OUR STORY

Ken knows nutritious food and sustainable agriculture are key to building a more humane, sustainable, and healthy future for people, animals, and the land. He established Woodstock Sustainable Farms in 2011, pasture-raising animals through rotational grazing; feeding his community in his 18th century event center; and investing in state-of-the-art energy alternatives like biochar heating systems, wind turbines, and solar panels. Ken and his staff have preserved nearly 200 acres of pristine, New England landscape in partnership with the Wyndham Land Trust. Securing this land and nurturing its growth for eternal conservation is a legacy to his late wife, Linda, who is the inspiration for the farm and its bounty.

Ken acquired the Azuluna Foods brand in 2019, merging his farm with programs established at Tufts University, expanding the agricultural services of Azuluna, and fortifying our partnership with Whole Foods. Ken believes that vertically integrating food production, processing and distribution can enhance local economies and improve community health. Ken has unified the best of sustainable agriculture, advanced dietetic sciences, culinary innovation, and medical research to create Azuluna Foods’ mission: Regenerative Farming. Better Food. Stronger Communities.

Geri’s “whole person“ approach has made her an effective and motivating clinician with positive outcomes. In her 35+ years in private and corporate practice, and as an educator at the University of Bridgeport, she is known to not only change diets but lives.

Geri graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Human Nutrition and Foods from Virginia Tech. She earned her Masters in Public Health Nutrition from New York Medical College and was awarded the Sirach Award for outstanding achievement in the field of Public Health. She is the recipient of many accolades and honors including the Excellence in Practice award from Dietitians in Functional and Integrative Medicine at the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. She holds many advanced certificates of study in the field of nutrition, health, and weight management. Due to her expertise, Geri has been featured on and quoted in numerous radio shows, news programs, and periodicals, including Wall Street Journal Radio, CNN, and NY Times.

A leader in the school’s International Veterinary Medicine program, Dr. Saperstein directed a USAID-funded livestock disease control program between Egypt, Israel, Jordan, and the Palestinian Authority. He later led a United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization project addressing the control of Avian Influenza in Indonesia. When he retired from Tufts, Dr. Saperstein was the Amelia Peabody Professor of Agricultural Sciences, the Director of Corporate Research, and Chairman of the Department of Environmental and Population Health. As Director of Corporate Research, he facilitated many collaborative research projects between life science companies and academia over a 13-year period. From 2001 to 2007 he was also the school’s Assistant Dean for Research. Working under a series of USDA grants, Dr. Saperstein founded Azuluna Brands LLC to develop markets for premium, pasture-raised livestock products, and to promote farmland conservation, farm profitability, and agricultural biodiversity.

He grew up on a sheep farm in Massachusetts, raising purebred Corriedale sheep. Although Nick specializes in ovine production, his professional career has required a breadth of experience and knowledge regarding the husbandry of numerous livestock species including cattle, goats, swine, poultry, horses, and donkeys.

After graduating with a degree in business administration from Framingham State University, Nick managed the livestock production farm for the Animal Science department at the University of Rhode Island, developing a passion for sustainable agriculture education. His expertise in the industry has deemed Nick a Registered Animal Specialist by the American Registry of Professional Animal Scientists.

After graduating with her Bachelor of Science in pre-veterinary medicine from the University of Rhode Island, she worked in numerous small animal practices and excelled within the pharmaceutical industry before pursuing her Master’s of Science in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems.

While completing her graduate program, Ryleigh conducted research studying a systematic trial of sustainable soil amendments, worked as URI Campus Food System Liaison, and studied urban agricultural practices for application in Providence, Rhode Island. Her thesis focused on hyper-local food system resilience, developing a framework that noted indicators of agroecological equity and sustainability.

Today, Ryleigh is the Sustainability Coordinator for Azuluna Foods, developing experiential education courses, professional outreach, agroecological media content, and regenerative agriculture protocols.

Growing up in the Little Italy neighborhood of Wilmington, Delaware, Chef Delle Donne cultivated his zeal for the culinary arts and, at the ripe age of 14, began working under Chef Daniel Dogan. Determined to pursue a career in the culinary arts. He enrolled in Johnson & Wales, obtaining an internship with Chef Douglas Rodriquez, a pioneer of Nuevo Latino cuisine and executive chef of the famed Alma de Cuba. Upon his 2004 graduation, Chef Delle Donne obtained a position as executive sous chef at the prestigious Hay Harbor Country Club located on Fishers Island, N.Y. In 2005, he returned to Johnson & Wales as the assistant director of culinary events and was the personal chef to the university president. In 2006, he was awarded Best Young Chef in the Northeast region by the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs, the world’s oldest international gastronomic society.

In 2007, he earned his Master’s degree in Foodservice Education from the Alan Shawn Feinstein Graduate School at Johnson & Wales and began informing the curriculum at Modernist Cuisine. In 2010, he was promoted to an Associate Instructor, where we spent 6 years in the classroom and further developed the curriculum. Throughout his career, Chef Delle Donne has cooked for a myriad of notable figures including Alain Ducasse, Emeril Legasse, Daniel Boulud, David Kinch, George H. W. Bush, and Barbara Bush. Today Chef Delle Donne is a Certified Executive Chef through the American Culinary Federation and continues his legacy as Associate Instructor and Assistant Dean. Additionally, you can find his publications featured in Flavor & the Menu Magazine, Yankee Magazine, and 41 Degrees North Magazine.

Mark received his Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from the University of Warsaw, Poland. He then received a Master of Science in Veterinary Medicine from Washington State University after completing an internship and residency in large animal internal medicine. He became a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine in 1990.

From 1987 to 2010, Dr. Crisman served on the faculty of the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine where he was a professor in the Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences and chief of equine medicine and surgery. He is also a certified veterinary acupuncturist by the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society.

He has authored/co-authored over 85 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters. Dr. Crisman joined Pfizer’s Veterinary Operations (Zoetis) in July of 2010.

Publicly recognized by President Barack Obama Jimena’s professional expertise has garnered public recognition as one of the foremost social entrepreneurs and emerging global leaders among other organizations.

Currently serving as an Entrepreneurship Advisor at Tufts University for the Friedman School of Nutrition, Science, and Policy, Jimena has also contributed as a member of the National Convening to inform the White House Annual Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health.

Leading her company, she endeavors to facilitate strategic private-public partnerships within the U.S. school system, aiming to enhance health equity and education.