OUR FABULOUS TEAM

Dixie and Katrin

Katrin Dougherty: Program Director & Compost Queen

Katrin oversees the YouthSource program, including the Supa Fresh Youth Farm.  Katrin co-founded the Supa Fresh Youth Farm in 2009 with Mia Bartlett to provide a safe-haven worksite and training ground to prepare youth interns to enter the workforce and to qualify for more advanced internships.  Originally from Fieldbrook, California, Katrin got her start teaching snowboarding and skiing lessons to students of all ages in Montana. In between seasons at the ski hill she worked in Yellowstone National Park and for a landscaping company, designing and installing ornamental and edible landscapes, and managing a private vegetable garden. After these experiences it was clear that she had a passion for youth empowerment, food, and outdoor education so she attended Montana State University, earned two degrees in education, and graduated with honors. In addition to her six seasons as a ski and snowboard instructor, Katrin has volunteered for a therapeutic recreation program, led a Girl Scout troop and, after college, worked as a high school teacher.  Katrin has over 17 years of experience teaching and empowering youth and has been gardening since she could walk. She loves her work at the farm because not only does she get to lead and empower amazing young people to be successful in their careers and their lives, she also gets to grow delicious food for the community. Katrin loves the outdoors, hiking, camping, gardening, music–especially live, stories, reading, crafting, movies, all things Lord of the Rings-related, comedy in all forms, traveling, especially in the northwestern US and Yucatán, Mexico, and spending time with family, friends and her dog/co-worker, Dixie; she loves to laugh and is always working on her zombie apocalypse survival skills; most of all, she believes in kindness, integrity and the importance of community.

“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”   ~Anne Frank

Dixie Mattress Dougherty-Warnike: Therapist, Dog

Dixie is from a shelter in Washington and has worked at the farm nearly all of her life, since 2010. Dixie lives with her best friends, Katrin and her husband, Matt (aka Neptune), when she’s not at the farm. Dixie has an exceptionally calm and sweet personality and so she was recommended by her favorite vet to become a therapy animal. Dixie is very good at her job and has a lot of fun working at the farms with the kids. She especially loves belly scratches, laying in the sun, chasing squirrels away from the crops, rounding the kids up into groups (she’s a herder!), and going on the annual Youth Vs. Wild Camping Trip where she leads youth hikes and supervises meal time to ensure nothing gets wasted. Most of all, Dixie is a calming and positive force among the farm crew–she is very good at making people feel happy.

“I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love. For me, they are the role model for being alive.”   ~Gilda Radner

Jonathan Landolfe, Sustainable Agriculture Teacher 

Jon is from Detroit, Michigan and went to college in Denver, Colorado at Regis University. He majored in Political Economy. After college, Jon volunteered for 2 years with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps in Belize, working with incarcerated youth at the Belize Central Prison and that’s when he started farming. He became fascinated with the therapeutic and transformative powers of growing food. After moving back to the States he moved into a L’Arche community for people with and without developmental disabilities with a 5 acre farm. Jon enjoys working with youth and gardening, and with all his experiences he was a perfect fit for the team. Outside of working at YouthSource he is still involved with the L’Arche communities and continues to volunteer at their garden. When he’s not volunteering he is an outdoor enthusiast, rock climber, and cyclist.

“Some believe it is only GREAT POWER that can hold evil in check. But that is not what I have found. I have found that it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love.” ~Gandalf

Shea De Leon, Youth Farm Coordinator

Growing up in Southern California, Shea was instilled with an appreciation for gardening and the outdoors that has turned into a personal and professional passion. She has worked as a garden educator and advocate for land-based learning since her time as an undergraduate at the University of California, Davis. After graduating with a degree in International Agricultural Development, she spent a formative year teaching English in Japan, working at an agricultural high school, as well as schools for students with hearing and visual impairments. This time abroad brought together her interests in experiential, vocational education and working with underserved populations. Upon returning to the United States, Shea spent two years as a school garden coordinator in Oakland, CA as an AmeriCorps member. Graduate school at Portland State University brought her to the Pacific Northwest, where she lives with her husband and a sassy chihuahua named Papa. She is honored to be a part of the Supa Fresh team, as she loves working with such a dedicated staff and inspiring youth crew. Outside of work, she can mostly be found geeking out about flowers, enjoying old timey hand crafts, annoying aforementioned chihuahua, and alternating between snacking and napping.

“If you aren’t in over your head, how do you know how tall you are?” -T.S. Eliot