Administrative Staff

Holland Brown, Founder and Co-Director. Holland has been a garden educator for the last 13 years and co-founded Ground Ed to bring nature to all students as part of their school day. She has a background in sustainability, training and consulting and when she's not working, you can find her in a forest.

Karen Taylor, Founder and Co-Director. In 2006, Karen signed up at Back To School Night to be a “Garden Helper” and out of one scrappy Kindergarten planter box and a partnership with Holland grew Ground Education. She now hopes that Ground Education elevates the re-naturing of childhood. She hopes school gardens are places where every single one of us can be authentically present. She hopes we all can learn with nature that there are solutions to share.

Kiley Zahn, Office Supervisor. Kiley is excited to have just started as an Administrative Assistant at Ground Education. She has been a garden educator for many years. She loves: to garden at home, her husband, four kids, her dogs, and her chickens.

Amanda Kincaid, After School Program Director. Amanda has been with Ground Education since 2018 and finds that it has been such a rewarding experience to watch the organization grow. She believes that what Ground Ed does for the Long Beach student population and community is inspiring.

Dominique Hohman, Materials Coordinator. Dominique has been an avid gardener and fan of all things outdoors for many years. With a professional background in project management, she enjoys the challenge and personal fulfillment of making magic happen behind the scenes. When not working, you can find her in the great outdoors with her two boys.

Jill Misouk, Administrative Assistant. Jill’s love of gardening and nature stems from days in the garden with her grandmother. With a professional background in nonprofits and library studies, she loves working behind the scenes to help foster nature learning for the younger generations.

Garden Educators

Kelly McKinney, Lead Garden Educator. Kelly is starting her 5th year as a garden teacher at Webster Elementary. She loves exploring all the beautiful things nature has to offer. She is happiest outside gardening, camping and riding bikes on the beach with her family.

Amy Rosenberg, Lead Garden Educator. Otherwise known in the garden as Ms. Cricket, Amy loves encouraging others to build connections with nature. As a curious explorer of the natural world she is an observer, naturalist, artist and educator who likes to help others develop their own sense of wonder and respect for nature and its inhabitants.

Ariel Dela Cruz, Lead Garden Educator. Ariel is a passionate eco educator and sustainability professional wanting to bring awareness of environmental justice through community education and engagement. Her focus is on empowering BIPOC and low-income communities to become stewards in protecting the one home we have - the Earth.

Kristen Toumajian, Garden Educator. Whenever possible, Kristen enjoys being outdoors either exploring new hiking trails with her two children, enjoying the local beaches with friends and family or gardening at home. A former high school English teacher, she is excited to jump back into teaching in the garden.

Maren Cobabe, Garden Educator. Maren is a lifelong gardener and naturalist, and has been an urban farmer for over a decade. She is also a licensed Herbalist and Acupuncturist. Also known as The Farm Fairy, Maren shares her love of birds, butterflies and all things growing with everyone she meets. She loves birdwatching, kayaking, camping and high adventure experiences with her family.

Roberta Denis, Garden Educator. Her most recent work experience is as a middle school art teacher which fostered both her love for kids and her curiosity. Being a garden educator means she gets to tend to both students and gardens. They can grow together. She is so excited to observe and preserve the amazing and sustaining power of plant life with the young people in the community.

Tera Leiva, Garden Educator. From guiding youth on mountain trails in the snow, to assisting young adults in preparing meals with vegetables from their community garden, and even introducing shelter dogs to middle schoolers on their campuses—Tera always seems to find herself surrounded by nature and young people. She is thrilled to take part in creating more garden spaces in the city.

Claire Collins, Garden Educator. Claire has cultivated a personal and professional passion for the outdoors, especially Southern California’s diverse ecosystem. As a Long Beach State Alumni, with a B.A. in Human Development, Claire has a deep understanding of the crucial role nature plays on the human mind and body. Having worked in a variety of outdoor education settings, she is happy to be growing with Ground Ed and our young gardeners!

Paul Burns, Garden Educator. Paul has years of teaching experience on vast levels, from preschool all the way up to coaching University professors. He is committed to students learning science and a sense of community when they come to the garden. It brings him joy to hear the kids learn where their food comes from. He really loves connecting what teachers are doing in the classroom to our garden lessons.

Alison Gonzalez, Garden Educator. Alison loves gardening, music, camping, traveling and exploring with her family and friends. She is thrilled about teaching kids in the garden how to connect with nature and their environment in their everyday lives.

Stacey Turis, Garden Educator. Stacey is a passionate educator and mindfulness coach who combines her love for kids, nature, and holistic well-being. With her guidance, she helps students cultivate not only flourishing gardens but also inner peace and awareness through the act of tending to plants. Stacey’s unique approach inspires her students to connect with the present moment, fostering a deeper connection with the natural world.

Katie Scott, Garden Educator. Katie is a former elementary school teacher who is passionate about fostering a love of learning in students through outdoor education and nature exploration. In her own garden she loves to grow tomatoes and herbs to cook with. Outside of the garden, you'll likely find her hiking with her dog, painting, skiing, or spending time with her favorite people.

Priscilla Putzel Acosta, Garden Educator. Priscilla has taught as a Science Instructor in both laboratory and nature settings for grades TK-12. She has also spent time as a Horticulturist growing CA native plants & produce. She enthusiastically utilizes green spaces as her classroom so students can experience the alchemy of growing plants to further their connection to the natural world and in turn help encourage students to tend to the Earth.

Casey Shattuck, Garden Educator. Casey has a passion for outdoor education and green spaces. She finds joy in nurturing student’s relationship with nature. When she is not in the garden, you can find her in the ocean.

Ammie McVay, Garden Educator. Ammie earned her teaching credential from CSULB. She views gardening as an artistic outlet which brings tranquility and satisfaction to her life. When she’s not in the garden, she is spending time with her family and friends, camping, off-roading, and hiking in nature. Her passion for photography enables her to capture the beauty which nature provides.

Neira Bare, Garden Educator. Neira is a former elementary science teacher who thrives on adventure and loves the great outdoors! She is passionate about teaching others where our food comes from, turning the garden into a living classroom. Her mission is to inspire others to embrace the outdoors and appreciate the journey from soil to table. You’ll often find her gardening, camping under the stars, or hiking new trails, soaking up nature’s beauty.

Brooklyn Bermudez, Garden Educator. Brooklyn is an enthusiastic educator and lifelong learner who is thrilled to be apart of the GroundEd team. She strives to foster a safe and curious environment when students feel free to explore and connect with nature. When she's not in the garden you can usually find her crocheting, at a concert, or playing board games!

Cynthia Oliva, Garden Educator. Cynthia got her degree in Environmental Studies and Education at UC Santa Cruz and has been teaching outdoors in a garden space for little over 6 years now and find the learning so rewarding and seen the huge impact that everyone can benefit from. Learning outdoors sparks curiosity, develops an appreciation for our natural world, and empowerment that we are capable of learning and doing. These are some of the reasons she holds garden base learning so close to her!

Dara Unger, Garden Educator. Dara has a background in no till organic agriculture and Montessori education. She loves engaging children in hands on learning and problem solving. When they are not in the garden they enjoy hiking, crocheting and cooking with fresh veggies.

Green Infrastructure Team

Lianne Rugeroni, Green Infrastructure Coordinator. Lianne studied horticulture at Orange Coast College and is an alumni of Long Beach State. She has been passionate about organic gardening for more than 25 years, a member of the California Rare Fruit Growers, and is a certified California Native Plant Landscaper. Outside of work, Lianne loves spending time with her pets, in nature with family and friends, or fostering her love of learning.

Katie Kasprzyk, Green Infrastructure Coordinator. Katie loves being outdoors, especially in a garden, and as a lifelong learner, she is always investigating and discovering new things. She loves sharing her knowledge with others and helping them foster a sense of wonder and curiosity in the world. You’ll often find her having adventures with her kids and husband or in the ocean, either on her stand up paddle board or surfing.

Albert Anguiano, Green Infrastructure Assistant, Office Staff, and Educator Assistant. In gardens since age 5 (2005). Started his own garden at home when he was a freshman in high school (2013). Due to his father’s landscaping business, he was taught to not only appreciate nature but to understand the way it grows with us, from seed, to sapling, to the first flowers and possibly fruits to reward the labor of love. Green thumb literally and figuratively.

Angeles Memije, Green Infrastructure Assistant. Angeles' personal environmental contribution is to maintain a healthy and loving relationship to the land, plants, and people. She comes from a family of earth healers and farmers and wishes to continue that legacy. Angeles continues to deepen her understanding on sustainable agro-ecology systems and honor traditional ecological knowledge wherever she resides.

Autumn Nelson, Green Infrastructure Assistant. Autumn is an enthusiastic horticulturist with a deep-rooted love for all living things! Studying for an environmental science (EVS) degree, she's committed to learning and sharing her knowledge with everyone she meets. Autumn's long-term goal is to create a greener, more sustainable world where every garden is an inspiration for positive environmental change.

Venezia Quezada, Green Infrastructure Assistant. She graduated with 3 degrees in Horticulture that include Nursery Management, Landscape Management, and Ornamental Horticulture. What she loves the most about gardening is all the lessons plants can teach us about patience, responsibility, and care.

Monica Anica, Green Infrastructure Assistant. Monica enjoys being part of the Ground Education team because of the shared vision and values. She enjoys learning new things from her professors from the Horticulture department at Fullerton College and from her fellow Green team. She finds working in the garden to be healing, therapeutic, and rewarding.

Support us in facilitating equitable access to nature by bringing garden lessons and green spaces to LBUSD school campuses.

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