At the 2026 Maine Farmland Trust Annual Meeting, MFT members will vote on this year’s slate of candidates for MFT Board of Directors, as well as proposed bylaw changes. Below, learn about the new board members' backgrounds, and review the proposed changes to the bylaws.
Candidate for Election: 2026-2029
Kate Bowditch is the retired President of Greenbelt, the land trust for Essex County, Massachusetts, where she served from 2018 to 2024. During her tenure, she led the successful conservation of thousands of acres of land, including some of the county's most iconic and productive farmland. Kate expanded the organization's work and reach, deepened relationships with a range of diverse stakeholders, and directed fundraising efforts that expanded the organization’s capacity.
A hydrologist by training, Kate previously worked for more than two decades at the Charles River Watershed Association, where she helped transform the Charles River into the cleanest urban river in the country. She also served as board member of the Brookline Conservation Commission, including as Board Chair.
Kate earned her undergraduate degree from Cornell University and a Master of Arts from Boston University. Formerly a resident of Beverly, Mass., she now lives in Boothbay.
Photo credit Jerry Monkman/ecophotography.com
Candidate for Election: 2026-2029
James Mallar is the Founder and Chief Investment Officer of Anthrofix, a privately held investment firm designed to drive investments in companies supporting social and environmental impacts. He leads strategy and investments in venture capital, private real assets, and growth companies, plus advises a multi-generational private investment fund in collaboration with Fiduciary Trust International, working with portfolio managers, analysts, and family members to design multi-asset investment strategies that seek market-beating returns with positive impact.
James is a former Executive Director and board member at the Chebeague and Cumberland Land Trust and cites Maine’s environment and outdoor appeal as a top reason he and his family returned to the state in recent years. They now reside in Cumberland. James grew up in the Bangor area tending his family's organic garden, and every summer during harvest time worked at his family's wild blueberry farm in Downeast Maine, a tradition he continues today with his kids.
James holds degrees in public policy from the University of Maine and Syracuse University and has worked as an aide to a U.S. Senator, an analyst at the Central Intelligence Agency, and an advisor in the White House during the Obama Administration.
Candidate for Re-Election: 2026-2027
As co-owner/operator of New Leaf Farm in Durham, Dave was an early advocate for local and organic foods. For over thirty years Dave and his family produced vegetables and herbs for natural food stores and restaurants, marketing their Certified Organic products since 1985. Dave has a BA in Agriculture and has presented at numerous farm conferences over the years as well as being a featured farm in the Northeast Organic Network (NeON). The Colson family has hosted dozens of farm apprentices, many of who have gone on to start their own organic farm operations in Maine.
In 2011, Dave took a position with the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) as the Director of Agricultural Services, Dave worked along with the MOFGA Ag Services Staff to provide assistance in production, marketing, business planning and food safety challenges to farmers and processors. Dave retired from his position at MOFGA in 2020. Dave has served on Maine Farmland Trust's Board of Directors since 2017, becoming Vice Chair in 2020 and Board Chair in 2023.
Below is a summary of the proposed changes to the Maine Farmland Trust bylaws, which are rules that dictate how the organization must be governed. Any member of Maine Farmland Trust can cast a vote for or against the proposed changes at Maine Farmland Trust's Annual Meeting, and the changes will be adopted with a two-thirds vote of the members present at the meeting.
Summary of proposed changes:
Transitioning Maine Farmland Trust from a member-governed organization to a Board-governed public benefit organization, while preserving MFT’s commitment to community engagement and supporter participation. (Articles 3.1, 4.2, and 4.4, with further technical changes reflected in Articles 5.6, 6.1, 8, 9.2, and 11)
Clarifying MFT’s Board of Directors Officer roles, elections, and terminology; ensuring compliance with Maine nonprofit corporation law; and adding/updating governance provisions to reflect current nonprofit best practices. (Articles 2.3, 4.1-4.5,4.10, 4.14, 4.17, 5.1, 5.3-5.7, 5.11, 10, 13)
For full text of Maine Farmland Trust's bylaws, including the proposed changes, click the button below. Please contact Heather Feamster, hfeamster@mainefarmlandtrust.org with any questions.
