Our Team
Eric DeBode — Executive Director
Eric DeBode was born and raised in Los Ángeles. After high school, he joined the Jesuits and studied to be a Catholic priest for 9 years, which included going to Santa Clara University for undergraduate studies in Politics, where he received the Riordan Award for Service upon graduation. He then attended Gonzaga University for graduate studies in Philosophy. He left the Jesuits in 1992 and continued working in social work projects for the homeless and prisoners for several years. He co-founded the Center for Restorative Justice Works in 2003; supporting prisoner’s children and families with general visitation and special programs on Mother’s and Father’s Days. In 2007, he founded and directed the Chowchilla Family Express; an innovative family reunification project in concert with the CDCR’s Female Offenders Services. In 2011, he moved to Half Moon Bay and founded the Abundant Grace Coastside Worker in 2015. He lives in Half Moon Bay with his wife, Alice Linsmeier, who is a farm worker leadership team trainer for the Equitable Food Initiative, and two children, Liliana (21) and Javier (16).
Jay Trexler — Farm Manager
Jay holds a Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology and has previously worked as both a wilderness therapist and a social worker. He met his now wife Suzie at UCSC’s Center for Agroecology in 2008, and eventually followed her to Potrero Nuevo Farm where he began serving the local homeless population with farm programming in 2011. Along with Suzie, Jay is Director of Farm and Environmental Programs. Jay’s background prepared him for meaningful conversations with Abundant Grace participants that challenge them to seek a brighter future. He also enjoys designing curriculum for the Farm Apprenticeship program and the Conservation Crew as well as overseeing two annual farm fundraisers for Abundant Grace: The Bike Hut Classic and the Farm-to-Table Dinner & Silent Auction.
Laura Fajardo — Program Manager; Latino Outreach Coordinator
Laura Fajardo holds a degree in Political Science and Government from the Universidad del Rosario in Bogota, Colombia. She has 15 years of experience working with vulnerable communities: homeless, people with disabilities, and LGBTI community. Laura is passionate about cooking and, since joining our organization, has implemented a strategy called Food for the Heart, highlighting the value of nutrition to improve everyone's quality of life. She is passionate about the outdoors and has been responsible for translating all our programs into Spanish, managing our Workforce Development Center and serving as the point of contact for all our Spanish-speaking participants.
Lexi Hamilton — Program Manager; Director of Housing Resources
Lexi is the Program Manager for Farm Programs and the Director of Housing Resources at Abundant Grace. Lexi has worked with Abundant Grace since 2021 and has supported homeless housing programs since 2018 in San Francisco and the greater Bay Area. She draws on this background to help navigate participants through the often complex and challenging subsidized housing process in San Mateo County. Her time in the urban shelter environment sparked a passion to develop more creative and supportive approaches to serving this population. At Abundant Grace, Lexi facilitates the full circle food justice program where participants plant, grow and harvest food that is then set up at the farm stand at our Workforce Development Center for our local community to enjoy. She also leads several enrichment outings and activities that often involve hiking, nature and cooking. Originally from San Diego, Lexi moved to the Bay Area to attend school where she got a degree in Liberal Studies from SF State. In her free time, Lexi can be found hiking, traveling, cooking or DJ-ing.