Urban Tilth

Doria D. Robinson

Executive Director

Jessie Alberto

Farm Manager

Teresa Jimenez

Program Coordinator

My name is Teresa Jimenez and I was born in Jalisco , Mexico. I am now 18 years old and currently attending Contra Costa College. Soon I will to transfer to a four year college to seek a career in the field of psychology. I enjoy playing soccer and have been practicing this sport since I was seven years old. Soccer is meaningful to me since it is what I enjoy doing the most and what has brought balance into my life. My new found love for gardening has allowed me to share what I have learned with kids at Lincoln Elementary School and also with my little brother, Adrian. Having the opportunity to share what I have learned with people in my community has been a great learning experience.

Efosa Ogbebor

Program Assistant

Nick Romero

Program Assistant

Tania Pulido

Program Coordinator

First born in the US on both sides of my family, as a Mexican American I consider myself a Chicana. I was not always the best influence, I was what many called a “troubled youth”. When I finally realized that I wanted to change the first place I went to was a Urban Tilth agriculture class. There I met people Urban Tilth staff who changed the way I saw urban agriculture, and the community I live in (Richmond/ San Pablo). My love for the environment increased and my activism began. I became an advocate in my community, I organized and protested against the pollution of the infamous Richmond refinery (Chevron). I was recognized by the City of Richmond for my organizing and activism, I received the Martin Luther King Jr. award. I attend college and work at the RYSE Center as well. There at the RYSE Center I am a lead in my team, we deal with media and advocacy. I am extremely grateful to have met all the beautiful people in Urban tilth who gave me the knowledge to see beyond what I have been thought.

Adam Boisvert

Administrative Assistant & Program Coordinator

Hey my name is Adam! I’m a recent Cal graduate with a BS in Molecular Environmental Biology. Some of my interests include urban agriculture, sustainability, bike riding, and being a positive contributor to the world around me! I currently work with projects such as Berryland, GRIP, and the Leadership Highschool after school program called LEAP. During my spare time I play the flute, spin fire, draw, bike ride, and continue to expand my education within the realm of agriculture/community development. My life has been heavily influenced by the Berkeley Student Co-operative experience, and my long term goal is to establish a Global Community Co-operative, where sustainability and love of your fellow man are the norm. My goal is to promote non-violence, art, creativity, and love of our planet!

Iyalode Kinney

Communities United Restoring Mother Earth (C.U.R.M.E.)

Medicine Garden Consultant

Bob Gade

West Contra Costa Unified School District

Urban Agriculture and Food Systems Course Co-Instructor

Corinna Leftowitz

West Contra Costa Unified School District

Urban Agriculture and Food Systems Course Co-Instructor

Aaron Ableman

Co-Founder of Communitree, Farmer and Musician

Urban Farm Management Consultant

Aaron Ableman has spent the last 12 years working with the arts, ecological agriculture and social justice in low-income communities around the world. An author, performance artist, musician, acclaimed educator and community organizer, Ableman uses a unique blend of arts disciplines for ecological & wellness education. Ableman has launched youth arts initiatives, green job trainings and ecological remediation projects in northern India, Havana, Cuba, and the indigenous reservations of northern Canada.

Since being in the Bay Area, he has founded the CommuniTree project, a prolific local organization offering eco-arts education and service learning. He acknowledges his childhood raised on an urban farm (www.fairviewgardens.org), his travels to war torn countries, and studies with artists & meditation masters, as deep guides for his life’s work.

Maureen Miller

Accountant

Park Guthrie

Founder of Urban Tilth and Chair of the Board

Park Guthrie founded Urban Tilth in 2004 and was director until 2009. He is currently both a board member and collaborator. Park teaches biology at Kennedy High School and is developing an urban agriculture program there with Urban Tilth’s help. Park majored in Philosophy and Religious Studies at Stanford and has spent most of the past 15 years as a teacher. Highlights include 2 summers working as an Outward Bound instructor in the High Sierras and developing the Organic Opportunities program at Life Learning Academy on Treasure Island, SF.  Organic Opportunities is a student-powered mini-farm and CSA service wrapped around an urban agriculture and food system class. Park lives in unincorporated west Contra Costa County near Wildcat Creek with his wife, Kristan, and children, Kai, Lola, and June. They have a huge garden with chickens, goats, bees and lots of purple tree collards.

Jesse Kurtz-Nicholl

Board Member

Jesse is a new member of the board operating at present time from Washington D.C. where he is getting his Masters in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University. At Hopkins, he is focusing on community food systems and plans on focusing his future endeavors at the intersection of education and local food production. He is also working on a high school food systems curriculum as part of his duties for the Center for a Livable Future. Jesse was the Urban Agriculture and Food Systems teacher last year at Richmond High and continues the strong connection with Urban Tilth by helping this year’s current teachers Bob Gade and Corrina Leftkowitz with their curriculum development. Lastly, Jesse is completing a program evaluation of Urban Tilth’s “Urban Agriculture Institutes” and looks to publish those results by the end of the year. Stay tuned.

Rick Topinka, PhD

Board Member

Rick has his PhD in Ecology and teaches biology and ecology at American River College, a community college in Sacramento, where he advises the environmental student club and works on campus sustainability issues. He has a long term interest in community food production including gardening, backyard animal husbandry and gleaning.

John Lee

Board Member

Doria Robinson

Board Member