The Meeting House Farm Team
Emily Springer
Owner & Founder
Farm & Apothecary Manager
Emily Springer is the founder of Meeting House Farm and Infusion Herb Co; our sister company and artisan apothecary. She comes from a farming family, has a rich background in plants and a wealth of knowledge when it comes to Herbalism, organic planting, biodynamic farm & garden management, apothecary systems and Women's health. Not only that, she has years of corporate financial training, a mind for organization and a knack for building community. Through the collaborative, her mission is to connect local herb growers in the Northeast, supporting these small farms, gardens, orchards and greenhouses through community and cooperation, and give people more access to locally grown herbs and herbal medicine. She aims to share the wisdom of the plants through herbal education, tips and explanations and often teaches classes, workshops and gives lectures in the area.
Abbie McGilvery
Communications Director
Abbie lives in North Waterboro, Maine on a property filled with nine raised bed gardens, high bush blueberry bushes, and peach and apple trees. She joined Meeting House Farm in 2022 through the Many Hands work trade program and later completed a Seed to Soul apprenticeship focused on ashwagandha. Although she always loved gardening, it was the hands-on work of tending soil, harvesting roots, and witnessing the full journey from seed to apothecary that sparked her deep devotion to herbalism. Abbie says that experience changed how she sees growing, health, and her relationship with the natural world.
Today Abbie supports Meeting House Farm as our Communications Director. She loves watching the herbal marketplace expand as more farmers join our network and appreciates the constant opportunities to learn more about the plants and the business of running an herb farm.
Her favorite plant allies right now are Raspberry Leaf and Chamomile, two herbs she turns to for their calming nature and their ability to support whole body wellness.
When Abbie is not at the farm she is gardening, reading (usually about herbs!), cooking, or spending time with her partner, Marc, and her two sons.
Sammi Altznauer
Farm Collaborative Manager & Farm Manager
Growing up gardening alongside her grandmother, Sammi developed a deep appreciation for the earth and all living things. Currently, her favorite plant ally is lemon balm, because of its calming effects on her the nervous system and its fresh, citrus-like scent. “I leave every harvest smelling like a lemon grove!”
Sammi joined the Meeting House Farm team in the Spring of 2024 to assist farms in our Herb Growers Collaborative, and expand our roots to herb growers across the US.
Outside of her role at Meeting House Farm, Sammi lives in Portland, ME, where she enjoys hiking, studying permaculture, identifying native plants, and appreciating the details of the day-to-day.
Franco Varga
Administrative Assistant & Customer Service Advocate
Franco joined the Meeting House Farm team in the summer of 2024. Born in Argentina, and is currently studying Law.
Thanks to his mother and great-grandmother, Franco has been gardening since he was a child. He grew up in a house with a large garden, where he enjoyed gardening and cultivating various plants. He prefers fruit trees and vegetables, but his favorite plant has always been jasmine, whose scent fills the mornings with a sense of tranquility and beauty. In addition to jasmine, Franco has a special fascination with butterflyweed, a symbol of the ephemeral beauty of nature that he always loved.
His love for nature has become an integral part of his life, complementing his academic dedication and his desire to contribute to the well-being and sustainability of the environment.
Melanie Greatorex-Way
Collaborative Coordinator
Melanie has lived year-round on Monhegan Island, Maine, for the past decade. She was first introduced to Meeting House Farm through Emily, whom she met and befriended on the island. After many years working as a community organizer, Melanie moved back to Maine and began working at an organic farm. Since then, her passion for organically growing vegetables, flowers, and herbs has continued to grow.
Melanie first connected with MHF as a regular customer, purchasing herbs, teas, and infused oils. From the beginning, MHF inspired her to learn more about herbs, how to grow them, and how to incorporate them into daily life for herself and her family.
With Meeting House Collaborative, Melanie is most excited about building community among the farmers involved in the organization. She hopes to help create opportunities for farmers to share their struggles and successes, learn from one another, and offer mutual support.
Her favorite plant ally is tulsi, also known as holy basil. Melanie began growing it in her herb garden a few years ago and has since developed a deep connection to the plant. She drinks tulsi tea almost daily throughout the summer, appreciating its hydrating and calming qualities.
Outside of work, Melanie enjoys growing flowers, herbs, and vegetables, which she sells throughout the summer season on Monhegan. When the season comes to an end, she loves sharing her harvest with friends and family. She also treasures time spent with her husband and their two children, ages seven and nine. Together, they enjoy hiking, swimming, skiing, sledding, ice skating, and exploring the island. A voracious reader, Melanie can often be found with her head in a book whenever she has a spare moment.
Christopher Glick
Farm Outreach
Christopher Glick grew up in the farming community of Modesto, California. His path to Eddington, Maine ran through Austin, Texas and Oak Harbor, Washington. After nearly a decade of studying and practicing permaculture and regenerative techniques on his own homestead, he was ready to break free of corporate America. The opening at Meeting House Farm came at the right moment. In 2025, he and his wife bought a retail greenhouse and nursery, and Meeting House Collaborative's mission fit his own efforts to promote regenerative practices for the Earth’s benefit.
Christopher knows what holds growers back. “The biggest barrier I’ve heard directly from growers is distribution,” he says. Growers who aren’t scaled for massive distribution get overlooked, and Meeting House Collaborative gets around that problem by giving them a dedicated channel full of paying customers, large and small.
His favorite plant is comfrey, and every plant guild on his property includes it. He grows Bocking 14, which he can plant freely without worrying about spread. It supplies green material for compost teas and for the green mulch he uses on all his overwintering beds, and its flowers feed pollinators.
Outside of work, Christopher is busy growing his nursery business and planning for next season. At home, he and his wife are raising two daughters, ages 9 and 6, who are raised by Mother Nature as much as by their parents.