Who We Are
The mission of TomKat Ranch Educational Foundation (TKREF) is to provide healthy food on working lands in a way that regenerates the planet and inspires others to action. Our base of operations is TomKat Ranch, an 1800-acre grassfed cattle ranch in the San Francisco Bay Area. Our team of ranchers, scientists, and advocates look to nature to guide our landscape management in support of our values.
Photo Credit: William Milliot
The mission of TomKat Ranch Educational Foundation (TKREF) is to provide healthy food on working lands in a way that regenerates the planet and inspires others to action. Our base of operations is TomKat Ranch, an 1800-acre grassfed cattle ranch in the San Francisco Bay Area. Our team of ranchers, scientists, and advocates look to nature to guide our landscape management in support of our values.
Our goal is to transform five million acres to regenerative land management and eaters to regeneratively grown food.
Ranch History
Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, I was enamored with wild places, but especially the South Coast. As a fourth grader, I was treated to a field trip to Sam McDonald County Park. There I learned that a humble man, the son of slaves and the beloved superintendent of athletic grounds and buildings at Stanford University, had quietly saved 430 acres on the upslope of the coastal range populated by live oak, Douglas fir, and redwood forest ecosystems. Sam bequeathed all of his lands to the school children of San Mateo County so they would forever have a place in the wilds to visit. I was one of those kids. It never stopped affecting me that someone could leave such a legacy. Less than 20 years after Sam’s passing, others inspired by this generosity dedicated additional land to grow Sam McDonald County Park to 867 acres.
Years later, when I first walked onto the lands of TomKat Ranch, I realized I was having my “Sam McDonald moment.” The ranch was perfectly suited to bridge the growing, destructive, and unnecessary divides between rural and urban, tech and agriculture, and conservation and ranching communities in our society.
Tom Steyer and I started TomKat Ranch because I was inspired by my childhood experience and driven by our passion for environmental stewardship and support for rural communities. With the pickle we are in in the world today, the lands that make up TomKat Ranch will remain working lands—a learning laboratory where we can recall and learn how to cultivate food that truly nourishes, builds community, and restores our planetary health. We can find a way forward that respects the biodiversity of our commons, protects essential water resources, re-sequesters the excess carbon we have burdened our air and oceans with, and restores economic resiliency to rural populations who are among the stewards of the land.
I continue to celebrate how much I’ve learned from the work of the ranch and how it has taught me that agriculture is a seminal lever for achieving our shared goals of equity, human health, environmental sustainability, and biodiversity. Collaborations at the local, state, and national level have been instrumental to the success of TomKat Ranch, and we continue to extend that work through TomKat Ranch Educational Foundation. I hope you’ll join me in this continuing journey in the wilds…
Kat Taylor
Founder of TomKat Ranch
Our Founder
Kat Taylor, Founder of TomKat Ranch and TomKat Ranch Educational Foundation (TKREF). Kat Taylor works in service of restoring social, racial, gender justice, and environmental well-being for an equitable and inclusive world. She is active in a variety of social enterprises and philanthropic ventures focused on deep systems change.
Currently, Kat serves as the Co-Founder and Board Chair of Beneficial State Bank, a Community Development Financial Institution and certified B Corporation that makes banking more accessible to under-resourced communities in an economically and environmentally sustainable manner – and to change the banking system for good. The bank is wholly owned by nonprofits with the mandate to redistribute excess funds to the Bank’s communities.
As Founding Director of TKREF, Kat is dedicated to inspiring a sustainable food system through regenerative ranching, training, tours, research, and school food and garden programs. TKREF owns the social enterprise LeftCoast GrassFed, humanely raising cattle and other livestock for the benefit of healthy soils.
Kat is also the Co-Founder of TomKat MeDiA, which is committed to uplifting emerging and unheard storytellers who entertain, inspire through action campaigns, and transform society for the common good.
Kat proudly served or continues to serve on the following boards and advisory bodies: Beneficial State Bank, Beneficial State Foundation, Central Kitchen Advisory Board (co-Chair) for the Oakland Unified School District, Community Development Bankers Association, Center for Rural Enterprise and Environmental Justice, Ecotrust, Evrnu, Forager, Good Samaritan Family Resource Center, Harvard Board of Overseer, KQED, NextGen Policy (Board Chair), Propublica, TKREF (Chair), UC Davis Agricultural Sustainability Institute External Advisory Board, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, and many more.
She graduated from Harvard College and earned a JD/MBA from Stanford University.
See the article about Kat Taylor in
Kat Taylor works in service of restoring social, racial, gender justice, and environmental well-being for an equitable and inclusive world. She is active in a variety of social enterprises and philanthropic ventures focused on deep systems change.
Currently, Kat serves as the Co-Founder and Board Chair of Beneficial State Bank, a Community Development Financial Institution and certified B Corporation that makes banking more accessible to under-resourced communities in an economically and environmentally sustainable manner – and to change the banking system for good. The bank is wholly owned by nonprofits with the mandate to redistribute excess funds to the Bank’s communities.
Kat is also a Founding Director of TomKat Ranch Educational Foundation (TKREF), which is dedicated to inspiring a sustainable food system through regenerative ranching, training, tours, research, and school food and garden programs. TKREF owns the social enterprise LeftCoast GrassFed, humanely raising cattle and other livestock for the benefit of healthy soils.
Kat is also the Co-Founder of TomKat MeDiA, which is committed to uplifting emerging and unheard storytellers who entertain, inspire through action campaigns, and transform society for the common good.
Kat proudly served or continues to serve on the following boards and advisory bodies: Beneficial State Bank, Beneficial State Foundation, Central Kitchen Advisory Board (co-Chair) for the Oakland Unified School District, Community Development Bankers Association, Center for Rural Enterprise and Environmental Justice, Ecotrust, Evrnu, Forager, Good Samaritan Family Resource Center, Harvard Board of Overseer, KQED, NextGen Policy (Board Chair), Propublica, TomKat Ranch Educational Foundation (Chair), UC Davis Agricultural Sustainability Institute External Advisory Board, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, and many more.
She graduated from Harvard College and earned a JD/MBA from Stanford University.
See the article about Kat Taylor in
Our Team
Annie
Fresquez
Director of Visitor Experience
Annie Fresquez
Team: Gathering for Action
Annie has spent 20 years at TomKat Ranch as the Gathering for Action Program Director. During this time, she has hosted hundreds of events and helped the Ranch build a vast network of ranchers, landowners, scientists, policymakers, legislators, climate philanthropists, and Ag technology professionals. The Gathering for Action Program supports the global adoption of regenerative ranching through education, thought leadership, collaboration, and sharing best practices.
Bella
Newcomb
Gathering for Action Associate
Bella Newcomb
Team: Gathering for Action
Bella joined the Gathering for Action Team in 2024 with degrees in Environmental Science and Communication, and experience on an event planning and production team in Woodside, CA. She now works at TomKat creating community-centered gatherings on a resilient landscape.
Bill
Milliot
Communications &
Visual Media Coordinator
William (Bill) Milliot
Team: Communications / Fork to Farm
Bill has a professional background in photography and graphic design. He joined TomKat Ranch to help develop the brand for LeftCoast GrassFed. In 2011, he transitioned to a full-time position with the expanding TomKat Ranch Educational Foundation to help promote their regenerative vision. Currently, he is part of the communications team, where he administers websites, manages social media accounts, creates visual media, and provides IT support to the staff.
Cade
Duncan
Ranch Hand
Cade Duncan
Team: Facilities
Cade grew up in Half Moon Bay and is closely connected to the San Mateo Coastside community. He’s training to become a firefighter and is passionate about how grazing and land management build fire-resilient communities. He helps care for horses and maintain the land at TomKat Ranch. On his days off, he enjoys fishing at Redondo Beach in Half Moon Bay.
Dago
Hernandez
Carpenter
Dakota
Glueck
Cattle Coordinator
Dakota Glueck
Team: Land and Livestock – Cattle
Dakota ranched in Southern California, Oregon, Tennessee and Colorado before coming to TomKat Ranch to work as Cattle Coordinator. He loves nothing more than being on the land with livestock, working to heal ecosystems and soil. Dakota believes regenerative agriculture is key for the health of rural communities, land-based businesses, ecosystems and the planet.
Dinorah
Gudino
Guest Services
Maintenance
Erin Wirpsa
Eisenberg
Boardmember
Hayley
Strohm
Regenerative Science Coordinator
Hayley Strohm
Team: Land and Livestock – Science
Hayley grew up down the road from TomKat Ranch and has spent her life and career embedded in the Pescadero and San Mateo County coastal landscapes and foodshed. Hayley gets the most joy from nourishing local communities and ecologies. Her work currently focuses on informing livestock management through ecological observations and monitoring.
Jessica
Hartzell
Director of Operations
Jessica Hartzell
Team: Operations / Communications
As Director of Operations, Jessica combines her legal background with a passion for open landscapes and watershed health. Her expertise in strategy and legislative affairs supports TomKat Ranch’s regenerative agriculture initiatives. She also serves as a planning commissioner in Monterey County.
Jim
Camozzi
Building & Facilities Manager
Jim
Claitor
Equine Manager
Jose Guzman
Rodrigez
Ranch Hand
Jose Guzman Rodriguez
Team: Facilities
With a background in conventional orchards, trucking, and labor contracting, Jose joined TomKat Ranch in 2008, drawn by a curiosity about organic ranching and the newly emerging Educational Foundation. Over the years, he’s taken on many roles, but for the past 12 years, he’s focused on caring for the horses—work he truly enjoys.
Kathy
Webster
Food Advocacy Manager
Kathy Webster
Team: Fork to Farm
After a career in hi-tech, Kathy studied holistic nutrition, exploring food systems from soil to plate. In 2007, while working with a veterinarian, she joined TomKat Ranch to help with horses and launch LeftCoast Grassfed. Now focused on regenerative food systems, Kathy enjoys working with ranchers and connecting eaters to their food sources.
Kim
Kitchener
Small Ruminant Assistant
Kim Kitchener
Team: Land and Livestock – Small Ruminants
Kim moved to Pescadero in 2018 to grow flowers, then started working on local poultry and livestock farms and fell in love with producing pasture-raised meat. Her passion for land stewardship deepened after witnessing the CZU fire’s impact on the landscape and community. The experience highlighted the importance of grazing for land management and fuel reduction, and she set out to learn shepherding and regenerative grazing.
Mark
Biaggi
Ranch Manager
Mark Biaggi
Team: Land and Livestock
Mark gained his agricultural foundation on a grass-based dairy farm before earning a degree in Agricultural Science and Management at UC Davis. His career includes Peace Corps service and managing farms ranging from corporate operations to his own regenerative livestock enterprise. With this diverse background, Mark became TomKat Ranch’s Ranch Manager in 2017.
Mukethe
Kawinzi
Small Ruminant Assistant
Mukethe Kawinzi
Team: Land and Livestock – Small Ruminants
After extensive work in healthy food access, Mukethe transitioned to agriculture in late 2019. Early experiences on goat dairies sparked her interest in small ruminants and regenerative land stewardship. She is drawn to the restorative power of management-intensive frameworks, views grazing as iterative and intentional, and finds inspiration in work that nourishes soil, plants, animals, and community.
Shannon
Waldron
Cattle Associate
Shannon Waldron
Team: Land and Livestock – Cattle
Shannon Waldron is a shepherdess turned cowgirl who runs with sheep, goats, and cattle as tools to heal and support the land. She sees animals not as disruptors but as steward partners. For her, it’s simple: when land thrives, animals thrive, and so do we. It’s all connected, and we’re all better when we work together.
Stephanie
Pittman
Small Ruminant
Coordinator
Stephanie Pittman
Team: Land and Livestock – Small Ruminants
Stephanie came to TomKat as a sheepherder with a love of working lands and working dogs. She enjoys demonstrating the positive impact ruminants can have on ecosystem health and is excited to cultivate a culture of transhumance along the coast.
Susan
Hadacek
Landscape Coordinator
Susan Hadacek
Team: Facilities
Susan Hadacek’s career in counseling and social work took her around the world, supporting mental health. Inspired by Alaska’s wildlife and Big Sur’s landscapes, she developed a passion for nurturing nature. Now a Master Gardener and Garden Educator at TomKat Ranch, she proudly received a Conservation Award from the Garden Club of America.
Suzane
Rowland
Office Manager
Suzane Rowland
Team: Operations
Amidst a 20-year career as an office manager for a large timber company in the Pacific Northwest, Suzane found herself wanting more growth personally, professionally, and in alignment with her values. When hired by TomKat Ranch, her ‘wanting met opportunity’ as she now applies her creative spirit to its administrative and accounting needs. She enjoys the Regenerative Agriculture world, albeit from behind her computer.
Wendy
Millet
Ranch Director
Wendy Millet
Team: All
Wendy was wrangling horses at a guest ranch in Wyoming when she first dreamed of creating a “ranch school.” Today her work at TomKat Ranch includes developing educational programs and partnerships, writing and speaking about the power and potential of regenerative agriculture and sharing the results we are seeing on the ground to inspire others to action.
Our Town
TomKat Ranch is located in the small town of Pescadero in San Mateo County, California. Pescadero is rich in agricultural history and has attracted residents from a multitude of backgrounds and life experiences. Our region is home to a variety of ecosystems, including redwood forests, coastal prairies, beaches, and wetlands. Pescadero is a perfect place to explore how regenerative agriculture can serve human, domesticated, and wild neighbors.
Photo Credit: Gabrielle Tigan
Careers
We are not accepting applications at this time.
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Contact Information
TomKat Ranch
PO Box 726
Pescadero, CA 94060
USA
Photo Credit: Gabrielle Tigan
Contact Us
Email us.
Contact Information
TomKat Ranch
PO Box 726
Pescadero, CA 94060
USA
Photo Credit: Gabrielle Tigan
Our Certifications
