Where are you from?

Native to the Appalachian Region, I grew up in New Orleans LA. and the mountains of N. Carolina/TN. I moved to Pgh in 1984, then moved to Athens County OH in 1996. Returned to Pgh in 2009.​

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What are the primary responsibilities of your role? 

Recruit gardeners who want to grow food, advocate for sustainability and green spaces in our community.

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Why is this job important to you and how does your educational, professional, or personal background help you to do your job well? 

Food security and food sovereignty is essential to healthy living. My experiences living in Southeast Ohio on a community-owned farm, working summers on a CSA that provided food for some 75 families was an introduction to food production. Served on the board of Community Food Initiatives in Athens, OH for 6 years. I have been a worm farmer since 2001, raising worms for the compost they make and offering it for sale at farmers' markets and retail outlets. My involvement with Heartwood, since 1994, has been instructive in how we are reliant on forests for our well-being and illustrative in how sustainable living is essential to healthy mind and healthy societies.

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What do you love about this neighborhood? 

My first attraction to the neighborhood was its forests, but I quickly found a wonderful human community dedicated to inter-related self reliance with a vision for a just and sustainable way of life.