Adrian Burke, President

Adrian is an archaeologist and a professor at Université de Montréal in the Department of Anthropology, with a lot of experience working for food-based organizations. When he lived in the USA, he was a working member of the Honest Weight Food Coop in Albany, NY, the second largest member run food coop in the USA, for six years, and a board member for one.  He worked as a member of the Regional Farm and Food non-profit for four years, where he organized farm visits and started the first farmer's market in the Capital district - still running in Troy, NY. He also worked on  the new USDA organic certification.  I also helped start and hosted most of the time a farm radio show on WRPI. (I have 4 years of experience in radio)
But maybe most important of all, he has been vegetable gardening since he was 10 years old (withpictures to prove it!). When he lived in the city, he had a community garden plot for many years. Now, living in Hudson, he currently grows a lot of his food.

Robyn Rees, Vice-President

Through her engagement in the local food movement in Montreal and at Concordia University, Robyn became convinced that focusing on building resilient food systems is the key to engaging society in ensuring a liveable future. For the past 8 years she has been dedicated to learning and engaging in all aspects of building sustainable food systems from ecological, social and economic perspectives, at both practical and theoretical levels. She is committed to building networks and communities of knowledge and practice through her role as the general manager of the HFC, and is excited about the potentials for a more resilient Hudson. 

JJ Corker, Treasurer

Following studies in English Literature, JJ Corker became enamoured with agriculture by reading the poetry of Virgil, Wendell Berry, and John Clare. He later spent five years in England, where he received a diploma in Biodynamic Agriculture and then worked on a vegetable farm, a polyculture vineyard in the south of France, and an orchard with 3,000 laying hens, dozens of beehives and the best apples he’s ever eaten. He is very happy to be joining a group of dedicated individuals trying to bring food security to the region.

Vaneza Callejas, Secretary

Vaneza is a program and project manager working in transportation research and communication. She discovered the HFC through volunteering with the Kitchen Garden project. She believes in having a strong connection and understanding of where our food comes from. A big part of this is supporting community-based food initiatives and producers. Beautiful, healthy food leads to beautiful, healthy communities!

Itzel Vazquez, Director

Itzel grew up on a farm was brought up with traditional foodways. As a child, she grew up eating only small-scale ecologically-raised meat. Thirteen years ago when she was pregnant with her first child, she became more aware and concerned with the industrial food system. For the past ten years she has intentionally eaten a diet that is over 90% organic. For the past eight she has worked on eating as local as possible, which may explain why she seems to personally know every local or organic producer and merchant around.  Her value-driven approach to cooking, especially when it comes to sourcing her ingredients shines through in her work as the Head Chef of the HFC Harvest Parties  and the Food Transformation Project Coordinator. 

Noel Dhingra, Director

When Noel became Farm Manager at the Heartbeet in 2019, he brought with him seven years of professional experience in organic agriculture, including two years as co-owner of Cadence Ecological Farm. Noel sees food as an integral part of how healthy environments and communities interact. He dedicated years to developing and delivering programming with Community Food Centres Canada that highlight food as both a social justice issue, and an influence on personal and community health. He seeks to increase access to sustainable agricultural practices and the dialogue around them so that more people participate in the role their local farms play within their community.

Ian McRoberts, Director

A resident of Hudson since 2019, Ian McRoberts has been passionate about ecology and environmental justice since his childhood in the beautiful Canadian Rockies. He spent several summers traveling with Precipice Theatre Society, an eco-theatre troupe based in Banff, Alberta, creating and performing plays to raise awareness of environmental issues and engage the community in conversations about conservation, stewardship and ecology. As a teenager he organized a youth environment and leadership forum with young activists from throughout Southern Alberta, and met with G7 Environment Ministers to present a Youth Declaration on the Environment during the COP 7 era...remember the Kyoto Protocol? Later, he worked as a Heritage Interpreter with Parks Canada as a part of the Mountain W.I.T. troupe, creating theatre shows that were a part of the annual Mountain Parks interpretive programming. He left the wilds to follow his heart first to Toronto, where he completed his BFA in Theatre, and then to Montreal, where he taught English and volunteered with Santropol Roulant, learning about DIY rooftop gardening and delivering meals to those in need. While living in the city, he also worked in a variety of kitchens, which has fueled his passion for cooking and eating well, before launching his career as a book rep with Oxford University Press in 2011. Ian became a proud Papa in 2019, so a secure and sustainable food system has become even more important to him, and he is excited to be living in a community with neighbours passionate about the same issues. The existence of the Hudson Food Collective and Heartbeet Farm were an important part of his family's decision to put down roots here, and he wants to do everything possible to keep these organizations and their vital work thriving. You'll often find Ian and his partner Lauren walking (with their human and canine daughters) in the forests and trails around the Vaudreuil-Soulanges, tinkering on their own little house, or digging in the soil at the farm. ​

Frances Michaelson​, Director

When Frances graduated university, the world was hit by a fever... aerobic fever! A pioneer in the fitness field, she competed in the 1990s, opened a personal training studio in 2001, and introduced a line of exercise products to Canada, branded Muscleup. 

In 2008, having recognized the need to go deeper into studying the science of human physiology and chemistry she entered a school of naturopathy. Since graduating in 2011, she has counselled hundreds of people, providing them with the tools and support to lead a vibrant and healthy life. Her first book, Let’s Practice Health: Learn Why Your Gut is the CEO of Your Health tells the tales of clients who turned symptoms of discomfort and disease into true health and vitality. As a trainer and naturopath, she truly loves seeing people transform themselves by trusting their bodies. Practicing health is the only way to live the gift of life well! 

Based in Hudson, Québec, Frances is a frequent conference speaker, author, and blogger.

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