Program Areas

The CT FMA is dedicated to supporting and strengthening farmers’ markets across the state through four key program areas. Together, these efforts seek to empower farmers’ markets to thrive and better serve their communities.

Collaboration, knowledge sharing and gathering:

  • Bring together key stakeholders from farmers’ markets around the state to share their knowledge, ask questions, discuss pain points and foster collaboration.

  • Gather folks both in person as well as through digital forums.

Resource creation and dissemination:

  • Regularly solicit feedback from members to understand their key questions and problem areas.

  • Create high quality educational resources based on the topic areas of greatest interest to members.

  • This could include: hosting webinars, bringing in subject matter experts to share their knowledge, writing informative articles, creating full training toolkits, repurposing or sharing existing resources, etc.

  • These will be disseminated to members via email newsletters, during gatherings (digital and in person), and in the future, provided through an online resources database.

Data Collection:

  • Become a centralized source for collecting data about farmers’ markets so we can measure progress over time as well as use data to advocate for the markets.

 

Meet the Team

  • Kay Carroll

    Kay Carroll started her career in the food industry, developing and managing products for General Foods.  During this time she was involved in several transformational change projects, which led her to establish her own business in transformational change.  She worked with large and small, for profit and not for profit organizations who were at a crossroads and needed to transform their business in some way - product offerings, merging two company cultures and approaches, operational structure, etc.  Following her retirement, Kay has been an active volunteer in several nonprofits focusing on healthy, active lifestyles and supporting CT farmers to be financially viable.  She is and has been the Market Manager of the year round Litchfield Hills Farm-Fresh Market. since it began in 2007.

  • Lori Cochran Dougall

    Lori is the Executive Director for the Westport Farmers' Market and co-founder of CT FMA.

    After departing a successful corporate career in marketing, over the past two decades, Lori shifted to working in advocacy for local food and agriculture.  With a myriad of board and commission seats coupled with creating and co-creating many agricultural initiatives, Lori is a leader in our field. She brings professionalism, determination,  creativity and networking to the Farmers' Market Association.


  • Kaitlyn Kimball

    Kaitlyn co-owns Sunset Farm, a USDA Certified Organic fruit, vegetable, and flower farm in Naugatuck, Connecticut. Kaitlyn is the Director of Agriculture at CitySeed, overseeing all of New Haven's farmers’ markets and CitySeed's aggregation.

  • Lisa Lewin

    Lisa Lewin is a freelance social media manager and the long time Social Media Manager for the Westport Farmers' Market. For nearly a decade, Lisa has worked closely with WFM's farmers and vendors, gaining an understanding of the forces that impact their farms, their relationships with shoppers, and drivers of success at the farmers' market. As a former corporate litigator, she brings professionalism and an eye for detail and nuance to her role.

  • Mike Santini

    Mike “Munchie” Santini is a retired battle rapper, working artist, and nonprofit professional with more than 13 years of experience building organizations through fundraising, strategy, and partnerships. His career has included leading programs at Words Beats & Life, the Prospector Theater, and the T.D. Jakes Foundation, where he helped grow nationally recognized models of social enterprise and inclusive employment. In 2024, he founded HATRACK Consulting, a boutique firm that supports non-profits, philanthropists, and mission-driven businesses in telling their story and expanding their impact.

  • Haley Schulman

    Haley Schulman is dedicated to sustainable and equitable food systems. She serves as the National Site Coordinator for Food Rescue US, supporting a nationwide network of food rescue programs, and also works as the Assistant Market Manager at the Westport Farmers' Market. Her roles reflect her commitment to reducing wasted food and enhancing community access to nutritious food.

  • Peggy Zamore

    Peggy Zamore is the Director/Nutritionist for the Danbury Farmers’ Market Community Collaborative with the mission of providing equitable access to fresh food, food/nutrition education and sustaining local farms. This is accomplished through multiple market incentive programs enabling especially those with limited resources to purchase delicious, fresh local food. She is a public health nutritionist who has worked with nutrition programs for all ages promoting good health through good food.