Meet the cast.
Gretchen Mead
Executive Director, Victory Garden Initiative
Gretchen founded Victory Garden Initiative in 2008. Throughout her career as a social worker she witnessed firsthand the negative impact that the current industrialized food system has on vulnerable populations. She observed that the poorest were the most susceptible to diet-related illnesses, especially where cheap processed foods are plentiful but fresh vegetables are all but inaccessible.Gretchen’s outlook was shaped by her upbringing in rural Illinois, where her family harvested the bounty of nearby forests in addition to cultivating a family garden. Her approach to urban agriculture is informed by the principles of permaculture, a theory of ecological design that aims to work with nature instead of against it. Gretchen’s aspiration is to reintegrate our food ecology and our human ecology together in one system. She points out, “Our current agriculture system happens away from where people live; our goal is to reintegrate those systems.”
Executive Director, Victory Garden Initiative
Gretchen founded Victory Garden Initiative in 2008. Throughout her career as a social worker she witnessed firsthand the negative impact that the current industrialized food system has on vulnerable populations. She observed that the poorest were the most susceptible to diet-related illnesses, especially where cheap processed foods are plentiful but fresh vegetables are all but inaccessible.Gretchen’s outlook was shaped by her upbringing in rural Illinois, where her family harvested the bounty of nearby forests in addition to cultivating a family garden. Her approach to urban agriculture is informed by the principles of permaculture, a theory of ecological design that aims to work with nature instead of against it. Gretchen’s aspiration is to reintegrate our food ecology and our human ecology together in one system. She points out, “Our current agriculture system happens away from where people live; our goal is to reintegrate those systems.”
Alysse Gear
Development and Administrative Coordinator, Victory Garden Initiative
Alysse Gear is Development and Administrative Coordinator at Victory Garden Initiative. She previously worked in the magazine world for several years, also spearheading and taking part in various food-related and environmental initiatives on the side. But quickly, she realized she had to do more about the environmental and public health issues she saw our broken food system causing in her family, her friends and our city. That's how she came to VGI. Alysse completed the Food Leader Certificate Program, learning community organizing, leadership, and food-growing skills. And during that time, she found her job that was both a leap and a perfect fit. She finally gets to work toward changing our food system all day, every day, surrounded by like-minded, motivated, passionate people.
Alysse believes that we all make a difference every day, and it's up to us whether that difference is positive or negative. That's where growing food comes in: We all have the power to change our bodies, environment and communities through what we eat.
In her spare time, Alysse writes a blog about women following their dreams, dog-ears way too many pages in seed catalogs, and is constantly improving at not falling over during every pose in yoga class.
Development and Administrative Coordinator, Victory Garden Initiative
Alysse Gear is Development and Administrative Coordinator at Victory Garden Initiative. She previously worked in the magazine world for several years, also spearheading and taking part in various food-related and environmental initiatives on the side. But quickly, she realized she had to do more about the environmental and public health issues she saw our broken food system causing in her family, her friends and our city. That's how she came to VGI. Alysse completed the Food Leader Certificate Program, learning community organizing, leadership, and food-growing skills. And during that time, she found her job that was both a leap and a perfect fit. She finally gets to work toward changing our food system all day, every day, surrounded by like-minded, motivated, passionate people.
Alysse believes that we all make a difference every day, and it's up to us whether that difference is positive or negative. That's where growing food comes in: We all have the power to change our bodies, environment and communities through what we eat.
In her spare time, Alysse writes a blog about women following their dreams, dog-ears way too many pages in seed catalogs, and is constantly improving at not falling over during every pose in yoga class.
Farmer Tony & Hillery Farrell
Owner, Farmer Tony's Mission Greens
Farmer Tony Farrell is an urban farmer working to eradicate hunger and poverty by teaching everyone agricultural entrepreneurship. He is a 2012 graduate of Growing Power's Commercial Urban Agriculture program and has taught high intensity organic food production methods to a wide variety of groups locally and in Africa. In September 2013, Farmer Tony and wife Hillery started a commercial microgreen production business that runs from inside their apartment, named Farmer Tony's Mission Greens. Their work has been featured in numerous local media outlets including the cover page of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel food section. Recently Farmer Tony partnered with Miguel Castro, Jr to design and mass produce indoor microframing systems targeting classrooms, homes, and urban farms.
Hillery Farrell is an urban farming entrepreneur who was motivated by a mission trip to Kenya to quit her day job and start her first business, Farmer Tony's Mission Greens. Hillery has extensive experience growing, harvesting, and packaging microgreens, and her income from her apartment based food production business has surpassed that of her day job after being in business for less than a year. She has cultivated ongoing business relationships with farmers markets, individuals, restaurants, caterers, and local stores. Hillery has also trained many people how to grow their own microgreens. Leveraging her passion for cooking, Hillery is working to create innovative healthy recipes using microgreens.
Owner, Farmer Tony's Mission Greens
Farmer Tony Farrell is an urban farmer working to eradicate hunger and poverty by teaching everyone agricultural entrepreneurship. He is a 2012 graduate of Growing Power's Commercial Urban Agriculture program and has taught high intensity organic food production methods to a wide variety of groups locally and in Africa. In September 2013, Farmer Tony and wife Hillery started a commercial microgreen production business that runs from inside their apartment, named Farmer Tony's Mission Greens. Their work has been featured in numerous local media outlets including the cover page of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel food section. Recently Farmer Tony partnered with Miguel Castro, Jr to design and mass produce indoor microframing systems targeting classrooms, homes, and urban farms.
Hillery Farrell is an urban farming entrepreneur who was motivated by a mission trip to Kenya to quit her day job and start her first business, Farmer Tony's Mission Greens. Hillery has extensive experience growing, harvesting, and packaging microgreens, and her income from her apartment based food production business has surpassed that of her day job after being in business for less than a year. She has cultivated ongoing business relationships with farmers markets, individuals, restaurants, caterers, and local stores. Hillery has also trained many people how to grow their own microgreens. Leveraging her passion for cooking, Hillery is working to create innovative healthy recipes using microgreens.