Meet Our Board
Theresa Herron serves as the Chair. Theresa has lived in the village with her family for more than 20 years and works as a speech therapist for the Manchester Community Schools. While living in Manchester, Theresa has served on boards for the Co-op Preschool, the Manchester Ladies Society, the Klager PTO and Middle School PTSA, and the Manchester Community Schools Foundation. In addition, she was a Girl Scout leader for 13 years. She has belonged to several local Community Sponsored Agriculture (CSA) farms over the past 10 years, and has a strong interest in bringing local food to the community, as a way to improve the health of residents and also the economic health of the local farming community.
Laura Billetdeaux serves as Vice Chair. Laura has been a Manchester resident since 1987 when she and husband Neal moved from Ann Arbor to raise their family. Laura has served as VP of Education and Programs for the Children with Diabetes organization, a 501c3 nonprofit, for the past 21 years. She holds an MS in Education from the University of Michigan. An avid vegetable gardener, Laura believes a market which features local produce and other products is key to a healthy town and community. She prefers to buy ‘all things edible’ from local sources and appreciates the variety of meats, grains, and vegetables available at Acorn. Prior to joining the Board, Laura enjoyed volunteering for both Food Gatherers and Acorn Farmer's Market. She simply enjoys being ‘hands-on with food.’
Zac Altefogt serves as the Treasurer. Zac came to Michigan right before high school and immediately fell in love with it, choosing to stay here after his parents moved back to their home state. He has been a resident of the Ann Arbor area for 24 years, and recently moved to Manchester in 2018 with his family. He earned a B.A. in Political Theory and has been a organizer of campaigns to improve the lives of workers’ and their communities for the past 19 years. He currently is the national operations coordinator for the Fight For $15 and has served as the president/chair of several non-profit organizations over the past two decades, including D15 and Good Jobs Now. Growing up in a rural area, Zac has an appreciation of the critical role farmers play in their communities and that appreciation turned to a passion as he began to get involved in the preservation and promotion of local foodways. He is an enthusiastic cook, an adventuresome eater, an avid hunter, and enjoys sausage-making, bacon curing, charcuterie, pickling and canning. When he’s not in the kitchen, he’s often found browsing farmers markets for locally sourced ingredients he can use for brewing up batches of kombucha.
Laurie Brewis serves as Secretary. Laurie is an Attorney with the TGQ Law Firm based in Ann Arbor and servicing greater Michigan. She also teaches Health Care Law at the University of Michigan-Flint. Laurie received her law degree from Michigan State University College of Law and has been a member of the State Bar of Michigan since 2001. She focuses her practice primarily in the areas of Wills, Estates, Trusts, Probate Law, Elder Law and Special Needs Planning. Laurie and her husband live in the Village of Manchester with their two children, and their three dogs. Along with serving on as a board member for Acorn Farmers Market & Café, Laurie enjoys serving her local community as the Treasurer for the Manchester Area Historical Society, Board member for Blue Star Service Dogs, member of the Manchester Ladies Society, and serving as Vice Chair of the Village of Manchester’s Planning Commission.
Laura Wohlgemuth serves as a Director. Laura grew up in Sharon Township in Manchester. She has a B. S. in Elementary Education and taught kindergarten in Oakland County for eight years before moving back out to Manchester with her husband Jason to start their family. As a young mom, Laura looked forward to her weekly adventures at the Manchester Farmers Market and quickly bonded with the local farmers and vendors. Laura has a deep desire to support local and most of their food and body care products come from local farms and vendors. Laura served on the Manchester Farmers Market Board and organized seasonal events for four years and was the Manchester Farmers Market Manager for two of those years. During her management of the farmers market, the vendor numbers grew substantially. There were also fun, family events every week including many promoting healthy living. The Manchester Farmers Market wasn’t just a farmers market, it was family! Laura also enjoys helping out the community by hosting homeschool activities and organizing a Holiday Homeschool Choir that sings to local seniors. Her heart’s desire is to bring health and happiness to the Manchester community!
Megan DeLeeuw serves as a Director. Megan has been involved in local food systems work for over 14 years, 8 years of which were starting and running Hand Sown Farm in Sharon Township. Megan has been involved in various aspects of local food systems work including earning a certificate in Organic Agriculture from Michigan State University; serving on several Farmers’ Market Steering Committees; coordinating sales with a cooperative of urban farmers and gardeners, developing and executing hands-on workshops as part of Beginning Farmer/Rancher USDA Grant, and selling locally sourced product to chefs in Ann Arbor and Detroit as a Sales Representative with Cherry Capital Foods (previously Earthy Delights). Megan serves as the Executive Director of the Washtenaw County Conservation District, serves on the Agricultural Land Preservation Advisory Committee (ALPAC) for Washtenaw County and has an MBA with a specialization in Nonprofit Management and Leadership.
Jae Gerhart serves as a Director. Jae Gerhart served as the MSU Extension Local Foods Coordinator and Innovation Counselor with the MSU Product Center for several years. Jae’s goal is to help local farmers make more transactions. She works primarily with first-generation specialty crop growers who seek to expand their sales from direct-to-consumer markets into wholesale, providing education, networking, and scale-appropriate market development for farmers in and around Washtenaw County.
Stacey Tilton serves as a Director.
Laura Billetdeaux serves as Vice Chair. Laura has been a Manchester resident since 1987 when she and husband Neal moved from Ann Arbor to raise their family. Laura has served as VP of Education and Programs for the Children with Diabetes organization, a 501c3 nonprofit, for the past 21 years. She holds an MS in Education from the University of Michigan. An avid vegetable gardener, Laura believes a market which features local produce and other products is key to a healthy town and community. She prefers to buy ‘all things edible’ from local sources and appreciates the variety of meats, grains, and vegetables available at Acorn. Prior to joining the Board, Laura enjoyed volunteering for both Food Gatherers and Acorn Farmer's Market. She simply enjoys being ‘hands-on with food.’
Zac Altefogt serves as the Treasurer. Zac came to Michigan right before high school and immediately fell in love with it, choosing to stay here after his parents moved back to their home state. He has been a resident of the Ann Arbor area for 24 years, and recently moved to Manchester in 2018 with his family. He earned a B.A. in Political Theory and has been a organizer of campaigns to improve the lives of workers’ and their communities for the past 19 years. He currently is the national operations coordinator for the Fight For $15 and has served as the president/chair of several non-profit organizations over the past two decades, including D15 and Good Jobs Now. Growing up in a rural area, Zac has an appreciation of the critical role farmers play in their communities and that appreciation turned to a passion as he began to get involved in the preservation and promotion of local foodways. He is an enthusiastic cook, an adventuresome eater, an avid hunter, and enjoys sausage-making, bacon curing, charcuterie, pickling and canning. When he’s not in the kitchen, he’s often found browsing farmers markets for locally sourced ingredients he can use for brewing up batches of kombucha.
Laurie Brewis serves as Secretary. Laurie is an Attorney with the TGQ Law Firm based in Ann Arbor and servicing greater Michigan. She also teaches Health Care Law at the University of Michigan-Flint. Laurie received her law degree from Michigan State University College of Law and has been a member of the State Bar of Michigan since 2001. She focuses her practice primarily in the areas of Wills, Estates, Trusts, Probate Law, Elder Law and Special Needs Planning. Laurie and her husband live in the Village of Manchester with their two children, and their three dogs. Along with serving on as a board member for Acorn Farmers Market & Café, Laurie enjoys serving her local community as the Treasurer for the Manchester Area Historical Society, Board member for Blue Star Service Dogs, member of the Manchester Ladies Society, and serving as Vice Chair of the Village of Manchester’s Planning Commission.
Laura Wohlgemuth serves as a Director. Laura grew up in Sharon Township in Manchester. She has a B. S. in Elementary Education and taught kindergarten in Oakland County for eight years before moving back out to Manchester with her husband Jason to start their family. As a young mom, Laura looked forward to her weekly adventures at the Manchester Farmers Market and quickly bonded with the local farmers and vendors. Laura has a deep desire to support local and most of their food and body care products come from local farms and vendors. Laura served on the Manchester Farmers Market Board and organized seasonal events for four years and was the Manchester Farmers Market Manager for two of those years. During her management of the farmers market, the vendor numbers grew substantially. There were also fun, family events every week including many promoting healthy living. The Manchester Farmers Market wasn’t just a farmers market, it was family! Laura also enjoys helping out the community by hosting homeschool activities and organizing a Holiday Homeschool Choir that sings to local seniors. Her heart’s desire is to bring health and happiness to the Manchester community!
Megan DeLeeuw serves as a Director. Megan has been involved in local food systems work for over 14 years, 8 years of which were starting and running Hand Sown Farm in Sharon Township. Megan has been involved in various aspects of local food systems work including earning a certificate in Organic Agriculture from Michigan State University; serving on several Farmers’ Market Steering Committees; coordinating sales with a cooperative of urban farmers and gardeners, developing and executing hands-on workshops as part of Beginning Farmer/Rancher USDA Grant, and selling locally sourced product to chefs in Ann Arbor and Detroit as a Sales Representative with Cherry Capital Foods (previously Earthy Delights). Megan serves as the Executive Director of the Washtenaw County Conservation District, serves on the Agricultural Land Preservation Advisory Committee (ALPAC) for Washtenaw County and has an MBA with a specialization in Nonprofit Management and Leadership.
Jae Gerhart serves as a Director. Jae Gerhart served as the MSU Extension Local Foods Coordinator and Innovation Counselor with the MSU Product Center for several years. Jae’s goal is to help local farmers make more transactions. She works primarily with first-generation specialty crop growers who seek to expand their sales from direct-to-consumer markets into wholesale, providing education, networking, and scale-appropriate market development for farmers in and around Washtenaw County.
Stacey Tilton serves as a Director.