Our Board of Directors
Kathy Cain
Marsha Lindner
Andrew Ritch
Robert Edmiston
Our People
Robert G. Edmiston
Executive Director
One of Robert’s guiding tenets in life is stewardship—the responsible management of something that has been entrusted to one’s care. So it is only fitting that in 2013, at the insistence of Turner Farm, Inc.’s founder, the late Bonnie Mitsui, he stepped into the role of Executive Director. Robert continues Bonnie’s strong belief in the stewardship of the land, which extends to ourselves, our loved ones and our community. Robert is also a practicing attorney. A graduate of the University of Kentucky College of Law, he began private practice in Cincinnati in 1981. In 2001, he established his own firm and is also Of Counsel with the firm Cors & Bassett.
Cathy Cordes
Adminstrative Assistant
After graduating from Shenandoah University in Winchester, Virginia, Cathy moved to Philadelphia with her husband and worked as veterinary technician in a busy small animal practice in Delaware. In 2006, she moved to Ohio to be closer to her husband’s family, and happily resides on the Cordes Compound.
She is currently the Artistic Director of the Cincinnati Civic Orchestra where she plays french horn, IT and Membership coordinator for the Wyoming School Music Association, and the fourth member of Zinzinnati Alphorns. Her daughters are also very active in sports, music, and other various activities which keeps her quite busy.
Mary Joseph
Director of Facilities
Born and raised on a family farm in eastern Ohio, Mary’s first career was as a licensed nurse. While taking time to raise her own children, she started keeping bees at home and eventually relocated her hives to Turner Farm. Then she joined our meat CSA, and before long, became a welcome fixture around the farm. In 2011, she officially joined the team to manage our summer camp program, and in 2016 transitioned to her current role, where she heads up all things at Turner Farm.
Abby Lundrigan
Chief Operating Officer & Crop Production Manager
A Cincinnati native, Abby began her career in agriculture in Chicago after graduating from DePaul University. She worked on several urban agriculture projects in Chicago and an organic dairy in Santa Fe, New Mexico before arriving at Turner Farm as a garden crew intern in 2015. She was the farm's Crop Production Manager from 2016 to 2021. She then spent two years working for Real Organic Project, a grassroots effort to create an add-on certification for soil and pasture based organic farming and raise public awareness around organic integrity. She has also served a term on the governing board of the national Organic Farmers Association. Abby returned to Turner Farm as the Crop Production Manager and Chief Operating Officer in 2023.
*Picture above shows Abby (left) and Gabe Speffen, Assistant Crop Production Manager (right)
Jill Gunter
Event Coordinator - Barn Studio/Teaching Kitchen
& Director of Marketing
Growing up in a small town in Indiana, Jill joined Turner Farm with over 20 years experience in event planning, marketing, sales and accounting.
Along with spending time with her 3 children, she enjoys horseback riding, volunteering as a Make-A-Wish Grantor, traveling, golf, running, bicycling and helping others. With a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management from Indiana Wesleyan University, her true passion lies with creating memorable experiences for others through event planning which makes her a perfect fit for our Barn Studio & Teaching Kitchen event space!
She has a true love for the farm and enjoys utilizing all her skills to market the farm and also encourage healthy living.
Shelley Evans
Meshewa House Manager and Event Coordinator
With over seven years of experience in hospitality, I’ve always had a deep passion for creating memorable experiences. From a young age, I was drawn to the magic of events and celebrations. My career has allowed me to develop a diverse skill set, including venue logistics, event sales, design, and execution.
In my previous role, I had the privilege of working as a partner vendor with Meshewa House at Turner Farm. From my very first site tour, I felt an undeniable connection to the property. There’s a unique sense of peace that envelops you the moment you step onto the grounds—a feeling I strive to bring to every client who experiences this special place.
Outside of my professional life, I’m a wife and the proud mother of two incredible little girls, who keep me both busy and inspired. When I’m not facilitating events, I enjoy bike riding, reading, traveling, and being actively involved with our church. I'm always seeking new experiences and adventures to share with my family.
TJ Summers
Executive Chef & Culinary Manager
Chef TJ’s love of cooking and agriculture stems largely from his great-grandmother, who had what seemed to him as a child a never ending orchard in central Illinois. Summers spent picking blackberries, cherries, and strawberries, filling stained wicker baskets, left a lasting impression on him.
Highly motivated to nurture that passion and learn more, He earned a Culinary Arts Degree from the Culinary Institute of America and spent a decade in fine dining kitchens across the United States and beyond. Upon the birth of his son, Chef TJ’s desire to cook shifted from serving the few to the many. This led him to pivot to healthcare, where he discovered a new passion – bridging the gap between nutrition and culinary application.
Having witnessed firsthand the connection between caring for the land and nourishing ourselves, He’s thrilled to be a part of Turner Farm.
Gretchen Weiher
Farm Market Manager
Gretchen was a collegiate track and cross country athlete, and her love of running led her to Atlanta after college to work at the famed running shoe store Phidippides. While there, she volunteered at an assisted living facility and saw firsthand how gardening enriches life. This prompted her to apprentice at the organic farm Serenbe before returning to her home state to intern at Turner Farm in 2011. Gretchen manages our on-site Farm Market and assists in crop production.
Melinda O’Briant
Adult Education Director
After growing up on a farm, Melinda earned a bachelor’s degree in agriculture from The Ohio State University and a master’s degree in education from Indiana State University. She worked in flower shops and greenhouses from Indiana to Denver to North Carolina, and was a tenured associate floriculture professor at Vincennes University, before joining Turner Farm in 1996.
Melinda managed our crop production until 2014 and continues to bring a lifetime of practical growing experience to our classes, in addition to handling our flower production and Flower CSA.
Daniel Losekamp
Livestock & Pastures Manager
While deployed to Iraq’s Anbar province as an Arabic linguist with the Marine Corps, Danny noticed the locals had no topsoil and no agriculture, and they were bombarded by dust storms. Upon returning to the states, he started growing food and interning at farms. Then after nine years in the Corps, he moved home to Ohio and began pasture raising animals on his own small-scale farm. Danny joined Turner Farm in 2015 and takes a regenerative and humane approach to managing our animals and pastures. He is a member of the American Solar Grazing Association.
Leevi Stump
Assistant Livestock & Pastures Manager
Leevi joined the livestock team at Turner Farm in the fall of 2023. As a native of central Ohio, Leevi discovered his passion in agriculture while attending Wilmington College. After learning about livestock production, he became curious about where his food came from and how an animal's existence can impact our health and the land around us.
Through his education and professional career Leevi has become extremely passionate about the role regenerative agriculture plays in the sustainability of our ecosystems, environment, and the well-being of future generations. Regenerative agriculture leads to healthy soil, capable of producing high quality, nutrient-dense food while simultaneously improving, rather than degrading, the land.
Leevi is a member of the Ohio Cattlemen's association, Ohio Farm Bureau, and Young Farmers Accelerated Program through Farm Foundation.
Dave Lemen
Grounds & Equipment Manager
In high school, Dave volunteered at a local farm as part of a community service requirement. Then, after attending college and working as a firefighter/EMT, he was drawn back to agriculture. In 2007 he joined Turner Farm as an assistant. Now, drawing on his many years of experience and knowledge, Dave maintains our 230-acre property and manages our workshop, including the upkeep of the tools and equipment used to farm our land by both draft horse and tractor.
Rachel Hampton
Horse Program Manager
I started farming with my husband in 2014 on my family farm Hampton Ridge Farm in Glencoe Kentucky. Our focus was on direct marketing grass fed beef and pastured pork. We got turned onto heritage breeds and a big part of our mission was to work on breed conservation.
I was offered the opportunity to serve on the board for the Gloucestershire Old Spots of America which is an association serving GOS breeders across the country. I’ve volunteered with them for about 5 years now and am currently serving as the treasurer.
I graduated in May with a degree in Sustainable Agriculture with a minor in Draft Animal Power Systems from the Wendell Berry Farming Program of Sterling College. I’m very passionate about draft power, I think it’s a very underutilized resource even in sustainable or regenerative circles.
Peter Huttinger
Director of the Community Gardens
A vegetable gardener for over 40 years, Peter is also an experienced community organizer passionate about healthy food access. He coordinated the Civic Garden Center’s Community Garden Program from 2007 to 2014, and he previously worked as the Garden Manager of The Gardens at Village Green, and as a land overseer at Homeadow Song Farm. He is a graduate of Sunbridge College’s Administration & Community Development Program.
Peter joined Turner Farm in 2014 to oversee the Turner Farm Community Garden Program. The Turner Farm Community Garden Program is committed to building connections between people and the land that feeds and sustains us. Through collaborative gardening methods - and innovative urban land use - we work towards growing strong communities, a culture of generosity, and a connection to agriculture through regenerative biological horticultural practices, cooperative work, experiential learning, and civic engagement.
Kristiana Derr
Community Gardens Program Manager
Kristiana’s journey into the world of organic growing began nearly a decade ago when, as a young mother, she started volunteering in the Price Hill Community Garden. At the time, Kristiana was searching for a way to provide her daughters with locally grown, organic foods - something that often felt out of reach. She was deeply inspired by the impact the garden had on the community and made a lasting connection to the land and its offerings, sparking a love for growing that would shape her future.
Since then, Kristiana has worked with several local community gardens and farms throughout the tri-state area and continues to cultivate her own homestead. In the spring of 2024, she completed the Livestock and Pastures Internship at Turner Farm. This experience deepened her knowledge of animal husbandry and farm management and further enriched her understanding of holistic farming practices. Today, Kristiana serves as the Community Garden Program Manager at Turner Farm, where she combines her passion for regenerative agriculture with her commitment to community-building and healthy food access.