Kara Chisholm – Executive Director
Kara came to ACMA in May 2014 with recent banking experience and 15 years of customer service experience. She is originally from Nova Scotia but has spent time in Utah, USA, where she received her degree from Utah State University, the agricultural university in Utah. Prior to this position, Kara held the title of Finance and Program Manager at ACMA; she also has experience with strategic and regulatory planning as well as providing Governance training through ACMA’s Organizational Excellence program.
Marilyn Hutchinson – Finance Manager
Marilyn joined ACMA in June 2023. She brings 20+ years of experience in financial management, board governance and client services to the team. Having worked in the beverage industry, renewable energy sector, and cooperative housing, she is diversified in her knowledge and enjoys the challenges of new undertakings.
Ashley Hauser, P.Ag. – Industry Coordinator
Ashley is a graduate of Dalhousie Faculty of Agriculture, where she majored in animal science. Before joining ACMA in November 2017, she worked with a national farm organization delivering on-farm programming. Ashley has a strong office administration and event coordination background, making her a great fit for the ACMA team.
Amy Higgins – Project Coordinator
Amy grew up and is still involved on her family’s purebred Angus farm in Quispamsis, New Brunswick. Amy joined ACMA in February 2023 after working with the Maritime Beef Council as their sole staff member. Prior to the MBC, Amy spent 13 years in various spots of Agricultural retail with an emphasis on crop inputs and grain/oilseeds production and logistics in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Amy holds a B.Sc (Agr) from the former NSAC, a certificate of Crop Production from the U of S, a B.A from Brandon University and is a Certified Crop Advisor. Amy also has sat on the board of the Maritime Angus Association since 2017 and was a part of the Cattlemen’s Young Leader class of 2019.
Stephanie Tuttle – Program Coordinator
Stephanie grew up and is still involved in her family’s beef farm in Middleboro, Nova Scotia. Before joining ACMA in November of 2022, she spent her summer working at the Cape John Community Pasture. Prior to being our current Program Coordinator and Administrator of the Advance Payment Program, she was the Admin Assistant. Stephanie has on-farm experience, strong organizational skills, and agricultural knowledge.
Zackery Pate – Climate Change Adaptation Coordinator
Assuming the role of Climate Change Adaptation Coordinator in August 2023, Zackery is an alum of Acadia University, majoring in Environmental Sustainability Studies and minoring in Environmental Science. His expertise extends to Environmental Policy Research within the agricultural sectors, where he has made contributions as an Agri-ecosystems Stewardship Project Lead. Zackery also successfully completed the Climate Adaptation Leadership Program training. Zackery was recognized with Acadia’s Environmental Sustainability Award in 2022.