Rod came to Ithaca after two decades as a food entrepreneur in California where he had multiple restaurants, a brand of packaged foods he manufactured and distributed nationally (Leaf Cuisine), a book (Raw Food for Real People), a DVD and a cooking school. He ran a shared use kitchen in Los Angeles. Previously, Rod worked as a program management officer for the United Nations Development Program in the Middle East. He also owned and taught at his scuba diving centers in the Sinai. 

Experienced – 40-year career as an educator, researcher, advisor, manager, planner, facilitator, and consultant, including with the Cornell Cooperative Extension Tompkins County from 1980 to 2020. She is an agriculture & horticulture issue leader responsible for extension outreach with and in support of the farm community in Tompkins and surrounding counties. Monika is the President of the Friends of the Ithaca Farmers Market.

Serial entrepreneur has founded four start-ups and served as an economic development advisor with the SBDC and IAED for seven years. He specializes in mentoring early-stage ventures and grant-writing. Board member at Sonostics, a biotech company spun out of Binghamton U., and Assistance in Motion, a spin-off from Ithaca College. He recently served as a mentor and judge in Cornell's Digital Ag Hackathon.

A longtime supporter of numerous local non-profits and causes, Jerry Dietz is the founder and retired owner of CSP Management, a firm that manages apartment units in the Ithaca area. The company serves a broad spectrum of the rental population, including students, professionals, and low-income families.

The list of organizations Dietz has held leadership roles with is extensive. It includes the Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce; Tompkins Center for History and Culture; Cancer Resource Center; Temple Beth-El; Hospicare; the annual Taste of the Nation event aimed at ending childhood hunger; and the annual AIDS Ride for Life, which he helped found in 1999 to raise funds for the Southern Tier AIDS Program. To honor his late wife, Judy Schapiro Dietz ’76, in 2013 he opened the Just Be Cause Not-for-Profit Development Center, which provides low-cost rental spaces to local nonprofit businesses.

Serial entrepreneur and strategist with a strong record of launching and mentoring successful ventures. Brings hands-on experience in the culinary and agricultural sectors through Wild Crow Materia, where she is certified to sell wild-foraged mushrooms and has successfully marketed and sold a variety of wild-foraged and value-added products throughout the country and internationally. Skilled in strategic planning, marketing, fundraising, and grant writing, with a focus on building inclusive, sustainable business ecosystems. Driven by a commitment to creating opportunities where they would not otherwise exist, she works to expand access and support for emerging entrepreneurs and local producers.

Kristina Thelen, MPA, is the President and CEO of United Way for Cortland County.  A Tompkins County resident of 17 years, she has been an active Economic Development champion of small business and entrepreneurship as a previous small business owner, Director of Business Development, and Grants Consultant.