Our Team
LexFarm is run by a team of dedicated staff members along with a volunteer Board of Directors–all of whom are passionate about providing fresh, local produce to our community.
Staff
Pamela Tames, Executive Director
Pam has more than 20 years of experience developing and leading programs in the nonprofit, health, legal, and human services sectors. Her career has been defined by a deep commitment to advancing the health and well-being of others since becoming LexFarm’s Executive Director.
in 2021, Pam has guided the farm’s transformation from a seasonal operation to a year-round community resource. She has helped expand education and volunteer programs, increased food accessibility for those in need, and added infrastructure to extend the growing season and support greater community engagement.
Pam and her family have lived in Lexington since 1998, and she’s been a member of LexFarm’s CSA since its founding. She enjoys her backyard garden, growing vegetables, herbs, flowering plants, and even a peach tree.
Favorite vegetables: summer and winter squash
Miranda Lachman, Farm Manager
Miranda has been at LexFarm since 2021 and has been Field Manager since 2023. She loves planning out what to grow on the farm each year, adding new exciting crops to the plan, and incorporating new farming techniques whenever possible. You can find her racing around the farm, fixing irrigation, and eating random snacks from the field. Outside of work, she loves cooking with friends, knitting, and relaxing on the beach with a giant panzanella salad.
Favorite vegetables: garlic and hakurei
Katerina Kyuchokova, CSA and Greenhouse Manager
A firm believer in the power of local food systems, Kat has been with LexFarm since 2022. She carefully curates what will be in your CSAs and tends to the seedlings that go in your gardens. When she’s not farming, she loves dinner parties, playing board games, and swimming in the ocean (or a dunk in Mystic Lake after work with the crew).
Favorite vegetables: eggplant and komatsuna
Matt Schector, Assistant Grower
Matt has been at LexFarm since 2023, and in 2025, he took charge of pest and disease management. His passion for farming stems from a love of manual labor and working closely with a small crew day after day. His favorite farm tasks are moving tarps, using the BCS tractor, setting up irrigation, and being on wash station duty, and his favorite crops to harvest are lunchbox peppers, tomatillos, and garlic. After work you’ll most often find him in the gym, playing video games with his friends and watching reality television.
Favorite vegetables: eggplant and autumn frost winter squash
Rachel Curtin, Education Director
Rachel comes to LexFarm as a seasoned educator with many years of experience teaching in Massachusetts and California public elementary schools as well as at Wright-Locke Farm’s forest preschool. Rachel’s shift to outdoor education has been personally transformative. She loves the joy and discovery involved in working with children in a beautiful place where the landscape and seasons are always changing. As a mom of two young daughters, she’s committed to building children’s confidence outdoors, as well as their sense of interconnection and care for the natural world.
Favorite vegetables: kabocha squash, sungold tomatoes, cilantro
Mar Koren, Farm Store Manager
Mar has been at LexFarm since 2023, working in the farm store, helping with field work, and joining Rachel in teaching the Farm Scouts classes before becoming Farm Store Manager. You can nearly always find them in the Farm Store, chatting with customers, restocking shelves, or buried in a spreadsheet. When not at the farm, Mar loves cooking, reading, sleeping, and spending time with their two bunnies, Freddie and Hummus.
Favorite vegetables: broccolini and kohlrabi
Sara Bothwell-Allen, Volunteer Programs Coordinator
Sara has been a Lexington resident since 2014, when she moved back to the area and brought her California-born family members with her. Sara’s background is in insect ecology–for several years, her research focused on conservation biological control of insect pests in organic vegetable cropping systems. More recently, she’s been volunteering as Big Backyard coordinator at Estabrook School, as a founding member of Lexington Living Landscapes, and as a Town Meeting member. She enjoys engaging members of our community with meaningful volunteer experiences. When she’s not at LexFarm, you’ll find Sara with her family or swimming.
Favorite vegetable: tomatoes
Chamara Sandaradura, Bookkeeper
Originally from Sri Lanka, Chamara and his family live in Ashland. He’s passionate about education and nonprofits, and enjoys bringing his wife and sons to the farm to teach his sons to appreciate nature, and expose them to the farming environment. Chamara currently works at Framingham State University and has a master’s degree in business.
Julie Lucey, Farm Store Associate
Julie is delighted to work at the Farm Store, which she says is simply a wonderful place to be. She learned about LexFarm while tabling for Food Link at Harvest Fest several years ago, and she and her dog Daisy spent two years doing the CSA Thursday workshare before finally taking her place behind the counter. She loves helping customers find the perfect thing they need to bring home, and her favorite things from LexFarm fields–aside from the amazing herbs–are the turmeric and ginger. She continues to volunteer at Food Link, and helps run a nonprofit monthly free community meal in Arlington, Neighbors Eating All Together. She holds a master’s degree in nutrition communication from Tufts University, and is deeply committed to creating nourishment and community around food.
Favorite vegetable: If turmeric and ginger don’t count, then arugula and our amazing braising mix (the spicier the better!)
B.J. Daniel, Farm Store Assistant Manager, Livestock Manager
B.J. was an educator for many years before turning to work in farmers markets and food systems. One of her joys as a teacher was helping to build organic school gardens and curriculums for teaching kids about where their food comes from. She came to LexFarm in 2020 by way of Silk Fields Farm, where she had the amazing opportunity to teach a summer cooking camp with Kids Cooking Green. All of her favorite things merged–working with kids, growing and harvesting, eating, and farm animals! She now enjoys working in the Farm Store as well as teaching an Animal Caretakers class. B.J. is also the proud mama to a flock of six hens.
Favorite vegetables: sweet potato and fennel
Ann Wynne, Farm Educator
Ann, who co-teaches a Farm Explorers program and Art on the Farm, is a local artist, art teacher, and early childhood educator with a background in nature education. She’s always loved the outdoors, and it’s her favorite place to be with children. Ann has worked in elementary classrooms, museums, daycares, nature centers, and preschools, and currently runs A Room for Art, a small studio offering children and adult art classes in Arlington. She is so happy to be at the farm with all its inspiration–children, animals, farmers, educators and plants! She has two grown sons and lives with her husband in Arlington.
Favorite vegetable: collard greens
Amy Mongeau, Farm Educator
Amy started at LexFarm as a parent, taking classes with her then toddler. She fell in love with the farm and the Farm Friends and Farm Explorers programs, and has been teaching them since! Amy lives in Arlington with her husband and their two kids, and is a firm believer that time spent outside can fix nearly anything. When she’s not at the Farm, she enjoys spending time on the beaches of Cape Cod and relaxing by Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire.
Favorite vegetable: kale
Board of Directors: 2025 – 2026
Mary Rose Scozzafava, President
Mary Rose is an attorney who has been a Lexington resident since 1993 and LexFarm board member since 2015. She is an avid gardener, and works to bring sustainable practices into her own gardens. She is currently a Senior Fellow at The Conservation Law Foundation, where she works to support New England farmers and the local food system. Mary Rose brings her legal, conservation, and farm experiences to help LexFarm achieve its mission of sustainable agriculture, community engagement, and education.
Ron Chaney, Vice President
Ron lives with his wife Julie in Arlington. His grandfather was a farmer and school principal in southern Ohio, and his parents also maintained a modest-sized vegetable garden where he plowed and disced the soil, and helped plant and harvest corn, beans, tomatoes, and potatoes. Ron moved to the Boston area to attend MIT, and he recently completed a 24-year stint at Akamai Technologies, where he was VP of Engineering. His son Ben lives in Manhattan, and his daughter Isabel lives in Virginia.
Mark Manasas, Vice President
Mark and his family have lived in Lexington since 2005. His love for all things mechanical brought him to volunteering for maintenance and building projects on the farm. He’s motivated by the 400+ year history of the farm, and the tenacity of the Busa family, who maintained the farm in the 1900s as other farms in Lexington succumbed to market pressures. Mark was most recently VP of Engineering for Fractyl Health, and he’s currently president of Lexington Lyceum Advocates as well as a Town Meeting member.
Tharshini Mathew
A Lexington resident since 2006, Tharshini’s interest in farming started when she began visiting the farm with her son. Together, they started a small backyard vegetable garden that they manage together during the summer. They also enjoy the fresh produce of the CSA. By profession she is an accountant and manages her husband’s company along with her own clients. She is an active PTO board member at her son’s school, William Diamond Middle School
Christopher Thomas, Clerk
Having grown up in Arlington and studied environmental studies and plant and soil science at the University of Vermont, Chris has always been passionate about sustainable agriculture and the benefits of locally grown produce. As a professional landscaper, he understands the importance of soil health and biodiversity in creating thriving ecosystems. As a board member, he contributes his knowledge and expertise to promoting a healthier, more resilient food system in the community.
Gene Diaz
Since moving to Arlington 15 years ago, Gene has lived just two blocks from LexFarm. She takes a daily walk to the farm and Reservoir, and at home, she enjoys her herb and veggie garden. After retiring from Lesley University in 2014, where she served as a professor and administrator, she became Senior Research Partner at PERG-Learning. As an educator, she recognizes and supports the life-long impact that learning in nature can have on the lives of young children, the future stewards of this land.
Mark Gabrenya
Mark has lived in Lexington since 1996. He’s been on the LexFarm board of directors since March 2015 and is a member of the Property Committee. Much of his work for the farm is focused on improving and repairing the infrastructure, and cleaning up the property. He also does graphic design projects and was instrumental in the construction of the geodesic dome. When he’s not at the farm he’s an avid cyclist and a tour leader for Adventure Cycling Association.
Eric Helmuth
Eric’s passion for local, sustainably grown food led to his becoming a LexFarm “farm founder,” gardening teacher for Arlington Community Education, and past board member of SeedMoney.org. He’s a member of the elected Arlington Select Board and a Town Meeting member. Professionally, he serves as chief of staff for a Massachusetts state senator. He lives in Arlington Heights with his husband–he converted his sunny front yard into a three-season vegetable garden–and about 100 pounds of unmilled whole grain.
Sheila Chen Lawrence
Sheila, her husband, and two children are Lexington residents and neighbors to LexFarm. Some of her most vivid childhood memories involve hiking the mountains in her native Taiwan with her family, and participating in the cleanup of trails and public lands. Sheila is Partner and Senior Client Advisor at Ballentine Partners, LLC, a wealth management firm in Waltham. She serves on the Boston board of Thrive Scholars, a national education non-profit, as well as the Community Advisory Board of WBUR.
Brian Mariano
Brian, who lives in East Arlington, has a lot of passion for local food and local land. Since 2017, his agricultural career has spanned apprentice field worker to farm manager to small technical assistance provider. He also has worked at food-based nonprofits in Lowell and Lancaster, Massachusetts. He enjoys making the skills he’s learned available to those who are interested, and advocating from his experiences as an on-the-ground farmer. He hopes to become a small farmer one day.
Maria Sagan
Maria and her family have called Lexington home for over 20 years and are engaged members of the community. She became a LexFarm Board member in 2022–as a registered nurse, she understands the integral role that nutrition plays in health and well-being. An avid outdoor enthusiast, Maria enjoys exploring the trails of Lexington, hiking in the White Mountains, and venturing further afield. She is also a passionate sourdough baker, using regionally grown and milled grains. Her favorite is rye bread, a comforting reminder of her childhood in rural Germany.
Susan Schiffer
Sue, a Lexington resident since 1993, was a biology researcher in the biotechnology industry for 22 years. Since then, she’s held leadership positions on a number of Lexington nonprofit boards. Since summer 2014, Sue has served LexFarm as a Board member and a member of the Development, Communications and Events Committees. She served as VP for two years and as President for four years. When not volunteering for LexFarm, she creates jewelry at LexArt, as a member of the Metalworking Group.
Ping Shen
Ping is a software engineer and an avid gardener. Raised in China, she started a vegetable garden after moving to Lexington in 2000 because she missed the Asian vegetables she grew up with. In addition to her backyard garden, she’s been gardening in the Lexington community garden for more than 10 years. During Lexington’s 300th anniversary celebration, she won first prize for the tastiest slicing tomato. Since joining the LexFarm board in 2016, she’s helped the farm explore Asian vegetable varieties and grow some specialty seedlings.
Erin Thomas
Erin is a musician, gardener, and problem-solver. She received bachelor’s degrees in music and cognitive science from MIT, and a master’s degree in arts administration from Boston University. She currently works as a Solutions Architect for NEPC, LLC, an investment consulting firm in Boston. She supports many nonprofits as a volunteer and occasional fundraiser, including Blue Heron, Cambridge Youth Gamelan, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and Food Link. Erin lives with her family in Arlington, where she maintains the family garden in a way she hopes would make LexFarm proud.