Experience
Selected projects and experience
I’ve helped a city plan food-scrap collection, administered state grants, and run a commercial mushroom farm.
Here’s what I did in those roles and where that experience can help on your project.
Technical advisory & applied researchMunicipal systems
Composting & food waste diversion
As a FUSE Executive Fellow with the City of Albuquerque, I helped plan community food-scrap drop-off sites.
The work
A drop-off site needs a collection schedule, a place to take the scraps, and instructions residents can follow.
What that experience helps with
I can review a proposed program and help write a scope that spells out who will handle each part of the work.
Questions worth asking: Who will collect the material? How will contamination be managed? Where will it go? Who will use the finished product? What does the program require from existing staff?
Public programs
Resource recovery, grants & operator education
At the New Mexico Environment Department, I administer Recycling and Illegal Dumping (RAID) grants, coordinate operator certification workshops, help local governments with technical questions, and work on annual reporting.
The work
I’ve helped organize application reviews and awards, tracked grantee work, and explained what operators and grantees need to submit.
What that experience helps with
I can help write a project budget, set up reporting, or spot missing information before an application goes in.
A good budget also needs to account for what happens after the grant runs out.
Commercial cultivation
Mushroom production from culture to market
I started Matt’s Mushroom Farm in Albuquerque. We made our own spawn, grew 200–500 pounds of mushrooms a week, and sold at four farmers markets. I managed a crew of five.
The work
I set up food safety procedures and managed substrate prep, contamination control, harvest schedules, packing, and sales.
What that experience helps with
I can review a grow-room layout, compare equipment, or help figure out where a production schedule is likely to back up.
At market scale, a late harvest or a contaminated batch changes what you can sell that week.
Food systems & enterprise support
Working with small food businesses
I supported food entrepreneurs through Delicious New Mexico at the South Valley Economic Development Center.
That meant helping people figure out what facilities and equipment they needed and where to get help with the next step.
Independent project · In development
Raising black soldier fly larvae
I wanted to see what it takes to raise black soldier fly larvae on a small scale and what kinds of organic materials they might be able to use.
I’ve hatched eggs, raised larvae in bins, and worked with a grow tent, heat, humidity, and ventilation controls. I’ve also sketched ways to collect mature larvae as they leave the bin.
Background research
I’ve compared rearing guides to see how growers handle temperature, moisture, feed, and harvest in different setups.
Prototyping & process design
The prototype questions are mostly about daily chores. Can I feed the bins, check moisture, and separate the larvae without a lot of extra handling?
Experiment design
For a feed trial, I’d hold starting density and moisture steady, repeat each treatment, and record survival, growth, and time to harvest.
Feasibility & potential uses
I’ve looked at possible feedstocks, including spent grain, and potential uses such as pet feed and fishing bait. A larger trial would need to measure labor, space, and material use.
What a pilot should help answer
- Can the system maintain suitable conditions with a manageable amount of labor?
- How do selected feedstocks affect growth, survival, and harvest timing?
- Does the collection arrangement work reliably in daily use?
- What measurements are needed to compare inputs, harvests, and residuals?
- What would a buyer need to know about the larvae before using them?
Current status: Small-scale rearing is underway. Yields and production costs still need to be measured.
What I look for in a project
A system can work in a test bin and still take too much labor to run every day. I look for those operating costs when I review a grant budget, a facility plan, or a proposal for a pilot.
I can help research the options, plan the trial, or write down the process so someone else can repeat it.
See how advisory work can helpDiscuss your project →These examples come from my work with public agencies, a fellowship, my mushroom farm, and independent experiments.