Staff
Tamara Beland, Executive Director
Tamara is native to Central Massachusetts but just returned from Austin, Texas where she was a Manager for the Long Center, focused on programming live music and arts. Her diverse background has primarily centered on non-profit operations in the arts and human services including NEADS World Class Service Dogs in Princeton and the Austin Children’s Shelter. Specializing in marketing, fundraising and events, her passion for making a difference in the lives of others has led her to a career that spans decades and several states. She is thrilled to be back home and carry the torch that Jamie has led for the last couple of years. She can’t wait to dig her hands in the dirt and get things done!
Amber Cardwell, Education & Garden Manager
Amber joins the team with a love of nature, education, and enthusiasm for having people understand where their food comes from. She grew up in the woods of Westminster located adjacent to the family farm. Her first job was working at the family farmstand selling fresh local produce. As much as she loved the family farm, when opportunity knocked, she ran. For five years Amber lived and loved the southwest. In Arizona, she taught kindergarten for four years and spent another year in southwest Colorado with Montezuma School to Farm Project as an AmeriCorps volunteer. During this experience, Amber learned that there was another way to educate rather than brick and mortar walls, and she never turned back.
Currently, Amber is living in Westminster with her dog, whom she will talk way too much about. She is also starting at Antioch University New England in Spring 2022 for her master’s in Environmental Education. Amber brings a passion for food sustainability and food justice to Overlook FARM and looks forward to expanding programming to local schools and organizations.
The Board
Jessie Gildea Trowbridge, President
Jessie has been teaching and creating curriculae for more than 20 years, most recently for Mass Audubon at their farm- and nature-based preschools, and is currently a trainer for childhood educators around Massachusetts. She holds a Master’s in Child Development from Tufts and is on the board of the Wachusett Chapter of the Massachusetts Association for the Education of Young Children.
Jessie grew up in Eastern Mass. and now lives in Princeton with her family. She and her daughters loved coming to Overlook previously and are looking forward to its new life.
Lauren Williams, Treasurer
Lauren married into the Williams family and lives in the original Overlook farmhouse with her husband, Jon, and their two sons.
Her professional experience includes serving as Operations Manager and Education Manager for the Massachusetts Farm to School Project, donor relations work for NOLS, field and retail farm work at a handful of Massachusetts farms, and writing and editing a range of materials (newsletters, grants). She currently works as a Senior Proposal Manager for Advocates for Human Potential, Inc.
Sue Collette, Secretary
Sue joined the Board after learning about Overlook FARM’s continued community work when Heifer left and wanted to do more. Sue finds the mission important because food insecurity is a BIG issue. She knows that local, fresh vegetables are expensive and our donations to local pantries have a tremendous impact on our community. Sue hopes to help Overlook FARM grow and achieve future goals. She loves to volunteer and hopes to help increase programs with more local events, school groups, field trips, and summer camps.
Sue works full-time at UMass Chan Tan Chingfen Graduate School of Nursing as a Senior Educational Program Specialist. She lives in Oakham with her husband and two fur babies. In her free time she likes tending to her chickens, camping and reading.
Danielle Ericks
Danielle joined the Overlook FARM board in 2022 based on her interest in local and regional agriculture coupled with her support of small businesses, cooperatives, and grassroots organizations. She believes the world can be improved by connecting kids to nature, growing food, and animals.
Danielle and her family live in Maynard, where she also volunteers for the Assabet Coop Market, and is involved in several town committees. Her love of food and agriculture has strong roots. A rhubarb plant from her grandfather, who passed away before she was born, is now a prolific producer in her home garden.
Leah Stidsen
Leah is a lifelong friend of the Williams family and grew up in Rutland, spending many an afternoon volunteering at Heifer Farm during her teenage years. She currently lives in Waltham with her husband and two boys, but regularly visits her parents in Rutland to fulfill her farming and gardening needs.
Leah is a Chemical Engineer supporting pharmaceutical manufacturing at Moderna, and balances that with her passion for all homesteading activities and supporting her hometown Rutland community.
Jen Williams
Jen is the third generation of Williams family living and farming on this property (and her son is part of the fourth).
She is a veterinarian at Hubbardston Veterinary Clinic in nearby Hubbardston. Jen was a volunteer at the Heifer Farm for many years and credits it as the inspiration behind becoming a veterinarian.
Claudia Vallejos
Claudia is our newest Board member, joining in 2023. She grew up between Nicaragua and the US. In Nicaragua her father owned a farm that they would visit on weekends. The essence of who her father was is animals and agriculture. Overlook felt like a way to channel her childhood, especially as she was looking for a way to give back. In addition, seeing the way her girls were beaming after they participated in programs here through simple things like harvesting and making their own salads, she just knew everything was aligned for me to be here. Claudia works for Coghlin Companies and is active in their mentoring program, where she brought dozens of volunteers to come work in the garden this year. She is married with two beautiful girls, 6 and 9 and moved to Rutland in 2008. One of the things that makes her passionate about the work of Overlook is the importance of food in her culture and family. Her father always made homemade tortillas and bunuelos from scratch. Passing on traditions through food is important to her and having her children knowing where their food comes from and that is it not processed and is nutritious is key.
Advisory Committee
Elizabeth Joseph
Liz served as the Garden Manager at the Heifer Farm from 2010 until its closure in 2017 and lives in Rutland.
Before coming to Rutland, Liz lived and worked on a farm in rural Maine, beginning her lifelong love of sustainable agriculture. She has also served on the board of the Massachusetts Beekeepers Association.
Jon Williams
Jon (with his wife, Lauren, and their two sons) lives in the original Overlook farmhouse and is the third generation of Williams family farming here.
Jon is a carpenter, sculptor, and sugarer. He is the owner/farmer behind Sap Castle maple syrup, tapping the same Overlook Farm trees - but boiling in a new timber frame sugar house he built.
Richard “Dick” Williams
Dick has lived and worked on Overlook Farm his entire life, first working with his father, Bill Williams, taking care of the family dairy herd, having a small herd of his own, and now owning and operating Overlook Services .
He has been a tireless volunteer for and steward of Overlook Farm, mowing, moving wood, fixing tractors, and more. Dick also serves on numerous Rutland town boards and committees.