Staff Directory

Heidi (Dittmer) Ackerman joined PFI in January 2025 as the farm systems viability manager. She supports the team that delivers technical and financial support to farmers who want to diversify their farms.

Alexandria Atal joined the PFI team in November 2024 as the senior grants finance coordinator. In this role, she facilitates grant finance processes along with analyzing data for grant spending.

Katie Aupperle joined PFI in October 2023 as the conference and events coordinator. She supports planning both internal and external PFI events and ensures all company events are successfully carried out.

Megan Bark joined PFI in May of 2023 as the senior cost-share administrative coordinator. Her work focuses on managing back-end process and gathering information for PFI's field crop cost-share programs.

Debra Boekholder joined PFI in March 2017 and currently serves as the senior office assistant. Her work includes membership activities such as recruitment, engagement, fundraising, and event and program staff support.

Alisha Bower is PFI's operations director. In this role she provides leadership on human resources, grant planning and management, office and administrative management and organization-wide performance.

Kaitlin Little joined the PFI staff in January 2025 as the senior data and member engagement assistant. She helps with data management for grant reporting and administering the member engagement program.

Rachel Burke joined the PFI staff in March 2023 and is the senior beginning farmer engagement coordinator. Previously, she served PFI through Green Iowa AmeriCorps, starting her service term in September 2022.

Sarah Carlson is PFI's senior programs and member engagement director. She has helped develop programs that support rural businesses, including the Cover Crop Business Accelerator program.

Steve Carlson joined the PFI staff in December 2014 and currently serves as the membership manager. His primary responsibilities include managing PFI's membership, unrestricted fundraising and office projects.