Our Team

Anna Kiss Mauser-Martinez
Executive Director

Anna Kiss was first introduced to City Fresh as a low-income, SNAP-using shareholder in 2007. She is a steadfast believer that what happens in our communities matters, and that it is our duty as citizens of the earth to help build a more just, equitable, and sustainable world. These values led her from shareholder to volunteer to program coordinator to executive director. She is an avid knitter and reader and devotes her time and energy to projects and causes that focus on building connection and community.

Leah Finegold
Program Coordinator

Leah coordinates our awesome team of volunteers and all the other logistical things that make City Fresh happen, from customer relationships to our weekly newsletter. They got involved with local foods while a student at Oberlin College, and started working with City Fresh in September 2021. When not slinging shares you can probably find them adventuring with their dog, Squash, or experimenting with new recipes.

Samantha Paskert
Farmer Liaison

Sam double-majored at CSU in Anthropology and Religious Studies, and hosts a world music radio show. She also paints houses and travels across the country. Sam enjoys her role at City Fresh because, “I get to see and be a part of so many powerful examples of community, from the Amish families we get our veggies from, to the volunteers who rock our Fresh Stops, to excited shareholders sharing recipes, to the passersby who stop to chat about the program.”

Ren Waldman
Food Justice VISTA

Ren graduated from Oberlin College with degrees in Environmental Studies, Geosciences, and East Asian Studies. Ren’s previous experience serving with AmeriCorps and their interest in food justice and sustainability made them an ideal fit as the City Fresh Food Justice VISTA. At City Fresh, they are responsible for nutritional education, content creation, and logistics support. Outside of work, Ren is a circus artist and musician and enjoys learning new languages, doing winter sports, and cooking delicious food.

Board of Directors

Leah Trznadel
Chair

Leah is an artist, photographer, and grant writer from Buffalo, NY. She holds a BFA from the Cleveland Institute of Art and is pursuing a degree in Applied Business from Cuyahoga Community College. Leah is a passionate advocate for local foods and sustainable living. She’s been canning and preserving locally grown fruits and veggies with her family since she was young and came to City Fresh as a shareholder in 2018.

Brandi McElhatten
Vice Chair

Brandi is a single mama of an amazing kiddo and two mischievous cats. By day, she is a Marketing Specialist working in Logistics. She is passionate about sustainability and social equity and knows that even the smallest change in our everyday actions can make a difference. She is an avid supporter of local artists and small businesses. In her spare time, she loves exploring new places in the city with family and friends, going to concerts, crafting, and obsessing over her plot in the community garden.

Melissa Beck
Treasurer

Melissa serves as Chief Financial Officer at The Nord Center and has been in the role of Treasurer for City Fresh since 2021. A committed vegan, she understands the importance of dense nutrition and its impact on health. Melissa spends her free time gardening and enjoying the outdoors with her children and dog.

Julia McPherson
Secretary

Donna Friedman

Donna is a native Clevelander with 10 years of experience in the water sector. Currently, she serves as the Manager of Community Watershed Coordination for the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District where she works to build and maintain relationships with the 62 communities within the region’s primary watersheds. Prior to this role, Donna was in the field, conducting environmental monitoring assessments and sewer investigations. In her free time, she hangs out with her dog, rock climbs, and plays sports outside with friends. Her interest in improving and providing local food access to under-served populations in Northeast Ohio brought her to City Fresh.

Jessie Garson

Jessie is a farmer who has spent time working on many small organic veggie farms across the country. She is currently the Farm Manager at RevLove Urban Farm in the Buckeye neighborhood of Cleveland, only 10 minutes away from where she grew up. When she is not working outside, she is playing outside. She is excited to contribute to the City Fresh team bringing sunshine, food, and community to everyone.

Madison Letizia

Madison is an impassioned local food and agriculture supporter with over 12 years of communications and marketing experience. She is an enthusiastic advocate of sustainable ag, accessible farmland, and healthy local food systems, and uses her experience to help nonprofits propel their missions forward as a freelancer. Madison is a former farm kid and will never let anyone confuse a goat with a sheep.

Whitney Oliver

Whitney is the Executive Director of the Gathering Hope House in Lorain. In her free time she enjoys filling her days with family and hobbies, which include attempts at embroidery, growing succulents, and keeping a hydroponic aquarium garden alive in her kitchen.

Austin Riggle

Austin is a driven marketing and social media manager for Rising Star Coffee with a passion for photography and the human experience. If not experimenting in the kitchen, they’re exploring all of the incredible small businesses and natural resources that Cleveland has to offer!

Cole Ware

Cole is a community organizer and public policy professional. He is a program manager at Results for America, where he helps government leaders use data to promote economic mobility. He has led placemaking and revitalization efforts in Cleveland Heights, and serves on the city’s Transportation and Mobility Committee and GCRTA’s Community Advisory Committee. In his free time, you can find Cole cooking, biking, and watching Liverpool F.C.