Grow Dat Staff
Julie Gable
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Considering herself a country girl, originally from a small rural township sixty miles south of Chicago, Julie Gable loves being around people and can be the “class clown” at times. Her passion to help others, being a team player, and organizing tasks at hand, is the reason she loves working in the non-profit sector. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Communications/Public Relations from Illinois State University and has 30+ work experience years in marketing, public relations and development. Julie’s passion stretches even further as the wife of a pastor and mother of two sons, using her spare time to share in church activities, serving others in the local community, using creative skills to create printed programs and monitoring the media/sound system at church. She is thrilled to be a part of the Grow Dat team and to let others know of its mission of youth leadership.
Callie Rubbins-Breen
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E: callie@growdatyouthfarm.org
Growing up in rural Vermont, Callie's first jobs involved farm work; experiences they would say were the catalyst for their continual interest in land based food justice and food education. Callie graduated with an Urban Studies degree from Columbia University and moved to New Orleans soon after that. For over 15 years, Callie has centered their work around the power and joy of growing, cooking and eating local, fresh produce, and has worked for non-profits like the Crescent City Farmers Market, Edible Schoolyard, Goldring Center for Culinary Medicine and NOCC as an educator and mentor. As a new-ish Co-Executive Director responsible for HR, Operations and Admin, Callie strives to build and support the type of organization that embodies her values around consensus based decision making, transparency, teamwork, strong communication and learning across differences. The young folks and the land at Grow Dat are special; Callie believes deeply in listening to what they have to say, and what they all have to offer our futures.
Leo Gorman
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Leo Gorman earned his BA in Anthropology and Latin American Studies from Tulane University in 2000. He worked for three years in Mexico and Colombia with Witness for Peace, working with partners to educate U.S. citizens about the impacts of free trade policy on civil society and the environment. He earned his MA in History at the University of New Orleans in 2009 and has co-authored several published articles and book chapters on indigenous rights, popular education and immigration. Leo taught social studies at Warren Easton High School and ran market gardens near Xavier University in New Orleans. He has interned multiple seasons on three organic vegetable farms and is thrilled to be part of a project that merges his passions for experiential education, social justice and sustainable agriculture.
Kevin Connell
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Kevin Connell is an educator from Valparaiso, Florida. He started out in education as a paraprofessional for students with special needs, and has since taught social studies and science in NYC, English in Indonesia and Tanzania, and adult education in New Orleans. At Grow Dat, Kevin mostly teaches others about teaching, sharing his interest in popular education techniques and interdisciplinary, place-based instruction with the Crew Leaders and Assistant Crew Leaders who facilitate our programs. He believes that creating liberatory educational space is a key for building a just future. Kevin co-facilitates the VISIONS model and he holds a masters from Teachers College. Outside of Grow Dat, you'll find him cooking, working in the yard, or plotting his next visit to the beach.
Alex Sanders
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Alexander Sanders was born in Louisiana but moved to Tennessee after the hurricane. After a few years Alex moved back to New Orleans to finish school. As a junior attending G.W. Carver Collegiate high school he found his first job at Grow Dat. As a Crew Member working in the field and learning about sustainable agriculture he fell in love with the life of agriculture. He returned to Grow Dat to complete another year as an Assistant Crew Leader to help teach youth like himself about the importance of agriculture and social justice. In his third year with the organization Alex took on the role of Farm Fellow which has now transitioned to the position of Assistant Farm Manager. In the future Alex hopes to continue the lifestyle of agriculture and start his own recycling company.
Travis Cleaver
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E: travis@growdatyouthfarm.org
Travis Cleaver is a landscape architect and former business owner. Travis moved to New Orleans in 2002 from his family farm in West Virginia, and is happy to again take part in the farm life at Grow Dat. He studied architecture and permaculture design through Tulane University, and in 2007 started the landscape architecture firm EcoUrban Landscaping. Travis's work at EcoUrban focused on sustainable design and installation, native and edible plants, and forward-thinking water management, all of which Travis draws from in his work maintaining and expanding Grow Dat Youth Farm. Travis also enjoys carpentry, welding, drawing, hiking, live music and all manner of outdoor activities.
Jonshell Johnson
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E: jonshell@growdatyouthfarm.org
Jonshell has been working to transform her hometown of New Orleans since she was 15 years old and working passionately for education equity after Hurricane Katrina. Now, 5 years later, she finds herself demanding change through the scope of ensuring that her neighbors have access to affordable and culturally appropriate food. She serves as Crew Leader for the second time and finds that her experience at Grow Dat has further ignited her passion for its mission. Jonshell is a mother and identifies as an adult ally who inspires program participants to create positive change in their communities.
Learn more about education opportunities on the farm by visiting our Field Trip page!
Sara Smith
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Sara Smith was born and raised in New Orleans. She attended Benjamin Franklin High School where as a sophomore, she was introduced to Grow Dat. Sara was hired as a crew member for the 2015 Leadership Program and has continued to work with Grow Dat holding various roles since. She graduated from Loyola University New Orleans with a Bachelors in Food Studies and Environmental Studies with a concentration in Sociology. Through working on the farm, Sara developed a deep love for growing food and working towards a future New Orleans where food sovereignty is achievable and is extremely excited to be back on the farm working with the youth program.
Kate Thorpe
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Kate was born in New Hampshire and spent much of her time growing up camping, hiking, swimming and getting lost in a book across the diverse natural sceneries of New England. She moved to New Orleans in 2014 after graduating with a degree in American History from University of New Hampshire, and then attended University of New Orleans for graduate school in Public Administration. While in school, she worked in the service industry as a sommelier, with her knowledge in wine sparking interest in sustainable agriculture and equitable labor practices. Off work, she enjoys sipping and reading among her leafy plants, cooking dinner and watching Jeopardy with her niece, and organizing the NOLA to Angola bike ride each October.
Aaron Williams
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Aaron was born in Houston due to hurricane Katrina but raised in New Orleans. He is one of our returning alumni who started working at Grow Dat his senior year for a school project but fell in love with the work environment and decided to complete our whole youth program. With the help of the program, Aaron was able to break out of his shell and become a more confident outspoken person and he hopes to help other kids raise their confidence for the better.
Aspien Beaco
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E: aspien@growdatyouthfarm.org
Aspien started at Grow Dat as a quiet crew member and with each year returning to the program has discovered a new part of herself, and is now her truest self. She brings an important perspective to Grow Dat as a person born and raised in New Orleans, and also enjoys taking in the perspectives of other people in the Grow Dat community with different experiences. Aspien is also a student at Delgado pursuing Vet Tech Science. This year, as a second-year crew leader, Aspien is excited to expand her leadership skills and hone them in order to one day run her own veterinary clinic. She enjoys making music on the side.
Taylor Weeks
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E: taylor@growdatyouthfarm.org
Taylor is a New Orleans Native from Uptown, and has started working at Grow Dat as a Crew Leader in 2025. Before working with Grow Dat, Taylor was a collegiate athlete, having played soccer with the Thomas University NightHawks for 5 years. After graduating with a degree in Criminal Justice, he held a variety of jobs, including serving as a career coach in the Mayor's Summer Youth Employment Program and as a Programs Fellow with the New Orleans African-American Museum. Now with Grow Dat, Taylor would love to learn everything he can about the farming process while working with New Orleans youth again. One day after Grow Dat, Taylor would like to be either a lawyer or a reporter for a national news agency.
Nikandra Morales
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E: nikandra@growdatyouthfarm.org
Nikandra Morales is from St. Louis, MO, and graduated from Loyola University New Orleans in 2024. She majored in environmental science and Latin American studies, where she discovered her passion for integrating Traditional Ecological Knowledge with plant science and agriculture. Nikki is planning to go back to school and gain a masters degree in ecology with the hopes of building a career focused on restoring native plant habitats. Outside of work, Nikandra enjoys reading a good book, watching movies, and being active outside by going on runs, skating, and kayaking. She is also very excited to learn and grow a lot this year as an educator at GrowDat!
Glen McKinney
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Glen is a New Orleans native from Gentilly, and started at Grow Dat as a crew member in 2018. He returned as an Assistant Crew Leader, helping to facilitate the Leadership Program, where he deepened his understanding of farming and discovered a love of teaching. Now, Glen runs the CSA and even drives the tractor in his role as Farm Farm fellow. At Grow Dat, he loves seeing people’s relationship with the land grow. Outside of Grow Dat, Glen enjoys skating while wearing cool glasses, painting, drawing, and reading fantasy and sci-fi. He also volunteers teaching 3-D printing at the New Orleans Career Center. In the future, Glen wants to go into education, possibly becoming a science teacher.