Market Staff

  • EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

    After spending several years volunteering with the Food Recovery Program, Dana joined the market team in 2018, bringing with her a deep appreciation for local food and community. Today, she proudly leads our passionate and hardworking team, championing a vision for a market where all businesses can grow and thrive. Dana’s work focuses on supporting vendors, administering food access programs, fostering community partnerships, and maintaining the market’s financial sustainability. As our food system continues to evolve, she remains committed to guiding the market through change, ensuring it continues to serve the needs of both producers and consumers for years to come.

  • MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR

    Combining a background in Digital Marketing and personal involvement with family farming, Anissa blends the technical with the creative as our Marketing & Communications Coordinator. After vending at the market through her childhood, she earned an early appreciation for the importance of community and a local economy. During the market, Anissa can be found weaving her way through the market snapping candids, crafting next month’s newsletter, or ideating the market’s next hit Instagram reel!

  • COMMUNITY OUTREACH COORDINATOR

    Alynn joined the team at the start of Main Season 2025 and has since developed a range of community activities for kids and adults. Her perpetually stained nails speak to her experience as a professional artist and longtime gardening enthusiast.

    For Alynn, going to the market means engaging in conversations with friends (and friends-to-be) where a quick egg run often turns into a three-hour visit and an extra trip to the ATM. She is eager to continue strengthening Fulton Street Market’s relationship with the surrounding community.

Community Partners

  • MARKET MASTER GARDENER

    Val has been a visitor to the Market for over 30 years. She became more involved when the Extension Office of Michigan State University staffed a Smart Gardening Booth with Master Gardeners in 2018. Her interest extended to planting a pollinator garden on the west side of the Market headhouse in 2019. With the pollinator garden established, Val began weeding and planting the landscape beds in the parking lot. By utilizing low maintenance, drought tolerant, and native plants in these gardens, she is setting them up to be easy to maintain and flourish in the future.

Board Members

  • PRESIDENT

    Calvin Wiersma has proudly called Grand Rapids home since 2009 and has enjoyed building a career as a financial advisor at Grand Wealth Management. Growing up in Wisconsin around agriculture and running a small sweet corn stand, he understands the value of fresh, local food and the hard work it takes to bring it to market. Calvin joined the board because he wanted to help make sure the market remains a cornerstone of our community and is a place that sustains us all for years to come.

  • SECRETARY

    Fulton Street Market has always been a special place to Jes, as it's one of the few remaining spaces in Grand Rapids where she’s been able to show up just as she is and find community connection. Jes currently works as the Chief Financial Officer at Grandville Avenue Arts and Humanities. She is grateful to be able to use her knowledge in nonprofit leadership and finances to help steward Fulton Street Market into the future.

  • CITY LIASON

  • VICE PRESIDENT

    Maria is a Fulton St. Market neighbor, calling the Fulton Heights area home. She is an Account Strategist at Williams Group, offering communications support to non-profit and for-profit clients around the country. She brings strategic focus with the care of a neighbor to the Board of Directors.

  • Jowei is a designer of stories, processes, systems, and cultures. He’s currently an associate at the strategic communications agency, Williams Group. Jowei became a close friend of the Market when he began interning here as part of his degree requirement, joining the board shortly after. His commitment to the Market grew as he led the first phase of the Market’s strategic planning. His work deepened his love for Michigan agriculture, his appreciation for community engagement at the Market, and his understanding of the Market’s criticality to Grand Rapids’ economy. Jowei got married at the Market in 2024.

  • Jenny Bongiorno is a professional gardener, community educator, and the owner of Good Day Gardens LLC - a boutique gardening company dedicated to all natural growing practices. With a passion for sustainability and problem solving, Jenny joined the board to support Michigan farmers and help cultivate mutually beneficial relationships whenever she can! She loves the Fulton St Market and believes it is an integral part of the community, providing vital connections between local food growers and GR residents.

  • Eirann Betka-Pope (they/them) is co-founder of Betka-Pope Productions, and a teacher, director, and writer at Grand Rapids Civic Theatre. They moved to the Midtown neighborhood with their wife in 2021 to be within walking distance of Fulton St. Market- where they had their first date over a decade ago. Eirann is honored to be working with FSM and looks forward to adding value and connection to this incredible community of farmers, artists, staff, volunteers, and patrons!

  • Kim Skeltis, APR, owns Blue Blaze Public Relations, a solo communications consultancy she founded in 2012 in West Michigan where she brings 20-plus years of communications expertise to her clients. Serving primarily economic development and travel & tourism clients, Kim recognizes the importance of placemaking in a community – something that Fulton Street Market offers in Grand Rapids. Since moving to Grand Rapids in 2015, Kim has made Fulton Street Market a regular part of her local rituals – attending the weekend farmers market, Art! at the Market, annual rummage sales and BIPOC Night Market. Through her board role, she hopes to promote the importance of Fulton Street Market as a gathering place in the fabric of West Michigan.

  • As a Grand Rapids resident for the past 10 years, Abby is passionate about the role the farmers market plays in strengthening the local community. She values the market not only as a source of fresh, local produce, but also as an important third place where neighbors can connect and local culture thrives. She joined the board as a way to be more actively involved in supporting the continued success and longevity of the market.

  • Food is one of John’s passions. He grew up in Holland, Michigan, going to the Holland Farmers’ Market every Saturday. John is now a partner with Varnum Law in Grand Rapids, and feels the same appreciation for Fulton Street Market and the connections it brings to farmers and food producers. He enjoys taking his daughters to Fulton Street Market so they can also experience the joy of learning about healthy and delicious food.

  • MARKET MANAGER

    With a background in event coordination, nonprofit work, and community education, our newest addition to the Fulton Street Market staff brings both structure and curiosity to her role as the Market Manager. Elle is most excited about the balance of systems and connections, as well as the overall opportunity to build relationships with vendors and the broader community. She is passionate about creating a welcoming "third space" in Grand Rapids by constantly seeking ways to make the market feel approachable and connected. On market days, you will find her checking in with vendors, learning the ropes of local agriculture, and discussing her love for breakfast food!

  • FOOD RECOVERY COORDINATOR

    Lindsay brings a blend of advocacy, enthusiasm, and community commitment to her role as Food Recovery Coordinator. A long‑time Fulton Street Market patron, she has dedicated her career to advancing equitable access to quality food, education, and mental health care. Outside of the market, Lindsay works as a Licensed Professional Counselor and spends much of her time enjoying West Michigan’s trails, parks, and beaches with her family and their rescue dog, Bert. She is constantly looking for new ways to incorporate seasonal produce in the kitchen, so if you have a recipe you're particularly proud of, she would love for you to share!