Meet the Board
As a nonprofit organization, Farmers on the Square is led by a Board of Directors, each of whom is elected for a 2-year term. While the Market Manager handles day-to-day operations and communications, the Directors determine market policy, manage finances, and select the vendors who will participate from season to season. Our Board Members also work with community members on Committees covering Education & Marketing, Fresh Match & Fundraising, Governance, Vendor Relations, Retention, and Recruitment, and Finance.
Rowan Miller​ (President)
Longtime FOTS vendor Rowan runs Rowantree Farm in Mechanicsburg, through which she provides customers with a variety of products, from fruits and vegetables to pastured meats and eggs; customers can find these products at farmer’s markets, on the farm’s website, or by signing up for a CSA. On the Rowantree Farm website, you’ll see the motto displayed across the home page, “Our food is our medicine”. For Rowan, healthy soil is not only making the land and animals healthier, but it also contributes to human health; by nourishing the soil, she can then provide nourishing food to others.
Lorenzo Varisano (Vice President)
Lorenzo Varisano, along with his wife Jessy, owns and operates Foot of the Mountain Farm in Concord, Franklin County. Foot of the Mountain Farm has attended the Farmers on the Square Market since 2018. Lorenzo is interested in the growth of Farms and Markets that result in healthier individuals and communities, as well as a healthier Earth. Lorenzo has a background as a Naturalist, Landscaper, Social worker, and no-till regenerative produce farmer.
Debby Griffith (Treasurer)​​
Debby has been involved with the market for 4 years, she served as Treasurer of the board from 2020- mid 2022 and has continued to support and shop at the market since. Debby works as the bookkeeper with several other agriculture non profits. Her passion for agriculture started as a kid spending a lot of time on her aunt & uncles farm in the midwest where she grew up. She looks forward to serving on the board and assisting wherever she is needed.
Michele Landis (Secretary)
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Michele is the business owner of Simply Yoga and Fitness. She lends her expertise to our board, not only as the Board Secretary but also with the Fresh Match and Fundraising Committee. Michele's dedication to wellness aligns with the market’s goal of promoting high-quality, locally sourced food.
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Maddy Barrows
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Maddy Barrows is the owner of Charlie Bird Farm in Dillsburg, PA. Maddy was born and raised in central PA, and she is passionate about supporting the small farms and businesses that make our region unique. Maddy has a background in food and nutrition, and she can usually be found in the kitchen when she's not working on the farm.
Emily Cope
Emily is a farmer in Dillsburg who, along with her dad, raises replacement heifers for dairy farms. She also grows flowers and vegetables using regenerative and biodynamic practices. Emily cares deeply about relocalizing foodsheds, restoring ecosystem processes and enabling soils and humans to thrive.
Emma Stone
Emma, Community Engagement Coordinator at the LEAF Project, brings an enthusiasm for local eating to our board. She believes in the power of young people and is passionate about making local food more accessible. On Wednesdays, you can find her at the LEAF stand alongside some of their youth crew selling a variety of produce grown on their farm in addition to all-local soups, smoothies, and preserves from their commercial kitchen. She is excited to continue growing the FOTS community in Carlisle!
Jen McDuffie
Jen McDuffie moved to Carlisle, PA in late 2023 after a 20-year career in Public Health. She believes that wholesome, nutritious food and avenues for physical activity should be available to everyone in a community. She is a proponent of local farm to table, bicycle/pedestrian transportation, buying local and/or second hand whenever possible, and other practices that promote the sustainability of our Earth.
Kirby Keammerer
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Kirby has been involved with Farmers On The Square in various capacities for over seven years now, most recently as the owner of Cookies by Kirby. She can be found crocheting anywhere she goes. Kirby is looking forward to contributing further to the vital community building of FOTS.
Jolene Scott
Jolene is with Bouncing Goat Soap Co. She started her business as a life reroute in 2019, paired with her little goats, who make the perfect coworkers. Jolene is originally from Washington and moved to Pennsylvania in 2015. She now lives in Millerstown with her two girls, a herd of dairy goats, chickens, ducks, a Miniature horse, and her wonderful dogs. Besides chasing kids and kids she loves to paint, considers herself an intermediate gardener, loves cooking, baking, hiking, singing and just puttering around her farm. This is home for Jolene and her family, and she is thankful to be a part of the Farmers On The Square market.
Seppi Garrett
Seppi Garrett is a native of Camp Hill Pennsylvania. Having been a social worker most of his adult life, things took a twist after his children were born, and he realized how corrupted our food system had become. He got his Permaculture Design Certification with the desire to grow as much of his own food as possible. It didn’t take long for him to realize that it was equally important for him to get to know the good farmers in his region, as providing his family with 100% homegrown food was an impossible task. 10 years ago he began working for Three Springs Fruit Farm and has been representing them at markets on and off since then. He is a foodie who loves cooking real food grown lovingly and locally.
Erik Smith (Market Manager)
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Erik is not a member of the Board, but has been in charge of managing the market as the organization's sole employee since May 2023. Originally from Upstate NY, Erik graduated Dickinson College in 2022 and decided to stay in Carlisle rather than pursue his original plan of working abroad. Beginning with a position at FOTS vendor Honey Bee Friendly, Erik has developed a passion for food systems and aims to bring his community together around local food for a just and resilient future.
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