Board Members

Rich Larochelle serves as the Chair of the Rappahannock Education Farm. He is committed to the goals of REF, particularly its mission of growing produce that can help to reduce hunger and improve nutrition in our community. Rich believes that the power of collaboration and cooperation can be transformative for our local community and for our global environment.

As a founding director of the Fredericksburg Food Co-op, Rich has been deeply involved in the essential aspects of helping to make the Co-op a reality for Fredericksburg – from raising funds to recruiting new members to planning events to volunteering at the Farmers Market and representing the Co-op before numerous community groups. He was also part of the team that helped Downtown Greens purchase and preserve 56 acres – the last of its kind – in the City of Fredericksburg.

Rich serves as chair of the Cooperative Development Foundation, a 501 (c ) (3) that supports cooperative development that improves social and economic opportunity. He also serves as a member of the board of the Food Co-op Initiative. During his career, Rich worked for 40 years for co-op organizations, mainly in the utility and finance space. He retired as Senior Vice President of the National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation (CFC). In 2017 Rich was inducted into the Co-op Hall of Fame.

Rich has been an Adjunct instructor on Cooperative Business at the University of Mary Washington (UMW). Rich and his wife, Linda have two sons, including Jeremy who is a professor of Spanish at UMW and David who lives in California and is an IT professional.

Dan was raised in Hampton, Virginia, where he attended Hampton High School. He then enrolled at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, where he earned a B.B.A. degree in Business Management. He continued his education at St. Charles Seminary in Philadelphia, obtaining a Masters of Divinity degree.

Subsequently, he spent almost 15 years in a variety of roles in ministerial and religious settings in northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. before returning closer to his roots to work three years as Director of Education at The Mariners’ Museum in Newport News.

His non-profit career path then led him to the Beaumont, Texas area, where he served as Vice President for Development & Communications with Catholic Charities of Southeast Texas for four years, followed by nearly eight years as CEO of the Southeast Texas Food Bank within the Feeding America network.

Dan moved within the Feeding America network, returning to Virginia to began serving as President/CEO of the Fredericksburg Regional Food Bank in January of 2021.

Candice Armstrong, MSW, PhD is the Executive Director of Virginia Community Food Connections (VCFC). As a social worker for more than 13 years, a devoted educator, and a faithful volunteer, Candice is deeply committed to issues related to poverty and hunger. From grassroots organizing to federal social policy administration, Candice has a diverse history of experience advocating for food and nutrition security on every level.

Candice has been living and working in the Fredericksburg region since 2014 and has been serving as VCFC’s Executive Director since 2021. She is wholeheartedly dedicated to her professional role of advocacy and nonprofit leadership, in addition to her other critically important role as a parent to three wonderful children.

Els van Wingerden and her husband Andrew Craig moved to Fredericksburg in 2003 after living and traveling all over the world. They now live on the beautiful Rappahannock River and love this small but active community.

In March 2023 she was asked to join the Rappahannock Education Farm Board. She comes from a farming family, first in the Netherlands and then the US. She firmly believes that people need access to healthy food and that it’s unacceptable that there’s so much food insecurity in our area.

She hopes to inspire people to volunteer with, donate to, and support our farm, so that we can provide the Fredericksburg Regional Food Bank and food pantries with fresh vegetables and fruits for those who cannot afford it.

Before retiring, she worked primarily for and with multilateral organizations such as the USAID, the World Bank, WHO, UNDP and others with a mission to improve conditions in developing countries. Later, when living in New York, she was involved in educating children who are on the Autism Spectrum; and she was active on the Fredericksburg Walk to End Alzheimer’s Committee for three years. She’s been on the board of the Fredericksburg Food Co-op since 2019.

Matt McBride is a retired mechanical engineer and naval architect having served the Navy submarine community at the Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington, and the Marine Corps acquisition community at the Marine Corps Systems Command in Quantico. Mr. McBride worked in various research, development, systems acquisition, submarine construction and fleet maintenance programs spanning a 38 year career. He holds a B.S. degree in Ocean Engineering from the United States Coast Guard Academy and an M.S. from the University of Connecticut in the same field.

In the community, Mr. McBride was an active volunteer with the Boy Scouts of America, Troop 170 at Fredericksburg United Methodist Church, serving as Assistant Scoutmaster, Committee Member and Eagle Scout coach for over 25 years. He served for a time as an EMT with the Fredericksburg Rescue Squad back in the 1990’s. He is a member of St. Matthias UMC and served there as Council Chair and currently, as President of the United Methodist Men.

Matt is a worship musician and can be found with his guitar leading music and song many Sunday mornings at Micah Street Church. He also plays for functions of the Fredericksburg Emmaus Community, a Christian fellowship organization and serves on their Board of Directors. He has been married to his wife Beth for over 40 years and they have 2 children and 3 grandchildren. Matt enjoys playing music on his guitars, the outdoors, SCUBA in the warm waters of Jamaica, and his workouts at the local YMCA.

Januari Coates is the Owner of Exit Leading Edge Realty and has more than 7 years of real estate experience. Januari and her team of agents are licensed throughout the DMV and positioned to handle the full range of your real estate needs. Her life-long experience working in the DMV gives her a thorough understanding of the local area markets.

Beyond her real estate career, Januari has been in sales her entire adult life. She is known for her ability to work with clients, understand their needs and goals, and to help them achieve their home ownership dreams.

Januari currently acts both as a real estate broker and investor throughout the Greater DMV, and she teaches real estate classes to aspiring agents. She enjoys working with home sellers and buyers, and has a developed expertise in directing challenged credit prospects to the appropriate lending specialist to address their circumstances successfully. She also enjoys working with renters and guiding them onto the path of eventual home ownership.

Januari is a second-generation real estate specialist and your go-to resource for all things Real Estate. So whether your needs involve real estate investing, or purchasing or selling commercial and residential properties of any sort, Januari, and the strong team behind her, can make it happen for you.