Our Staff

LanA Mustafa,

Executive Director

lana@montclaircommunityfarms.org

Lana began working as Executive Director at MCF after starting her homestead in Clifton, where she and her family grow a bountiful garden every season. She is also a backyard chicken/beekeeper. As a kid, she always felt a strong sense of connection with nature, and began gardening at the young age of 7! She has maintained that love, which has developed into an ever-lasting fascination with the complexities and interconnectedness of this planet and society. According to her, it's imperative that we help children maintain that curiosity and connection to nature, and here at MCF we take that seriously. We know all it takes is a seed planted into their hearts! We are the future, and it's time we all worked together to make sure that future is good!

Bridget Allison,

Farm stand manager

farmstand@montclaircommunityfarms.org

Bridget started with MCF in 2022 as an AmeriCorps member. She completed two terms with AmeriCorps, before being onboarded as Farm Stand Manager in the fall of 2023. She has a background in Nutrition and Food Science, as well as Public Health, which has driven her to continue to spread awareness on how our health and the environment are connected. Bridget hopes to aid the community by putting healthy, sustainable food back into it. In her spare time, Bridget loves going hiking, painting, traveling, and going on adventures.

Valerie Saporito,

Administrative coordinator

info@montclaircommunityfarms.org

Val started with MCF in the fall of 2023 as an AmeriCorps intern and completed two terms before being onboarded as the Administrative Coordinator in the fall of 2024. She has a background in History and Psychology and although her academic background isn’t involved in agriculture, she feels a strong connection to the earth through her ancestral ties to the land. Her grandmother’s family owned a large farm for decades in Cesinali, Italy, and her family instilled a love for gardening and nature in her at a young age. She is an avid animal lover, and one of her favorite parts of working with MCF is taking care of the animals onsite.

Sergio Campos,

Farm Manager

farmmanager@montclaircommunityfarms.org

Sergio has been working in the food industry for over twelve years; from the cultivation of specialty food crops and foraging of wild ingredients on Turtle Island to their preparations in various commercial kitchens. In 2021 he was awarded a SARE Northeast research grant where he proved the economic viability and growth potential of forest grown culinary mushroom crops. To him, staying rooted and grounded with his food traditions is a lifelong practice that constantly inspires him to connect all of us to the past, present, and future we are creating.

Dan Delcher Assistant Farmer

Dan delcher,

Farm Stand coordinator

Dan began working with the farm in 2018, providing valuable technical and maintenance support to the Farm. Dan has been involved with the farm in his role as Agricultural Science Teacher at Essex County Schools of Technology in West Caldwell by utilizing his school greenhouse and students to start seedlings and plants for the farm. Dan is also co-leader of the 4-H Chicken Club which started in 2017, and has developed educational programming based on the chickens for children from Kindergarten to 6th Grade. Dan provides valuable insight to the Farm Coalition not only as an educator, but also as a board member of the Essex County Board of Agriculture and Essex County 4-H Leaders Association.

Bean,

Lead Security Officer

Bean began working on the farm in the spring of 2024. Bean takes his job very seriously and specializes in perimeter patrol, eating, and sunbathing. When not on patrol, Bean can be found rolling in the parking lot, greeting everyone on site, and napping in the sun.