Board of Directors
Madeline Wilson, Board Chair
Madeline brings something genuinely rare to SOIL: a perspective shaped by a childhood in Southeast Asia and a career spent thinking deeply about food systems at a global scale. That breadth of experience is exactly what makes her commitment to regional, resilient food production feel so meaningful and rooted.
These days, Madeline calls the San Luis Valley home. She owns and runs Secana Co, a family business she's built around full-service project management for land-based operations. At the heart of her work is a belief that ecological health and fiscal vitality must go hand in hand, and that real systemic change in our economies and supply chains begins at the rural, community level.
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Morgan Blackstone Williams, Treasurer
Morgan is the Principal Designer and Owner of Blackstone Design LLC, specializing in high-elevation low-water mountain landscape design. With over 20 years of experience in Landscape Architecture and Finance, Morgan holds his BBA in Finance from James Madison University and Master’s in Landscape Architecture from the University of Colorado Denver. Art, Horticulture, Finance, and Design, have been lifelong passions and enduring loves, alongside his beautiful and talented girls; wife Laura, and daughters Sydney and Ella.
Morgan has called Salida home for nearly a decade and has lived in Colorado for almost two. He is honored to serve on the board of SOIL Sangre De Cristo, to continue growing healthy community through outreach and events, with investments in our local food producers via zero-interest loans, while advocating for regenerative agriculture to enhance our soil and biodiversity for a sustainable food future in the valley.
Maria Karahalious, Secretary
Maria's journey began in rural New Jersey, eventually leading her to study political science & sustainability in South Carolina. Her passion for food systems grew through years embedded in local food systems & hands-on farming.
She is located in Alamosa and now works as a logistics specialist for a non-profit organization called the Farmlink Project. She and her team identify surplus food at farms, packing houses, and cold storage facilities across the country and move it to nearby hunger fighting charities at no cost to them. She is dedicated to supporting local farmers & ranchers right here in our community by using her expertise, energy, and heart to help support the Board and its mission.
Noah Ring, Review Committee Chair
Hello, my name is Noah Ring, with Ring-a-Ding Farms. My brother Adam and I ran an organic wholesale operation which specialized in triple washed mixed greens, packaged and shipped right from our facility. On a smaller scale, we also grew wholesale garlic, corn, heirloom grains, squash, hemp, leeks, tomatoes and peppers, and ran lambs for a couple seasons. In recent years we have transitioned to hay production, and continue to grow heirloom and cherry tomatoes from our greenhouse. It hasn't been easy, this life, but it has been an honor to be a steward of the small slice of land called Ring-a-Ding Farms. It's been the fulfillment of my dreams to have a lived connection with the land. Year after year, through hail storms, droughts and everything in between. I hope to bring that experience with me to SOIL's board, and hopefully can help other community members realize their dreams as well.
John Emmetsberger
John-Erik brings two decades of accounting and finance leadership to SOIL's board, with experience spanning Big Four public accounting and large-cap industrial roles, including a tenure as Global Technical Controller for GE Renewable Energy. A licensed CPA with an MBA from Indiana University, he currently serves as Senior Director of Accounting at EnFin (Qcells). He is eager to put his financial and organizational experience to work for an organization built around providing financial support for a local and sustainable food future.
John-Erik, his wife Shannon, and their hound dog Ziggy split their time between Denver and Salida, where he is trying his hand at gardening at altitude. A road and gravel cyclist, he is drawn to the adventure at his doorstep in Chaffee County and nearby San Luis Valley. He is thrilled to join the board in support of SOIL's mission and looks forward to serving on the review committee, where his accounting background will assist in evaluating applications and stewarding the fund.
Kira Davis
After watching the film "Kiss the Ground", I developed an interest in sustainability and regenerative agriculture. I joined the Board of Directors for SOIL Sangre de Cristo to support my local food community. With 10 years of experience in technology, I'm excited to see the growing trend of agricultural technology. In my free time, I love being outdoors and tending to my backyard garden.
