Elisabeth Moore, Executive Director
Elisabeth (she/her) has more than twenty years of experience working with landowners, towns, and community groups to preserve farmland and significant natural and community resources. Since joining the Trust in 2004, she has preserved 48 family farms. Prior to coming to the Trust, Elisabeth was a project manager with the Trust for Public Land’s Connecticut Field Office and worked to preserve family farms in the Catskills of New York as part of the City of New York’s landmark $50 million watershed protection program.
She also managed the Maryland Environmental Trust’s Rural Historic Village Protection Program. Elisabeth has an AB from Bowdoin College and a Master’s degree in Regional Planning from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She serves on the Steering Committee of the Working Lands Alliance and Board of Directors of CitySeed and is Vice President of the Board of Directors of the Watershed Fund.
Kimball Cartwright, Development Director
Kimball (he, him) joined CT Farmland Trust (CFT) in October, 2021, devoted to connecting with donors, farmers, partners and other supporters of CFT, to shape a healthy future for farmers, farming and food systems in CT. Immediately prior to CFT, Kimball worked as Director of Development at the New Haven Ecology Project (AKA “Common Ground”), in New Haven, CT.
Kimball’s background includes an MBA in Organizational and Environmental Sustainability from Antioch University New England and has served on the Boards of Junta for Progressive Action in New Haven, and the CT Chapter of the Northeast Organic Farmer’s Association. Growing food has been among his interests since he first pulled a carrot from the earth and a tomato off a sprawling vine climbing up the side of his father’s compost pile.
Kae Vargas, Farmland Access Coordinator
Kae Vargas (he/him) joined the CT Farmland Trust as the new Farmland Access Coordinator in April 2023. Previously, Kae was the Mobile Market Manager for Common Ground High School, Urban Farm, and Environmental Center in New Haven. He worked directly with farmers, local organizations, and diverse community members to bring Connecticut-grown fresh food to marginalized neighborhoods. Originally from Bolivia, Kae spent many summers on his family’s cattle ranch which instilled a passion and appreciation for farming. He is excited to support new and diverse farmers accessing farmland in Connecticut. Kae is also a beekeeper, woodworker and enjoys playing video games in his spare time.
Catherine (Cat) Wang, Conservation and Stewardship Coordinator
Cat (she, her) joined CFT in September of 2023 after receiving her B.A in environmental studies at Colgate University. Prior to joining CFT, Cat interned at the Ausable River Association in the Adirondack State Park where she helped with water quality monitoring and invasive species awareness campaigns, as well as the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission in Albany, NY where she served as an environmental educator. In college she also worked at Common Thread, a CSA located in Hamilton, NY, solidifying her childhood love for farming. In her free time, Cat likes to hike, play rugby, bike, and chase stray cats on the streets in hopes of adopting them.
Kip Kolesinskas, Consulting Conservation Scientist
Kip (he, him) has many clients include the American Farmland Trust (AFT), the Connecticut Department of Agriculture, Connecticut Farmland Trust, North Central Conservation District, and the University of Connecticut Extension. Much of the focus of his recent work has involved efforts to improve land access and affordability, and provide technical services to new and beginning farmers. He served on the UConn Extension Solid Ground Farmer Training cadre, where Kip provided training and site assessments on land access, soil health, and climate change adaptation strategies. In addition, he works on AFT’s recent National initiatives Farms Under Threat, Farmland For The Next Generation, and Climate Change initiatives. Kip also assists the CT Department of Agriculture with the Farmland Restoration Program to sustainably bring additional lands back into production, and the CT Farmlink Program, a farm access listing-linking service. Formerly USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service State Soil Scientist for Connecticut and Rhode Island, where he worked extensively with farmers, educators, government and nonprofits to help them protect farmland and wetlands, and use soils information to make better-informed land-use decisions. He is a recognized regional and national speaker on soils and land use planning, farmland protection, climate change adaptation, and farmland access. Kip is the Co-Chair of the Working Lands Alliance and a member of the Connecticut Council on Environmental Quality. In addition to this wealth of professional experience, Kolesinskas is an avid fisherman, cook, gardener and local foods advocate.
Upon receiving an A.A.S. in Plant Science from SUNY Cobleskill, Kolesinskas received a B.S. in Soil Science from Cornell University and completed additional coursework at Texas A&M and Lancaster University and Schumacher College in the United Kingdom.
Sandy Allen, Accountant
Sandy (she, her) has her MBA from Fordham University and her BA in Economics from the University of New Hampshire. Sandy joined CFT as our part-time Accountant in 2018. She has varied finance experience with major banks and non-profits. She is a bicyclist, a skier and world traveler.
AND…
Matilda, Director of Greeting
Connecticut Farmland Trust’s D.O.G., Matilda Moore, is an eight-year-old Beagle mix. Matilda was a rescue from rural Tennessee. She loves Connecticut-grown carrots as well as going to visit farms with CFT fellow staff. She is mildly afraid of livestock. Besides doing her full-time duty of greeting visitors to the Connecticut Farmland Trust, she also fills the roles of Security Officer and Chief Leisure Consultant. At the end of a busy day, she returns to her home with the Executive Director.