About Us
Modern Farmer is the authoritative resource for today’s cutting-edge food producers and consumers: the farmers, wannabe farmers, chefs, and passionate home cooks who are influencing the way we eat right now. Blending hands-in-dirt service, soulful inspiration, and whip-smart reporting, Modern Farmer understands that a tomato is never just a tomato—it’s also a political, and deeply personal, statement about who we want to be and the world we hope to live in.
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest, and Instagram.
Erin Scottberg
Digital Director
Erin comes to Modern Farmer after a career spanning the gamut of digital publishing: She cut her teeth at Popular Mechanics and Audubon magazines, among others, before moving on as an editor at AOL's Lemondrop.com (RIP), and overseeing editorial and content strategy for an online dating startup. Most recently, she led content marketing at a global agency.
P.S. Erin's called Brooklyn home for more than a decade but she'll never grow out of her rural midwestern roots—each year, she plants a window garden (to varying degrees of success).
Jim Schiekofer
Chief Revenue Officer
Jim Schiekofer has held top revenue and marketing positions at The Weather Channel, Trusted Media Brands, USA TODAY Sports, and Hearst Magazines. Jim has also helped develop and launch several digital video and mobile applications such as We Are The Hits, and Fanbreaks.
P.S. When Jim’s not on a baseball field, basketball court, or football field coaching, you can find him walking the farmers markets in Westchester, NY.
Monica Michael Willis
Contributing Editor
The former features director at Country Living magazine, Monica Michael Willis has contributed to Martha Stewart Living, Real Simple, and Every Day with Rachael Ray, among others. She also works on digital strategy for Time Inc. Content Solutions.
P.S. Monica's community garden is on the roof of a parking garage in New York City. There's a 30-year-old peach tree right in the middle of her plot.
Brian Barth
Writer-at-Large
Brian Barth is a former landscape designer and urban planner, who focused on food production in urban places. In 2013, he traded his digging fork and drafting desk for a pen and has been writing full-time ever since for publications such as Modern Farmer, Pacific Standard, Nautilus, Landscape Architecture Magazine, Horticulture, and Discover.
P.S. Brian tried out "hobby" farming for a few years, but keeps it simple these days, raising vegetables and herbs in his tiny Toronto yard.
Tom Herber
Director of Finance
Tom Herber received his bachelor’s degree from Manhattan College and his MBA from Iona College. He has 30 years of experience in the media industry; before joining Modern Farmer, he worked at Hearst Corporation and TV Guide.
P.S. Tom spends lots of time in the field (and on the court)—as a referee for high-school and semi-pro football, baseball, and basketball games.
Lavender Halsey
Director of Business Operations
Lavender Halsey has worked with the finance and operational departments of young companies, including Imagine Partners, Oasis Spa, Freya Farm, and New Skete.
P.S. Lavender is a 13th-generation farmer. Her family’s Southampton, New York, farm was founded in 1644, and has been certified organic since the 1980s.
Renee Lewin
Senior Director of Marketing
As a media branding and strategy specialist, Renee Lewin has been Associate Publisher/Marketing & Creative Services at magazines ranging from Vanity Fair and Esquire to Good Housekeeping and Self. She was also senior member of the launch teams for five national publications, including USA TODAY.
P.S. Renee finds it ironic to be working on Modern Farmer given her lifelong track record of trying, but failing, to sustain anything green—outdoors or in. (But hope springs eternal!)
Glen Fuenmayor
Creative Director of Marketing
Glen Fuenmayor is a veteran of marketing design in publishing and advertising. As a creative director for the Hearst Men's Group, he developed successful branding campaigns for Car and Driver, Road & Track, and Popular Mechanics magazines. He also has designed for Rolling Stone, Esquire, Country Living, Redbook, O, The Oprah Magazine, and Vanity Fair.
P.S. Glen is a proud investor in Everson Royce, which currently operates one bar/restaurant and two wine retail stores in the Los Angeles area, specializing in small-production wines from all around the world.
