Andy McGee (Development and Programs Coordinator, She/they) comes to Grow Portland with a lifelong passion for being in gardens with kids. She has taught in schools, farms, and gardens for over 15 years and spent 6 years as the Education Program Manager at Zenger Farm. Andy has loved teaching and learning with children about pollinators, veggies, worms and so much more. Now they help show others how amazing this work is through sharing stories with funders and the broader community. She spent several years writing web content for garden centers and nurseries and is excited to put pen to paper for Grow Portland. Andy is passionate about justice work and believes strongly that every child deserves the time and space to connect with the natural world. They are a community activist and avid home gardener, living on a communal queer homestead in SW Washington. They love to work with the animals, grow food and go swimming whenever possible!

Ary Solomon (Site Coordinator, They/Them) is a community organizer who brings a decade of garden education, outdoor education, and facilitation experience to the Grow Portland team. Their work designing, building, and managing the garden program at Olin-Sang-Ruby Union Institute - an overnight summer camp in Wisconsin - deepened their love for garden education, and they learned the importance of integrating school gardens into their surrounding communities in their role as Learning Garden Coordinator at Portland Community College’s Southeast Campus. Ary believes that growing and sharing food is one of the most important parts of weaving community and is so excited to be supporting Grow Portland’s educators, sites, and students!

Djamila Moore (Education Director, She/Her) grew up in a small town on the Big Island of Hawaii where she developed a love for connecting to land and growing food. Djamila has over 16 years of experience teaching and developing curricula in gardens, farms, classrooms and kitchens including the Brooklyn Botanic Garden in New York City, where she received her Horticulture Certificate. She earned her MA in Science Education from the University of British Columbia where she worked at the intersection of teacher training and urban agriculture. Djamila's work and research on school gardens has been presented at the Growing School Gardens Summit, Oregon School Garden Summit, Environmental Education Association of Oregon, World Affairs Council of Oregon, and the American Horticultural Society. Djamila cares deeply about cultivating community through gardening and professionalizing the field of school garden education.

Ileana Viramontes (Garden Educator, She/They *hablo Español) was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas and just moved to Portland, Oregon because of the opportunities to learn more about gardening and spending time in nature. Ileana grew up speaking Spanish, and surrounded by a culture heavily influenced by Mexican and Chicano customs. Ileana’s interest in food justice and sovereignty began with their involvement in community organizing through mutual aid food distribution and community gardening. Ileana has spent the last few summers traveling the Southwest and making connections with small-scale farmers, and helping them tend to their farms. Their experience with community work allowed them to navigate their role as garden educator at a cooperative school in San Antonio in which they collaborated with the parents and students of the school to develop and maintain the campus landscape. Ileana is excited to facilitate a connection between the students and their food and environment, and recognizes the role gardening can play in maintaining a relationship with the student and their culture. In their free time, Ileana enjoys hiking, camping, reading, and being an amateur herbalist.

Kelsi Herman (Garden Educator, She/Her *hablo Español) grew up in Portland, Oregon and has always relished any time spent outdoors. After completing a BA in Spanish and TESL from Portland State, she took her passion for language and education abroad. Kelsi earned an MA in Applied Linguistics from the Universitat de Barcelona and spent nearly a decade living and working in NW Spain. During that time, she began developing and teaching Natural Science and Technology curricula for English language learners. The work sparked a career shift towards environmental and garden education that got her hungry to create content that empowers students and lets them engage with food and the natural world on their own terms. Kelsi adores exploring new parks, listening to audiobooks, weight training, and flitting between three languages with her family.

Max Krieger (Garden Educator, He/Him) comes to Grow Portland with 15 years of experience working with young people outside. He began this work in upstate New York in the field of wilderness therapy. After moving to Oregon in 2011, he led courses with NOLS, an international wilderness school, that focused on leadership, risk management, environmental studies, and outdoor skills. Max began his journey with garden education while receiving his MS in Sustainability Education from Portland State University in 2017. Since then he has become passionate about the power of gardens to help people foster connections to the natural world and to each other.  Most recently, Max managed a garden for a Sandy area nonprofit that engaged youth in workforce development. Max has fallen in love with the Pacific Northwest and while he plans to continue planting roots in this region, he will always be a Georgia peach at heart. 

Michelle Welton (Executive Director, She/Her) is a fifth-generation Oregonian, holds a degree in International Studies, and has two decades of nonprofit experience. Michelle spent the initial years of her career at numerous Pacific Northwest camps and retreat centers supporting outdoor education, youth and family programming, fundraising events, and retreat center management. Since moving to Portland, Michelle has focused her time primarily in social services including roles in volunteer coordination, community outreach, development, grant support, and service on nonprofit boards. Most recently, Michelle managed the diverse staff and services of a local refugee resettlement program. 

Michelle serves as the Board President for the Rose City Rollers, empowering youth and adults through roller derby and community building. Michelle is a passionate urban gardener, volunteer, outdoors person, and prides herself on being the world’s greatest aunt.

Abby Shrader (Garden Educator, She/They) is passionate about helping young students develop their confidence, independence and a strong sense of belonging. Born and raised in New Haven, Connecticut, Abby moved to Portland to study at Reed College, where she received a BA with a major in theatre. Abby has worked with young learners for over a decade, gaining experience with pre-school childcare, elementary school tutoring, and teen educational enrichment programs. Since graduating, Abby has continued to engage young students in more theatrical contexts. Working with the Echo Theatre Company and Northwest Children’s Theatre, Abby developed and led classes in theatrical play, creative world building, and directed young students to perform short plays. Abby is excited to work collaboratively with young students to cultivate a community around growing food and our individual and collective relationships with the land. Outside of work Abby enjoys visiting the ocean, finding the sunshine, connecting with loved ones, and snuggling with her old grumpy cat, Mia.

Merri Baehr Whipps (Garden Educator, she/her) grew up in central California, with her grandma modeling a deep love of gardening. Since moving to Portland to study at Reed College, Merri has created a home garden with a focus on children, achieved Backyard Habitat certification, and more recently is studying and adopting permaculture techniques. After many years in Montessori education, Merri recently made a career shift to garden education. Helping children learn about living in harmony with the earth to sustain our human lives is central to her mission. Merri has been practicing garden education with K-5 age groups for the last two years at Sitton Elementary, and has certificates from OSU in garden education and permaculture design. She is excited to join the Grow Portland community for the 2024-25 school year!