Our Staff
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Lauren Zappone Maples
Executive Director Lauren co-founded PEAS Community Farm & Urban Orchard at Cunningham Elementary in 2011 and became the founding executive director of PEAS in 2015. Prior to leading PEAS, she was a classroom teacher with Austin ISD. In 2014, Lauren received the John F. Ahrns Award for Environmental Education from the Children in Nature Collaborative of Austin and was awarded the Fulbright Distinguished Award in Teaching Grant which allowed her to spend a semester studying place-based outdoor education in New Zealand. In 2016 she received the Fulbright Alumni Grant where she extended her research into school garden programs in the US. Her research has been highly influential in the development of school day programs, community initiatives, and the long-range organizational goals of PEAS. Lauren also worked as environmental educator for the City of Austin and taught as an adjunct professor at 2 local universities. Lauren is currently a co-chair of AISD's Environmental Stewardship Advisory Committee and serves on the Central Texas School Garden Network's Leadership Team. |
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Kate Martin Program Manager/Curriculum Developer Kate Martin is an outdoor-lover, former AISD teacher, and native Austinite. After graduating from Oberlin College with a degree in literature, she immediately found a job teaching outdoor education in the mountains of California and was hooked on the power of teaching science in in the outdoors. She joined the Peace Corps as a Community-Based Environmental Management Volunteer and served in the dry forest region of northern Peru. After returning, she attended Lewis and Clark College and received her Masters in Teaching, specializing in Integrated Science. She taught science in the English Language Development Academy at Webb Middle School for five years, and moved to Kealing's Academy program where she also taught the elective class in gardening. She watched the garden's power to inspire ownership, connection and curiosity in her elective students, and jumped at the chance to work with a program that supports teachers to provide this opportunity as part of the core curriculum. |
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Lauren Reneé Salinas-Garcia Outdoor Education Specialist Lauren Reneé is a 5th generation native of San Marcos, Tx. She currently lives in an eco-village where she is an animal caretaker. Her true passion lies in education and youth advocacy. She has experience working in nursery schools, summer camps, elementary and high schools. In 2015 she transitioned from an early childcare center into youth services with the Parks & Rec Department in San Marcos. Over the next few years, her path led her to work as a Teacher's Assistant for AISD. This experience invigorated her passion for Outdoor Education. Lauren Reneé believes one thing that remains constant, is the human necessity for deep connection with Nature and the equanimity this provides. Her core mission is to provide children an equitable and empowering environment with opportunities to explore, discover and create, in harmony with Nature and community. Which is why she is thrilled to start this journey with PEAS! Jackie Vay
Outdoor Education Specialist/Farm Team Jackie is a graduate from St. Edward’s University, with a B.S. in Environmental Science & Policy. Around her schooling she has had the opportunity to work for a number of grassroots non-profits and environmental agencies here in Austin. She loved leading outdoor youth experiences through canoeing, kayaking, and snorkeling trips during her time with the Texas River School. After graduating she worked for the local groundwater District and city’s Resource Recovery Department to educate all ages in natural resource conservation and zero-waste practices. Before finding PEAS (and pre-covid times), Jackie spent her free time volunteering teaching garden classes to students at the Becker Elementary Green Classroom. Her love for the outdoors comes from her childhood growing up in Austin and appreciating all the green spaces this city has to offer. A favorite highlight of teaching for her is being able to help students conquer a fear, or master a hands-on concept in the outdoors. |
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Camila Restrepo Outdoor Education Specialist/Farm Team Camila attended Fordham University as an English Major in New York City where she quickly learned that she wanted a more hands-on approach to her education. She then received her certificate in Horticulture from the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. After cultivating her green thumb and volunteering at several city parks she wanted to extend this knowledge to the youth and collaborated with Teens For Food Justice as a Mentor where she learned the value of providing youth with tools to be stewards of their food and land. Camila then moved to Austin, Texas and joined 4H Capital as an instructional specialist where she cultivated a curriculum that emphasized outdoor education and centered student interest. As a native Colombian, Camila is thrilled to use her mother tongue to create a more inclusive learning network and a larger community of land stewards. Nancy Zepeda Kitchen Education Specialist Nancy is certified in clinical herbalism from the Wildflower School of Botanical Medicine and has experience teaching kids and adults about nature and medicinal plants. She is a certified community yoga instructor from the Amala Foundation; she infuses mindfulness practices into her personal life and professional life. As a trained facilitator, she has worked closely with other facilitators and AISD's Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) team to provide mindfulness training to principals, teachers, parents, and students across the district. Her love of nature and the outdoors has taken her to Hawaii, California, Mexico, and Guatemala to study different sustainability and farming methods. Nancy brings a peaceful and culturally competent perspective to the work she does and the interactions she has. In her free time, she enjoys hiking and dancing salsa! Shannon Kors Development & Operations Shannon came to PEAS after several years of fundraising and event planning for various nonprofits. She was the Event Sales Manager at the Austin Film Society and the AFS Cinema, Event Manager for Bike Austin's Bike to Work Day, Event Coordinator at The Seton Fund and the Development Director at the Junior League of Los Angeles. She's also dabbled in the film industry in both Austin and Los Angeles - she worked as a producer for TourGigs which films and live streams concerts and had a career in many different aspects of film and commercials in LA. Shannon graduated with a BA in Psychology (which she claims to use everyday) from Vanderbilt University. She loves movies (obviously), live music, getting outdoors in any capacity, sewing, laughing, and connecting with kids of all ages. She's very excited to be working with PEAS! Shannon has always loved peas, especially since green is her favorite color. |
Our Board
Our board is committed to being an informed, engaged, and diverse Board with roles that use the strengths of the individual Board members to provide oversight of financial and program alignment with mission, and contribute financially.
Anne Muller - Board Chair
Anne is the Outdoor Learning Specialist for the Austin Independent School District. She is passionate about creating systems to help green our school yards, empowering teachers to take their lessons outdoors, and connecting children to nature. Anne has been with Austin ISD for 12 years as both teacher and now Outdoor Learning Specialist. She got her BA in American Studies at Mount Holyoke College and her MA in Science Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Texas, Arlington. Anne is also a mother of two and loves spending time outside with her family.
Ché Wisdom - Treasurer/Board Member
Ché is an experienced fund-development professional who has spent the last 7 years partnering with non-profits to develop and achieve their fundraising goals. She is passionate about promoting equity and access to the outdoors, as well as ensuring that leaders of color are represented in environmental decision-making. Despite her terrible allergies, Ché loves spending time outside with her husband Josh, and their leash-cat George.
Margaret Terronez - Board Member
Margaret is a social worker who has worked in government service and administration for over 17 years. She was instrumental in raising funds to build the infrastructure for PEAS Community Farm, and she and her two children have been active volunteers since it was started in 2011. Margaret started on the farm leadership committee transitioned to our nonprofit board when PEAS became an official 501c3 in 2015. She is passionate about being part of a community based organization that educates children and assists schools in agricultural and sustainability.
Elijah Kelley - Board Member
Elijah is an experienced leader at the intersection of strategy, operations, and finance. He has held multiple managerial positions in software firms, most recently serving as Senior VP, Strategy & Business Development for the innovation arm of a large healthcare system. Elijah advises multiple startups, consults on market research and strategy, and is a mentor for Texas Health Catalyst. He holds an M.S. in Technology Commercialization from UT Austin’s McCombs School of Business and a B.A. in English from the College of William and Mary.
Kerriann Duffy - Board Member
Kerriann is 2nd grade Math and ELA teacher at Reilly Elementary and has called Reilly home for the past six years. The first two years were dedicated to serving students in Special Education and then the last four years I have been a classroom General Ed teacher with a classroom family of my very own. When she is not in the classroom you can find me outside teaching PrimeTime Afterschool enrichment classes or hanging out with our chickens. In addition to being a Reilly staff member she also served in several positions on the Reilly PTA board. One of her proudest moments was receiving a grant from ST. David’s Foundation, Equity in the Parks, for $130,000.00. These funds will support the creation and installation of Social Emotional Learning gardens for the Reilly community for futures to come. Kerriann has worked closely with PEAS for the past 3 years as a partner-teacher and is looking forward to now supporting the organization as a board member.
Paul Brady - Board Member
Paul is the co-founder and CCO for Resolution Games, founder of Carve Communications, and a lecturer for the University of Texas' Stan Richards School of Advertising & Public Relations. He has more than 20 years of experience in ushering organizations and products to market and helping established players redefine their space or break into new arenas. Paul’s counsel and implementation across public relations and marketing has impacted the tech, games, and nonprofit sectors. He is an avid outdoorsman and budding gardener with a passion for education, equality and sustainability.
Colleen Ketchum - Board Member
Gardening and cooking have always gone hand in hand for Colleen. Growing up, she had an active hand both in her mother's garden and in the kitchen, whipping up sugary treats often for friends and family. A former pastry chef, Colleen worked closely with urban farms like Hausbar Farm to procure fresh, hyper local produce for new restaurant dishes. She has also taught an after-school cooking class for elementary students with Sticky Fingers Cooking, bringing fresh ingredients and culturally specific recipes to young audiences. Watching kids grow and learn through hands-on activities is her favorite part about teaching. Currently, Colleen puts her community engagement skills to work as the PR & Events Specialist at Austin Pets Alive!, advocating on behalf of adorable cats and dogs waiting to find a loving home.
Anne is the Outdoor Learning Specialist for the Austin Independent School District. She is passionate about creating systems to help green our school yards, empowering teachers to take their lessons outdoors, and connecting children to nature. Anne has been with Austin ISD for 12 years as both teacher and now Outdoor Learning Specialist. She got her BA in American Studies at Mount Holyoke College and her MA in Science Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Texas, Arlington. Anne is also a mother of two and loves spending time outside with her family.
Ché Wisdom - Treasurer/Board Member
Ché is an experienced fund-development professional who has spent the last 7 years partnering with non-profits to develop and achieve their fundraising goals. She is passionate about promoting equity and access to the outdoors, as well as ensuring that leaders of color are represented in environmental decision-making. Despite her terrible allergies, Ché loves spending time outside with her husband Josh, and their leash-cat George.
Margaret Terronez - Board Member
Margaret is a social worker who has worked in government service and administration for over 17 years. She was instrumental in raising funds to build the infrastructure for PEAS Community Farm, and she and her two children have been active volunteers since it was started in 2011. Margaret started on the farm leadership committee transitioned to our nonprofit board when PEAS became an official 501c3 in 2015. She is passionate about being part of a community based organization that educates children and assists schools in agricultural and sustainability.
Elijah Kelley - Board Member
Elijah is an experienced leader at the intersection of strategy, operations, and finance. He has held multiple managerial positions in software firms, most recently serving as Senior VP, Strategy & Business Development for the innovation arm of a large healthcare system. Elijah advises multiple startups, consults on market research and strategy, and is a mentor for Texas Health Catalyst. He holds an M.S. in Technology Commercialization from UT Austin’s McCombs School of Business and a B.A. in English from the College of William and Mary.
Kerriann Duffy - Board Member
Kerriann is 2nd grade Math and ELA teacher at Reilly Elementary and has called Reilly home for the past six years. The first two years were dedicated to serving students in Special Education and then the last four years I have been a classroom General Ed teacher with a classroom family of my very own. When she is not in the classroom you can find me outside teaching PrimeTime Afterschool enrichment classes or hanging out with our chickens. In addition to being a Reilly staff member she also served in several positions on the Reilly PTA board. One of her proudest moments was receiving a grant from ST. David’s Foundation, Equity in the Parks, for $130,000.00. These funds will support the creation and installation of Social Emotional Learning gardens for the Reilly community for futures to come. Kerriann has worked closely with PEAS for the past 3 years as a partner-teacher and is looking forward to now supporting the organization as a board member.
Paul Brady - Board Member
Paul is the co-founder and CCO for Resolution Games, founder of Carve Communications, and a lecturer for the University of Texas' Stan Richards School of Advertising & Public Relations. He has more than 20 years of experience in ushering organizations and products to market and helping established players redefine their space or break into new arenas. Paul’s counsel and implementation across public relations and marketing has impacted the tech, games, and nonprofit sectors. He is an avid outdoorsman and budding gardener with a passion for education, equality and sustainability.
Colleen Ketchum - Board Member
Gardening and cooking have always gone hand in hand for Colleen. Growing up, she had an active hand both in her mother's garden and in the kitchen, whipping up sugary treats often for friends and family. A former pastry chef, Colleen worked closely with urban farms like Hausbar Farm to procure fresh, hyper local produce for new restaurant dishes. She has also taught an after-school cooking class for elementary students with Sticky Fingers Cooking, bringing fresh ingredients and culturally specific recipes to young audiences. Watching kids grow and learn through hands-on activities is her favorite part about teaching. Currently, Colleen puts her community engagement skills to work as the PR & Events Specialist at Austin Pets Alive!, advocating on behalf of adorable cats and dogs waiting to find a loving home.
