Our Staff & Board
The Youth Garden Project relies on a team of people to carry out our programs & events, grow the garden, and achieve our mission. The core of this team includes four full-time staff members, one AmeriCorps VISTA member, seasonal apprentices and interns each year, and dedicated volunteers serving as our Board of Directors. Find out our more about the staff, interns, and board of YGP below.
Interested in joining our team? Check for job openings.
Meet Our Staff
Emily
Executive Director
Emily has been Executive Director of YGP since Fall 2021, after having first spent a season as a garden intern and then two years in the Outreach & Development Coordinator role. Emily sees the garden as an invaluable asset to the Moab community. She’s excited to continue developing YGP as a place where people of all ages can learn new skills and foster meaningful relationships to their local environment, the food system, and with each other.
Contact:
emily@youthgardenproject.org
Erin
Youth Programs Director
Erin recently joined the YGP team as the Youth Programs Director in summer 2021. She has led youth programming and taught outdoor education seasonally around the country for the past few years and is excited to settle down in Moab for a while. Erin is looking forward to seeing youth learn about their food and connect with their local environment in a hands-on way.
Contact:
erin.v@youthgardenproject.org
Sarah
Produce Manager
Sarah first joined YGP as a Farm Intern in 2020. She returned the following season as YGP’s Farm Produce Manager. Sarah sees local food as a valuable tool in nourishing our community’s health and resiliency.
Contact:
sarah@youthgardenproject.org
Ben
Farm Manager
Ben moved to Moab to be YGP’s new Farm manager starting in winter 2022. Ben is ready to put down roots here to grow a community and explore all that Moab has to offer. He is looking forward to getting his hands in the dirt and sharing his passion for nature with all.
Contact:
ben@youthgardenproject.org
Jessie
Outreach & Development Coordinator
Jessie first joined YGP as an Americorps VISTA member from 2020-2021, and returned as Outreach & Development Coordinator in January 2022. She is excited about the opportunity to further foster connections between YGP, the Moab community, and our shared planet.
Contact:
jessie@youthgardenproject.org
Meet Our AmeriCorps Member
Meet Our Seasonal Farmhand/Educator
Emily B.
Garden-Based Curriculum Specialist, AmeriCorps VISTA
Emily is joining YGP for the 2021-2022 year as the Garden-Based Curriculum Specialist with AmeriCorps. She believes knowing where one’s food comes from is essential in giving back to both the environment and the community around it, and is excited to foster students learning at the garden.
Emily R.
2022 Garden-Based Educator
New to Moab and to YGP, Emily brings a background in natural resources, entomology and agricultural research. She enjoys nature through hiking, bug spotting, yoga and cooking healthy meals from the garden. As our new Garden Based Educator, she is eager to have a part in instilling her values of environmental stewardship and responsible recreation in the next generation.
Meet our 2022 Youth Programs Instructors
Chloe
Olivia
Katherine
Katherine has ventured to Moab for the summer from Tacoma, Washington. She is so excited to get to know the local youth by exploring the wonder, beauty, and abundance the world has to offer through lots of fun adventures in the garden this summer!
Dorothy
Coming from Georgia, Dorothy has a background in conservation biology, sustainability, and natural resources. She is eager to teach the youth community in Moab the importance of the origin of food and appreciating the planet.
Meet our 2022 Seed Crew
From Left: Jackson, Emily ‘Bugz’ (YGP Seed Crew Lead), Leylia, and Carlos
Meet Our Board of Directors
Desiree Westfall
Chair
Physician Assistant, Moab Regional Hospital
Anne Clare Erickson
Vice Chair
Sales Director
Jen Sadoff
Treasurer
CEO, Moab Regional Hospital
Nan Marquardt
Secretary
Psychologist, Retired
Tim Graham
Insect Ecologist
Joshua Cameron
High School English Teacher
Bruce Keeler
Goat Herd