Agraria_Journal_Summer_2022

AGRARIA JOURNAL 2022 47 JEREMY SCHLEINING Jeremy is Agraria’s new Land Director, a position he grew into while incubating Calyx Farm on Agraria, a business he operates with his wife, Alisha. A native of a small town north of Seattle, Washington, Jeremy initially followed his interest in restoring old vehicles into a job in a custom auto body repair shop. But he did a “quick 180” soon after starting, when he realized the environment was not for him. “I didn’t want to breathe paint fumes for the rest of my life,” he said. So he quit his job, and got on with a field crew doing environmental and habitat restoration. “That was the kick start to the rest of my career,” he said. He has remained close to the land ever since. He was facilities and land manager and led a workforce program for underserved youth on a produce farm in Vermont, helped develop a leadership program for high school kids, and led backcountry trail-building crews. He also worked as a gardener for Seattle public schools, maintaining landscapes for the 32 schools in the district, and dipped into permaculture while installing edible rain gardens. Jeremy and Alisha moved to Ohio to be closer to family. They are parents to Mae, their two-and-a-half year old daughter, and welcomed their second child, a son, early this summer. Alisha is Certification Program Manager for the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association. Jeremy has worked for Five Rivers Metro Parks at Aullwood Gardens as a horticultural tech, at Patchwork Gardens, an area CSA, and for an indoor landscaping service. “I’ve been an indoor plant geek for a while,” he said. He’s also a flower geek, it seems. He wanted to expand his growing experience and eventually filled up their yard to overflowing with flowers. That led him to Agraria, where he established a plot last year to incubate Calyx Farm. “I love growing vegetables,” he said, “but growing flowers gives you a whole different feeling. There’s so much color and beauty, and all the pollinators . . . I don’t think I’ll ever stop growing flowers.” He was drawn to Agraria by the “mission, the landscape, the work, and the people.” His goal, as Agraria’s Land Director, is to “help Agraria reach its fullest potential as a hub of regenerative practice and education and to support the staff in reaching their personal and professional goals and aspirations.” APRIL WOLFORD Raised in a farming community in central Ohio, April returned to her agricultural roots by joining Agraria as Director of Development and Strategic Initiatives. With over 30 years of management experience in computer support services, customer service, project management, distance learning, and universal design, April brings a wealth of knowledge from both the private and public sectors, including four different universities. April earned a bachelor’s degree from Antioch College, where she also earned her activism stripes, serving as Community Manager and as one of the team of student leaders who developed the cutting-edge sexual consent policy. She joined the IT staff at Antioch after graduation and continued working in that field after moving to the San Francisco Bay Area, where she lived for 20 years, working primarily in academia. Her commitment to activism and community involvement found expression in her work to support the Bay Area LGBTQ+ community. That work included starting an organization that offered social and mentoring programs for LGBTQ+ youth. Antioch called to April once again a few years ago and she returned home to lead the alumni relations office for the college. She has added fundraising to her portfolio as Agaria’s Director of Development. This position combines her passion for social justice, entrepreneurial creativity and grassroots organizing as a means to cultivate a strong funding base for Agraria’s rapidly expanding menu of programs. April is currently pursuing a master's degree in organizational leadership at The Union Institute. When she is not studying for her degree or raising funds for Agraria, she enjoys playing with her furry friend Whisky, a Belgian Shepherd rescue dog.