Jean Silver-Isenstadt
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MONICA LEWIS
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Margo Duesterhaus
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PATRICK CURTIS
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Tonya Aikens
Tonya is President and CEO of Howard County Library System, a nationally recognized Five Star Library for delivering excellence in public education for all ages. She is keenly focused on building the collective leadership of the organization, its partners, the community, and customers to provide equitable, high-quality educational opportunities for all. Tonya served as part of the Leadership Howard County community impact project team supporting CEI’s purchase of Freetown Farm in 2019.
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MAbrooka Chaudhry
Mabrooka has taught social studies and advanced research at Atholton High School (neighbor to Freetown Farm) for 25 years. Community service, engagement, and volunteerism are her passions. She believes that sustainability education can transform young people’s lives and lead to improved mental and physical health. Mabrooka has bachelor's degrees in History and Social Studies Secondary Education, a Masters of Liberal Arts and a Masters Certification in School Administration and Supervision from Loyola University.
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Erica Coady
Erica is a celebrated professional in the sustainable and organic agriculture sectors with over 10 years of entrepreneurial history leading, supporting, and advising the development and operations of production farms, local food hubs, and regenerative farming projects. Erica works as a Certification Coordinator with the Real Organic Project, a farmer-led movement that upholds the integrity of organic farming. Erica is dedicated to being a good steward of the land, and sharing her love of sustainable, local food and farming. |
Akil Cole
Akil is a committed youth mentor, student advocate, and entrepreneur with experience in leadership development and student life optimization. He is a student at Georgetown University and is pursuing degrees in Environmental Studies and Justice and Peace Studies. As host and producer of CEI's podcast, Community Blooms, Akil highlights positive environmental, health, and educational work. He also founded Your Better Four, a life skills development service for high-school students. Listen to Akil's Community Blooms podcast.
Leah Miller
Leah has twenty years of experience in sustainability and environmental education program management. She has a BA in Political Science and Organismal Biology from Yale and is a LEED Green Associate. She currently serves as the Energy Manager for Howard County. Previously, she worked as the Sustainability Program Manager for Montgomery County and the Clean Water Program Director for the Izaak Walton League of America. Her family enjoys participating in CEI's Families in Nature events.
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Kim Flyr
Kim is a mental health counselor, yoga teacher, writer, teacher, and grandmother. She has a passion for integrative healing and believes that being in and learning from nature help us heal. Kim grew up and still lives in Columbia, where she has spent many hours walking a dog along its paths. She enjoys giving back to her community by supporting organizations like CEI.
See you soon and Happy 2023! Leah Miller
Eduardo is a student at Yale University majoring in Environmental Studies and in Urban Studies. He has had experience with environmental landscaping through his employment with Howard EcoWorks. He has also worked as a student assistant in Avolio's lab at John Hopkins University, with research on urban ecology: how humans affect the natural world. Last but not least, Eduardo has been volunteering, interning and working with CEI at Freetown Farm since the fall of 2019!
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ERica Jones
Erica is a Chef, Farmer, and Master Gardener with a passion for growing local food and preparing healthy and delicious meals with the bounty. She is a teacher in our award-winning Nourishing Gardens program and leads the way in our use of regenerative agriculture principles at Freetown Farm. She’s an advocate for edible schoolyard gardens and on a mission to transform public school lunch programs so that every student has fresh, locally grown food on their lunch trays every day. Grow with her on Instagram@Edesiagurl”
Jonathan McKinney
Jonathan is a community organizer that has worked on several successful campaigns, protests, and marches. His advocacy work has included Presidential campaigns, membership organization for the NAACP and National Action Network, and the founding of a non-profit, The Advocacy Factory. Within 25 years of servant leadership, Jonathan takes pride in helping others recognize their passion for change, assisting them in finding their voice and place in the movement for social justice.
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GARY PILARCHIK
Gary started his YouTube channel, The Rusted Garden, in 2011 as a way to enjoy himself and teach others about gardening. He has since grown his following to more than 638,000 subscribers. His belief is that a garden wants to give, vegetables want to grow, and everyone can have a successful garden. Gary is also a clinical mental health therapist who worked for Johns Hopkins for the last 15 years, before retiring in 2020. He sees vegetable gardening as a global practice that brings people together across cultures and geographical boundaries.
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Jason VanKirk
Jason is a Vice President with Elm Street Development. He holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is a Commissioner on the Patuxent River Commission, a member of the Leadership Howard County class of 2019, where he served on CEI’s project team to purchase and protect our farm property, and is the Vice Chair of Finance for the Boy Scouts of America National Pike District.
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Jason Zhao
Jason has a B.Sc. in civil engineering and a M.Sc. in computer science. He has twenty years of experience in civil and environmental engineering, technology application, and public policy enactment and implementation. He believes community engagement on environmental issues not only improves the environment but also promotes diversity and inclusion for all. He participates in various activities at Freetown Farm with his entire family.
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