Board of Directors

Lariza Garzon – Past President

Lariza Garzon was born in Bogota, Colombia, where she lived until the age of 18. She has been working with farmworkers since 2004, when she was a student at Stetson University. She is currently the NC and Mid-South Director of the Hispanic Federation, after recently serving as Executive Director at the Episcopal Farmworker Ministry. Lariza is passionate about social and environmental justice. She believes that workers’ rights, public health, racial equity, and environmental sustainability are interconnected. She supports grassroots movements that address the intersectionality of these issues. Lariza believes that the well being of humans and the environment is priceless. This is why she is a proud member of Toxic Free NC’s Board of Directors. Lariza lives in Raleigh, NC, with her partner and her dog, Maxi.

Derrick Jackson – Co-President

Derrick Jackson is a regenerative farmer based in Durham County. He previously served with the US Army, Special Operations, for 14 years. He now farms full time and is the CEO of Grass Grazed Farms. Grass Grazed is a pasture-based regenerative farm, focusing on soil health and sustainable farming practices. The farm raises pork, chicken and cattle. They strive to offer transparency, from farm to table, for all of their customers. Derrick is an avid reader (biographies top his list) and coffee connoisseur. In his free time, he enjoys bike riding and spending time with his wife, Paige, and their 5 children.

Rachel Ware – Past President

Rachel Ware is a communications strategist at Mission Partners, a woman-owned B-corp and social impact agency. Rachel brings her background in North Carolina media relations and environmental justice organizing to the Toxic Free NC board. Previously, she led the state media strategy to amplify the youth vote in the 2020 elections as NextGen America’s North Carolina press secretary, and she campaigned for forest protection and climate justice across the US South with Dogwood Alliance. Rachel got her start as an environmental activist while at Duke University, where she earned a BA in Public Policy Studies, advocating for sustainable food procurement on campus and for divestment from fossil fuels. Rachel lives in Durham with her partner and their two cats — say hi if you see her on the Ellerbee Creek trail!

Demarcus Andrews – Co-President

Demarcus Andrews is the NC Policy and Outreach Associate for the Center for Responsible Lending. In this role, he focuses on predatory debt practices and student loan debt. Prior to joining CRL, Demarcus served as the Policy Advocate at Toxic Free NC, where he supported and led coalitions and engaged members of the General Assembly. Demarcus graduated with a B.A degree in Political Science from Gardner-Webb University. He also received a Master’s in Public Policy from the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University. In his spare time, Demarcus enjoys spending time with his beautiful daughters (Covington and Cobi), fishing, and jogging for exercise.

Tamekia Brandon – Treasurer

Tamekia Brandon is a dedicated leader from Durham, NC who enjoys creating, and improving upon systems that support bold vision. She is a foodie who is passionate about creating the space and support needed for everyone to thrive. Those closest to her would also say that she is strong, resilient, wise and even a little funny – easily mimicking her nieces’ endearing qualities. Tamekia works with the Center for Environmental Farming Systems, has a dual Masters in Organizational Change and Leadership Development and Business Administration, and is a member of the Women of Color Farmers Network. She dreams of providing life-giving opportunities for others and believes that the process of regenerative farming has much to teach us about living life well and is working on establishing a family farm.

Fronsy Thurman

For over a decade, Fronsy designed and implemented climate education and advocacy programs for environmental organizations in New York City. A lifelong activist, she has worked on both electoral and issue-based campaigns around racial equity, housing, immigration, and environmental justice. Fronsy received her Master’s in Sustainable Development from SIT Graduate Institute, where her research focused on climate justice and policy. She is currently the Director of Development at Rights & Democracy, a multi-issue non-profit based in Vermont. Fronsy lives in Durham with her son and can usually be found either out on the trail or planning her next big hike.

Brandon Christian

Brandon Christian is a Durham NC native. Over the past eight years he has been a beauty entrepreneur as the founder and CEO of Pore People, an ultra-pure farm-to-face clinical multicultural skincare line. With a background in fashion design, art history, spa management and all-natural skincare formulation, Brandon is passionate about creating toxic-free and sustainable products. His goal is to grow a community that adopts a resource-based economy. Beyond business, Brandon is a big foodie and loves to shop and travel.

Tiffany Williams-Brooks

Tiffany Williams-Brooks graduated from Winston-Salem State University with her BS in clinical laboratory science. She earned her Master’s of Public Health degree from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Tiffany is a project manager at Gramercy Research Group where she coordinates and manages multiple projects including the largest chronic disease prevention research study ever conducted that focuses on African-American men. Tiffany began beekeeping as a hobby and became a certified beekeeper with the North Carolina State Beekeepers Association in 2018. With the support of her husband, Derek, this hobby progressed into an entrepreneurial venture known as Miss Humble B’s Hive, LLC. She maintains beehives, processes and sells honey, and educates youth and families about beekeeping with experiential learning opportunities.  Tiffany enjoys cooking, spending time with family and friends, and riding her motorcycle.