Danielle Brown, Development Director (she/her)
I’ve spent my career working for Massachusetts nonprofits and was delighted to join the Northampton Survival Center in February 2022. Growing up in a low-income family, I know how vital places like the Center are in ensuring that folks can access necessary resources. I’m grateful to work at a place that prioritizes working with clients in an atmosphere of dignity and respect.
Outside of work I like making art, poking around flea markets, and watching lots of baseball and theatre!
Bryan Comer, Development Coordinator (he/him)
Originally from Denver, CO, and Birmingham, AL, I moved to Northampton in 2010 and fell in love with the area. I most recently worked in fundraising development for a national nonprofit that strives towards long-term, systemic reform to our political system, so I’m excited to focus now on serving our local community with immediate impacts. Outside of work, you can find me in the woods of the Holyoke Range, in front of my record player and eclectic collection, reading, writing, collaging, or strolling around town with my wife and dogs, Bebop and Biloxi.
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Diane Drohan, Volunteer Manager (she/her)
I began my journey with the Survival Center in 2011 as a volunteer. In 2013 I joined the staff of this well respected and established organization. I grew up in Long Island, New York, followed by two decades in Vermont raising a family and eventually settled in the Northampton area. I enjoy travelling, live local music, and spending time outdoors with friends and canines. My children and granddaughters are the loves of my life.
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Alexander Léger-Small, Assistant Program Director (he/them)
I have spent the last twenty years of my career learning the ins and outs of the food service economy in the Pioneer Valley, Chicago and New York City. Throughout that time, I have focused on the ways that food and the act of gathering to eat can transform communities and relationships within them. Taking my career from a place of ‘serving’ to one of ‘service’ through the Northampton Survival Center is an exciting opportunity that I can’t wait to embrace. Outside of work, I am an author of short fiction; a designer; and a creator. You can find me swimming in the Valley’s beautiful lakes and rivers, gardening, playing with my Yellow Labrador, and drinking in the beauty of the natural world. I’m thrilled to be able to join a team that does so much good for the communities we live in.
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Julia Lemieux, Hilltown Pantry Manager (she/her)
Growing up on a farm in the hilltowns, I am familiar with the unique challenges of food access in our area. I’ve been fortunate in my professional career to be able to align my ethical ethos that all people deserve dignified access to fresh food with my work through developing food justice programs in the Berkshires and Franklin County for the past two decades. Food growing, preparing and sharing plays a central role across all cultures. Passing knowledge of these seedways and foodways to the next generation is vital and necessary work. When I am not serving in the pantry, I am spending time on the land with my family running our small certified organic greenhouse business in the Hilltowns. I enjoy cooking and preserving the bounty this land provides for us and am in constant awe of the power and beauty of nature.
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Heidi Nortonsmith, Executive Director (she/her)
I was delighted to join the Survival Center as Executive Director in May 2004, having previously been a program manager at a national non-profit, the director of operations at a fast-paced socially-responsible local business, and a public interest lawyer serving the deaf community in the Washington, DC area. I am a bicycling and bike touring enthusiast, active in my Quaker community, and enjoy a variety of hobbies – most recently learning to play the banjo and playing bluegrass music with my spouse, Gina.
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Chris Oakley, Office Manager (he/him)
I have been working in the Pioneer Valley for the past 15 years, previously working as Executive Director of SHOW Circus Studio in Easthampton, MA and as Old Chapel Manager at UMass Amherst. I currently spend a lot of personal time doing projects around my house and running a local entertainment company with my husband. I consider myself a maker and I love baking, gardening, sewing, and creating for friends and family. I am excited to bring my knowledge and expertise to the Northampton Survival Center, and to be part of an organization that does so much good for the community.
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Sarah Pease, Program Director (she/her)
I began volunteering for the NSC in 2000 when distributing groceries every Thursday evening was the highlight of my week. So, when the position of Program Director became available in March 2008, I jumped at the chance to work full-time for an organization which I had come to love. It is always a privilege to help people get what they need, but what regularly inspires me is the warmth and generosity I see among the entire community of the NSC – clients, volunteers, and donors alike.
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Andy de la Torre Santoyo, Program Coordinator (she/they)
I’m an immigrant from Mexico who grew up in the beautiful town of Jerez de Garcia Salinas, a place that taught me the importance of community and I carry that heritage with love and humility. Since 2016 I worked in Education and Community Outreach programs that provided support to different communities in Mexico and Arizona. I have learned how indispensable it is to facilitate resources that improve the quality of life and well-being of people. I feel excited to join Northampton Survival Center to share my experiences and enrich my personal growth, as I hold a strong commitment to food justice / to secure food for everyone.
A couple simple things I enjoy are music and coffee. Working out and writing are other activities I like, however, traveling to new cities, road-trips and national parks are my current favorites.
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Amy Vaccarella, Warehouse Resource Manager (she/her)
I first began volunteering at the Northampton Survival Center in 2018, right after I moved to the area from Philadelphia. I am thrilled to be returning to NSC as a staff member. I am trained as a librarian and have worked in libraries, museums, and bookstores for all of my adult life. Now as NSC’s Warehouse Resource Manager, I can use those skills to support the operations that bring essential food to as many people who need it.
In my personal life, I love cooking (and reading cookbooks), thrift-store shopping with my two teenage children, hiking/biking/kayaking with my husband, and learning how to reupholster furniture.
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