In January, North Jersey RC&D welcomed two new staff members, Sam Loscalzo and Hannah Tremblay.
Sam is an Agricultural Conservation Specialist with NJRCD and NRCS. She grew up in Northern New Jersey and attended Rutgers University, where she earned a B.S. in Ecology. She spent six years after college as a wildlife research technician all over the country, conducting research in Texas, Alabama, Tennessee, Massachusetts, New Mexico and Pennsylvania, where she first started to dig into the environmental impacts of agriculture. Interested in learning about the social and health issues associated with our food system, Sam attended graduate school at Michigan State where she received an M.S. in Community Sustainability with a focus on food systems and policy. After graduating, she wanted to gain hands-on farming experience and moved back east; she spent several years working on small-scale, organic vegetable farms and livestock operations in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Northwest Connecticut. After living outside of New Jersey for so long, Sam is excited to get back to her roots and to work with farmers in her community.
Hannah is a Sustainable Agricultural Specialist with NJRCD. A New England native, she attended Carleton College and earned a B.A. in Biology/Ecology. Hannah spent several seasons conducting ecology field research in the hardwood forests of New Hampshire and prairies in Minnesota. After college, Hannah serendipitously began farming in her hometown outside of Boston and fell in love with agricultural work; she worked for five years on diversified vegetable farms in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania in a variety of managerial roles. Interested in understanding the policy behind our food system and in helping farmers address challenges posed by climate change, she attended graduate school and earned an M.S. in Agricultural Science and Food Policy from Tufts University. Most recently, Hannah worked as a manager on a produce farm in South Jersey, gaining a newfound appreciation for the Garden State’s robust farming community. She comes to NJRCD with expertise in sustainability and climate change resiliency in agricultural systems. She’s eager to work with North Jersey farmers to research and implement soil health and water quality initiatives.
We’re excited about the combined experience and skills that Samantha and Hannah bring to NJRCD and are thrilled to have them on our team!