Robyn Adair

Apprenticeship Instructor
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Robyn Adair grew up in the West/Southwest suburbs of Chicago, skeptical of the food system (eating a lot of processed foods) and loving learning. When asked, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" she thought about what the world needed most and decided to study the evolution of the food system, natural ecosystems, and the role humans play in shaping them. Since then, she has worked in education and plant production from the Pacific Northwest to the Southwest to as far Southeast as the island of Grenada. She received a BA and a BS for her studies in Sustainable Community Development and Agriculture at the Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA, where she apprenticed on various organic and small farms and worked in native plant nurseries. She earned her Science and Agriculture Secondary Education certifications through the TeachNOLA fellowship and taught middle school science in New Orleans. She completed her MS in Interdisciplinary Ecology at University of Florida in Gainesville, FL, researching cover crops for plant-parasitic nematode and weed suppression in Florida and Haiti. Although her first love is the soil, she gained a taste for the sea racing sailboats on the Gulf coast, living aboard a sailboat for four years, sailing 4500 nautical miles in the Caribbean with her husband and dog, and completing the 2022 Chicago-Mac Race. She most recently worked for Texas A&M Extension in the horticulture unit in Houston, TX, and she's happy to come full circle to her home city teaching urban farming with Windy City Harvest. She hopes to continue to develop regenerative small-scale agriculture and to help all people connect with and protect our food supply.

Dani Adams-Valenzuela

Field Supervisor
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Dani Adams-Valenzuela joined the team in 2025 as a Field Supervisor. In the growing season, she oversees programming with Corps crews at several different Windy City Harvest farm sites. Dani has been involved in local agriculture since high school and brings three years of experience in farm management and organic production. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a BS in Community & Environmental Sociology and a certificate in Food Systems. She is currently pursuing a Master of Community Development (MCD) to continue building tools for food systems change. She is passionate about using agriculture as a way to empower diverse communities to have agency over their health, livelihoods, and local environment. She enjoys running and hopes to run her first marathon this year, after completing her first half marathon in October 2024. When not on the farm, she is most likely spending time with her cat, Pacho.

Armando Aguirre

Grower
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Armando Aguirre joined Windy City Harvest in 2025 as a Grower, bringing over 15 years of experience in organic and regenerative agriculture across the Midwest and Pacific Northwest. Raised in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood, his path into farming grew from a personal commitment to healthy food, soil, and community.

He has held roles from assistant farm manager at Tempel Farms Organics—supporting CSA expansion and leading field crews—to production manager at Harmony Valley Farm, overseeing 40 acres of salad crops. His hands-on work has spanned vegetable production systems, harvest systems, and greenhouse growing at farms including Blue Fox Farm, Troon Vineyard, and Siskiyou Sungrown.

Armando is grateful to return to his home city and contribute to Windy City Harvest’s mission of building resilient food systems and thriving communities.

Erin Boehm

Veteran Internship Program Coordinator
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Erin joined the team as the Veteran Internship Coordinator at the Chicago Botanic Garden in 2022. Coming from a personal work history that includes corporate work, non-profits, and teambuilding facilitation, Erin applies her skills while she works with Military Veterans as they transition to civilian life and return to the workforce. Her role includes serving as an advocate for her interns in the workplace, designing programing, and assisting the Veterans in creation of career plans. Erin has a degree in Anthropology from New York University with a focus on cultural studies.

Lisa Burgess

Facilities Manager
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Lisa Burgess is a skilled operations and facilities management professional with a background in horticulture, and operational efficiency. She has extensive experience managing commercial production facilities, optimizing infrastructure, and implementing sustainable solutions across public and private sectors. Throughout her career, Lisa has led teams in maintaining public lands, directed operations for horticulture companies, and played a key role in cultivation and production industries. She has developed training programs, overseen large-scale projects, and contributed to process improvements that enhance efficiency and sustainability. In addition to her work in facilities and operations, Lisa is passionate about education and community engagement. She has been involved in non-profit initiatives, writing educational content, organizing fundraising efforts, and supporting workforce development programs. With degrees in Horticulture and Computer Technology from Kent State University, Lisa brings a unique blend of technical expertise and hands-on leadership in environmental controls, hydroponics, project management, and sustainable facility operations. She is dedicated to fostering innovative, efficient, and environmentally responsible work environments.

Britt Calendo

Program Director
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Britt Calendo is the program director for Windy City Harvest. In this role, she oversees our Apprenticeship, Corps, and Youth Farm programs. Britt joined the Chicago Botanic Garden in 2014, working at Rodeo Farm as a Harvest Corps crew leader. From 2014 to 2018, Britt worked as the PCC Austin Farm coordinator, where she helped to build out and run a community farm in collaboration with PCC Community Wellness. Britt was the manager for the VeggieRx program, Windy City Harvest's prescription produce program from 2018 to 2021. She has a master’s degree in social work and is excited about combining her background in social work and public health with sustainable urban agriculture. She loves to see so many of our program graduates working in the field of urban agriculture and coming back to join our Windy City Harvest team on staff.

Samantha Creightney

Director of Operations
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Samantha Creightney was inspired to pursue a career in sustainable urban agriculture in after reading an article on food deserts and food insecurity. While completing her training at the Green Corps Chicago in 2007, Samantha wanted to teach youth how to grow food. She joined the community gardening department of the Chicago Botanic Garden in 2008. Samantha was hired as the growing assistant and moved into the role of coordinator of the Green Youth Farm (Windy City Harvest Youth Farm), where she worked until 2011. As lifelong Chicagoan, helping her community has been a her passion, through her work as an artist. Samantha has continued to work with youth and young adults in the Austin community on Chicago's west side. In 2022, Samantha re-joined the Garden as the community education manager for Windy City Harvest.

Fred Daniels

Coordinator, Rodeo Farm
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Fred Daniels was raised on the south side of Chicago and was first introduced to farming at a young age by his grandmother. She always had a home garden in her backyard, where he spent numerous hours learning about different vegetables alongside her. In 2007, Fred received his culinary arts certificate from Illinois Central College with hopes of becoming America’s next top chef. A few years later, Fred discovered his passion for growing food at Growing Home, a job-readiness organization focused on incorporating workforce development skill-building while getting healthy, nutritious food into underserved and underprivileged communities. Fred began as an intern and worked his way up to becoming farm director, overseeing urban farm production across several acres. Over the course of ten seasons at Growing Home, he was responsible for market operations, growing site development, training and mentoring of production assistants, crop planning, season extension, beekeeping, annual Midwest Organic Services Association certification, marketing, and sales. Fred has extensive knowledge working with returning citizens, facilitating an evidence-based social emotional curriculum aimed at psychological self-sufficiency and conflict resolution using Restorative Justice Training-Kingian principles of nonviolence. Fred also builds relationships within community organizations such as Grow Greater Englewood and Teamwork Englewood by sharing his expertise on urban agriculture projects. Fred recently joined Wind City Harvest as the Rodeo Farm Coordinator and looks forward to building long-lasting relationships in the North Lawndale community.

Dantrell Dehart

Grower, PCC Austin & Kenneth Farm
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Dantrell Dehart grew up in the North Lawndale community and has worked in urban agriculture for more than five years, including work with Gotham Greens, Herban Produce, and Urban Growers Collective. He is a 2016 graduate of the Windy City Harvest Apprenticeship program and currently is the grower for the PCC Austin and Kenneth Farms. He is passing along his growing talents to his daughter, who comes with him to farm at least once a week.

Laurie Dettmers

Coordinator, Therapeutic Horticultural
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Laurie Dettmers obtained her Horticultural Therapy certification through the Chicago Botanic Garden in 2009. She completed a six-month internship under the guidance of Gene Rothert. She is currently the Therapeutic Horticultural Coordinator at Windy City Harvest, the Chicago Botanic Garden’s Urban Agriculture department. She leads plant-based activities at different sites throughout the south and west side of Chicago. Prior to her work at the Chicago Botanic Garden, Laurie worked for 12 years at rehabilitation hospitals throughout the Chicago area. She completed her Master Gardner certification and her Master Naturalist certification through the University of Illinois Extension. She has worked as a greenhouse manager for six years and continues to do landscaping. Laurie resides outside of Chicago with her family. She loves gardening, weaving, and hiking.

Reynaldo Engram

Coordinator, Food Hub
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Reynaldo Engram is a lifelong Lawndale resident who is passionate about raising self-awareness. He enjoys meeting new people and mentoring in the neighborhood. He is a Windy City Harvest 2016 Corps and 2017 Apprenticeship graduate, and certified in sustainable agriculture. He loves to help others, grow food, and represent Windy City Harvest. Engram is certified in Good Agricultural Practices (Illinois Extension), ServSafe handling, and CPR. He was previously the Hilton Grower, managing a rooftop farm for farm-to-table niche vegetable and edible flower production. He currently oversees the day-to-day operations for the Farm on Ogden retail space, greenhouse, living wall, aquaponics production, and building maintenance, ensuring that everything is running smoothly.

Iririan Francisco

Community Health Worker
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Iririan Francisco is a resident of La Villita, right around the corner from Farm on Ogden. She started her journey through Windy City Harvest as part of the North Lawndale Youth Farm from 2013 to 2016. Iririan returned in 2021 as the North Lawndale coordinator and currently is the VeggieRx coordinator.

Raymond Gardner 

Coordinator, Corps
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Raymond Gardner was born and raised in Chicago. Chicago has always been a place where everybody helps one another. Raymond fell in love with nature as a young man going fishing with his grandad. He remembers playing with the worms and the soil and feeling a sense of joy. That passion lead him into landscaping for extra money and began his interest in entrepreneurship. Raymond worked at Growing Home, a USDA-certified farm for two seasons. He worked there as a production assistant and a crew leader, gaining ServSafe and OSHA training work safety certifications. He became familiar with urban agriculture and his love for the field continued to grow. This led to his two seasons as a crew leader at Windy City Harvest, where he led the Corps crew and developed a love for leadership and team-building. He worked for Justice Grow for a year in the cannabis industry. Eventually, he found his way back to Windy City Harvest, where he now serves as the Harvest Corps coordinator, recruiting for the Corps program and crew leaders, job placements, and serving as a strong mentor for the Corps crews and crew leaders throughout the seasons. He also stays in touch with our Corps alumni, while developing his expertise working with transitional jobs and workforce development programs.

Alicia Green, HTR

Coordinator, Buehler Enabling Garden
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Alicia Green is a registered horticultural therapist and the coordinator of the Buehler Enabling Garden at the Chicago Botanic Garden. She delivers on-site therapeutic horticulture programs, maintains the Enabling Garden, and oversees the Veteran Internship Program. She has a B.A. from the University of Illinois and an M.A. in counseling from Northeastern Illinois University. Alicia received her horticulture therapy training through the Chicago Botanic Garden Certificate Program.

Joshua Hughes

Sales Manager
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Joshua Hughes, Sales Manager, oversees all markets and wholesale distribution at Windy City Harvest. With extensive experience in food safety, merchandising, marketing, and community outreach, he aims to maximize the quality of our customer experience. Joshua graduated from Arizona State University with his B.S. in Sociology in 2018. His community engagement experience stems from organizing creative performance spaces for marginalized musicians and artists in Columbus, Ohio . In service of food access in urban agriculture since 2020, Joshua works to further assist the development of sustainable food systems to better serve Chicago’s South and West Side communities.

Ketaurah James

Manager, VeggieRx
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Ketaurah James started her journey with Windy City Harvest in the Youth Farm program in 2009. During her time at the North Lawndale Youth Farm, she learned the value of urban agriculture, and how food access directly affects her and her neighborhood. Early on, she knew that this was something she was very passionate about and wanted to promote a healthier lifestyle for everyone. Ketaurah now works as the VeggieRx manager, helping to distribute fresh vegetables to communities like her own, which have experienced disinvestment in food access. She takes pride in being a part of a stepping-stone for participants in changing their eating habits. She hopes to continue to help people reach their goals for themselves and their community.

Sarah Leff

Director of Strategy & Growth
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Sarah Leff is the Director of Strategy and Growth for Windy City Harvest. She joined the team in 2024 and leads the development and implementation of new programmatic initiatives, partnerships, and revenue streams to meet emerging community needs and ensure organizational sustainability. With more than seven years of experience in nonprofit organizations serving the west and south sides of Chicago, Sarah came to Windy City Harvest from Saint Anthony Hospital where she served in a blended role as the administrative project director of a $15.6M collaborative grant and oversaw the Institutional Partnerships and Giving Team. She earned her master of public health degree at the University of Illinois at Chicago. As a public health practitioner, Sarah is committed to taking a collaborative approach to health justice, working across systems to address the root causes of inequities.

Andy McGhee

Aquaponic Specialist
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Andy McGhee had retired before joining Windy City Harvest as a volunteer in late 2011. With a lifelong interest in biology and natural systems, and an interest in alternative uses of resources within the modern urban environment, he now focuses on alternative and experimental growing technologies that may be adapted to future urban agriculture enterprises. He designs and builds aquaponics systems for the Windy City Harvest program, and manages the daily operation of the program’s aquaponics system. Andy teaches one-day seminars in the theory, design, and practical management of aquaponics systems as well as instructing the Windy City Harvest industry-specific certificate course in Aquaponic Production, with sessions offered in spring and fall.

Iris Michael

Rooftop Farm Coordinator
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Iris grew up gardening with her mother, who affectionately named Iris after her favorite flower. As a teenager, she became vegan which sparked a passion for learning about food systems and social and environmental justice. Iris graduated summa cum laude from Loyola University Chicago with a Bachelors of Science in Environmental Science: Food Systems and Sustainable Agriculture and a minor in studio art. She interned for Loyola's urban agriculture program and the Stein Learning Gardens at St. Sabina. She co-led Loyola's mushrooms cultivation program and is very passionate about mycology. She started at Windy City Harvest in early 2024 as a crew leader for the Corps program and now oversees the McCormick Place Rooftop Farm, combining her love for agriculture and design. She cultivates annual, perennial, native, and specialty crops in addition to honeybees, worms, and mushrooms on this 3/4 acre farm in the sky.

Christopher Morgan

Field Supervisor
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Chris Morgan was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. Chris’s family came north from Hernando, Mississippi where they had a sizable farm that grew collards, sweet potatoes, berries and apples.

Even though they had minimal space in Chicago, Chris still grew up doing lots of gardening with his family and he gained a deep passion for plants. Chris has done a lot of work in the food service industry, first as a Driver and Dispatcher for a food delivery service, then as the Market Manager for a fresh foods market.

While working as a Market Manager, Chris was able to live and work on a sustainable farm in Pembroke, IL. That experience deepened his passion for plants and gave him invaluable practical experience in farming.

Now at Windy City Harvest, Chris works as a Field Supervisor which allows him to do production level farming and job readiness training with justice involved individuals. He has also recently joined the WCH incubator program and he is very excited to produce food for the community with his new business Sol De Chicago Farm.

Maya Morris

Manager of Workforce Development
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Maya Morris serves as the workforce development manager, where she supports individuals facing barriers to employment in building skills, confidence and pathways toward meaningful work. With a Master of Social Work and a background that includes interning at this very organization, Maya brings both empathy and practical experience towards her role. She is passionate about creating programs that are both compassionate and effective and remains committed to showing up in this community with integrity and care. Outside of work, Maya is an advocate for mental wellness, continuous learning, and creating space for people to feel seen and supported.

Joe O’Meara

Senior Manager of Farm Operations
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Joe O’Meara joined Windy City Harvest in 2023 as the Farm Business manager. He brings more than a decade of growing experience in a variety of settings. Joe’s passion has always been food-related, with his first career in the restaurant world. After attending Kendall College for the culinary arts, he discovered an appreciation of locally grown produce while running the event kitchens at Frontera and Topolobampo. He transitioned from chef to farmer, starting at City Farm, then spending a few years at Tempel Farm Organics as the assistant farm manager and Radical Root as the tractor operator. As their first farm coordinator, Joe designed and implemented a garden for people with special needs at Opportunity Knocks, a nonprofit in Maywood. At Council Oaks Montessori School in Blue Island,  Joe pioneered a farm-to-table program, managed the school kitchen, and developed a school learning garden and orchard. While launching and operating his own project, BIOS Farm,  Joe ran a two-acre urban farm in Blue Island for five years, with a successful CSA model and thriving market sales. He is passionate about growing food, native plants, and insects, and is excited to share his expertise with Windy City Harvest programs.

LaQuieasha Reed

Market Coordinator, Farm on Ogden
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LaQuieasha Reed joined the Windy City Harvest team in 2020. She went through the 13-week Corps program and then joined the Apprenticeship program in 2021. During her time at WCH, she has helped with different programs including VeggieRx. Reed is a ServSafe food handler, and holds a mental health first aid certificate. In the fall of 2021, she joined the sales team as the sales coordinator and eventually became the market coordinator. She is dedicated to providing an abundance of fresh and local foods to the Farm on Ogden. Reed was raised in the North Lawndale community and enjoys interacting with community members. Customers can come in and listen to one of her awesome playlists and enjoy a unique shopping experience.

Melissa Reyes

Manager of Education and Wellness
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Melissa Reyes, Education and Wellness Manager. I've lived in Pilsen for the last 5 years and originally, I'm from Lake County, IL. I have a background in non-profit, community and event coordination. My passions are helping people and creating a healthier planet for all. Currently I get to bring my passion to life by managing our Educational Tours, Youth Farm and Therapeutic Horticulture Programs.

Marcus Slaughter

Community Health Worker
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Marcus Slaughter is the newest member of the VeggieRx team. He recently moved to Chicago from San Diego, CA in Summer 2024 for a change of scenery. Marcus is used to working outside in the field, so this position motivates him to share what he knows about Urban Ag with the great people of Chicago. What Marcus really enjoys about VeggieRx are the many intersections between health, nutrition, community, and social equity. In his free time, Marcus likes to go biking in the woods, skateboard around the city, and find new places to eat.

Bailey Uttich

Aquaponics Coordinator
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Bailey Uttich, Aquaponics Coordinator, was first inspired to pursue a career in urban agriculture during her undergrad at Loyola Chicago, working as the hydroponics systems manager in their urban agriculture program. As the aquaponics coordinator, Bailey oversees the production of mostly romaine lettuce in the 52,000-gallon aquaponics system. In addition to growing, Bailey frequently monitors water quality for fish health checks and system maintenance projects to ensure production and sustainability goals are met.

Kenya Vera-Sample 

Urban Agriculture Educator, North Lawndale Youth Farm
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Kenya’s affinity for nature began at a very early age, with countless fishing and hiking excursions with her dad and gardening with her grandfather.  She began her career in urban agriculture in 2008 in the historic black farming community of Pembroke Illinois. Kenya’s love for the environment, community, wellness, and enterprise has advanced her work with organizations such as  Grow Great Englewood, Englewood Village Farms, Urban Growers Collective, and Black Oaks. She is on the Chicago Food Policy Action Council as co-chair of “Produce in Protest.”  She is an owner and operator of Du Sable City Winery and Vineyards, specializing in an agroforestry enterprise that specializes in the cultivation of elderberry. The vineyard is a part of a 100-year plan in Englewood. 

Carmen Vergara

Vice President of Community Partnerships
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Carmen Vergara administers the financial, operational, and strategic efforts of our Windy City Harvest division. She comes to the Garden with 20 years of extensive experience as a public health practitioner. Prior to joining us, Carmen served as chief operating officer at Esperanza Health Centers, a community health center serving 50,000 patients a year across seven locations. Prior to her time at Esperanza, Carmen worked as a research nurse at the UIC School of Public Health, where she managed multiple federally funded, community-based research grants. Carmen currently serves on several advisory and governing boards including the City of Chicago’s Board of Health, Firebird Community Arts in Garfield Park, and Open Center for the Arts in Little Village. She received her bachelor's degree in nursing and master's of public health from the University of Illinois at Chicago and is an alumna of the University of Chicago’s Civic Leadership Academy. Carmen was born and raised on the southwest side of Chicago and is fluent in Spanish. In her spare time, she loves to create floral arrangements, listen to fun music and is always in search of a good hiking trail.