Submitted by Irene Kaufman on Mon, 06/04/2018 – 8:11am

I’m not very good at goodbyes, but this is hardly a goodbye. Although I will be leaving my current position at The Land Connection, I won’t be going far! I will miss working here, but I am excited to be going back to school (right here in town!) in the Fall for my PhD in NRES, where I will be working on projects with agroecology and soil health.

Even though my journey with TLC started just shy of a year ago, I have learned so much and have connected with so many incredible individuals, both professionally and personally. When I first moved here from California, my husband and I didn’t know anyone. He was starting his PhD in Physics, and I felt like I needed to find my own niche in Champaign. When I started looking for people/jobs/organizations involved in local food and agriculture, it didn’t take long before I stumbled upon TLC. I immediately knew this was what I was looking for. TLC’s mission, dedicated staff, network, and board all work together to get good work done. I started here as the Market assistant last Summer, and by October started as the Farmer Training Program Associate. After the last (almost) year of markets, conferences, and collaboration, I feel like I am part of this community that I have grown to love, and I absolutely have TLC to thank for that!

My journey with TLC is not over yet; I will be continuing to work towards its vision in a different capacity as a new member of the board. I am excited to continue to be a part of this organization and further its mission. I am looking forward to what comes next!