Meet Our Staff Members
Gretchen Boyer, Executive Director
Gretchen has been with Land to Hand MT since 2004 and was the first paid employee. She is passionate about growing local food, eating good food, and making sure everyone in our community has access to it. Gretchen is a staple in the Whitefish community and loves skiing, rafting, and hiking.
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Whitney Pratt, Education
Whitney has been working in farm to school and agriculture in the Flathead Valley since 2014. Whitney served two terms with FoodCorps and then was the farm manager at Purple Frog Gardens. Before moving to Montana, Whitney WWOOF-ed and worked in community gardens in Vermont, Washington, D.C., France, and Thailand. Whitney also loves spending time with her dog, Harvey.
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Andrea Getts, Outreach & Volunteers
Andrea grew up in Columbia Falls and, after graduating from college in Utah, she ran right back to the Flathead Valley. She has been with Land to Hand MT since 2019 when she served 2 years as an AmeriCorps VISTA. If you have a question about social media, marketing, or volunteers, Andrea is the one to contact. On the weekends you’ll find her deep in the back country or knitting.
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Mara Schradle, Food For All
After graduating with a teaching license, Mara worked in a variety of capacities in the education world. Teaching art in a Costa Rican Liceo, gardening and food education in the Bellingham Public Schools, and she also worked in a Communication-Behavior classroom in Portland. When not at work, Mara spends as much time outside as possible. She loves to hike, boat, bike, climb, ski, and eat snacks on top of mountains.
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Emily Hess, Backpack Program
Emily is passionate about local food access and education and has been a part of L2H for the last 3 years as a board member. After graduating college she completed two years of service with AmeriCorps in Boston and Philadelphia, before moving west to teach outdoor education. Emily loves skiing, cooking, and the public lands in this area.
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Caroline Peters, AmeriCorps VISTA
Caroline has always been passionate about community, food, education, and sustainability and is so excited to be working with Land to Hand MT as an AmeriCorps VISTA. After graduating from Colorado College with a degree in environmental science, she began working seasonally in Glacier National Park and fell in love with the mountains. She is happy to call the Flathead Valley home and loves to spend her free time hiking, skiing, or hanging out on the water.
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Madeline Stevens, Farm to School Educator
Madeline was born and raised in Alabama, but was drawn to the West for graduate school. While pursuing a master of science in Environmental Studies at the University of Montana, Madeline worked for Montana Youth Homes and partnered with Garden City Harvest on their Youth Farm. She has now been in the Flathead Valley for 2 years. Madeline is passionate about environmental justice and educating others about food and farming. When inside, Madeline enjoys cooking, reading, and crocheting. Outdoors, you can find Madeline hiking, mountain biking, camping, and cross country skiing; all with her dog Luna!
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Ellen Mering, Development Associate
Ellen believes food is much more than fuel. Food is a way to pass on traditions, nurture relationships and build community. Ellen has been with Land to Hand since 2023, where she spent a year as a Farm to School VISTA. Today Ellen works as a Development Associate, helping with a wide array of projects, from grant writing to putting on events. Outside of Land to Hand, you will find Ellen and her husband Andrew working on their farm growing produce and raising grass-fed lamb for the farmers market. On the weekends Ellen enjoys crafting, fishing and hiking in the back-country.
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Rhett Richardson, Garden Manager
Rhett is a Board Certified Master Arborist who’s been practicing for over 30 years. He sold his tree service company in 2020 and is excited to be able to pursue interests in ecology, gardening and permaculture full time. Rhett enjoys spending time with his family and especially his young grandchildren.
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