By Anna Varriano
Community Groundworks
Whether you’re visiting Troy Gardens or following us in print or online, you’re bound to see some new faces at Community GroundWorks (CGW) in 2017. Northside neighbors, please meet the newest additions to our staff: Alisha, Renata and Jill.
Alisha David, Kids’ Garden Manager
Alisha joins CGW after teaching high school chemistry and working on an organic farm in the Caribbean islands of Antigua and St. Croix. She loves to share with children how incredible nature is and how powerful it is to grow your own food. When she’s not working in the Kids’ Garden or Capitol Garden, she can be found experimenting with new vegan recipes in the kitchen, testing out her sewing skills on her machine or traveling to another beautiful place in the world.
Renata Solan, Communications Manager
Originally from New Jersey, Renata is proud to call Wisconsin her home. She joins CGW’s Wisconsin School Garden Network after completing master’s degrees in agroecology and environmental communications. She loves to hear and tell stories about the infinite ways that people connect with each other and their environments through food and gardens. Renata spends her free time gardening, knitting and exploring the state with her husband and daughter. Her favorite places include Pope Farm Conservancy in Verona and Wisconsin Concrete Park in Phillips.
Jill Carlson Groendyk, Farm to Early Care and Education Trainer
Jill is an Ohio native that came to Madison in 2014 with her partner Mike. Jill has always been interested in how we can live well and healthfully, while also taking care of the ecological system that supports us. This passion and interest led to experiences studying renewable energy systems, completing the first greenhouse gas inventory for the City of Detroit, serving as an AmeriCorps Farm to School Specialist with REAP Food Group and coordinating an agricultural conservation project in the Great Lakes Basin. Jill is excited to contribute to the farm to early care and education work in Wisconsin and champion the value of bringing local food into early care settings. Outside of CGW, she works as the assistant market manager for the and loves to cook up a stew, write snail mail and eat pastries.