Board of Directors
Lucia Zegarra
Chair of the Board
Lucia is a biologist who has led community development programs for over 20 years. She is an advocate for peer support as a sustainable complement of formal health care services and prevention of disease. Her recent experience includes serving as Director of Community Health Programs at a non-profit where she led a team of community health workers and managed the pilot for the Food is Medicine Program in Montgomery County. She serves as chair of the Food Recovery and Access Working Group at the Montgomery County Food Council. As Program Coordinator of the Faith Community Nurse Program at Holy Cross Health, she promotes integrated care of the body, mind and spirit. During the covid-19 pandemic, her role shifted to managing and coordinating covid-19 community vaccination clinics, making strategic partnerships with local businesses, organizations, and churches to bring vaccines to underserved communities and address social influencers of health
Ijeoma Adetoye
Treasurer of the Board
Ijeoma is a finance and assurance executive with expertise in nonprofit and government accounting and financial reporting, and grant compliance management. She is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) with 17 years’ experience in public accounting and financial management with a focus on nonprofit and international donor organizations. She has a passion for programs that positively impact the community and enjoys spreading awareness of the cause and helping nonprofit organizations run as efficiently as possible.
Tom Pugh
Board Member
Championing Healthier, Happier Communities
With a successful 25+ year career in US and Global marketing roles for well-known consumer brands and vital Medical Nutrition products and services, Tom Pugh is a dedicated advocate for making the world a healthier, happier place. His extensive experience has honed his deep commitment to positive change, especially within his local community.
Tom's profound belief in the transformative power of nutrition was solidified during his tenure at Nutricia Advanced Medical Nutrition. He recognizes that "food is thy medicine" and understands the pivotal role nutrition plays in our lives. He's passionate about ensuring access to good nutrition for all, knowing its profound impact on overall well-being.
As a board member of Community FarmShare, Tom will leverage his extensive background in marketing and strategy to support the organization's mission of fostering positive change within the community.
His ultimate goal is to empower people to live healthier, happier lives.
Dave Fraser-Hidalgo
Board Member
David has represented District 15 in Montgomery County in the House of Delegates since 2013. He is a member of the Environment and Transportation Committee and is Chair of the Transportation and Motor Vehicle Subcommittee. He is the chair of the Legislative Latino Caucus. David is an active community and political leader in Montgomery County and has reached out to all the segments of District 15 to bridge gaps where they exist and to work with others to help all Marylanders succeed. David has been a champion on several major pieces of legislation including clean energy, electric vehicles, banning fracking, strengthening laws on underage drinking, and promotion of local agriculture including leading on industrial hemp.
Derek Longbrake
Secretary of the Board
Derek Longbrake worked in fundraising at Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless for over nine years as both Donor Relationship Manager and Director of Development and Community Partnerships. Previous to that Derek was the pastor of a small congregation in Western Pennsylvania. As an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church(USA), Derek continues to speak regularly at local congregations.
Derek is also a member of the Leadership Montgomery Core Class of 2020 and a founding board member of The Giving Square, a nonprofit with a mission that recognizes children as leaders in philanthropy.
Derek resides in Beallsville MD (in the Montgomery County Ag Reserve) with his wife Katie and three children and coaches youth soccer.
Vonna Heaton
Board Member
Vonna is passionate about service. Following a long career in federal service where she was responsible for coordinating national-level organizations and programs, she enthusiastically pursued social justice endeavors, engaging in actions for racial justice, climate justice, voting rights and economic justice. Vonna has extensive experience in strategic planning, analytic thinking, mission development and implementation, and building coalitions. She thrives in helping to build connections across communities, finding common interests and advancing missions for the common good.