I hail from the Great American Midwest, near Chicago to be exact, and have always been interested in things agricultural and outdoors, due in part I suppose to having grown up on that rapidly moving boundary between housing and agriculture, as well as having spent summers on my great uncle’s farm in Marengo, Ill. Relocating to New England for college, I continued to be fascinated by gardening. I also made occasional forays into related ventures, such as raising a few turkeys and farming with an antique tractor.

My professional background revolves around educational, financial, and facility management, and I always found the grounds part of this work particularly enjoyable: plantings, green spaces, visual beauty. Growing plants to address hunger is a concept that resonates deeply with my past and my continuing interests.

It is my great pleasure to be on the Gaining Ground Board, and I am greatly looking forward to lending a hand, both literally and figuratively, to help the organization move along its path, especially in the areas of land management and financial planning.