific Northwest amongst towering evergreens and abundant nature. Their journey in land stewardship began when they started working at a CSA farm during a gap-year and discovered their deep love for the work. Farming became an intimate act of connection to the land and to their ancestors, which altered the course of their life and brought them to the East Coast where they have continued their farming and land stewardship. When they’re not farming, Rhylie is a proud homebody and can be found reading, writing, or drawing somewhere comfy; obsessing about their next dungeons & dragons campaign; or exploring the woods.

Olivia Tinnin (THEY/THEM)

SEASONAL FARM TEAM MEMBER

Olivia hails from the swamps of Florida and has resided in New York State for the last seven years. They are passionate about community-oriented food access and soil health for vegetable and livestock farming. They believe that in building an equitable world, having access to nutrient-dense, affordable food is a priority. When not farming or thinking about farming, you can find Olivia stretching, feeding the birds, or swimming in (most) bodies of water.

SG (THEY/She)

Tractor MEchanic & Instructor

SG has been working on farms since 2008, getting their start in farming at a cherry farm in Northern Michigan, their home state.  SG got their bachelor's degree in environmental studies at the University of Michigan and then moved to the Northeast and continued their career in farming.

In the Fall of 2018, SG started a business repairing and servicing farm equipment and teaching farmers about tractor operation and repair. In the winter, SG co-teaches the Farm Mechanic Basics program, free to farmers at the Hudson Valley Farm Hub. SG is invested in making mechanical knowledge more accessible to farmers, specifically QT+BIPOC folks.  They look forward to continuing their work with Rock Steady Farm as a tractor operator, tractor training instructor, and Farm Education Coordinator.

Outside of work, SG enjoys swimming, hiking in the Catskills, and woods walks with their cat.

Hannah Williams (SHE/HER)

BOOKKEEPER & FINANCE MANAGER

Hannah@RockSteadyFarm.com

Hannah landed at Rock Steady somewhat by accident, after re-locating in support of her wife’s (harvest manager, Rica) desire to farm full time here. With a background in small business operations and marketing, Hannah began helping out in these areas in 2019 and also joined the flower operation at that time. These days, Hannah manages finances/bookkeeping and helps coordinate many backend systems to better support the mission and vision of the farm. She feels in awe of farmers daily — the immense knowledge, care, physical exertion, planning, problem solving, and endurance it takes to do this work is astounding and not well understood by most people/eaters. Grateful to see and learn up close. In addition to her work at Rock Steady, Hannah supports several other farms, land projects, non-profits and small businesses with bookkeeping. She is particularly invested in growing collective power, understanding and clarity around financial decision-making and the stories that numbers can tell.

Sara jo malinske (THEY/SHE)

Grant Writer & Fundraising Consultant

SaraJo@RockSteadyFarm.com

SJ has been fundraising for social causes for 13+ years including queer liberation and domestic workers rights. They have been involved in food justice work since 2017 through their role as Development Director at Real Food Generation. At RFG, SJ’s work resourced both the Real Food Challenge, which aims to improve standards of food on school campuses, and grassroots movement Uprooted and Rising which seeks to disrupt the deep ties between the higher education industry and Big Food corporations, and their shared roots in white supremacy.

At Rock Steady, SJ writes grants and supports our fundraising work to resource our food access and queer farmer training programs. When not fundraising, you can find SJ organizing for disability justice, cooking for their family, friends, and local community fridges, gardening, or planning their next DIY project.

Angela DeFelice

FOUNDING MEMBER & LOAN ADVISOR

Angela grew up in a rural, working class community in Western NY, with no connection to farming other than the stories of her grandparent’s dairy, which closed in the 50s. Through her community based work both in Ithaca, NY and Ocotal, Nicaragua she started to understand that agriculture sits squarely at the intersection of cultural tradition, rebuilding a shared sense of place and community, environmental justice and growing local economies. This led her to studying ecological horticulture at the University of California Santa Cruz Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems, and since 2010 has lived in and around Poughkeepsie, NY. She farmed for 10 years in the Hudson Valley honing both her vegetable and cut flower production skills. 

Angela’s journey into the cooperative ecosystem began as co-founder and worker owner of Rock Steady Farm. Since 2018, Angela has oriented towards community wealth building, cooperative development, affordable housing work in Poughkeepsie, and now helping to build Co-op Hudson Valley, a non-extractive loan fund for cooperative businesses. Angela is grateful that she has been able to maintain a close connection to Rock Steady through her role as Project Officer with Co-op HV, where she continues to support the farm with both cooperative development and financing. 

Interested in joining our team? Click here for current job opportunities.