The District is happy to welcome some new staff members filling much needed roles with our Harvest Pierce County and our Admin teams. Please help us in welcoming Madeleine Spencer and Kristine Swanner to our District team!

Madeleine Spencer, Harvest Pierce County Program Specialist
Madeleine Spencer joined the District as a Harvest Pierce County Program Specialist in March. The focus of her work will be on the Gleaning Project, as well as co-managing the Veggie Co-op in partnership with the Franklin Pierce School District. Having grown up locally in Sumner, Harvest Pierce County’s mission of a thriving community engaged in a just and healthy food system is one particularly close to her heart.

Madeleine studied at The Evergreen State College where the interdisciplinary curriculum allowed her to study the ways in which the environment, social justice, the economy, and culture are all connected. After graduating she accepted an AmeriCorps position in Nebraska as the sustainability coordinator for a small town. Through that position she had the opportunity to work directly with farmers as a market manager, with city employees and elected officials to have public land designated for community gardens, and with experts from the university to help establish an organic teaching orchard. Learning from and working with so many people dedicated to their work with food systems was an inspiring experience.

For the last three years, Madeleine has been a volunteer manager with a local non-profit. She loves getting to work every day with folks dedicated to building community and is looking forward to meeting all the amazing people who make the Veggie Co-op and Gleaning projects possible. Madeleine is also a regular volunteer herself, at MotherEarth Farm in Puyallup and at a community drop-in center for the Hillman City neighborhood of Seattle. Passionate about the belief that to work with the land and to feed people are some of the greatest positive impacts you can have on the world, Madeleine is excited to be working with the District and Harvest Pierce County to build healthy food systems, and a healthy environment.

Kristine Swanner, Finance Administrative Assistant
Kristine joined Pierce Conservation District in April 2017 as the Finance Administrative Assistant. Kristine will be providing general support to Pierce Conservation District staff and will be responsible for answering the office’s main phone line, directing calls, and other administrative tasks.

Kristine enjoys spending time with her family, paper crafts, and reading. Kristine believes in continuously doing her part to help reduce the dependency on natural resources by limiting her use of water and electricity, and by recycling.