Our Team
Aishwarya Kancharla
Sandy Loam Administrator & Ranch Co-Manager
Aishwarya realized early on that her career would be devoted to working with families and building sustainable communities. After gaining experience in education, health and environmental sustainability, she saw endless and exciting possibilities in merging these interests. This is how Sandy Loam was born! She is proud to be a part of the Cotati community, a welcoming and diverse place that she loves calling home. Aishwarya has a B.A. in Journalism & Mass Communications from New York University and a J.D. from UC Law SF (formerly UC Hastings College of the Law), and is pursuing continuing education in environmental planning and spatial data science.
Francisca Lizotte
Enrichment Specialist
Francisca is an avid yoga and Reiki practitioner, California Naturalist, hiking guide, and herbalist who brings together outdoor education, mindful movement, and healing practices. Her community-focused practice includes partnerships with local nonprofits, yoga hikes, and specialized programs in schools, summer camps, private settings, and corporate environments. She holds a Philosophy degree from Cal Poly, SLO, and trained in Hatha yoga, with over 5,000 hours teaching diverse yoga styles including Restorative, Chair, Gentle, Prenatal, Vinyasa, and Kids/Family yoga.
Gabe Smith
Environmental Educator & Program Coordinator
Gabe has been a dedicated to environmental education since graduating high school. He has worn many hats as an educator, including coordinating with classrooms around Santa Rosa through the School Garden Network, teaching wildlife conservation at the Oakland Zoo, and as a Summer Camp Director at various camps in California. Most recently he has served as Garden Educator / Specialist with Napa County Office of Education’s COOL School program in Santa Rosa, maintaining the school gardens at Meadowview & Bellevue Elementaries and providing lessons throughout the school day. He looks forward to bringing this wealth experience to the Cotati community!
Danielle Oland
Farm to Table Curriculum Specialist
Danielle creates and implements a hands-on farm to table curriculum for our youngest learners. She loves watching children discover the world, ask questions, gain independence, learn empathy, respect and confidence. She has been an early childhood educator since 2003, specializing in the Montessori Method since 2006 with a credential at the Early Childhood (Primary) level. She moved from her hometown of Pacifica to Sonoma County in 1999 to attend Sonoma State, receiving a B.A. in Psychology. She loves our relaxed natural community, and brings that feeling of warmth into her classroom and homelife. Danielle lives with her husband and two daughters, and finds peace being outside with trees, nature and sunshine.
Tomi Laine Henry
Veronda-Falletti Ranch Co-Manager and Livestock Manager
Farmer Tomi cares for the farm's animals and stewards its agricultural and grazing areas. As a descendent of America’s first pioneers, Tomi has an innate thirst for frontiers of all kinds. Growing up in an industrial farming family, Tomi found herself wondering if there was a better way of doing things, and she hasn’t stopped wondering. Tomi’s version of modern homesteading is forward-thinking, tech-savvy and designed for both quality of life and efficiency in production. She began homesteading in 2013 and earned an A.S. in Sustainable Agriculture from SRJC in 2023.
