Our Team

Robyn Rees
HFC Founder and General Manager, 2014-present

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.

Briony Lalor
HFC Co-Manager, 2020-present

In 2020, the HFC was extremely fortunate to have a member of the Hudson community step up in a very meaningful way to take on a greater role in the organization, as co-director: Briony Lalor. In her own words, “Food is the great connector! The holistic mission of the HFC couldn’t be more important right now. It holds a vision of the future grounded in reciprocity and respect - for one another and the land. I am honoured to be joining the HFC team of staff, volunteers and community members. It's a lot of fun collaborating with down to earth folks, dedicated to finding new and creative ways to create more ecological, healthful, fair and inclusive food systems!“
Briony has a BSc and PhD in soil ecology. She has diverse experiences managing natural and social research, policy and community engagement projects. She is passionate about finding ways to facilitate grassroots community, soil and ecosystem restoration through sharing knowledge on ecological gardening and growing and sharing healthy food. While not working with the HFC, she works as a gardener, serves on the Board of Directors of local non-profit Nature Hudson and Ottawa-based non-profit Evidence 4 Democracy and is completing a Certificate in Horticultural Therapy.
While Briony has been working on a volunteer basis, we are busy finding funding to keep her in this role. In the meantime, we hope you get a chance to meet or talk with Briony and share your hopes and dreams for a healthy food system in Hudson and beyond!

Noel Dhingra
Farm Manager 2019-present

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.