 |
 |
Catherine
Sands Executive Director
Hope
Guardenier Garden Director
Sally
Loomis Project Manager
Maggie
Shar Program Associate
Catherine Sands is the founding director of
Fertile Ground. She has over twenty years of experience
working to connect people to environmental issues,
to land, and to each other through community events,
educational programs, and advocacy. Prior to Fertile
Ground, Catherine spent ten years producing creative
fundraising and educational events for Natural
Resources Defense Council, focusing primarily
on popular music concerts and tours, and symposia
with writers and scientists. Since then she has consulted
on clean air, green and sustainable energy, environmental
justice initiatives in the Northeast and California.
Catherine is working on her master's degree at the
University of MA/Amherst Center for Public Policy
and Administration, with a focus on community food
systems and social justice. She has conducted regional
trainings through the Local Hero Schools Network,
Northeast Organic Farmer's Association, Community
Food Security Coalition, The Trustees for the Reservations
Highland Communities Initiative, and the University
of Massachusetts Amherst. Catherine and her family
live in rural western MA where they grow a large vegetable
garden and chickens.
Hope Guardenier is the part time garden educator
at the Williamsburg School. Through hands on gardening,
she teaches social studies, science, and math to grades
preK-6 for 24 weeks during the year, working with
teachers on curriculum development. She is the full
time garden manager and educator for Treehouse Foundation
at the Whitebrook Middle School in Easthampton. Through
her newly launched company, School Sprouts, Hope also
manages the 21st Century CONNECTIONS afterschool garden
programs in Holyoke's Kelly, Sullivan and Donohue
Schools. She is an active member of the Holyoke Food
and Fitness Policy Council.
As Program Manager, Sally Loomis coordinates
Fertile Ground events such as the spring community
garden day and Harvest Feast in Williamsburg and helps
teachers make connections to local farms. Sally has
fifteen years of experience in the environmental field.
For six years, she served as Deputy Director of the
Environmental Leadership Program, a national leadership
development organization working with emerging environmental
leaders. Prior to that Sally was the Director of Green
Communities for the Parks & People Foundation, a community-based
nonprofit in Baltimore, MD. Sally has a Master's in
Environmental Studies from the Yale School of Forestry
and Environmental Studies and a B.A. in Anthropology
from Yale University. She serves as the chair of the
Open Space Committee in Williamsburg, MA.
Maggie Shar is the program associate for Fertile
Ground. She is pursuing her master's degree from Antioch
University New England in the Environmental Studies
department with a concentration in Environmental Education
and Social Justice. She is also an environmental educator
at Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary and has worked with
Hope at the Treehouse Foundation and the CONNECTIONS
afterschool program in Holyoke. She is also an active
member of the Northampton White Privilege Discussion
group. Maggie has worked with Fertile Ground for over
two years.
top
of page
|
