Staff + Board

Market Manager

Beth Rhodes — Coming soon!

Board of Directors

Tracy Ward — President — This is Tracy’s fourth year on the SMFM board and second year as board president. A resident of Royal Oak, she works as the CEO of Bluebird Enterprises, a small-business strategic development firm. She also serves on the board of Blue Oyster Environmental and is a member of the Tred Avon Yacht Club. In her spare time, she loves to tend to her own home garden.

Deborah Schule — Vice President + Volunteer Chair — Deborah is in her second year on the SMFM board, and her first as Vice President. After many years as a volunteer herself, she is now responsible for soliciting and managing the SMFM’s vibrant volunteer program. Deborah owns her own media and marketing firm and served on a variety of non-profit boards in Arlington, Virginia, before moving to St. Michaels six years ago. She believes that volunteering is a great way to meet other members of the community and support efforts to make St. Michaels a great place to live.

Robert Vitale — Secretary — Robert is in his second year on the SMFM board. He is a St. Michaels resident and regular volunteer at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum and St. Michaels Community Center. In addition to supporting our local farmers and families, Robert and his wife, Janice, are actively involved in developing two conservation projects in South Africa: a rehabilitation-and-release clinic for injured and orphaned bush animals adjacent to both South Africa’s Kruger National Park and a privately managed and patrolled game reserve surrounding the Loskop Dam, to which high-value endangered species will be brought from neighboring game parks to provide better protection and promote greater biodiversity.

Catherine Renzi — Vendor Chair — Catherine joined the SMFM Board in 2023 after relocating to Talbot County from Chester County, Pennsylvania. She owned and operated Yellow Springs Farm, a goat dairy and native plants nursery from 2001 to 2021. Catherine enjoys shopping at the market and cooking with fresh ingredients. She has volunteer experience with organizations supporting artists, land conservation, and agriculture. She is a business consultant and landscape designer. Catherine now particularly enjoys kayaking and oil painting in her new home.

Kerri Clear — Education Chair — This is Kerry’s second year on the SMFM board. The Eastern Shore native studied education at Salisbury University, pursued a hospitality career in Charleston, then returned home to be closer to family. She is now the Executive Chef at the St. Michaels Community Center, where her cooking focuses on a farm-to-table approach and providing nutritious menu offerings to local residents. She also works with fellow local chefs and food distribution programs to coordinate food donations, including fresh produce and cooked dishes, throughout Talbot County.

Sandy Brown — Fundraising Chair — This is Sandy’s first year on the SMFM board after joining as a community-education pop-up. She is the executive director of Shore Legal Access (formerly Mid-Shore Pro Bono) and has over 13 years of non-profit experience based on the Eastern Shore. She is an active Master Gardener and is passionate about all things eco-friendly, especially when it comes to our local community. She considers herself an advocate for small organizations with environmental missions and enjoys cultivating community connections. She lives in Tunis Mills with her husband and two dogs.

Kendra Martello — This is Kendra’s first year on the SMFM board after serving as a volunteer since 2021 and vendor with Casa Carmen Wines since 2024. She works as a lawyer and consultant in her own firm after decades in legal, policy, and consulting roles in nonprofits and public companies in the life sciences sector. In her spare time, she can be found walking her dog along the nature trail, practicing yoga, or enhancing her love of wine and food at market or one of the area’s great local businesses.

Communications

Elizabeth Beggins — Social Media — Elizabeth helped launch the St. Michaels Farmers Market in 1998 and has served as manager, producer, and volunteer since its inception. A former market farmer, she now works in communications with a national non-profit to protect farmland and support sustainable farming. She manages the market's presence at @loveyourfarmer and creates content for ongoing outreach and engagement. Also a writer on Substack, Elizabeth encourages collective kindness and the practice of living compassionate, connected lives.  

Lydia Woolever — Website + Newsletter — Lydia is the owner of Little Fields Floral, a small, sustainable, woman-owned flower farm that grows using no-till and organic practices on the Eastern Shore. A Kent County native, she has been a SMFM vendor for the past six years, and brings experience from her career as a journalist and editor for both regional and national news outlets. She designed our website and writes our weekly newsletter.