The Team
Behind every harvest is a team of passionate women, mentors, and community leaders dedicated to creating opportunities through agriculture, education, and entrepreneurship. Together, we cultivate growth, inspire confidence, and empower stronger futures for women and their families.
Meet The team
Advisory Board
Kenan Hill
Kenan is the Program Coordinator for the Northern Colorado Foodshed Project's Farm Business Accelerator program, the site of the HWFP's Flores Del Sol pilot proyectito
Karla Melgar Velis
She is the Small Acreage Management Specialist in the Front Range of Colorado working for CSU Extension. She specializes in sustainable grazing and dryland farm sustainability. She has a background in environmental management and sustainable agriculture.
Alma Vigo-Morales
Alma recently retired from leadership roles focused on organizational excellence in the private sector. She is currently serving Fort Collins in a volunteer capacity to help increase a sense of belonging and safety for all in our community.
Christie Schmid
Christie is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over two decades of experience working with survivors of trauma, war, and forced migration, currently with the IRC. Christie also lives on a small farm in Northwest Fort Collins, where she enjoys getting her hands dirty and partnering with the Women's Farming Proyecto.
Jessica Callen
Jess started her position as the Ag and Natural Resource Specialist for Larimer County in August 2023. She has a masters in Soil and Crop Science from Colorado State University. In her current role she focuses on addressing the challenges of local producers by working with CSU, the county, and local organizations to create events and resources.
Maria Teresa Gonzalez
Maria is a community activist working as a volunteer with ISAAC (Interfaith Solidarity and Accompaniment Coalition) and Fuerza Latina. She is one of the founders of La Fondita Latina, a worker-owned cooperative that is a model for creating jobs and opportunities for immigrants in our community.
MaryLou Smith
MaryLou founded Hispanic Women's Farming Proyecto in 2020 after 32 years at Aqua Engineering and ten years at CSU's Colorado Water Center . She chairs the Immigration Justice Team at Foothills Unitarian in Fort Collins.
MaryLou Smith
Founder
Founded by MaryLou Smith, the Hispanic Women’s Farming Proyecto began on farmland west of Windsor, Colorado, where land and water resources were dedicated to growing fresh vegetables while creating life-changing opportunities for women across Northern Colorado.
MaryLou launched the Proyecto in 2020 after a distinguished professional career spanning more than four decades. She spent 32 years at Aqua Engineering and an additional ten years with Colorado Water Center at Colorado State University, where her work reflected a longstanding commitment to stewardship, sustainability, and community service.
Driven by a belief that access to land, knowledge, and opportunity can transform lives, MaryLou created the Proyecto to support immigrant and Hispanic women in developing agricultural, leadership, and entrepreneurial skills through hands-on farming and mentorship.
In addition to her leadership of the Proyecto, MaryLou serves as Chair of the Immigration Justice Team at Foothills Unitarian Church, continuing her dedication to building a more just, inclusive, and compassionate community.
Program Director
Daysi Sweaney
As Program Director of the Hispanic Women’s Farming Proyecto, Daysi Sweaney leads the vision, strategy, and day-to-day implementation of the program. She brings extensive leadership experience across food systems policy, program development, stakeholder engagement, and community-based implementation, with a strong track record of advancing equitable food access and supporting local farmers.
Her work has focused on building innovative programs, strengthening partnerships, and creating pathways for historically underserved communities to thrive within local food systems. At the Proyecto, Daysi works closely with participants to ensure they have the tools, training, and opportunities needed to grow and sell their produce.
She is deeply committed to helping women build confidence, develop leadership skills, and succeed as farmers, entrepreneurs, and community leaders
