David Beller (Founder, Director)
David has fifteen years of experience in horticulture, agriculture, food policy and community food projects. He earned a bachelors degree in agroecology and sustainable agriculture from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and a masters from the University of California, Berkeley. He also holds a certificate in ecological agriculture from the Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems. He has consulted and served as an instructor for a range of organizations domestically and internationally including Oregon State University and Merritt Community College. David previously managed the California Polytechnic State University Organic Farm and was an analyst for the California Food Policy Advocates. He has a background working with small and large agricultural businesses including Driscoll’s and Jacobs Farm/Del Cabo. David was an active leader on the Portland Multnomah Food Policy Council and creator of the Urban Agriculture and Gardening Subcommittee. Currently he is the program officer of the New American Agriculture Project. In two years, David secured four parcels and five acres of land for 30 participants in Mercy Corps Northwest’s refugee agriculture project.
Weston Miller (Board Member, Oregon State University Extension Service)
Weston serves as Community and Urban Horticulturist for Oregon State University Extension Service for the tri-county Portland metro area. Part of his duties inlcude managing the Master Gardener and Organic Gardening Certificate program to educate the general public about small-scale food production and ecological landscaping. Weston served as chair of the Portland Multnomah Food Policy Council in both 2008 and 2009. He brings a wealth of experience to Grow Portland as a farmer, landscaper, and educator. Weston lives in SW Portland with his wife and 2 young sons where he likes to garden and hike.
Adam Lang (Board Member, Providence Health)
Adam Lang is the Manager of CORE Operations at Providence Health and Services, where his team is studying the health and health care experiences of Oregonians. Adam holds a Masters Degree in Public Policy from the University of California, Berkeley and a Masters Degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Delaware. Prior to moving to Portland, Adam worked with the Federal Government of Nigeria to scale-up the testing, diagnosis, and treatment of infants and children living with HIV/AIDS. He has also worked and volunteered in varied other fields, including teaching English, Math, and Science in India, Korea, and the Bay Area, researching the effects of an urban youth violence reduction program in Philadelphia, and analyzing and managing the operations of internet start-up companies in San Francisco. Adam enjoys many outdoor activities with family and friends: soccer, gardening, hiking, and backpacking.
Bill Kabeiseman (Board Member)
Bill Kabeiseman has practiced Oregon land use and municipal law for over 15 years. He has represented cities, developers and neighbors in multiple forums, including representing planning commissions, city councils, as well as arguing before the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals, the Oregon Court of Appeals and Oregon Supreme Court. He is of counsel to Garvey Schubert Barer and has served as an adjunct professor at the University of Oregon for Land Use Law. Bill serves as general counsel for cities and other governmental entities, addressing the wide variety of issues that arise in land use, public contracting and election law. Before entering private practice, Bill clerked at both the Oregon Court of Appeals as well as the Oregon Supreme Court. He also spent two years representing the territory of American Samoa in environmental affairs. Bill’s community work has included service on the Multnomah County Planning Commission and other civic organizations including chairing the Oregon State Bar Task Force on Sustainability, resulting in the formation of the Sustainable Futures section of the Oregon State Bar.
Lauren Morse (Lead Grower, General Marketing)
Lauren is a graduate of Lewis & Clark College with a Bachelor of Arts in both Biology and Sociology. She’s passionate about using knowledge from these fields to develop food systems that are both ecologically and socially sustainable. Her agricultural background includes working at farms in New Hampshire, North Carolina, and New Zealand. She has also conducted agricultural research at North Carolina State University’s Center for Environmental Farming Systems.
Scott Dawkins (East County Community Gardens)
Scott brings three decades of gardening experience to help manage the East County Community Garden. He is a leader in the church community and coordinates the Love Garden’s efforts to grow food for the local charity, Snow Cap. Scott’s educational background in biology, and is an expert in tomato varieties suitable for the Northwest. He currently directs his own financial management business.
