Our Board Members

Joe Petrocco

President, Grower

Cade Kunugi

Vice President, Grower

A fourth generation Colorado farmer, Cade Kunugi partners with his father and uncle to produce a variety of crops, including potatoes, barley and canola, and to manage operations of their family farm. He works to overcome the hardships that exist in the agricultural industry starting at a local level, and understands the importance of knowledgeable stewardship in Colorado agriculture, which will allow future generations the opportunity to farm.

Cade has participated in Colorado collegiate Farm Bureau debates over agricultural issues and received his bachelor’s degree in agricultural business from Adams State University. He recently completed the Colorado Ag Leadership Program.

Nick Heitkemper

Secretary, Allied Member

Nick Heitkemper is a senior relationship manager with Rabo Agrifinance, part of the Rabobank Group.  He has a varied background in financing row crop, permanent planting, dairy, feedlot, cattle ranching, and agribusiness operations in the Western United States.  He provides custom tailored financial products covering traditional lending, merchant services, international trade and commodity hedging. 

Through Nick’s professional work he most enjoys being a trusted advisor and consultant to his clients, providing creative financial solutions for their businesses.  He is proud to work for Rabobank Group due to their global reach and ability to draw experience and connect farmers throughout the United States and over six different continents.

Beth LaShell

Treasurer, Partner Member

Beth LaShell is from Fort Lewis College in Durango, CO. After serving as an instructor in the Agriculture and Biology Department for 17 years teaching a variety of agricultural-based courses including Animal Science, Agricultural Marketing, and Community Based Agriculture, Beth became the Coordinator of the Old Fort at Hesperus in 2010. Her duties include day to day operations, coordinating Fort Lewis College and community uses and conducting research projects on the 6,300 acre property that is the site of the original Fort Lewis College.  Research projects include Analyzing Hops Varieties for High Altitude Production, the Old Fort Market Garden Incubator program which serves as an alternative entry point for new farmers, and providing small farmers with information about food safety, alternative direct marketing methods,  wholesale production and high tunnel production.

As the project director of the Old Fort Market Garden Incubator since 2010, she has developed infrastructure, educational programs and on-site management guidelines for the program.  In Fall, 2015, she was named a Regional Convener for the National Farm Incubator Training Initiative to provide the Southwest region with information on developing farm incubator programs.

Jennifer Leonard

Board Member, Grower

Jennifer Leonard is a sixth-generation farmer with deep roots in agriculture and a lifelong connection to the land. She brings a diversity of talents to the operation, having grown up with hands-on experience in every stage of farm operations—from the field to the packing house. She currently serves as Talbott’s Mountain Gold Food Safety and Compliance Manager, ensuring safe, high-quality food production. As a mother of two young boys, she is passionate about fostering an appreciation for agriculture in the next generation and hopes they grow up to value and support the future growers of the Western Slope.

Alisha Knapp

Board Member, Grower

Alisha Knapp was born and raised on the family farm in Rocky Ford, Colo. After graduating from the University of Denver with her bachelor’s of science degree in finance and a master’s of science in finance, she returned to Rocky Ford. She is a fifth-generation farmer, currently a part of operations at Knapp Farms.

Alisha manages the farm market and implements the food safety policies. Knapp Farms grows a large variety of fruits and vegetables and sells them at the farm’s roadside stand. They also supply regional grocers with watermelon, cantaloupe, specialty melons, onions, and pumpkins. In addition to farm duties Alisha serves on the Rocky Ford Arts Commission Board.

Leslie Harrison

Board Member, Grower

Leslie Harrison is a Palisade, Colorado–based peach farmer with more than 12 years of hands-on experience in the Western Slope’s nationally recognized fruit industry. She attended Colorado Mesa University before discovering her passion for agriculture. Through her work in local farming communities, she developed a particular passion for peach production.

Her connection to farming became deeply personal in 2016 when she married her husband, Elijah Harrison, and joined the Harrison family legacy at Kokopelli Farms. Leslie is the daughter-in-law of the late Brant Harrison, a respected pioneer in Colorado’s organic fruit movement. Brant’s commitment to organic practices, stewardship of the land, and dedication to quality continue to shape the way the family farms today.
At Kokopelli Farms, Leslie oversees all financial operations and plays an integral role in the success of the family’s organic farming operation. She brings a strong work ethic, attention to detail, and a deep respect for both the business and agricultural sides of farming. Her experience allows her to offer a practical, grounded perspective on the challenges and opportunities facing fruit growers.


Outside of farm operations, Leslie enjoys spending time outdoors with her husband and their two sons, raising the next generation with a strong appreciation for agriculture, family, and community.

Michael Moss

Board Member, Grower

Michael Moss has been passionate about food since the age of 14, beginning his journey in restaurants before transitioning to farming in 2008. He is the owner and operator of Kilt Farm in Niwot, a 50-acre farm with eight cultivated acres that supplies a 350-member CSA, as well as restaurants and independent grocery stores from Fort Collins to the Boulder/Denver metro area.
Michael currently serves as the president of the Community Farmers Alliance, a farmer-led movement dedicated to addressing unworkable minimum wage regulations in Boulder County and advocating for affordable housing solutions for agricultural workers.

Martin Diaz

Board Member, Grower

Martín Diaz is a potato farmer with on his family farm, Martinez Farms and Eagle Produce in the San Luis Valley of Colorado.  His role on the farm is to manage and supervise the tissue culture lab and mini tuber nursery in producing certified seed potatoes. He also works in human resources for the operation. He graduated from Adams State University in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, finance, and accounting. 

Colleen McKiewicz

Board Member, Allied

Colleen McKiewicz is the Perishable Food Sourcing Lead at Food Bank of the Rockies.. She loves working with growers and food hubs around the state to source and purchase a variety of fresh produce to distribute to neighbors in need around the state and learn about Colorado agriculture. Her favorite thing about agriculture is the passion and expertise of everyone involved in the food system, from producers to distributors to those in sales. She has been a member of the CFVGA Nutrition and Health Subcommittee for 2 years, and has been co-chair for the last 1 ½ years, working with Roger Mix and the committee to create social media posts around Colorado produce. Colleen would love the opportunity to deepen her involvement in CFVGA as a member of the board and help support the ag community.

Marilyn Bay

Executive Director

Marilyn Bay has served as executive director to the Colorado Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association on a contract basis since August 2015. Her work in management of the association includes membership & sponsorship, conference planning, writing news releases & responding to media inquiries, Colorado produce promotion through social & traditional media channels, grant implementation, CFVGA Board support, and administrative work. Marilyn has worked with and for agricultural associations for nearly three decades. She has a bachelor’s degree in print journalism-emphasis in marketing and a minor in Spanish. She grew up on a family farm and continues to be tangentially involved in the operation. She is a published author, including two historical fiction titles.

Mike Bartolo

Board Member, Partner

Mike Bartolo is a native of the Arkansas River Valley, born and raised on a small farm east of Pueblo. He received his undergraduate and M.S degrees at Colorado State University. In 1990, he received his Ph.D. at the University of Minnesota in Plant Physiology. For the past 24 years, he has been the Vegetable Crops Specialist at Colorado State University’s Arkansas Valley Research Center in Rocky Ford. In 2004, he also became manager of the Center. His primary responsibilities are research and outreach activities to support commercial vegetable crop production in the Arkansas Valley and other parts of the state. The major crops emphasized are onions, melons, and peppers. His research projects have been centered on different aspects of crop production including drip irrigation, plastic mulches, soil fertility, and pest management.

Adrian Card

Board Member, Partner

Adrian Card works with Colorado State University Extension as State Specialist in Specialty Crops.  Adrian managed small, direct market vegetable farms in Larimer County, Colorado in the 90’s, taught vegetable crop production at CSU, and before accepting his current position in 2004, worked as student farm manager at the Center for Environmental Farming Systems at North Carolina State University, managing 7 acres of mixed vegetables for CSA, produce stand, research and teaching.

Adrian is excited for the potential CFVGA has to strengthen fruit and vegetable production in Colorado and to enhance its emerging  partnership with CSU.  He is working actively with the Board to develop CFVGA through outreach and educational programming.   More bio at LinkedIn 

Kristi Bartolo

Board Member, Partner

Kristi Bartolo is an agronomy specialist with CSU Extension in Pueblo County, helping farmers with crop related issues from pests and disease to labor and markets. In her time with CSU Extension she has conducted in-field trials and provided educational programs for the producers in Pueblo County and all throughout Southeastern Colorado. Kristi earned an MS/BS in biology from Colorado State University Pueblo in 2017. She was born and raised in Pueblo and continues farming on the family property there. Aside from farming she enjoys many outdoor activities and spending time with family and her faith community.

Robert Medler

Board Member (Western Growers)

Joining the Western Gowers Association in January 2021, Robert Medler is the external & state government affairs director. He represents specialty crop producers in the fresh produce industry at the Arizona Capitol. He represents Western Growers in all Arizona legislative and regulatory matters as well as monitoring, analyzing, and reporting on policy recommendations. Additionally, as part of his role, he develops, drafts and tactically implements policy strategies and legislation affecting agriculture, specifically relating to the fresh fruit, vegetable and nut sectors in Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. As part of his role of supporting the Colorado Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association, he serves as an ex officio member of its Board.

Robert also serves as president of the Southern Arizona Defense Alliance. Previously, he has filled numerous board leadership positions for the U.S. Chamber’s Board of Regents and the Curriculum Committee for the Institute for Organization Management, the 162nd Air Guardians, Greater Tucson Leadership and the Southern Arizona Defense Alliance.

Prior to joining Western Growers, Robert was with the Tucson Metro Chamber and served as the founding executive director for the Southern Arizona Chamber of Commerce Association. He is a graduate of the University of Arizona and Gonzaga University. He and his family reside in Marana, Arizona.

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Colorado Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association
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