Garden and Kitchen Educator,
P.S. 109
Originally from western Massachusetts, Asa moved to Brooklyn in summer 2022.
Asa has a background in environmental studies and coastal education, with a passion for place-based learning and environmental justice. When not leading classes at various schools across NYC, they can be found hanging in their local community garden, walking their elderly dog Ellis, or making breakfast for friends (their favorite meal).
Picnic in the park
Institutional Giving Manager
Julia comes to Edible Schoolyard NYC after working in nonprofits dedicated to addressing social injustices. Julia is an advocate for supporting food access and equitable community development as she works to build connections across NYC. Outside of the office, she enjoys trying new restaurants, wandering throughout the city and exploring new places.
Cucumber
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Vice President of Programs
For over 15 years, Miriam has led public programs and community engagement initiatives for nonprofits across New York City. Her curiosity and drive to enrich communities and strengthen ties now bring her to Edible Schoolyard NYC. Formerly Miriam worked as the Director of Public Programs for Madison Square Park Conservancy and served as the Director of Experience and Engagement for Brooklyn Children’s Museum.
Miriam lives in Queens, NY, with her husband and daughter. In her free time, Miriam loves to browse cookbooks and bake new recipes for family and friends.
Nadiya Bakes by Nadiya Hussain
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Director of Horticulture and Operations
Jason is a practicing horticulturist and educator. He is passionate about community gardens, garden education and making horticulture training programs more accessible. For over a decade he has worked with plants to engage diverse communities in NYC. He is on a mission to capture and share the spirit of the gardener and to reimagine what a garden can be. Jason graduated with an MFA from the University of Minnesota and in 2015 completed the Professional Horticulture Program at Longwood Gardens. In his spare time he likes to read and do almost nothing.
South Texas in February
Pronouns: He/Him/His
Program Manager,
P.S. 216, Brooklyn Gardens Elementary School, Brighter Choice Community School
Beni Darius was born in Haiti and raised in Brooklyn, NY. For over a decade, she has been dedicated to advocating for food justice. Beni has championed universal free school lunches and youth-led programs focused on food and educational justice as a teacher, advocate, and facilitator. As a passionate cook, she enjoys sharing her expertise and teaching others how to prepare delicious and healthy meals. Beni takes great pride in teaching others about the richness and diversity of Haitian Cuisine, incorporating Haitian and Caribbean flavors in her cooking and connecting to the communities she teaches in. She co-founded the Youth Food Justice Network and has worked as a project coordinator, market manager, and lead chef educator. Beni believes in de-colonizing the culinary and nutrition world by connecting and relating food to its respective community and making them feel valued and cherished. When not working, Beni spends time with her two furry friends (Nala & Sirena), exploring museums and galleries, and collecting fragrances.
A Taste of Haiti by Mirta Yurnet-Thomas & Food From Across Africa: Recipes to Share by Duval Timothy
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Director of Education & Quality
Liza comes to Edible Schoolyard NYC after many years as a classroom teacher of both children and adults, and trains our educators to become better teachers themselves. She is currently trying to perfect the kale pesto recipe she learned in a kitchen class at PS 216.
Marcella Hazan: Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking.
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Director of School Programs
Dan comes to Edible Schoolyard NYC from the culinary world. Prior to 2012, Dan had a brief stint in the nonprofit development world before leaving to attend culinary school and cook professionally in New York City restaurants. Fortunately he found his way to Edible Schoolyard NYC at P.S. 216, where he happily remains to this very day.
Jubilee: Recipes from Two Centuries of African American Cooking: A Cookbook
Pronouns: He/Him/His
Garden and Kitchen Educator,
P.S. 216
Cecilia has been teaching in parks and gardens for several years in NYC. She can most likely be found looking for ladybugs in the asparagus bed or taking a nap next to the basil.
The Joy of Cooking
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Program Manager,
Evergreen School for Urban Exploration & P.S./M.S. 7
Sammi identifies as a kitchen poet. Food is the way she understands the world. Before joining Edible Schoolyard, she spent years as a professional chef that centered community and youth food education. Sammi is from the Bronx and graduated from UMass Amherst with degrees in Urban Planning and Sustainable Food & Farming. In her spare time, Sammi loves to feast, play with cameras, write anything from poetry to culinary criticism, make miniature clay sculptures, and cuddle her puppy, Couscous.
Forage, Harvest, Feast: A Wild Inspired Cuisine by Marie Viljoen
Pronouns: She/They
Garden and Kitchen Educator,
P.S. 216
Originally from Houston, TX, Hannah is new to New York City and is very excited to join the ESYNYC team. Hannah loves cooking, gardening, being outdoors, and eating dark chocolate chips by the handful. Prior to joining the P.S.216 team, Hannah attended college in Maine and taught workshops on urban farms in Brooklyn.
Sweet Potato
Pronouns: She/They/Them
Development & Events Manager
Tavishi comes to Edible Schoolyard NYC after working as the Director of Donor Relations at a nonprofit dedicated to fighting global food insecurity. She has a background in Economics and Marketing, and is passionate about creating a positive impact in society through education and food! Outside of the office, Tavishi likes exploring the city, trying new food spots, reading and listening to music.
Back home in India, surrounded by family and home-cooked food
Pronouns: She/Her
Administrative and Operations Coordinator
Dana comes to Edible Schoolyard with 7 years of experience working with various NYC-based nonprofits, ranging from museums to chamber of commerce. She has a background in Global History, and is someone passionate about helping the community. When not working, she spends her time catching up on shows, listening to music and sharing her food adventures via a food instagram.
Roast Pork Puff Pastries from DC Market in Chinatown, Manhattan
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Garden and Kitchen Educator,
Evergreen School for Urban Exploration
Paloma is a proud native New Yorker, born and raised in Queens. After earning two Bachelor’s degrees, a BA in psychology from NYU and a BS in nutrition and dietetics from Queens College, Paloma is looking forward to bringing her knowledge to her role as Garden and Kitchen Educator in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Her enthusiasm for food and nutrition, are a big part of what have brought her to Edible Schoolyard NYC, where she’s excited to share her passion for food and nutrition to NYC students. In her free time she can be found enjoying all the amazing food the city has to offer.
Smitten Kitchen by Deb Perelman
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Garden and Kitchen Educator,
P.S./M.S. 7
Prior to Edible Schoolyard NYC, they received their degree in Environmental Studies and taught environmental learning in nature preserves. In their spare time they love to cook new dishes, take their dog on hikes (letting her get as muddy as she wants), and work on their amateur woodworking skills.
Sweet Potato
Pronouns: She/They/Them
Garden Manager
Serena was exposed to Edible Schoolyard at an early age in their elementary school garden in Los Angeles. They credit this gardening and cooking experience as inspiration for their B.S in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems from the University of California, Davis. Serena has worked on organic farms in California, New York, and Denmark. Prior to joining ESYNYC, Serena was an instructor at Brooklyn Botanic Garden and Workshops and Education Coordinator at NYC Parks GreenThumb. In their spare time, Serena likes to explore the city’s yard sales and food spots.
Food of Life: Ancient Persian and Modern Iranian Cooking and Ceremonies
Pronouns: She/They/Them
Director of Public Affairs
Allison is a macro social worker enthusiastically dismantling barriers to equity with communities across NYC through nonprofit development, policy advocacy, and collective impact work. An avid volunteer in the food justice space, Allison serves on the board of Equity Advocates, which works to address the underlying causes of poverty and food inequity through policy and systems change. Allison is also the President of the Board of Drag Story Hour NYC, which helps New Yorkers of all ages build empathy, confidence, acceptance, and self-expression.
Eat the City: A Tale of the Fishers, Foragers, Butchers, Farmers, Poultry Minders, Sugar Refiners, Cane Cutters, Beekeepers, Winemakers, and Brewers Who Built New York by Robin Shulman
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Executive Director
Shanon is a registered dietitian who has dedicated her career to working with communities to make to make nutrition relatable, accessible, and enjoyable for all, and was named by Hunter College as one of 40 under 40 rising stars in New York City food policy in 2020. She is also the author of MC Veggie Rocks the Mic, a children’s book that mixes nutrition and hip-hop to make learning about food, healthy habits, and cooking fun. She is a proud alumna of Howard University and Columbia University, where she studied both Nutrition and Exercise Science.
On a beach, eating a fresh mango
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Program Manager,
P.S. 311 & P.S. 109
Ryan comes to NYC from Texas, where he grew up around a family of educators and good food. After attending Columbia University for nutrition and becoming a Registered Dietitian, Ryan spent time at GrowNYC and Children’s Aid Society working with seed-to-plate and food justice programs. With a background in research, Ryan is as likely to be found reading a journal article as searching for the best new restaurant in town.
The Flavor Bible
Pronouns: He/Him/His
Garden and Kitchen Educator,
Brooklyn Gardens Elementary School
Neida was born and raised in Flagstaff, Arizona. She attended the University of Arizona where she got her BA in Anthropology and gained inspirational research experience around food and culture. She is now working on her Masters in Applied Anthropology through an online program with the University of North Texas. Neida recently moved to NYC and loves it thus far. On her free time she loves to be outside whether that is hiking, running, or just walking around the city. She also enjoys taking dance classes, drawing, taking pictures with her film camera, and watching movies at the Nitehawk movie theater.
Cherry Tomato
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Garden and Kitchen Educator,
Brighter Choice Community School
Raili, originally from western Massachusetts, graduated from Macalester College in May 2021 where she studied Environmental Studies, Educational Studies, and Community and Global Health. She has extensive experience with children and interned with multiple environmental nonprofits during her four years in Minnesota. In her free time Raili loves spending time outdoors, spending time with family and friends, making art, snacking, and exploring new places.
Hiking in the woods!
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Vice President of Development & External Affairs
Over the last seventeen years, Neysa has worked with a number of nonprofit organizations whose missions serve to support and expand equity, access, and opportunities for young people in New York City and beyond. Most recently, she led the external affairs team at Teach For America New York and the development team at NAF, formerly the National Academy Foundation. Neysa lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two children.
Reading “nooks” with my kids
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
We make the connections between food, health, and environment come alive for our students.
Our Board is comprised of dedicated individuals who are deeply committed to Edible Schoolyard NYC’s mission.
Our supporters include nonprofits, foundations, corporate partners, and both the culinary and wellness communities.
