Interested in joining our Board of Directors? More info here!
Staff
Megan Gross, Executive Director
Megan is a farmer, activist, and community engager who has dedicated her energies towards social equity and reimagining a just and restorative American way of eating. A Texas native, Megan earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications and Hispanic Studies from The University of Pennsylvania and has lived in Argentina and Chile. Before moving to Colorado to become a farmer, Megan worked for several nonprofits and eventually led local Corporate Social Responsibility Initiatives for The Nielsen Company in New York City. However, it was while working for a consumer packaged food company in college that Megan developed a love/hate relationship with the food industry that drove her to dig into the roots of social justice as it is related to food. Now Megan is tremendously grateful and excited to lead The Growing Project’s effort to foster inclusive communities around food that promote equity and empowerment through education, leadership opportunities, and continual dialogue.
Megan is a farmer, activist, and community engager who has dedicated her energies towards social equity and reimagining a just and restorative American way of eating. A Texas native, Megan earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications and Hispanic Studies from The University of Pennsylvania and has lived in Argentina and Chile. Before moving to Colorado to become a farmer, Megan worked for several nonprofits and eventually led local Corporate Social Responsibility Initiatives for The Nielsen Company in New York City. However, it was while working for a consumer packaged food company in college that Megan developed a love/hate relationship with the food industry that drove her to dig into the roots of social justice as it is related to food. Now Megan is tremendously grateful and excited to lead The Growing Project’s effort to foster inclusive communities around food that promote equity and empowerment through education, leadership opportunities, and continual dialogue.
Board of Directors
Josh Sbicca, President: Josh has been an organizer and a scholar since 2001. During college and for two years after graduation he was involved with the anti-war, environmental, food, and labor movements. After spending many years in graduate school, he is now a sociology professor at Colorado State University where he teaches courses on food and agriculture, social problems, and social movements. He believes that the food movement should prioritize food justice to advocate for the right to healthy food that is justly and sustainably produced, recognize diverse cultural foodways and histories, and promote democratic participation and equitable distribution of resources in the food system.
Matt Fetissoff: Matt is a designer & activist. Years ago, a love for cooking sparked his desire for a deeper connection with the origins of food, which ultimately ignited the light of permaculture in him. In 2015 he founded Common Roots to build a more resilient community designing food systems and water conscious lifestyles. He's a mentor gardener for The Growing Project's Urban Food Outreach program when not working his day job as a website designer and developer.
Chris Fry: The Fry Law Firm LLC
Fulvia Serra: Homeward Alliance
Laura Shiels MS Botany, BS Environmental Studies (www.herbalmagik.com; www.scintillatingfirecircus.com) is a biologist, herbalist, ethnobotanist, ecologist, environmental advocate, performance artist, and director. She is a strong supporter of sustainable living and the local food movement and has passions for education, healing, organic gardening, and performing/storytelling. Laura has a strong teaching background, having lectured courses for the University of Hawaii Biology Department for 5 years, previously teaching as a Biology and Botany graduate teaching assistant, teaching workshops on herbalism and sustainable living strategies for The Greenhouse Hawaii since 2005, teaching environmental education and organic gardening to children through the Learning Environmental Awareness Program and Gardens in Schools Program, and teaching international Ethnobotany field courses in Nicaragua and Hawaii. She has also worked as a Wilderness Advocate on a successful campaign to designate more Wilderness Study Areas as federally recognized Wilderness and has worked on city greening projects (such as Let’s Grow Hilo, Laulima Eco-friendly Alliance of Farms, and the Institute for Human Services) to creatively grow harvested edible produce and herbs within city downtown areas and at homeless shelters. She currently runs the herbalism practice Herbalmagik, serves as president of the entertainment troupes Scintillating Fire Circus and Hawaii Fire Dancers LLC, volunteers and teaches workshops for The Growing Project and other organizations, and will start teaching Herbology at Front Range Community College as an instructor with the Holistic Healing program in Summer 2017.
Matt Fetissoff: Matt is a designer & activist. Years ago, a love for cooking sparked his desire for a deeper connection with the origins of food, which ultimately ignited the light of permaculture in him. In 2015 he founded Common Roots to build a more resilient community designing food systems and water conscious lifestyles. He's a mentor gardener for The Growing Project's Urban Food Outreach program when not working his day job as a website designer and developer.
Chris Fry: The Fry Law Firm LLC
Fulvia Serra: Homeward Alliance
Laura Shiels MS Botany, BS Environmental Studies (www.herbalmagik.com; www.scintillatingfirecircus.com) is a biologist, herbalist, ethnobotanist, ecologist, environmental advocate, performance artist, and director. She is a strong supporter of sustainable living and the local food movement and has passions for education, healing, organic gardening, and performing/storytelling. Laura has a strong teaching background, having lectured courses for the University of Hawaii Biology Department for 5 years, previously teaching as a Biology and Botany graduate teaching assistant, teaching workshops on herbalism and sustainable living strategies for The Greenhouse Hawaii since 2005, teaching environmental education and organic gardening to children through the Learning Environmental Awareness Program and Gardens in Schools Program, and teaching international Ethnobotany field courses in Nicaragua and Hawaii. She has also worked as a Wilderness Advocate on a successful campaign to designate more Wilderness Study Areas as federally recognized Wilderness and has worked on city greening projects (such as Let’s Grow Hilo, Laulima Eco-friendly Alliance of Farms, and the Institute for Human Services) to creatively grow harvested edible produce and herbs within city downtown areas and at homeless shelters. She currently runs the herbalism practice Herbalmagik, serves as president of the entertainment troupes Scintillating Fire Circus and Hawaii Fire Dancers LLC, volunteers and teaches workshops for The Growing Project and other organizations, and will start teaching Herbology at Front Range Community College as an instructor with the Holistic Healing program in Summer 2017.
