My background:

I grew up on a farm in upstate New York and didn’t realize until I was an adult what a rare privilege it was to have had such a close relationship to the land and to my food. My adult working life has been dedicated to creating opportunities for others to make those re-connections.

My work at OAEC:

As Communications Director, I get to be a storyteller. Whether it is through the cookbook, the website or giving a tour of the gardens, I love thinking about how to inspire our visitors (physical and virtual) to bring a little bit of the magic of OAEC back to their own homes and communities. I am an activist at heart and believe that social change can only come about through dialogue and cross-pollination – that’s where my job comes in.

My passions:

Balancing screen time with hiking, music, dance and lots of time with hands and bare feet in the dirt. When I’m not at OAEC, I manage an 8-acre orchard and farm project in nearby Freestone.

My favorite resiliency resource:

Meditation in nature.

My hero:

My mom.

My Proudest Moment:

Playing a Sea Monkey in a psychedelic rock opera for Chautauqua.

What I obsess about:

Grammar. Compost. Meticulous care of cast iron pans.