Community Garden Program Manager
A native Angeleno, Emily began working with plants in her youth, doing habitat restoration in the Santa Monica Mountains. She quickly discovered that engaging with soil, plants, and the natural landscape was a source of healing and offers the potential to build community. Emily received her B.A. in Anthropology from UC Santa Cruz, where she used an intersectional feminist lens to examine food inequity and the commodification of labor in the local food industry. She spent five years working on organic mixed-vegetable farms from Santa Cruz to Long Island, and is now managing SPY’s Community Garden. Emily’s work is guided by the belief that a new, more just and inclusive food system must center the needs of marginalized voices. Through SPY’s Gardening Internship program, Emily facilitates a safe and engaging environment for youth to dream of, and develop the skills to build, a better food system for all.