What are your job duties/job responsibilities in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources?

As the Center for Agroforestry’s outreach and education coordinator, I develop informational materials like the Agroforestry Podcast and monthly newsletters, and I organize and execute a number of events. The Agroforestry Academy, an annual week-long intensive train-the-trainer program, is one of our most recognized offerings. We’re also looking forward to the upcoming Agroforestry Symposium, which will take place January 28-30, 2021; this year’s theme is Community Health and Resilient Food Systems.

How long have you worked in CAFNR?

I’ve been in this position since the start of 2018, going on three years, though I’ve been with CAFNR since 2015, as a graduate research assistant with the Center for Agroforestry until December 2017.

What do you enjoy about working for CAFNR/Mizzou?

I appreciate the abundant opportunities for collaboration that are available working at such an extensive academic institution. It’s wonderful to continue to meet new colleagues and consider our interdisciplinary connections.

What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

These days, my four month old son keeps me fully occupied, but I look forward to sharing my hobbies with him as he grows. I enjoy paddling, hiking and bicycling year round on Missouri’s beautiful rivers and trails. I also love to forage for wild treats and apply my agroforestry and permaculture experience in the garden.

What is something your co-workers/other CAFNR employees don’t know about you?

For some time before I decided to go back to school for a graduate degree, I lived intentionally off grid, in earthen homes, with the greater part of my subsistence directly from the land. During that time, I learned the art of clowning with a bicycling troupe of social justice performers. Those experiences have had a profound effect on my life and career.