Get to know SEFS staff! This series provides an opportunity to find out more about SEFS staff members — what they do in their daily job and how they spend their time outside the office.

What is your role at SEFS?
My role at SEFS is managing three field sites on campus, at the UW Farm. These three growing sites, the planned Urban Farm at Mercer Court, the rooftop Culinary Garden at MacMahon Hall and the main production site just west of the Center for Urban Horticulture.

As the UW Farm Manager, I not only support academic activity, but also grow food for the community, much like a working farm. The learning tools, or vegetables, fruit, flowers that students learn to grow, are all distributed across campus to UW Dining cafeterias and retail outlets, to households via a CSA and donated to UW food Pantry and other food banks.

I collaborate with multiple departments and professors in over 24 units supporting learning by hosting and instructing during labs, field trips, research, and capstone projects. The UW Farm office is within the UW Botanic Gardens, the administrative home for the farm.

Tell us about your road to SEFS
I made the leap from my previous occupation as a commercial farmer to farming management and education in 2012, when I moved from Maine to the Pacific Northwest. I started a graduate degree in education at UW around the same time. I moved around a bit, working on campus farms to the non-profit farm and garden sector and then applied for the UW Farm Manager’s position in January of 2018.

It was after I was hired that I learned that the UW Farm is actually administered by a unit within SEFS, the UW Botanic Gardens. Over the last five years, the SEFS Director has a large impact on the UW Farm as a program and has been a positive force in developing resources and support for the campus farm development and it’s academic future. Because I work on the edges of campus, I rarely make my way to Anderson or Winkenwerder, but I do love those Salmon Bakes!

Tell us about your college experience
I received my undergraduate degree from the University of Vermont ‘87 and an MS in Natural Resource Management and Administration from Antioch New England back in ‘92. Years later, I decided to go back to school at the age of 45 as my interests in connecting with the next generation and urban populations increased dramatically. I asked myself, how can I have the most impact as a farmer? Growing crops for market in my New England network or taking a leap and working with those who are the most disconnected from their food supply and access to healthy food. I was learning increasing obesity and diabetes issues in our nation’s population, and I wanted to try to work on changing that with hands-on experiences for our youth. UW is a very large university, but I feel like I hit the jackpot as far as that impact goal. I work with amazing faculty and directors who are focused on this educational aspect as well, so I feel like I have community here. The students are incredible – they are so excited to explore the farm as a green space in our city. Their energy is contagious.

Where did you grow up?

Originally from Long Island, New York, I have a special place in my heart for the Northeast. From 1995-2012, I owned and operated a commercial grass-based sheep dairy, made farmstead yogurt and feta cheese, raised layer hens and grew vegetables in Union, Maine. In addition to running my own farm, I worked for five seasons at a greenhouse and nursery operation in Harpswell, Maine and a summer in the fisheries industry in Alaska.

What are your favorite ways to spend time outside of work?
When I am not working, I am still thinking of farming so “outside of work” is hard to imagine. All the farmers I know pretty much think about farming 24/7, even in their dreams. The energy comes from a deep desire to be outside, enjoy the daily challenge of working with plants and animals and marvel at the everyday gifts and miracles of our natural world.

In the off-season (mid-November – mid-January), I like to cook, bake, dive into a book (I am currently reading Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer) or go for a long walk. When the weather warms up, and I have a day off, I like to bike to the farmers market, a thrift store, or just go for a ride. Hiking is also one of my favorite past times. I feel so lucky to be in such a beautiful part of the world. There are very few places in our nation with such stunning snow-capped mountains rising up from an ocean.

What inspires you?
Primarily two things inspire me – Students, faculty and community volunteers bring so much energy, commitment, and ideas every day. To find the farm you have to really seek it out. Those that do are deeply interested in all the topics related to farming, food systems, the environment, public health, soil health – you name it – it all intersects on the campus farm no matter your major or background. The farm is a safe space to have open discussions on any number of topics. Every day the farm is like a flipped classroom. The students and volunteers inspire me with their questions, which forces me to dig deeper, learn more, and improve.
I am also inspired by other farmers and farm workers who work so hard on a daily basis. As I toil, pull weeds, pick fruit and harvest with the farm team in the heat or cold weather, I know I have it easy compared to many others. When I was a small-scale commercial farmer, I had challenges, especially extreme weather events due to climate change that pushed me to my limit. Today, I think about farmers across the globe and so many are doing incredible work such as preserving seed diversity, working for food justice and environmental justice, and sharing their practices, which informs what I do. I have also been inspired by recent events that the pandemic brought to light – acknowledgement and accountability for my role in supporting BIPOC farmers and food workers.