Our Board

Viviana Guzman

Viviana is a dedicated Health and Human Sciences (HHS) Educator with Purdue University Extension, serving the community of LaGrange County. Her work focuses on promoting health and wellness by offering educational programs that emphasize the importance of healthy eating and overall well-being. 

Through her efforts, Vivi provides practical and impactful classes that empower individuals and families to make informed choices about nutrition and lifestyle. She is passionate about creating a healthier, more informed community and is committed to making a lasting difference in LaGrange County. 

Outside of her professional role, Vivi enjoys spending quality time with family and friends, baking, staying active by lifting at the gym, and playing with her dog Brooklyn.

Denise Hoff

Denise joined the Northeast Indiana Local Food Network board in 2018. She brings a diverse skill set with a BS in Administration and a Masters in Social Work. After leaving the social work field, Denise owned and operated the Fresh Food Hub retail business in Auburn, for seven years. She received GAP (Good Agricultural Practices) training in order to audit farms, and establish a network of local growers/producers to supply customers with clean, sustainably grown products. Denise values the health benefits of eating local foods and the economic impact of keeping our dollars local. Denise retired in 2022.

Denise, her husband Dave, and dog Stella live on 25 acres in Noble County where they hobby farm. They are the parents of three adult children, and have eight busy grandchildren. They love attending their events, spending time with family, and playing pickleball.

John Hornbostel

John is a 13 year resident of Fort Wayne, who brings more than 35 years of manufacturing, international business development, operations management, and agri-business experience to the board. Most recently, John has worked with farms and processors across the country to embrace regenerative agriculture practices.

John and his family actively volunteer with Community Harvest Food Bank, Food Rescue and LasagnaLove in support of helping feed our communities in Northeast Indiana. In their spare time, John and his family manage a Christmas tree farm in southern Michigan.

Chris Knipstein

Chris brings a unique blend of skills to the Local Food Network board, combining his family's farming heritage with a deep understanding of mechanics and technology.

Chris serves as a Farm Manager at Rose Avenue Farm in New Haven, Indiana. He also actively contributes to the local food system as a Farm Inspector for the YLNI Farmers Market. Chris is a former President of the the Three Rivers Fruit Growers Club, and his experience also includes being the farm manager of Windrose Urban Farm, a gourmet mushroom farm that also cultivated produce for fermentation. He gained valuable expertise as a Master Gardener and Plant Diagnostics specialist through Purdue Extension, and completed the Purdue Extension Urban Agriculture program, which further enriched his understanding of sustainable and innovative agricultural practices.

Chris spends most of his spare time as the Vice President of Tekventure Makerspace, where he assists people with product prototypes, and teaches gardening, woodworking, machining, blacksmithing, 3D printing, and laser operation.

Lauren Knoop

Lauren is the VeggieRx Coordinator at Parkview Health, managing a produce prescription program serving residents of Northeast Indiana with diet-related chronic conditions. She is a past employee of Dirt Wain, where she encouraged residents and businesses to compost food scraps instead of sending them to the landfill.

Originally from Indianapolis, Lauren became involved with urban gardening after moving to Fort Wayne and discovered a community focused on improving neighborhoods, nutrition, and relationship-building across the city.

Lauren enjoys spending time with her daughter, working on her 140 year old home, hiking, traveling, and trying new recipes.

Peter McMahon

Peter has served on the Northeast Indiana Local Food Network Board since 2022. He is the Chief Experience Officer for 3Rivers Credit Union and serves with non-profit organizations in our community. He is passionate about creating exceptional experiences for people. Most of Peter’s professional experience has been with the Fashion Retailer Nordstrom where he held a variety of leadership positions over a 23-year career.

Peter enjoys supporting the Local Food Network through their programs to connect local food producers to the local economy. Peter and his family happily reside in the Fort Wayne area.

Cameron Ruhl

Cameron started his career working in the turf industry. After a decade of experience on local golf courses, he continued his education at Ivy Tech Community College in Fort Wayne working on his agriculture degree. His love of being outside and working with turf turned into a new passion for growing food and connecting communities in need.

Cam is a Fort Wayne native and proud of the community he comes from. Currently, he works for Purdue Extension in Allen County as the Urban Farm Manager at Johnnie Mae Farm. Cam also owns and operates a urban development consulting company, Phyllie Farms, which specializing in growing food in city environments.

Cameron spends his free time sharpening his skills in growing food and homesteading. If he is not in the garden, he is on a pontoon at the lake with his family.

Kaylie Snodgrass

Kaylie and her husband own Draft Taproom & Coffee in Fort Wayne, with his father, Martin. They also own a design business, Rough Draft Co., that they started in 2019, specializing in graphic design, photography, video, and marketing. When they aren’t at the Taproom, they spend as much time as they can with their daughter, Anderson. She is 3 years old and she enjoys going thrifting and antiquing with her dad to fill his booth at The Rink.

Kaylie loves working for herself and making new connections with the community every single day. Her main goal in life is to meet as many people as she can, and do her best to serve her community in new and creative ways.

Kaylie contributes her marketing, design and photography skills to the the Local Food Network. Many of the people she works with are local growers and makers, and she wants to help them build new connections.

Alexis Wagner

Alexis is the Operations and Data Intelligence Director for the Noble County Convention and Visitors Bureau. Born and raised in Noble County, she is passionate about promoting the amazing assets that Noble County and northeast Indiana have to offer and making a positive impact on the community through her work and volunteerism. She also has a personal passion for shopping locally and living sustainably. She has Bachelor's Degrees in Linguistics and International Studies from Indiana University Bloomington. 

Alexis now lives in Garrett with her 3 cats. She enjoys watching movies, going outdoors to kayak or hike, and going to farmers markets and flea markets.

Kathy Wehrle

Kathy has a passion for community health and local food advocacy. As a Dietitian and advisor at Parkview Health, she has played a key role in advancing initiatives focused on food insecurity and "food is medicine." With a background in Lifestyle Medicine, Kathy believes the healing power of fresh, healthy and local food can help turn the tide in chronic disease.

Her commitment to uplifting local food systems stems from a lifelong dedication to improving health, coupled with early agricultural roots growing up next to her grandparents' farm. Kathy finds joy in visiting farmers' markets, growing her own food, and contributing to the evolution of our local food landscape in Northeast Indiana. Together with her husband, Mark, she owns a small city farm in northeast Fort Wayne, where they grow berries and other seasonal produce. They run two Airbnb's, have five adult children, most of whom are married and dote on seven adorable grandchildren.  Kathy is honored to serve on the board of the network and join our community in building a resilient, sustainable local food system.

Adam Welch

Adam joined Greater Fort Wayne Inc. in 2015, after working for three years in economic development for the City of Fort Wayne’s community development division. At GFW Inc., Adam identifies growth opportunities and helps business leaders become aware of resources available at the local and state levels. Adam also leads the MadeByMe Coalition which aims to build awareness among middle- and high-school students, educators, and parents about career opportunities in advanced manufacturing and construction. 

Adam is a 2009 graduate of Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW) with a bachelor’s degree in political science and a minor in history. In 2012, he received his Master of Public Management, Policy & Administration from IPFW. 

Adam is a proud native of Fort Wayne.  He serves on the board for the Northeast Indiana Local Food Network and Club 720 Development Corp.  He also volunteers with United Way’s Real Men Read program, is a Community Collaborator on the NewAllen Alliance. He is a member of St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church and loves spending time with his wife, Bethany, and their three children, Harrison, Leo, and Miriam.