Calypso Farm and Ecology Center's
Board of Directors and Staff

Susan Willsrud
Farm Director
Susan Willsrud is the Farm Director at Calypso Farm and Ecology Center. Her responsibilities as the Farm Director include educational program planning, annual budgeting, program evaluation, farm planning, workshop instruction and CSA operation. In 2008, Susan started developing Calypso’s Seed Garden. She is excited to see the ground breaking for the seed garden in 2009.

Susan has a BA degree in Zoology from University of California, Davis and a MS degree in Plant Ecology from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. She has 13 years of organic farming experience working on several farms in California and Alaska. She is the co-founder of Calypso and has been the lead farmer there since its founding in 2000. Susan is an enthusiastic advocate for local food and has worked extensively with other organizations and community leaders to forward sustainable agriculture in Alaska.

Tom Zimmer
Ecology Center Director
Tom Zimmer is the Ecology Center Director at Calypso Farm and Ecology Center. His responsibilities as the Ecology Center Director include environmental education planning, soil fertility management, ecological farming instruction and consultation, farm infrastructure planning and development and community outreach.

Tom has a BS degree in Geological Engineering from Michigan Technological University and a MS degree in Soil Science from Utah State University. Tom has wide ranging experience working with diverse agricultural systems. As a Peace Corps volunteer in West Africa he designed and developed a Sub Saharan fruit orchard and nursery and worked to develop home gardens. In California, he worked as an intern on a 200-acre organic farm, where he worked in all aspects of production including: marketing, general field labor, sheep management and use of farm machinery. In South Central Alaska, Tom managed a group of eight interns on a 2-acre organic farm. In 2000, he co-founded Calypso Farm and Ecology Center and continues to dedicate his efforts to creating a healthy, diverse farm system.