2025 JMG NLT Featured Speakers

Oregon Farm to School Collaborative
Melina Barker

Director
Oregon Farm to School Network

Melina is the Director of the Oregon Farm to School Network. Melina has been active in the farm to school and school garden movement for many years. She helped to found Rogue Valley Farm to School in southern Oregon where she served as Program Director for 12 years. Melina holds a MS in Environmental Education and lives on a small homestead in southern Oregon with her husband and two children. She enjoys hiking, gardening, pottery and cooking with her family.

Hosting A JMG Summer Camp
Courtney Cheers

Director
Wittenbach Wege Center

Courtney loves helping people explore, discover, and get their hands in the soil – OUTSIDE! She has been educating students and the community about the natural world and agriculture for more than 20 years. Courtney has been involved in programming at the Wittenbach Wege Center since 2001 and has held the position of Director since 2014. She was part of the inaugural team that established the JMG program in 2010 and has been “growing good kids” ever since. She holds a degree in Public Administration and Ag Economics from Iowa State University and continued her studies in Environmental Education at the University of Montana and Michigan State University.

Oregon Farm to School Collaborative
Jade Davidson

Executive Director
Oregon Agriculture in the Classroom Foundation

Jade Davidson, PhD, RDN, has been the Executive Director of Oregon Agriculture in the Classroom since January 2024. Previously, Davidson attended TCU for her B.S. in Nutrition and Dietetics and UGA for her master’s and PhD in Agricultural Education. Her work in graduate school focused on Farm to School and school garden programming in Georgia and has led her to where she is today! In her spare time, she enjoys hiking with her husband and expanding her garden.

Roots and Shoots: Growing Curious Eaters from the Ground Up
Liz Driscoll

4-H Subject Matter Specialist, Crop and Science, Horticulture, and Entomology
North Carolina State University

Liz  finds wonder in the world as she observes jewelweed fruit explode, sensitive plants fall over with laughter and click beetles break dancing on their back. As a 4-H Specialist with NC Cooperative Extension across the departments of Horticulture, Crop and Soil Sciences, Entomology and Plant Pathology at NC State, she has been working to connect youth and educators to opportunities in agriculture and natural resources in meaningful ways. Her goals are to support Extension professionals, volunteers and community members to foster curious and wondering youth, inspire critical thinkers and problem solvers, build positive science self-concept in youth, connect kids to good food and nurturing environmental stewards of the land through gardening and agriculture.

Hosting A JMG Summer Camp
Shannon Goodwin

Science Teacher & Outdoor Educator
Wittenbach Wege Center for Agriscience and Environmental Education

Shannon has been teaching science for over 20 years. First as a high school science teacher in Chicago Public Schools in Illinois, then as a middle school and high school science teacher for Kentwood Public Schools in Michigan. For the last 9 years, she has been working as an outdoor educator leading class-based and community programs for Lowell Public Schools in Michigan at the Wittenbach Wege Center and leading their JMG Summer Camp Program. Her career passions include showing kids and families how amazing our world is outside and teaching place-based education to educators. Her personal passions include spending time outdoors, cooking, and native plant landscaping.

The Living Classroom: Utilizing The Gardens for Educational Programming
Kathryn Grier

Education & Outreach Coordinator
The Gardens at Texas A&M University

Kat works with Texas A&M University and Texas A&M AgriLife faculty and staff on educational programming for Texas A&M students, K-12 school field trips, youth programs and community groups in addition to managing the volunteer program. Kat earned a master’s degree in instructional leadership from Sam Houston State University and a bachelor’s degree in wildlife and conservation science from Texas A&M University-Commerce. Through her career she has worn the educator hat in many different capacties, including working for the San Antonio Zoo, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center, and Sam Houston State. Now in her role with The Gardens at Texas A&M, she loves that she gets to share her passion for the outdoors and natural spaces with others in the prettiest classroom in Texas.

Engaging the School Community for School Garden Sustainability
Nicole Hansen

Community Based Instructor IV
University of Nevada, Reno Extension

 Nicole is a Las Vegas Native who has dedicated much of her career to teaching the Las Vegas Community about the benefits and ease of gardening in an arid climate. Nicole has taught all youth age groups and continuing education for adults. Her prior career experience includes delivering school garden company curriculum to youth at various Clark County School District Elementary and Middle Schools. Her wealth of knowledge about gardening in the Mojave is an essential contribution to her current role as a Community Based Instructor for the Youth Horticulture Education Program at Extension. She is fondly referred to as “the plant whisperer” by her colleagues due her wealth of information about plant science topics. Nicole received her Associates Degree in Horticulture from the College of Southern Nevada and her Master Gardener Certification from Extension’s Clark County office.”

Cultivating Community: Reimagining the Victory Garden Movement
Rose Hayden-Smith

Author and Historian
Emerita, University of California

 Dr. Rose Hayden-Smith is an author and US historian. She’s an emerita from the University of California, where she served as a garden-based educator and the director of 4-H, Master Gardener, and county Extension programs in Ventura County. She also led UC ANR’s statewide initiative in sustainable food systems. Her book about school, home and Victory Gardens – “Sowing the Seeds of Victory: American Gardening Programs of World War I – was published by McFarland Press. Rose is an avid blogger. Her work has appeared in a range of publications, including the UC Food Observer (which she founded), Civil Eats, KCET, and Huffington Post. She currently blogs at A Polyphonic Life, and is writing a historical novel. She holds four degrees from the University of California – Santa Barbara, including master’s degrees in education and history, and a doctorate in U.S. history with an emphasis in public historical studies.

Cultivating Curiosity: Nutrition, Journaling, and Summer Success
Emily How

Extension Agent, Horticulture
North Dakota State University

 Emily How is a North Dakota State University Extension Agent with a passion for gardening. Her enthusiasm for plants took root in Denton County, Texas as a Junior Master Gardener. Today, Emily channels her enthusiasm and passion into her work – sharing her expertise and love of gardening with her adopted North Dakota community. Through her efforts, she strives to inspire and cultivate the next generation of gardeners.

Grow and Lead Together: Cultivating Agricultural Literacy and Leadership
Sarbjeet Kaur

Graduate Assistant
Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communications, Texas A&M University

Sarbjeet Kaur is a second year Ph.D. Student at Texas A&M University in the Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communications. Ms. Kaur joined Texas A&M as a Graduate Research Assistant (GRA) in 2023 and currently serves as a Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) in the same department. She completed her B.Sc. in Agriculture and M.Sc. in Extension Education from Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, India. She is presently the Project Coordinator for a USDA-funded project titled “Grow and Lead Together (GALT): Developing Healthy Youth through School-Community Partnerships”. Her research focuses on developing agricultural literacy and leadership among youth, as well as program evaluation.

Growing Small Gardeners One Hour at a Time
Sabine Kuhn & Karen Middendorf

Master Gardeners Volunteers
Ohio State University Extension Master Gardener Volunteer (MGV) program

Sabine Kuhn has been a MGV since 2020. She retired in 2019 and has always had an interest in gardening. Through Ohio State University she became involved as a Master Gardener Volunteer and has enjoyed working with elementary students since 2020. Sabine has lived in Columbus, Ohio for 46 years. She loves to plan vacation road trips with her husband of 40 years. She also loves to read, garden, and spend time with her family.

After becoming a Franklin County Master Gardener Volunteer in 2018, Karen Middendorf began volunteering in youth gardens. By 2021, she was involved (and still is involved) in three different youth gardens. Karen was selected Franklin County Master Gardener Volunteer of the Year in 2021. This year, she has completed a specialization course in Ohio Native Trees. While retired from full-time employment, Karen works a seasonal part-time job and enjoys reading, movies, her own flower garden, and watching baseball.

Oregon Farm to School Collaborative
Michelle Markesteyn

Farm to School Specialist
Oregon State University Extension

Michelle currently serves as an Associate Professor of Practice at Oregon State University as Extension’s Farm to School Specialist. For over 25 years Michelle has gotten her hands dirty on farms 4-4,000 acres in size, taught in school gardens, researched ways to make it easier to get local foods on our tables, and then advocated for policies that do just that. Michelle helped craft the first farm to school and school garden legislation in Oregon, establish the Oregon Farm to School & School Garden Network, and shaped the farm to school program at the Oregon Department of Education. She served as the first Western Regional Lead to the National Farm to School Network, directed FoodCorps in Oregon, and served as the Farm to School Program Manager for the Oregon Department of Agriculture and Ecotrust. Michelle also helped launch a national school food company and founded the country’s first farm to school edutainment production company to close the gap between education in the cafeteria, classroom, and community. She lives in the heart of the Willamette Valley with her two growing boys and her favorite vegetable to grow is eggplant.

My Garden Is Better Than Yours. Can You dig It?
Joseph Masabni

Extension Vegetable Specialist
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

 Dr. Masabni is the controlled environment extension vegetable specialist with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. His extension effort is to serve urban growers such as hydroponic, aquaponic, and open field growers of vegetables, leafy greens, and herbs. Dr. Masabni has experience in traditional open field vegetable production, and greenhouses and high tunnels for season extension. Dr. Masabni’s outreach and interaction with vegetable producers has helped identify and focus research needs in sustainable vegetable production. His research interest focuses on hydroponic and aquaponic production in greenhouses. His current research addresses recycling nutrients from fish waste in aquaponic production and evaluating various hydroponic systems for year-long production in a greenhouse. Dr. Masabni organizes webinars and annual workshops. He has designed three online self-paced educational courses as a teaching resource to the public. He writes extension articles on a regular basis and has delivered hundreds of presentations at international, national, and regional scientific and grower conferences, and to the public.

Growing Sustainable School Gardens: Cultivating a Support Network
Phyllicia Moore

School Garden Education Coordinator
Houston Independent School District

Phyllicia Moore is a dedicated educator with a strong background in agricultural science and STEM education. She leads the efforts to promote garden-based learning in Houston ISD. Her commitment to integrating STEM, arts, agriculture, and leadership into education is evident through her work with various programs in the field. She is known for her initiative, dedication, and ability to foster a sense of community and sustainability in educational settings​.

Junior Master Gardener Day Camp Series
Kelly Noack

4-H Program Outreach Coordinator
Marion County 4-H, OSU Extension Service

Kelly Noack (she/her) is a Marion County, Oregon 4-H Outreach Coordinator and Master Gardener (since 2016). She leads Oregon’s JMG efforts and JMG facilitator trainings, as well as on-going school enrichment programming and day-camps across Marion County. Kelly has a passion for Farm to School and School Garden Education, and she believes that every child should have the opportunity to healthy foods. Her annual, 8-week JMG Day-camp has served over 200 youth since 2017.

There’s a Chicken in my classroom!
Jeff Raska

Dallas County Horticultural P.A. (Retired)
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension

Jeff retired from Texas A&M AgriLife Extension in 2023 after 14 years of service in Dallas County. Before his Extension service, Jeff was in the commercial horticultural industry for 25 years. Jeff was the 4H Program Assistant for 5 years and was moved into the Horticulture department as the Program Assistant. During his time Jeff served many roles such as Coordinator of the school garden programs and also the County LGEG Program Specialist during the development of the program. In the school role, Jeff worked with many schools on school garden programs including a backyard chicken component that incorporated chicken keeping into the school curriculum. He grew up helping his grandfather tend their flocks and has studied small scale chicken management and maintained an urban chicken flock for many years. Jeff worked with many school districts in Texas but also brought his knowledge to school districts nationwide serving as an advisor for districts across the country. Jeff  helped develop school protocol for chicken keeping and helped districts build strong sustainable programs that enhance the children’s learning experiences.

Want Free Veggies? Why School Gardens Should Be Part of School Culture!
Rolando Roman “Coach Ro”

Science Teacher – 1st – 4th Grade
St. Andrews Episcopal School

Rolando Roman (Coach Ro) is an expert in the exercise science, health, fitness, and wellness industry. He holds a bachelor’s degree in physical education from the University of Puerto Rico, where he was a student-athlete (Wrestling & Judo), and a master’s degree in exercise science/physical education from Southwest Texas State University. Coach Ro’s past experiences involve being a Health & Wellness Program Manager Worksite for the University of Texas System, Office of Employee Benefits, and Corporate Health & Wellness Manager for Applied Materials in Austin, Texas, and serving as an Executive Health Coach for many business leaders across the country. He is the developer and program facilitator for Mississippi Cyclocross Project, a youth cycling outreach program that collaborates with communities, parents, and other stakeholders to transform and empower youth. It provides free clinics and training sessions around September-December. Coach Ro has collaborated with Univision (Spanish TV Channel) with their morning show “Good Morning Austin” or “Despierta Austin” together they established a weekly segment called “To Your Health” or “A Su Salud”. He’s very blessed to have an awesome family that he enjoys spending time with them because they are A LOT of fun! Coach Ro is now a Science Teacher and over the past 6 years, he has developed two successful school gardening initiatives. At his current school, he has developed a gardening club for 4th graders and middle school students in which students manage, care, and sell produce as part of their entrepreneurship program. Students also partner with local schools and non-profits to help them start gardening initiatives or supply seedlings, plants, and vegetables.

Oregon Farm to School Collaborative
Rick Sherman

Farm to School Analyst
Oregon Department of Education

Rick was hired by the Oregon Department of Education in 2012 as the Farm to School Analyst after working for 32 years as a Nutrition Services Director. Rick’s claims to fame were identifying all of Oregon’s school gardens-the first state to do so (currently there are 788 school gardens in Oregon!); developing a school garden food safety training & documentation manual; and operating a $10.6 million grant for reimbursing school districts that purchase Oregon grown and processed food & providing educational activities for students. Rick Graduated from Western Washington University with a degree in Education. He was a runner for forty years, competing at the national level in the Steeplechase, and was a high school track and cross country coach for 20 years. Rick is a Master Gardener, loves home brewing, & riding dirt bikes. He spends his spare time in his backyard garden and raising chickens. Rick co-hosts the National Farm to School Podcast, available wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Water-Wise Wonders: Empowering Youth Through Sustainable Gardening
Em Shipman & Sarah Pounders

Executive Director
KidsGardening

 Em Shipman is a passionate advocate for children and the planet and believes that garden-based learning and hands-on, placed-based education benefit both. As executive director of KidsGardening, Em has 20 years experience leading transformative programs in food systems, agriculture, and education. She enjoys gardening at home and in the community with her two sons.

Sensational Gardens and Smart Kids: Seeds, Sun and Soil
Amy Smith-Shively

CEA – Family Community Health Agent
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service Smith County

 Amy Shively has been serving in Van Zandt County as the Family Community Health Agent and County Coordinator. Previously she served in Smith County as the Better Living for Texans agent. Amy has her master’s degree in education and has her Principal Certification, from LeTourneau University. She received her bachelor’s degree from Dallas Baptist University. Prior to being an Agent, she worked as a teacher with 20+ years of experience. She has taught Preschool – High School. She also coached numerous sports and was named regional and district dive coach of the year. Amy has presented the Learn, Grow, Eat, Go program, which is a youth gardening program, at the Agriculture Teachers Association Conference to over 600 educators for two years and has spoken at the Junior Master Gardener and Better Living for Texans workshops in College Station regarding Gardening. She has two daughters, Shekinah and Shiloh, and a son, Skyler. Her older children are married, and Shiloh is a junior in high school and active in 4-H and FFA. Amy has 2 grandchildren that attend school in Van, Texas, and a 9-month-old granddaughter and another grandson on the way. Amy enjoys swimming, traveling, music, gardening and most of all spending time with her family. Amy is a member of Green Acres Baptist Church. Amy is happy to serve the Smith County Community and is excited to provide educational programs.