Jaylen Cates

Carolina Farm Stewardship Association

jaylen@carolinafarmstewards.org
(919) 695-3391

An Orange County native, Jaylen holds a Master’s in Social Work from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. They have worked in North Carolina nonprofit organizations for over 15 years.

Their work on the CFSA Policy Team supports our network of members through policy and advocacy engagement at the state and federal levels. They also support the growing network of food policy councils in North Carolina through their work on the Community Food Strategies team. Through these roles, they raise the visibility of local farm and food issues and support communities across the Carolinas in advocating for fair farm and food policies.

Jaylen lives in Efland, North Carolina, and is a passionate flower and veggie gardener, pickler of all things, and home chef. They transitioned from using their birthname, Jared, at the beginning of 2023. 

Read more about Jaylen in their staff Q&A from early 2022!