Michelle Napier-Dunnings
Executive Director
517-432-0712

Michelle Napier-Dunnings is MIFFS' new Executive Director. In her new role with MIFFS, Michelle will provide visionary leadership to grow the organization’s long-term impact by expanding membership, developing broad support and continuing to ensure programmatic funding. Michelle will work closely with the Council, members, partners and staff to achieve MIFFS’ mission of helping small and medium-sized farms operate profitably, produce healthy food for all people and protect the environment for future generations.

Photo and biography coming soon!

Emily Beutel
Communications Manager
517-432-0712

Emily Beutel began working with MIFFS as an intern in 2004 and is now the MIFFS Communications Specialist.  She graduated from Michigan State University in 2006 with a Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural and Natural Resources Communications and was involved throughout college in numerous clubs, groups and activities focused around agriculture and food systems.

Emily grew up on a family farm in Kalamazoo raising sheep and cattle.  Her passions are for her family, agriculture and writing, so MIFFS communications is a perfect fit for her, blending what she loves to do into one great position for a great organization.  She is excited to help family farmers find better opportunities and keep farming and hopes to one day continue her family tradition and legacy of raising sheep on her own farm.

Morse Brown
Multicultural Farmers Program Manager
269-208-1443

Morse Brown is the project manager for the MIFFS Multicultural Farmers Program.  Morse retired from Michigan State University Extension (MSUE) in 2002 where he spent 17 years as County Extension Director for Wayne County.  Morse has 20 years of federal experience with the Soil Conservation Service, now (USDA NRCS) where he served as a soil conservationist and district conservationist reaching the level of GS-12 District Conservationist.  His professional focus was on agricultural and natural resources with a strong interest in land use planning.   

As County Extension Director, he supervised 50-55 employees in the Wayne County MSUE office.  He has worked with urban consumer groups seeking ethnic foods, he has assisted African American farmers venture into the organic market. Brown also served as the Marketing Chair for Community to Enhance Resources for Under-served Farmers (CERUF).  He graduated from Alcorn State University in 1965 with a degree in Agriculture Education and pursued graduate work at Michigan State University.  He and his wife, Arma, have one son, Khary.

Barbara Norman
Multicultural Farmers Program Assistant
269-208-4588

Barbara Norman is the program assistant for the MIFFS Multicultural Farmers Program. She and her family own and operate a blueberry farm in Covert, Michigan where she annually hosts the Friends and Family Farms Field Day each summer.

She works with multicultural farmers throughout the state of Michigan to improve their network of resources and alert them to great opportunities for sustainable family farmers.

Filiberto Villa
Multicultural Farmers Program Spanish-Speaking Assistant

Filiberto Villa joined the MIFFS team in 2009 as the Multicultural Farmers Program Spanish-Speaking Assistant to reach out to Hispanic farming communities around the state, especially in southwest Michigan. Prior to his work with MIFFS, he spent two years doing outreach with MSU Extension, the MSU Product Center for Agriculture and Natural Resources and the Integrated Pest Management program.

He makes a lot of farm visits to talk about production and marketing with farmers and is helping many of them tap into new markets for their products. He also recruits them for different trainings, workshops and conferences around Southwest Michigan.