Meet the Team
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Melissa Tran
Executive Director
Melissa brings her exceptional organizational skills and passion for community building to the County Food Hub. As a founding board member of CFH and a local business owner and entrepreneur, she has been deeply involved in guiding the Hub’s growth and supporting its mission.
As a mother of children attending Sophiasburgh Central School, Melissa has witnessed firsthand the positive impact CFH has in fostering local connections and opportunities. Her dedication to strengthening the community and supporting local entrepreneurs is at the heart of her work at the Hub, helping ensure that CFH continues to be a vibrant resource for Prince Edward County.
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Kerri Cooper
Chair of the Board & Volunteer Committee
Kerri has worked in the food and health fields as a holistic nutritionist, educator and cook for over 2 decades. She (her) is part owner/operator along with her husband Sean of 'Roots Kitchen' prepared meal delivery, operating in PEC since 2018. Roots Kitchen has been a tenant of the CFH since 2022. Kerri joined the board in 2023 to bring her passion for food security and education to help grow the community programming at the food hub. In her spare time you can find Kerri talking to plants in her garden with her cat Katniss by her side.
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Vanessa Lewington
Director of the Board & Volunteer Committee
A County girl at heart, Vanessa was born in Picton and loved and appreciated the joy and privilege of spending time at her family cottage on Salmon Point for 60+ years. She and her husband, Richard, were able to fulfill their dream of retiring to the County 8 years ago. It is important to her to “do unto others” through volunteering. She has vast volunteer experience including: The Regent Theatre, Hospice Prince Edward, with the Demorestville W.I., as well as food security group Food to Share and most recently with the hospital auxiliary. She became more engaged with the County Food Hub volunteering through Food to Share and her desire to keep Sophiasburgh Central School open. Her happy place is in the kitchen and the making and sharing of food with others is an expression of love.
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Sandy Murray
Treasurer
Alexander “Sandy” Murray
A result oriented financial professional with over five decades of diversified experience in Public Accounting and as Chief Financial Officer in both private and publicly listed companies. The later part of his career was spent in Public Accounting in Prince Edward County. Sandy has extensive experience both sitting on Boards and being a financial and risk advisor to boards of directors, both in the non-profit/charitable sector and the for-profit private and public enterprises. Sandy graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce from Dalhousie University and has held his Chartered Professional Accountants degree in Canada for 50 years and the USA for 25 years. -
Vicki Cox
Secretary of the Board
Born and raised in the county and continue to live in Sophiasburgh with my husband and two kids. Have been intrigued to be a part of the County Food Hub ever since it saved the school my kids attend. I have a Bachelor of Science in Food Science from the University of Guelph and have worked in the food industry for the past 17 years specializing in dairy. I am passionate about teaching people about food and the nutrients it provides which brought me to teach Nutraceuticals part time at Loyalist College. Looking forward to a new challenge in joining the board of directors and keeping the County Food Hub alive for years to come.
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Bree Seeley
Director of the Board & Governance Committee
Bree Seeley is a seasoned chef and former entrepreneur with fourteen years of experience in kitchen operations and service. She is currently focused on transforming her commercial practice into food solutions for the social sector. With a wealth of ideas and a belief in the abundance of delicious whole foods, Bree is particularly passionate about driving change in the school food landscape, recognizing that various models will be necessary. She understands the effort required to overcome the challenges of food helplessness. She is currently working on a post grad certificate in Food Security at Toronto Metropolitan university. Additionally, Bree is also a master preservist, emphatic that there should be a pickled something, on every plate.
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Alison Gilbert
Director of the Board
Description goeAfter 25+ years in the Capital Markets, Alison retired in June 2025. For the last 10 years, she was a Managing Director and a member of the Equity Research leadership team. With 80 direct reports, she was responsible for recruiting, hiring, learning and development, training and management of the team of equity research associates globally.
Alison has extensive Volunteer Non-Profit Board experience having served on 3 boards where she has been involved in finance, budgeting, strategic planning, investment management selection, Head of School search, governance, board skills matrix and terms, recruiting board members, Chair of the Board during COVID outbreak – crisis management with students stranded all over the globe, and real estate acquisition decisions.
Alison currently lives in Cressy with her husband, Jefferson, and their dog, Lewis The Lab. She loves to cook, walk the dog, garden, read and attempt to play golf.s here
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Kathy Jeramaz-Larson
Director of the Board & Governance Committee
Kathy has over 30 years experience in the investment management and financial services industries with extensive experience in finance, corporate governance, marketing, human resource management and business development. This eclectic work experience provides her with a unique understanding of the needs of emerging entrepreneurial enterprises. Kathy joined the Board of the CFH because of her personal interest in contributing to initiatives that focus on healthy food sustainability in the County.