STAFF
Brooke Blakeman, Administrative Coordinator
Brooke grew up in Ohio, surrounded by rolling hills and cornfields, and when the opportunity arose to leave everything familiar for Montana’s mountains and open spaces, she took the leap. After moving in 2020, she finished up her degree at the University of Montana, earning a bachelor’s in political science and a minor in psychology. Her path has woven through several mission-driven nonprofits, including organizations supporting children, families, and community members seeking legal aid. Through this work, she discovered a deep appreciation for spaces where people come together to grow, support one another, and build stronger communities. Outside of work, Brooke can be found hiking, biking, skiing, swimming in a lake, or cooking with local ingredients, fresh herbs, and garden-grown veggies. Her love of food, creativity, and community is what brought her to Garden City Harvest, where she’s excited to help cultivate connection from the ground up.
Al Brown, Farm to School Apprentice
Al was born and raised in Vancouver, Washington. She grew up immersed in the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest, walking through the old growth forests and splashing through alpine lakes. She went on to receive her BA in Environmental Science and Sustainability at the University of Montana, along with minors in Climate Change Studies and Ecological Restoration. During her time there she was involved with the PEAS program, fueling her passion for plants and people. With her new found love for sustainable agriculture and food access she is continuing her life of learning with Garden City Harvest as a Farm to School Apprentice.
Liam Cody, Orchard Gardens Farm Director
Liam grew up in Ithaca, NY. In his work across many small farms he has grown vegetables, rooftop succulents, and tended to bees. He has a Master’s degree in Environmental Studies from the University of Montana. Liam has taught in college classrooms and been a mentor and cross country coach to high schoolers. He likes board and card games, podcasts, a good book and a good trail run.
Henry DiClementi, School Gardens Manager
Henry was raised outside Chicago, IL where he spent his summers jumping in Lake Michigan and growing tomatoes in the backyard with his dad. He received his Bachelor Degree in Environmental Studies and Sustainability from Northern Michigan University, and began farming on a small family farm. After five seasons of farming, Henry took his experience to the Chicago Botanic Gardens as an assistant horticulturist, honing his skills while educating visitors. He moved to Missoula in 2021 and dove into working with youth on place-based education He believes that healthy food and access to the natural world are resources all kids should be able to access. Joining the Farm to School team brings all these skills and passions together! When Henry doesn't have his hands in the dirt, he spends his time walking by the river, painting, and dreaming of his next adventure.
Dylan Conlin, River Road Farmstead Caretaker
Dylan started with GCH in the summer of 2021. Fresh to the world of farming, he has found digging in the dirt to be great fun! Raised in Salt Lake City, he had some exposure to the great outdoors. That exposure led to a passion, and that passion led to living in a van and working seasonally, travelling in between jobs. Dylan has spent some time in the Southwest desert, Oregon, Arkansas, and now right here in Missoula! When he isn’t pullin’ weeds or pickin’ tomatoes, you can usually find him riding his bike, hanging at the climbing gym, or slappin’ some bass.
Meredith Dahlk, Youth Farm Coordinator
meredith@gardencityharvest.org
Meredith was born and raised in Madison, Wisconsin and has a degree in Environmental Science from UW Madison. She moved to Missoula for an AmeriCorps position in early 2020 and has been in Missoula since, beginning her time at the Youth Farm in 2021! Outside of the farm, she enjoys baking, reading, and hiking around Montana.
Lyris Daker, School Gardens Manager
Born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago, Lyris moved to Missoula to pursue a degree in Environmental Studies at the University of Montana in 2020. She quickly found herself spending as much time as possible at the PEAS Farm -- she particularly found joy in introducing children to the world of agriculture. She officially started with Garden City Harvest as the Farm to School Apprentice, learning the ropes of experiential, hands in the dirt learning. A quick study, we hired her in 2024 for her current position of School Gardens Manager. Outside of work Lyris enjoys dancing, cooking, birding, and biking around town.
Adelaide Elliott-Joy, Community Gardens Coordinator
Adelaide@gardencityharvest.org
Adelaide was raised in DC, but got sucked out west through the old farming-on-a-college-accredited-commune-in-the-mountains-of-Southern-Oregon pipeline. Their degree is in Anthropology and Sociology, and they've put those skills to work small communities. Those communities offered new perspectives in community building and third spaces. In the Skagit Valley of Washington, they worked on a veggie farm for a season and swam in the ocean and lakes. That wasn’t far enough from the East Coast for them, so they moved to Orcas Island in the Salish Sea, working on a sheep farm, and swimming in the same ocean and different lakes. Ultimately, grad school called and their partner answered, and Adelaide’s been in Missoula since. You can probably find them with three books in their possession at all times, possibly drinking sun tea, definitely in the water.
Hadley Gideon, Orchard Gardens Farm Assistant
Hadley was born and raised in Hamilton, MT where, in high school, they participated in a summer internship program at Homestead Organics Farm. There, they were introduced to organic farming and their love for it grew. They went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies from the University of Montana. Along the way, Hadley continued working on farms, starting with Garden City Harvest as an intern at the PEAS farm, then moved to Orchard Gardens in 2019 as an apprentice and is now an assistant. They have also worked in the greenhouse at Caras Nursery for several years. In their free time, Hadley likes spending time with their two black cats, taking care of their houseplants, cooking, and roller skating.
Miriam Harris, Orchard Gardens Farm Assistant
Miriam grew up in Salt Lake City and moved to Missoula in 2014 to pursue a degree in environmental studies at the University of Montana, where she was introduced to the world of sustainable agriculture through the PEAS Farm program. After graduation, she continued on at the PEAS Farm as the caretaker for three seasons, where her love for farming grew. After working at Clark Fork Organics for a season, she’s returned to Garden City Harvest as one of the farm assistants. When not working, Miriam enjoys making art, cooking, and spending time outdoors.
Buck Henderson, Community Gardens Coordinator
Buck was raised in the Flathead Valley of Montana, where the abundance of wild land fostered a close relationship with the environment. This connection deepened and evolved as they completed multiple seasons with the Conservation Corps in Montana, California, and Colorado. They were introduced to farming through the PEAS Farm internship at the University of Montana, where they were immediately hooked on the power of community-minded agriculture. Buck graduated from the University of Montana with a major in Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies and a minor in Wilderness Studies. Their diverse background equips them to help make community gardens not only more inclusive but also places of empowerment, collaboration, and environmental stewardship.
Heather Labbe, Development Manager
Heather moved to Missoula in 2001 after taking a summer course at the Flathead Lake Biological Station and falling in love with western Montana. She has a background in science and healthcare, and is a licensed physician assistant (PA-C) with a Master's of Science in biology from the University of Montana. She brings a diverse set of skills to the position, having spent years teaching undergraduates at UM, working as an EMT on the ambulance, managing a research lab and working on various research projects. Heather has years of experience as a volunteer fundraiser, a passion for sustainable agriculture and a commitment to ensuring that everyone has access to healthy, locally grown food. She is a firm believer that food is medicine and has been a community gardener and volunteer with Garden City Harvest since 2021. In her spare time, Heather enjoys running, hiking with her dogs and husband, growing unusual tomato varieties, photographing wildflowers and watching wildlife. She has been known to paint her face when the Edmonton Oilers make it to the Stanley Cup finals.
Laura Lee, Bookkeeper
Laura is a long time keeper of nonprofit and for profit books. She keeps Garden City Harvest’s finances ship-shape. In her free time, she and two of her three sons play with swords (in other words, she is the Director of the Missoula Fencing Association).
Rylie Luhring, Farm to School Apprentice
Rylie was born and raised in Tacoma, WA, where she spent many summers enjoying the beautiful evergreen forests and rocky beaches of the Puget Sound. She came out to Montana to get her BA in Environmental Studies and BS in Sustainability Science and Practice from the University of Montana. During her time at UM, she took the Practicum in Sustainable Ag course that helped lead farm field trips to the PEAS farm. From there, Rylie fell in love with the farm and decided to spend a whole growing season learning about sustainable agriculture through the PEAS program. As a recent graduate from UM, she wanted to stay in Missoula and found the perfect opportunity at GCH. Outside of the farm, she loves to run, puzzle, read, and enjoy the sunshine.
Jason Mandala, Farm to School Director
406.239.5524
Jason has been the Garden City Harvest Farm to School Director since 2007. He has a Master’s degree in Environmental Studies from the University of Montana with a focus on place-based education and sustainable agriculture, and believes the food we choose to eat at each meal is one the most important decisions we make each day. When not working at the farms or in school gardens Jason likes spending his time mushroom hunting, fishing, traveling, and cooking.
Genevieve Jessop Marsh, Outreach and Impact Director
406.550.3663
genevieve@gardencityharvest.org
Genevieve hails from the piedmont of North Carolina. She fell in love with sustainable agriculture in Vermont, and studied the subject in Missoula, Montana where she earned her Master’s of Science while Missoula wormed its way into her heart. Prior to joining the Garden City Harvest crew, she worked for the Intervale Center, Sierra Nevada Alliance, Lake Champlain Land Trust and Audubon Society of Portland. She enjoys adventures with her family of three (plus Sage the wonder dog) that require a good set of walking shoes. And, of course, tinkering in the garden and always making a mess in the kitchen.
Shane O’Leary, Youth Farm Director
Shane grew up in the small mountain resort town of Whitefish, Montana (before it became the boutique “mini Aspen, Colorado” of today!). After graduating from the University of Montana with a degree in English Literature and a minor in Political Science, he pursued two very different but extremely formative career paths, organic vegetable production and social work. He has worked on vegetable production farms in Montana and Washington and has worked with youth in both group home and public school settings, and brings those two paths together as the manager of the Youth Farm. His experiences in both of these fields have put in high relief the all-encompassing need for connection and compassion. When he is not gardening or mentoring youth, he is making his way through a great novel, exploring wild places, spending time with dear friends, or passing the time with a favorite album.
Trace Potter, Orchard Gardens Farm Assistant
A Missoula native, Trace Potter has been a mainstay at Garden City Harvest’s Youth Farm since 2010. Trace started out as a member of the youth employee crew and built their considerable skills over time to become the Youth Farm apprentice. With close to a decade of experience farming this site, Trace is an invaluable member of the team. When they’re not helping run the show at the Youth Farm, Trace can be found hiking, tending to their cat Ashes, or getting lost in a good book.
Greg Price, River Road Farm Director
406.240.3848
Greg has served as the River Road Neighborhood Farm and Community Garden Manager since 2002. Under his management, the farm produces more than 30,000 pounds of food in an annual growing season averaging just 120 days. In a past life, Greg cooked for and managed the kitchen of Second Thought Restaurant. He now uses his kitchen creativity in cooking up the menu for Garden City Harvest’s Wintergreens locally grown supper and fundraiser. Greg is a great advocate for grizzly bears and loves a good funk band.(Photo by Athena Photography.)
Anna Schraufnagel, PEAS Farm Caretaker
Originally from North Carolina, Anna took her first farming job on a whim in 2020, working at Foothill Farm in Saint Ignatius. She quickly fell in love with farming -- and with Montana. Since then, she has moved from Vermont to California to Washington, finally returning to Montana to manage Foothill Farm. She loves how farming connects her to the land, her body, and others in her community. In her free time she enjoys food projects, looking for birds, crafting, and walks in the mountains.
Ethan Smith, Operations Director
406.240.3506
Ethan has a Master’s of Science from the University of Montana and works to keep Garden City Harvest facilities and general operations running smoothly – especially at the PEAS Farm. He enjoys hunting, fly fishing, and lying in the summer sun with his daughters, Harley and Wylie.
Caroline Stephens, PEAS Farm Lecturer
502.797.8266
caroline@gardencityharvest.org
Caroline Stephens was raised in the bluegrass region of Kentucky. She got her introduction to farming back in Kentucky and then moved west to pursue her M.S. in Environmental Studies at the University of Montana, where her research addressed the history of drought management on grain farms in central Montana. After graduate school, she managed vegetable production at Foothill Farm. She and her wife also serve as caretakers at the Moon-Randolph Homestead in Missoula. Today, she is thrilled to be farming alongside UM students at the PEAS Farm. Off the farm, she loves skiing, walking, and biking in the mountains and making food for friends and family. (Photo by Teal Barmore)
Dave Victor, PEAS Farm Director
406.240.7590
Dave is a lover of plants and the soil that sustains them. He has a Master's degree in Environmental Studies from the University of Montana where he focused on seed saving at the River Road Farm. Off the farm, he enjoys tending to his red worms, riding his bike down dirt roads, and spending time with his son Otis.
Ian Wilder, River Road Farm Field Manager
Ian started with us in 2015 as the PEAS Farm Caretaker while he was an undergraduate at the University of Montana. He now works at River Road as Field Manager, helping plan, nourish and harvest the fields and educate and work with the many volunteers.
Peter Wilson, PEAS Farm Field Manager
Peter grew up in Portland, Oregon, and spent most of his childhood surrounded by plants at his grandparents’ nursery. Peter spent summers running around the greenhouses and garden store and working with his sisters and cousins for his grandparents. He moved to Missoula in 2011 to attend the University of Montana and got his degree in Philosophy with a minor in Environmental Studies. He started at the PEAS Farm as a summer intern and later became caretaker at the PEAS Farm, and now the PEAS Farm Assistant. When he isn’t up at the farm he enjoys fishing, hunting, biking, and of course yoyo-ing!
Jean Zosel, Executive Director
406.239.3555
Jean grew up in a small farming community in the Midwest where she first learned the value of community and of neighbor helping neighbor. Those values exist at Garden City Harvest as well, and are a part of what drew her to this job in 2011. Prior to joining Garden City Harvest, Jean worked for KECI-TV, starting at the ground level and working her way up to Station Manager of a 3-station working group. She has served on a number of nonprofit boards including the YWCA, NCBI, Run Wild Missoula, and the Women’s Hockey Association of Missoula (WHAM). She currently serves on the MAYHA board that is affiliated with Glacier Ice Rink. Jean has coached youth soccer for more than 25 years in Missoula, and enjoys playing ice hockey.