Students and Recent Graduates
In the fields, the Dickinson College Farm is staffed by 15-18 Dickinson College students working part-time during the school year and 5 Dickinson College Students working full-time over the summer months.
From May-October, five recent college graduates help lead farm students through the Apprenticeship program. Apprentices live in solar-powered yurts on the farm and immerse themselves in learning about sustainable agriculture, leadership, and management skills.
Staff
The College Farm employs four full-time staff members who guide the mission of the farm as well as everyday operations. For full biographies and more information on the Farm team, visit our blog.
Jenn Halpin, Director
Jenn is the Director of the Dickinson College Farm. After graduating from Providence College, she joined the Peace Corps where she developed her interest in sustainable agriculture while living in West Africa and working with farmers. Later in her career, Jenn earned her MS in Sustainable Food Systems from Green Mountain College. As one of the Dickinson College Farm managers, Jenn provides students with hands-on training in sustainable food production and supports faculty and students with on-going research, class-based collaborations and internships.
Off the farm, Jenn contributes to the Food Studies Certificate program at Dickinson. She regularly instructs the Intro to Food Studies course, Capstone class, and food systems-related elective courses. She is an active member in our regional local food movement and a founding member of Farmers on the Square, a vibrant producer-only farmers’ market in Carlisle. While not working, Jenn hits the trails for long excursions in the woods or can be found in her kitchen canning and fermenting.
Matt Steiman, Assistant Director of the College Farm and Energy Projects Manager
Matt has been farming organic vegetables since 1993, working on farms in Colorado, California and Minnesota before settling in the Cumberland Valley. For five seasons, Matt managed Fulton Farm at Wilson College where he learned the ropes of running an educational CSA program, and also developed initial experience with renewable energy systems. Matt and Jenn then ran their own farm on rented ground for two seasons before signing on as the full-time farmers at Dickinson College in 2007. In addition to regular farm duties at the Dickinson Farm, Matt supervises equipment maintenance, irrigation, sheep and cattle, and also works extensively with solar energy projects and biodiesel fuel applications for the college.
Alex Smith, Vegetable Production Manager
Alex is a graduate of Dickinson College as well as the College Farm Apprenticeship Program. After yurt livin’, Alex went on to further cultivate his passion for agriculture that produces high quality food, builds the community, improves the farm ecosystem, and is economically competitive. He continued his farm education at a number of well-respected production farms in south central PA before starting his own farm enterprise serving his hometown of Baltimore with fresh produce. In his spare time, Alex can usually be found outside with his wife, Courtney, and his two young sons, George and Leo.
Cheri Getty, Packing House Coordinator
Cheri joined the farm crew in September 2021. Having taught fitness classes at Dickinson for over a decade, some of you might already know Cheri – or have had a class with her! Before coming to Carlisle in 2008, Cheri and her family lived in D.C. though she is originally from the Finger Lakes region in New York. After graduating from Medaille College, she pursued Massage Therapy and fitness at The Finger Lakes School of Massage. There she developed a bigger desire for staying active and physical work. While teaching fitness for over 15 years, she dove into learning more about food production and eating healthy – so the farm is a perfect fit! When she is not washing, packing, or preserving vegetables at the College Farm, Cheri likes to spend time with her two daughters, animals, and traveling.
Sarah Hart, Program Coordinator
Sarah joined the farm in June 2024 as Program Coordinator, leading the education and outreach efforts and finance and administration of the farm. Prior to Dickinson College, Sarah worked for PFM Asset Management LLC for 8 years focusing on public finance. She served governmental, nonprofit, and other institutional entities in tax compliance and investment management. Sarah has earned her CFA charter and studied economics and political science at Shippensburg University’s Wood Honors College. She loves to run, having competed in cross country and track & field in college and just finished her first marathon. Sarah is training to become a registered yoga teacher and loves to spend time with her husband Ryan and their two cats, Jeff and Ted.
Joe Rosas, Farm Works Kitchen Manager
Joe’s journey to the Farm Works kitchen has been anything but linear. After graduating cartooning school, Joe spent 15 years working for Marvel Comics and around the early 2000s, pivoted into a Product Assistant role in MBI. Joe and his wife moved to Carlisle in 2009 when his wife took up a teaching position at Dickinson. Joe worked at Amazon for 10 years before making another career transition – this time, to the kitchen. Joe was a chef at the Vegetable Hunter for a year before joining us at Farm Works. Despite the recent change, Joe has extensive kitchen and restaurant experience, having had worked in many since high school. In this role, Joe’s transformed passion to profession and is excited for the journey ahead. When he’s not in the kitchen, you can find Joe painting, building furniture, or gardening.
Kelsey Horowitz, Crew Leader
Kelsey graduated from Dickinson in 2018 with an Environmental Studies degree and competed on the cross country and track & field teams. After leaving Dickinson College Farm, she went on to work at a nearby vegetable farm for one season and the next season she worked at Roots Cut Flower Farm in Carlisle. After that, Kelsey worked at REI for a while. Most recently, she was working at Lancaster Farm Fresh Cooperative, which is an Amish farmer-owned co-op that is a large wholesale organic vegetable distributor and CSA program across the mid-Atlantic. Kelsey is thrilled to be back at Dickinson.