With a career devoted to international training and cultural exchange, Lauren served nine years as assistant director at a "conventional" agriculture exchange program before founding MESA. In 1994, Lauren incorporated the Multinational Exchange for Sustainable Agriculture, Inc. (MESA) to promote sustainable farming alternatives throughout the world. Lauren holds a B.A. in Russian Language & Literature from the University of New Hampshire at Durham, which sparked her initial interest to pursue a career in cross-cultural exchange. In 1996 Lauren successfully negotiated the lengthy, "Kafka-esque" designation process for J-1 Training and Cultural Exchange Program status with the United States Information Agency (now under the auspices of the U.S. Department of State), and has since acted as MESA's executive director. When not wearing her MESA hat, Lauren devotes time trying to answer that age old question of "Mommie, what's for dinner?" for her two sons, ages 5 and 8.
Staff
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Lauren Augusta
Executive Director
Oakland, CAlauren [at] mesaprogram [dot] org -
Leah Atwood
Program Manager
Berkeley, CAleah [at] mesaprogram [dot] orgAs MESA's Program Manager, Leah works to develop international and internal partnerships, facilitate program participant support and cultivate new growth opportunities. Leah grew up on a ranch in the redwoods of Arcata, CA. and moved to the Bay Area for to pursue degrees in Environmental Policy and Spanish at UC Berkeley. She has lived in South and Central America as well as in Bangladesh working on behalf of social, environmental and food justice initiatives. Thanks to her work experience abroad she gained further insight into international agriculture systems and the value of socio-ecologically mindful practices and unconventional multi-stakeholder collaboration. Leah’s prior non-profit experience includes program development for the International Institute for Bengal Basin to address water rights and pollution mitigation and fund development for the East Bay Sanctuary Covenant to provide advocacy for indigent refugees. She currently serves on the board of directors for Planting Justice, an Oakland non-profit working to promote green jobs and democratize access to affordable, nutritious food and enjoys teaching yoga at Common Circle Education.
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Aaron Michels
Program Assistant and Operations Coordinator
Oakland, CAaaron [at] mesaprogram [dot] orgAaron joined MESA in February 2010. In college, he worked a year long internship in Bolivia that was very similar to what MESA stewards experience in the US; he trained on an organic farm with the Bolivian NGO Fundación Integral de Desarollo (FIDES - the Foundation for Integral Development). That experience had a huge impact on him, and with MESA he is glad to help offer great experiences to the stewards coming to the US.
As a part of his bachelor's thesis, Aaron collaborated with community co-managed national parks in Belize and started a non-profit in New Jersey that supported international volunteering. Aaron has worked for international development foundations, as a media producer, in green energy consulting, as a community builder, and as a youth adviser. He's glad to be working to promote global sustainability, international development, and cultural exchange, and he loves the relationships he forms with the MESA stewards and hosts.
Aaron is active in East Bay co-housing and urban ag, keeps bees, and grafts trees. He likes to make sculptures with light (he calls them "pellucids") and think about being human.
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Alex Mclachlan
IT Technical Support & Program Best Practice Development
Berkeley, CAalex [at] mesaprogram [dot] orgAlex joined MESA in August 2009 after moving to Berkeley from England. He is happy to be helping promote sustainability and cultural awareness and finds woking with the MESA team a rewarding and enriching experience. At MESA Alex assists behind the scenes maintaining and troubleshooting computer systems, program best practices, and data extraction of Steward and Host program evaluations.
Before joining MESA Alex worked throughout Europe as a computer systems quality assurance consultant and spent some time in Germany. He graduated from the University of Teesside with a bachelor of science in Information Sciences and is currently working towards an MBA foundation certificate at UC Berkeley extension. Outside MESA Alex enjoys reading, cooking, eating, running, walking and sitting around as well as watching and trying to play soccer.
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Hilary Maynard
In Kind Donations Coordinator and Chef
Oakland, CAhilary [at] mesaprogram [dot] orgHilary joined MESA in October 2008 to assist with the Exit Seminar for the 2008 Stewards. Most recently has worked on donations and cooking for the 2010 Orientation. Having been raised in a rural agricultural community, she has inherent interest in land and food systems. After studying Life Sciences and Agriculture at UMASS Amherst Hilary traveled abroad, working on small farms in Spain and France. Just before relocating to the Bay Area in August 2008, Hilary taught Science at The Putney School in Vermont and Environmental Education in the Caribbean. Having worked and lived in small rural communities, she turned her focus towards an urban environment. Aside from her work at MESA, Hilary volunteers at the Edible Schoolyard in Berkeley and Spiral Gardens in Oakland and teaches literacy in El Cerrito. When she's not biking from job to job, she is playing outside or cooking up a storm.
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Tracie Watanabe
International Communications and Resources Intern
Oakland, CAtracie [at] mesaprogram [dot] orgBorn and raised in Hawai'i, Tracie feels an innate appreciation for the land and beauty that deserves to be preserved.
Tracie graduated with BA in English Language and Literature from the University of Hawai'i and shortly thereafter took a one-way trip to the Bay Area. After putting her nose to the proverbial corporate grindstone for several years, she decided to take some time off to soul search, write and volunteer. The end result was a desire to find work that would be soulfully fulfilling while forging international connections. She's delighted to find that working with MESA, its stewards and inspirational staff give her daily cause for hope and celebration. As a food lover, it's also no small godsend to be a part of shaping the future and interacting with the caretakers of our global agriculture.
Tracie's life outside of MESA includes working as a grocer, helping to run a small golf academy, cooking out of her CSA box, writing, reading many books and meditating very badly.
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Bob van Duijn
International Communications and Steward Resources Intern
Berkeley, CAbob [at] mesaprogram [dot] orgBob is a native of the Netherlands who studied in Norway for his undergraduate degree in Social Anthropology. Two years ago Bob became an exchange student to UC Berkeley, got a taste of the Californian weather and bay culture, and decided to stay with his Bolivian-born wife who works for a nonprofit in the North Bay.
MESA's internship is a perfect fit for Bob's interests in forging international relations and discovering the strength of a multinational collective striving to build a more sustainable future. He enjoys communicating with the international stewards and providing guidance, resources and support, tracking alumni Home Country Projects, and visiting MESA's dazzling U.S. host farms.
When Bob isn't engrossed in MESA assignments, he works at a Lebanese/French restaurant and relishes 'living the good life' with his wife and dog.
Phone: (510) 654-8858
Email: info [at] mesaprogram [dot] org
Fax: (603) 699-2459
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Lauren and Leah were recently on the radio show 'An Organic Conversation!' Listen to the podcast about how MESA cultivates a sustainable future via cultural exchange.
Former MESA Steward Philip Munyasia is applying what he learned at Ecology Action in California to start OTEPIC, his Home Country Project, in Kenya!