Staff & Board

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Andy McGee (Grants and Communications Coordinator, She/they) comes to Grow Portland with a lifelong passion for being in gardens with kids. She has taught in schools, farms, and gardens for over 15 years and most recently finished 6 years as the Education Program Manager at Zenger Farm. Andy has loved teaching and learning with children about pollinators, veggies, worms and so much more. Now they are excited to help show others how amazing this work is through sharing stories with funders and the broader community. She spent several years writing web content for garden centers and nurseries and is excited to put pen to paper for Grow Portland. Andy is passionate about justice work and believes strongly that every child deserves the time and space to connect with the natural world. They are a community activist and avid home gardener, living on a communal queer homestead in SW Washington. They love to work with the animals, grow food and go swimming whenever possible!

 

Ary Solomon (Site Coordinator, They/Them) is a community organizer who brings a decade of garden education, outdoor education, and facilitation experience to the Grow Portland team. Their work designing, building, and managing the garden program at Olin-Sang-Ruby Union Institute - an overnight summer camp in Wisconsin - deepened their love for garden education, and they learned the importance of integrating school gardens into their surrounding communities in their role as Learning Garden Coordinator at Portland Community College’s Southeast Campus. Ary believes that growing and sharing food is one of the most important parts of weaving community and is so excited to be supporting Grow Portland’s educators, sites, and students!

 

Djamila Moore (Education Director, She/Her) grew up in a rural town on the Big Island of Hawaii where she developed a passion for connecting to the land and growing food. Djamila is a leader in the school garden education field with over 13 years of experience teaching and developing curricula in gardens, farms, classrooms and kitchens including the Brooklyn Botanic Garden in New York City, where she received her Horticulture Certificate. She earned her MA in Science Education from the University of British Columbia where she worked at the intersection of teacher training and agriculture. Djamila's work and research on school gardens has been presented at the Oregon School Garden Summit, Environmental Education Association of Oregon, World Affairs Council of Oregon, and the American Horticultural Society. Djamila cares deeply about cultivating community through gardening and professionalizing the field of school garden education.

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Ileana Viramontes (Garden Educator, She/They *hablo Español) was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas and just moved to Portland, Oregon because of the opportunities to learn more about gardening and spending time in nature. Ileana grew up speaking Spanish, and surrounded by a culture heavily influenced by Mexican and Chicano customs. Ileana’s interest in food justice and sovereignty began with their involvement in community organizing through mutual aid food distribution and community gardening. Ileana has spent the last few summers traveling the Southwest and making connections with small-scale farmers, and helping them tend to their farms. Their experience with community work allowed them to navigate their role as garden educator at a cooperative school in San Antonio in which they collaborated with the parents and students of the school to develop and maintain the campus landscape. Ileana is excited to facilitate a connection between the students and their food and environment, and recognizes the role gardening can play in maintaining a relationship with the student and their culture. In their free time, Ileana enjoys hiking, camping, reading, and being an amateur herbalist.

Kelsi Herman (Garden Educator, She/Her *hablo Español) grew up in Portland, Oregon and has always relished any time spent outdoors. After completing a BA in Spanish and TESL from Portland State, she took her passion for language and education abroad. Kelsi earned an MA in Applied Linguistics from the Universitat de Barcelona and spent nearly a decade living and working in NW Spain. During that time, she began developing and teaching Natural Science and Technology curricula for English language learners. The work sparked a career shift towards environmental and garden education that got her hungry to create content that empowers students and lets them engage with food and the natural world on their own terms. Kelsi adores exploring new parks, listening to audiobooks, weight training, and flitting between three languages with her family.

Max Krieger (Garden Educator, He/Him) comes to Grow Portland with 15 years of experience working with young people outside. He began this work in upstate New York in the field of wilderness therapy. After moving to Oregon in 2011, he led courses with NOLS, an international wilderness school, that focused on leadership, risk management, environmental studies, and outdoor skills. Max began his journey with garden education while receiving his MS in Sustainability Education from Portland State University in 2017. Since then he has become passionate about the power of gardens to help people foster connections to the natural world and to each other.  Most recently, Max managed a garden for a Sandy area nonprofit that engaged youth in workforce development. Max has fallen in love with the Pacific Northwest and while he plans to continue planting roots in this region, he will always be a Georgia peach at heart. 

Michelle Welton (Executive Director, She/Her) is a fifth-generation Oregonian, holds a degree in International Studies, and has two decades of nonprofit experience. Michelle spent the initial years of her career at numerous Pacific Northwest camps and retreat centers supporting outdoor education, youth and family programming, fundraising events, and retreat center management. Since moving to Portland, Michelle has focused her time primarily in social services including roles in volunteer coordination, community outreach, development, grant support, and service on nonprofit boards. Most recently, Michelle managed the diverse staff and services of a local refugee resettlement program. 

Michelle serves as the Board President for the Rose City Rollers, empowering youth and adults through roller derby and community building. Michelle is a passionate urban gardener, volunteer, outdoors person, and prides herself on being the world’s greatest aunt.

Abby Shrader (Garden Educator, She/They) is passionate about helping young students develop their confidence, independence and a strong sense of belonging. Born and raised in New Haven, Connecticut, Abby moved to Portland to study at Reed College, where she received a BA with a major in theatre. Abby has worked with young learners for over a decade, gaining experience with pre-school childcare, elementary school tutoring, and teen educational enrichment programs. Since graduating, Abby has continued to engage young students in more theatrical contexts. Working with the Echo Theatre Company and Northwest Children’s Theatre, Abby developed and led classes in theatrical play, creative world building, and directed young students to perform short plays. Abby is excited to work collaboratively with young students to cultivate a community around growing food and our individual and collective relationships with the land. Outside of work Abby enjoys visiting the ocean, finding the sunshine, connecting with loved ones, and snuggling with her old grumpy cat, Mia.

 

Grow Portland Board

Amanda Hart (Board DEI Committee, Metropolitan Family Service) has worked with school communities across three districts in greater East Portland since moving to the city in 2010. She is currently the AmeriCorps program manager for Metropolitan Family Service, providing yearlong service opportunities to those passionate about giving back to their community. Amanda earned her BA in Comparative Sociology at the University of Puget Sound, with an emphasis on Latin American studies.

Ashley Fisher, she/her (Board Treasurer, Regional Cheese Specialist, Fred Meyer) has dedicated her life to specialty foods, including becoming a Certified Cheese Professional in 2016. Growing up in Southern Oregon gardening with her family, she learned the importance of garden education and knowing where food comes from. Ashley is passionate about the land and giving back to her community, using food to connect with others is her specialty. She shares her time with her partner and their two companions Vanjie, the cat and Pablo, the chinchilla in Southwest Portland.

Brandi Boersma  (Board Secretary & DEI Committee) grew up splitting her time between heavily populated, urbanized areas and rural dirt roads with farm after farm. Each environment brought its own unique challenges and sense of diversity, but with one common thread: food insecurity. Early on, these experiences led to a deep sense of connection to food, community, and nature. Noticing how these things were interconnected led Brandi to spending 10+ years working for and with communities of all ages, races, and backgrounds: backpacking to plant native species on remote public lands; developing and leading nutrition and garden workshops in urban areas alongside interpreters; serving on equity teams, community associations, grant committees, and more. With equity at the heart of all of her work, her passion for public service stems from her belief that we cannot care for one another without also caring for our earth, and vice versa. Outside of this work, you will most likely find Brandi reading beside her Calico cat, Kiwi, talking to the neighborhood crows in her garden, or exploring the wilderness with her Alaskan Malamute (and very best friend), Tim.

Briana Babbitt, she/her (Board Member at Large, Better Oregon) was born and raised in Pennsylvania and has spent her career working in operations and local nonprofits focusing on education equity. Currently, she serves as the Operations Associate at Foundations for a Better Oregon, and is passionate about fostering a shared responsibility for the well-being of Oregon's children. She is a regular volunteer with the Rose City Rollers and a fellow with ninety-nine girlfriends. In her free time, she loves to cook, hike, and spend time outdoors with her toddler.

Linda Addy (Board Member at Large, HR Annie Consulting) With more than 20-years’ experience in hospitality leadership, Linda has worked in farm-to-table hotels and restaurants as General Manager, Director of Ops, and Restaurant Owner before joining HR Annie Consulting as a Senior Consultant. A long time elementary school volunteer and former substitute teacher, Linda is happy that Grow Portland allows her to tie her love of early childhood education with the understanding of where food comes from and how it magically brings people together.

Nicky Ulrich (Board Chair, Oregon Health and Science University) was born and raised in southern California. She has fond memories of cooking with her mother while growing up, but it wasn’t until 2013, when she worked with Heifer International, that she fell in love with local food and agriculture. This newfound passion brought her to the University of Oregon to pursue graduate degrees, focusing on nonprofit management and international food systems. Currently, Nicky manages the Food Resource Center at Oregon Health and Science University, where she supports the student body with a variety of nourishing and culturally affirming foods, free of charge. Nicky brings her love for local food systems and her dedication to increase access to nourishing foods for everyone to her role as a Board Member. Outside of work, Nicky is a certified yoga instructor that loves spending time outdoors with her partner, Noah, and their fur-baby, Niko.

Trevor Soponis, he/him (Board Member at Large, Sustainable Learning Projects) grew up on the East Coast (Washington DC, Baltimore, Boston, and New York City) and moved to Portland in the Winter of 2016. As a lifelong educator, Trevor has been a classroom teacher, after-school educator, non-profit teacher, district leader, and now runs his own education consulting company The Sustainable Learning Projects. Outside of changing the face of education, hobbies have taken a back seat to trying to keep up with two young kids.

Founder

David Beller (Founding Director 2010-2019)  brought over 20 years of experience in horticulture, agriculture, food policy and community food projects. He earned a bachelor degree in agroecology and sustainable agriculture from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and a master of public policy from the University of California, Berkeley. David managed the California Polytechnic State University Organic Farm and was a researcher for the California Food Policy Advocates. David also worked as the Program Officer of Mercy Corps Northwest’s agriculture project, helping 100 local refugee farmers improve their skills and incomes.