Who We Are

As an Agricultural Engineer, Yolibeth is very familiar with the food chain, from production to table. She has also been involved with different local, family farms in her community where she has helped cultivate or sell at the farmers market. Through her volunteer work with different community organizations, she has had a direct connection with families in need and minority groups, becoming familiar with the issues of inequality in Wisconsin and the needs of the different groups. Yolibeth was a member of the Stoughton School Board for 7 years. Originally from Venezuela, Yolibeth has been in Wisconsin for 20 years, having come to Madison to complete her master’s degree in Plant Pathology at UW Madison.

For the most part, Nealy was born and raised in Wisconsin. Over the years, her family moved to different areas throughout the stafe including northern, southern, central, and western Wisconsin. During her younger years, her family relocated to Vermont for a brief time before returning to Midwest. In 1999, Nealy graduated from the Aveda Institute’s Massage Therapy program. After graduation she moved to Stillwater, Minnesota, a community nestled along the St. Croix River, bordering the western part of Wisconsin. In addition to working in healthcare as a Massage Therapist, Nealy has over 25 years of experience working in the food and beverage/hospitality industry. She has worked at locally owned coffee shops, cafés, natural food co-ops, wine bars, a local vineyard, an artisanal cheese shop, and a boutique Bed & Breakfast. In 2009, she got the chance to live and work at Yellowstone National Park for the summer season. In 2017, Nealy started a career in professional writing and worked as a freelance contributor for a variety of publications that focus on local arts, culture and entrepreneurship. Most recently she was the editor of two weekly newspapers for both Wisconsin and Minnesota. Since moving to Stillwater, Nealy has volunteered for nonprofit organizations that work to fight food insecurity, support organic, sustainable farming, and community outreach. Joining REAP is an opportunity for Nealy to combine her passion and experience to help expand the Farm Fresh Atlas program throughout the northern and western regions of Wisconsin. Nealy’s happy place is anywhere with her husband and their half- pint Husky, named Kylo.

Elizabeth grew up in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania- better known as the Christmas city. She followed her heart to the Appalachian mountains and enrolled at West Virginia University as an Organizational Leadership major with a focus in nonprofit business, minors in political science and Spanish, and a certification from the Peace Corps Prep Program. After working a variety of jobs in the food industry, the education space, and research, she is really excited about how REAP operates in that intersection. Elizabeth found herself in Madison after her partner accepted a spot as a masters student in soil science at the university, and she has since fallen in love with the lakes and the people. If she’s not working, she’s probably reading, playing with her cat, or working on a fiber art project.

Sam grew up in southern Wisconsin, studied history, and while pursuing organic farming, fell into the Madison agricultural and food community through hospitality work. In her roles, she forged relationships with countless small to mid-scale farmers and cheesemakers. In 2012, Sam and her husband moved to Philadelphia to grow as chefs. In the middle of COVID-19, they decided to move back to Wisconsin, where Samantha  found an opportunity to get involved in local food issues in REAP.

Addi has lived most of her life in southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois where she graduated with her bachelor’s degree in biology from Beloit College and her doctorate from the School of Pharmacy at University of Wisconsin-Madison. After a few years in academia and entrepreneurship, she pivoted to supporting local nonprofits through grant management and outcomes evaluation. As a grant writer for REAP, Addi will support the team to turn their great ideas into dollars. Addi has been a proud REAP event volunteer since the first Pie Palooza. Addi loves to grow, cook, and preserve food, play her handpan drum, and ride her bicycles. She lives in Monona with her spouse, Sam, and their two sweet old dogs.

Aidan grew up on the east side of Madison, where canoeing on the Wisconsin River and visiting farmers markets on the weekends fostered an early love of environmental community. She graduated from Smith College in 2020, where she studied Environmental Science & Policy and researched the impact of local food procurement on the college’s dining emissions. She started working at REAP in the summer of 2019 as a Communications and Farm to Business Intern, and now divides her time between Farm to Business programs and the Farm Fresh Atlas. She’s grateful to stay connected to her childhood food systems through work with REAP!

Selena is a born and bred Cheesehead, having lived her life in Green Bay, WI. She has an associate’s degree in Culinary Arts from Fox Valley Technical College. Since receiving her first cookbook at age 4, Selena has been a passionate Chef. She has over 25 years’ experience in the food industry including: restaurants, healthcare dietetics, food manufacturers and food distribution.

In 2022, Selena started her own culinary consulting business, Culinary Innovations, specializing in creative content and technical R&D Chef support for food manufacturers. As her business has evolved, local food has become her focus.

In June 2023, she founded the nonprofit, Rooted In Inc., whose mission is to improve the health of Greater Green Bay through partnerships and seed to table programs that create a sustainable local food system. It was a natural fit to accept the Local Food Coordinator position with REAP to expand the reach of the Farm Fresh Atlas. Selena loves attending concerts with her husband, Andy, and visiting her daughter and son in law in Madison.