Staff
Kristian Bailey, Facilities & Garden Coordinator
Kristian Bailey is the founder of Orais Hand farm (Pronounced O-raise Hand), a land stewardship project grounded in growing natural dye plants, African diaspora-centered plants, and fiber and cultivars intended to thrive in the often hot and humid climate of southeastern Louisiana. Kristian broke ground on land in Lower Coast Algiers, an area where many enslaved Africans where first brought to in Louisiana. The roots of Orais Hand begin with Kristian’s deep interest in experiencing the natural environment as often as possible. His experiences ranged from counting the Anole population in his backyard as a child, accompanying his uncles in the woods behind their house with a group of beagles, as well as finding new plants, lichen, and mushrooms. These are a few of many things that make him feel grounded in the work he does. His initial interactions with farming or growing begin with his time spent with a friend working at a small garden on their college campus between classes. From there, he applied for an apprenticeship with an organic small farm in New Orleans. This experience greatly impacted his life and gave him the skills to be confident and secure in starting his own farm. Through the experiences he has gathered through farming, he has experimented with different growing practices based on single person workability. As of late, Kristian’s focus is on natural indigo production and the creation of a micro vineyard. He is incredibly thankful for the opportunity to work with SPROUT and looks forward to growing and moving through this process.
AMelia Bird, ops & admin director
A descendent of Iowan farmers, Amelia Bird grew up in rural North Florida, and has been living in New Orleans for over a decade. Amelia has a BA in environmental studies from New College of Florida, and graduate degrees in nonfiction writing and book arts and technologies from the University of Iowa.
Amelia’s work for state parks, publications, and arts and education nonprofits have centered around place-studies, conservation and sustainability, and fostering a creative relationship with the land, with an increasing focus on building equity for those systemically kept from benefiting from the food system. Her areas of expertise are managing projects, shepherding inclusive spaces, monitoring and evaluating programs, building systems capacity, development, and communications.
Amelia is the board president for WAKE, an organization that works to provide ethical, sustainable deathcare services. She designed and directed a farm and art-based summer camp for teenagers as part of Baltimore Yearly Meeting Camps. When she is not supporting the operations of an organization she loves, Amelia can be found working in her home garden, cooking, swimming underwater with her daughter Indigo, or writing, but she is most likely making some kind of list.
marguerite Green, Producers & Sustainability director
Margee is a New Orleans native and graduated from Louisiana State University with a degree in Environmental Horticulture focused on vegetable production. During college, Margee began teaching young people about growing food with a focus on emotional well-being and food sovereignty.
Margee has been teaching young people about vegetable production as well as food and environmental justice for 10+ years. She has taught environmental science in the outdoor classroom with T.R.E.E., was the founding manager of Press Street Gardens, has taught at the New York Botanical Garden, and has been a consultant for projects throughout the Gulf South. She is trained in Horticulture Therapy through the Chicago Botanical Garden.
In addition to her work with SPROUT NOLA, Margee is a certified arborist, horticulturist, and florist. Margee owns and operates Fat River Farm.
TERENCE JACKSON, Urban Farmer Program Manager
Terence Jackson is a fifth-generation small farmer from Tuskegee, Alabama. Terence is a 2017 graduate of Tuskegee University with a bachelor's degree in Agribusiness and a concentration in farm entrepreneurship. He has a background in farming, gardening, timber production, drones, and over 14 years of experience working with underserved farmers and on-farm research. Terence is the co-founder of The Movement 46, a community-based organization whose goals are to help mobilize the community for revitalization projects and help create a better quality of life through agriculture. He's a devoted community advocate and is passionate about farming and art. In 2020, Terence and his friends started a rural teaching farm called The Garden Of Tuskegee. Terence believes that sustainability is key for maintaining healthy relationships and systems. He takes pride in creating programs that educate and empower his community.
"Farming/Gardening is one of the oldest art forms in the world. Embrace the journey, the land is your canvas. So express yourself! Grow!"
Terence is also the owner and creator of the Jesup wagon grow-kit, a grow kit for beginners and long-time growers to educate about the importance of growing your own food.
Erica Sage Johnson, Markets & Farmer Support Manager
Erica Sage Johnson, Southern University Agricultural & Mechanical College graduate and New Orleans-resident, is a Farmer, Small Business Owner, appointed Crescent Soil and Water Conservation District Board Member; Agricultural Educator; and Markets & Farmer Support Manager at SPROUT. Erica demonstrates expertise as an urban farmer using natural intensive techniques on four urban plots in Orleans Parish to cultivate vegetables and fruit and create products sold under @its.petit.jardin throughout New Orleans. As the Markets and Farmer Support Manager at SPROUT, Erica has served as its most tenured employee where she provides technical assistance to LA farmers, executes farmer's market coordination & production, networks small farmer co-ops, and manages product sales for farmers.
Maggie Kaiser, Farmer Outreach Manager
Maggie is a grower, technical service provider, farmer advocate, and birth worker. She is the co-owner/operator of Too Tall Farm & Nursery, which she started in 2016 alongside her husband Jacob with the goal of supplying local growers and gardens with a variety of vegetable, herb, edible flower, dye, and native plant starts. Through her work with Too Tall, Maggie focuses on the growing and seed-saving of regionally adapted plant varieties and organizing collective efforts amongst small-scale producers. In addition. as a trained and experienced doula and perinatal health advocate, Maggie is very interested in growing medicinal herbs, especially those that support folks during pregnancy and postpartum. Plants play a pivotal role in the way that Maggie enjoys showing up for her people.
Maggie has She has worked in agriculture for nearly a decade, facilitating farmer trainings in on-farm food safety; advocating for federal, state, and city-wide policy to support underserved and underrepresented farmers; and participating in networks of mutual aid and community care. She has worked for the National Young Farmers Coalition; organized with the Greater New Orleans Growers Alliance and NOLA Food Policy Action Council; and participated in the Louisiana Small Scale Agriculture Coalition (LSSAC) to put on the 2024 LA Farmer’s Climate Convening. Maggie also has a deep appreciation for agricultural cooperatives, sees them as necessary for envisioning a future beyond capitalism, and is working to form a marketing cooperative with 10 other local producers.
Mina Seck, community food director
Mina was born and raised in Pennsylvania, getting her bachelor’s degree in communications in Philadelphia. Growing up she always had a passion for cooking and fresh foods from the farmers market. After school, she continued waitressing and her yearning to become a cook grew deeper. She traveled to France and Spain to work on farms to learn more about growing food and biodynamic farming.
When she returned home to Philly she worked as the head dinner cook at a small cafe with a kitchen garden. After a year she moved to New Orleans and really dug into the culinary world. She worked at Commander's Palace, Angeline, and Carmo among other restaurants before starting her own pop-up/catering company, BeetsNThyme.
Through BeetsNThyme she developed great relationships with local farmers, makers, and fishermen. This deepened her love and knowledge for local foods and their importance to community. In her spare time, she is also an avid home gardener.
Devin Wright, Research & Policy Manager
Devin began studying, working in, and organizing around food systems over 10 years ago. She got her Bachelors in Society & Environment from the Johnston Center for Integrated Studies at the University of Redlands. She is currently a PhD candidate in the City, Culture, and Community program at Tulane University where she studies how growers interact with and understand their surrounding environments with a focus on the conditions here in the metropolitan New Orleans area. What does food justice look like for growers here? How does our environment play a role?
She has worked within agricultural systems as a nursery stock and row crop field hand, farmers markets salesperson, educator, community gardener, and as a grassroots member/organizer with the Greater New Orleans Growers Alliance. She believes that food is an integral vehicle through which we will achieve a sustainable and just future for New Orleans, the Gulf South, and the planet. She is excited to work continue her work on systems-level change using every tool we’ve got—including research and policy!
Contractors
Becca Greaney, Greenhouse
Becca is a graduate of Tulane University with a B.S. in Economics and Environmental Studies. She focused her studies on natural resource economics, policy, and water management. Since moving to New Orleans in 2012, she has been involved in the farming community, beginning by volunteering at local farms and leading Tulane’s urban agriculture club.
Becca continued following her interest in urban agriculture and education as an Americorps member at Press Street Gardens, where she eventually took over as manager. Her main interests are greenhouse production, sustainable soil management, and flower farming. She enjoys the constant learning opportunity that managing land and growing provides, and delights at sharing what she’s learned with others. Becca is a member of the Greater New Orleans Growers Alliance (GNOGA).
Off the farm, she is an avid adventurer and cyclist, and seeks opportunities to spend time outside as often as possible. In addition, Becca speaks French and Spanish, is a costume enthusiast, and loves to travel as much as she can. Becca is a licensed retail florist and currently owns and operates a flower farm and florist business, Nightshade Farm & Flowers.
Meli Manuselis (Agora Consulting), Development
Meli has dedicated her career to improving the lives of children, expanding access to housing, and assisting in the growth and development of small business in New Orleans. Meli has 18 years of experience working with New Orleans-based non-profits in a variety of roles, including Managing Director, Development Director and Vice President and Executive Director and has expertise in managing strategic partnerships, board recruitment and development, executive-level hiring and fund development design and implementation.
Meli is from Akron, Ohio and has called New Orleans home since 2004. Meli holds Bachelor of Arts degrees from Loyola University, Chicago and Masters Degree from Loyola University, New Orleans.
Leslie Matuko Molson (NOLA Bookkeeper), Bookkeeping
Leslie Matuko Molson is NOLA Bookkeeper LLC, an administrative consultancy firm in New Orleans founded in 2016. Leslie works with small businesses and non-profit organizations as a bookkeeper and, for some, as an virtual office manager, advising on and managing administrative concerns, such as human resources, productivity tools, basic cybersecurity, training, payroll, and moral support.
Prior to founding NOLA Bookkeeper, Leslie was the office manager of the non-profit community radio station WWOZ. Prior to moving to New Orleans in 2012, Leslie worked at CBS News in New York City, in both editorial and administrative positions for the programs 60 Minutes, 48 Hours, and the CBS Evening News. Leslie is an ICBUSA-certified bookkeeper and a QuickBooks Advanced ProAdvisor. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Classics from Sarah Lawrence College. Leslie is also a musician and vocalist who has performed in New York City and in New Orleans.
Board of Directors
sebrina bush hillard, Vice Chair
Sebrina Bush Hillard is a risk management advisor dedicated to partnering with small businesses to grow and manage their businesses. When Sebrina moved to New Orleans in 2014 she was just starting her journey with growing and has been engaged in some form or fashion since then by volunteering in community gardens in the East, growing her own garden and integrating the use of markets into her own consumption. A graduate of Howard University and American University, Sebrina practiced employment law for five years before joining her father at Insurance Design & Placement, Inc (IDP) a Denver based commercial insurance brokerage. She has worked in every aspect of the brokerage and currently serves as President operating out of the New Orleans office. Sebrina engaged with the entrepreneurial New Orleans ecosystem having graduated from the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program; presented at the 2017 New Orleans Entrepreneur Week, and mentoring Propeller entrepreneurs. Sebrina is also a member of the RIDE New Orleans board, Mid City Rotary, Life City, and active volunteer with Crescent City Café.
Jessica Fisch
Jessica Fisch is a city planner and researcher with a focus on housing affordability, community development, and homelessness. During her time as a planning student at the University of New Orleans, she worked as a program manager for Broad Community Connections, assisting in building a coalition of health-focused partners to support the development of the ReFresh Project. She previously served as a construction site leader with New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity. Jessica holds a Ph.D. in city and regional planning from Georgia Tech and a master’s degree in urban and regional planning from the University of New Orleans.
Michele johnson
Michelle grew up in rural Southeast Oklahoma and spent her summers in her grandparent's garden in Central Mississippi. She has a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Oklahoma and moved to Southeast Louisiana immediately after graduating from college. She has been living in New Orleans for over a decade.
Michele describes herself as a dog mom, a gardener, part-time runner, and bicyclist. She loves to travel and in October 2023 climbed Mount Kilimanjaro.
She is excited to be a part of SPROUT's work and advocating for equitable community food systems as a component of environmental justice. A dream of hers is creating a farm school outside of Brookhaven, Mississippi on land her family once sharecropped.
Cheryl Manley
Cheryl Manley (they/them) is a user experience strategist and service designer for local, national, and international nonprofit organizations. Shaped by two decades of performing and directing improv comedy, Cheryl believes in a “yes, and” approach - collaboratively building solutions with the communities at the heart of the work.
Cheryl is drawn to a blank canvas, and has built two communications departments from the ground up. They can usually be found asking the "how might we" questions to explore roads not yet traveled.
As a SPROUT community gardener, Cheryl developed a strong leek obsession and enjoys supplying their fellow gardeners with allium-fueled dishes. Seeking an outlet for their competitive spirit, they were one of the brains behind SPROUT's veggie bingo events (but has yet to win a single round). Cheryl is overjoyed and honored to work alongside the SPROUT board and team to help build a stronger community of New Orleans growers!
Kerrie Partridge
Kerrie is a Gulf Coast native who comes from a family of farmers, fishermen, and nature nurturers. New Orleans became her home in 1998, where she began learning the joy of being a part of a vibrant extended community. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Education and Human Development from the University of New Orleans and a Master of Public Health from Tulane University, specializing in Social, Behavioral, and Adolescent Sciences.
She is known for her adaptive leadership, program design, facilitation skills, and strategic thinking. She served as the director of Edible Schoolyard New Orleans for nine years, demonstrating her commitment and skillfulness within complex community-centered initiatives.
As a consultant and leadership coach, Kerrie specializes in values-driven decision-making, actionable professional development, fostering a team culture of compassion and strength, and developing strategic tools for impactful outcomes.
Devon turner, Past chair
A native of Plaquemines Parish in southeastern Louisiana and self-identified “country girl,” Devon Turner served as the Executive Director of Grow Dat Youth Farm, and is now the Director for Nonprofit Leadership and Effectiveness at the Greater New Orleans Foundation.
Over the past 20 years, Devon has supported, advocated for, and worked alongside historically marginalized people - youth and adults. She has served as an educator on social justice issues at the nexus of race, gender, justice, and violence, and recently in the nonprofit sector as education director for programs assisting justice-involved youth returning home from Riker's Island. In that capacity, she was instrumental in the creation of New York City’s first community-based school for justice system-involved youth.
With the support of SPROUT NOLA’s community of gardeners, Devon and her two sons have been proud caretakers of a garden box in the Conti garden since 2015. She is also a Temporary Executive Committee Member of the Refresh Project. Both organizations align with her interest in promoting health equity and food sovereignty.
She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in African American Studies and Educational Studies from Washington University in St. Louis in 2000 and her Master’s Degree in History from New York University in 2004.
caressa chester, Past Chair
Caressa Chester is a climate and racial justice activist, currently working at Foundation for Louisiana as the Climate Justice Program Officer. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Studies from the University of Arizona.
shani christopher
Combining her passion for food justice and knowledge of environmental sustainability, Shani recently launched RePurpose Food Company in order to simultaneously increase the affordability of nutritious baby food and reduce food waste. A socially conscious entrepreneur, Shani prioritizes connecting people with necessary resources to make communities more inclusive and equitable.
Shani is the past Curator of the New Orleans Hub of the World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers Community. She is also a StartingBloc Social Innovation Fellow and has served as a UN Delegate through SustainUS, a youth environmental advocacy org. Previously, she was a founding member of the Volunteer Center of Trinidad and Tobago. Shani met and fell in love with the work of SPROUT through her participation in Emerging Philanthropists of New Orleans, of which she also currently serves on the board.
Keeta Jackson
Wankeeta "Keeta" Jackson, an alumna of Virginia Tech with a Bachelor's in Marketing and Communications and a Master’s in Human Services, is a dynamic leader in healing justice and racial equity. Most recently, Keeta has served as the Racial Justice Program Officer at the Foundation for Louisiana. There, she pioneered strategies in healing justice, notably through the Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation Framework, and led New Orleans’ inaugural Racial Healing Community of Practice.
Keeta's entrepreneurial spirit led her to establish Jackson Magnolia Consulting, LLC and the Women of Wakanda, an afro-futurist, black woman-centered Mardi Gras walking Krewe, promoting community solidarity and mental well-being. Her leadership and advocacy have earned her several honors, including being a 2019 SheLeads Fellow, a member of the 2020 New Leaders Council Louisiana cohort, and a 2021 Hulls Fellows Leadership Program participant, all testament to her profound impact and commitment to community upliftment.
Keeta enjoys spending time with her sassy furbaby, Leticia (AKA Leti), and doing minor DIY projects on her home in the neighborhood of Gentilly.
Annie Moore, Board Chair
Annie Moore is a farmer and social entrepreneur dedicated to expanding opportunities for agricultural training and access within the local food system. She and her wife moved to New Orleans in 2017 to co-found the urban farm River Queen Greens, which began as a market garden in the Bywater and has expanded to include a much larger growing area on the West Bank. River Queen Greens is now growing veggies for a 100 member farm share subscription program and vending at the Crescent City Farmers Markets. Annie first fell in love with New Orleans when she spent a year doing post-Katrina rebuild work in 2010-2011, but moved away to attend graduate school in Massachusetts. She spent several years in the Boston area as interim Executive Director of an experiential education program, and directing job training social enterprises at a couple of prominent non-profits. She holds an MBA in non-profit management and a Masters in Public Policy from Brandeis University and a BA from Williams College.
Leah Sarris
Leah Sarris is an educator, chef, and dietitian with a focus on innovative industry training. Her wide-ranging professional background spans from foodservice to agriculture and community engagement, especially within the non-profit sector. As the Executive Director of the New
Orleans Culinary & Hospitality Institute (NOCHI), she merges passions for food and teaching by building a world-class facility dedicated to educating aspiring chefs, those in the industry, and culinary enthusiasts on food and hospitality principles. In her former role at the Goldring Center for Culinary Medicine, she helped develop and implement the United States’ premier interdisciplinary culinary medicine program. Leah is particularly excited to provide culinarians, healthcare professionals, and the community the opportunity to learn how to make great food that just happens to be good for them and the world.
Della wright
Della is a public health practitioner focused on health equity and community-based research and evaluation. Her professional background and interests are in sexual and reproductive health, mental health, children's wellbeing, and environmental justice. She has been working with community-based public health initiatives in New Orleans and the Gulf South since 2010.
Della received a Master of Public Health degree from Tulane University in Maternal and Child Health, and is currently working towards her Doctor of Public Health degree at Johns Hopkins in the Health Equity and Social Justice concentration. She is excited to be a part of SPROUT's critical work and believes strongly in the role of local food systems in the environmental justice movement.
Board Committee Members
caryn blair
Caryn Blair is an urban planner dedicated to anti-racism initiatives that improve the quality of life for people of color. She was raised in Algiers and has family roots in the Lower 9th Ward, but calls Mid-City home these days. Caryn received her master’s in Urban Planning from SUNY Buffalo, where she received the Public Service Award for her work in the community. In New Orleans and Buffalo, Caryn has worked in community development by organizing neighborhood residents during redevelopment periods, grant-writing, and developing strategic plans and programs for marginalized populations. She currently serves as the Equity Project Manager for the City of New Orleans. Caryn likes confronting challenges, solving puzzles, and Mid-City strolls with her dog, Pumpkin.
Pamela Broom
Pamela is an experienced nonprofit administration professional specializing in project planning, implementation, evaluation, research, and grant writing. She is proficient in community development consulting locally, regionally, and nationally with a focus on intergenerational connectedness. The work of her passion is in urban agriculture development, outreach, infrastructure planning and hands-on community-based growing to promote food as medicine.
As former Deputy Director of the New Orleans Food and Farm Network (NOFFN) 2009-2011, she facilitated citywide community outreach, training and technical assistance to individuals and organizations with emerging and established urban agriculture initiatives. She is a graduate of Tulane University and completed Master of Urban Studies (MSUS) coursework at the University of New Orleans’ Department of Urban Studies and Planning focused on applied urban anthropology. Pamela joined NewCorp in 2017 and is currently serving as the 7th Ward Revitalization Project (7WRP) Manager overseeing arts and culture, affordable housing, urban agriculture and green infrastructure, and economic development neighborhood-based revitalization strategies. Pamela is currently guiding the creation of The FARMacia Wellness Hub (the FARMacia), a signature initiative of the 7WRP. The FARMacia is designed to focus on the intersection between urban agriculture and medicine for community wellness.
Marie-Isabelle Pautz
Marie-Isabelle Pautz is from Lafayette, Louisiana. She founded a food justice non-profit, EarthShare Gardens in 2002. Over the years she has been involved in a number of other food projects including Abode Farm, Gathering Tree Growers Collective, Maze Garden, and First Grace Community Garden. Marie-Isabelle also does social change work through Restorative Justice, Community Organizing, Music, and Ending Homelessness pathways. In the wake of natural disasters, she organized hurricane survivors to found the Lafayette chapter of People’s Hurricane Relief Fund. Since 2004 she has been involved in Restorative Justice programming at Turning Point Partners/ Community Mediation Services, Partners in Restorative Initiatives, Juvenile Accountability Conferencing, International Institute of Restorative Practices, Center for Restorative Approaches, and Lycee Francais. She has facilitated hundreds of Restorative Justice conferences. Her work on ending homelessness has included services, grants management, as well as program design and management at Bethany House, Hagars House, Travelers Aid Society of GNO, and UNITY. Marie-Isabelle passes on the tradition of Louisiana French music through the bands 'T Marie and The Swamp Blossoms, and also performs with the Crescent City Gentleman. She and her family have an urban homestead and accessible housing community nicknamed “Jukebox Farm” in New Orleans.
Emily Mickley-Doyle, co-founder
Originally from a small farming town in Ohio, Emily Mickley-Doyle earned her B.A. in Sociology from Loyola University New Orleans in 2008. After working in the disabilities, HIV, and youth fields, she decided that the best way she could make a direct impact on our food system is to grow food and to support others in having the resources and opportunities to do the same. After growing market gardens throughout the city, she co-founded SPROUT in 2012.
In addition to her work with SPROUT, Emily is a founder and member of the Greater New Orleans Growers’ Alliance and the Louisiana chapter of the National Young Farmers’ Coalition, a member of the New Orleans Food Policy Advisory Committee (NOLA FPAC) Food Production Working Group, is in the process of earning a Master of Food and Agriculture Law and Policy (MFALP) from Vermont Law School, and building a market farm in New Orleans East.
Emily is passionate about grassroots organizing, developing equitable food systems, and policy change. In her spare time she loves hanging out with her family and pets (2 dogs, 1 cat, and 5 chickens), making herbal medicine, reading, and cooking.
aminata ndiaye
Aminata Ndiaye has been a part of SPROUT NOLA as a community member and gardener since its founding. SPROUT NOLA has been another home for her and is the reason she has a deep interest in environmental and food justice work.
She currently attends the University of Michigan and plans to major in Environmental Engineering. Through her knowledge in engineering and her wish to continue her community work, she aspires to work on climate change mitigation and environmental policy.
Maria Patrizia Santos
Maria Patrizia Santos is a social epidemiologist who specializes in race/ethnicity, social and economic disparities, and belongingness.
Santos has 3+ years of experience conducting mixed-methods research in various contexts, including but not limited to exploring the social and structural factors affecting micronutrient powder adherence and childhood anemia, social inequities in the double burden of malnutrition, and practices promoting equity and belongingness in schools and at work. Through an enduring commitment to cultivating belongingness and participatory methodologies in research, she is dedicated to using research as a tool to inform community cultivating practices. Maria Patrizia holds a master’s in public health Tulane University and is a current PhD candidate in Epidemiology at Tulane.