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.
Irene Bolds-Hatten
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Irene is a multidisciplinary artist from San Francisco,CA. She was raised by environmental justice advocates who instilled the importance of education as a tool for liberation. While attending Xavier University in New Orleans as a Public Health major, she became interested in learning about health disparities and food apartheid. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Urban Studies and Planning from San Francisco State University and focused much of her coursework on racialized food geographies and environmental justice. For over 10+ years Irene has grounded her work in nonprofit development and communications supporting cultural, artistic and environmental advocacy organizations. Deeply passionate about ecological stewardship and land based food justice, she is excited to join Grow Dat to support creating positive change for New Orleans’ youth. Outside of work you can find Irene writing her historical fiction novel, designing floral installations and trying new restaurants.
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 U.S. History from University of New Hampshire, attended University of New Orleans for graduate school in Public Administration, and is currently enrolled at Emerson College for an MS in Communications Leadership. 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.
Ica Cramer
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Ica Cramer is Cajun and was born and raised in New Orleans. They are currently pursuing a Bachelors of Science in Mathematics while exploring other areas of study, such as inclusive education, computer science, visual arts, and foreign languages. In 2023, Ica completed GrowDat's Youth Leadership Program. They came back as a Crew Leader in 2026 because, after spending many hours assisting and observing middle and high school classrooms, they felt they could do more for New Orleans youth if they were also involved outside of a classroom setting. They want to support GrowDat's mission of giving young people a communication and job toolbox to use after they leave. After graduating, Ica plans to pursue a PhD in Math and continue their studies outside the US. Outside of work, they like to wear cute colorful clothing and hair clips, and can often be found writing proofs for class or playing complicated board games.
Diego Zecca
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Diego was born and raised in San Francisco and has lived in Central City since moving to New Orleans. He has an extensive background in gardening and farming, including working on a farm in Sonoma county, California, living and working on a communal organic, sustainable farm in the forests of western Oregon, and landscaping for several gardens throughout New Orleans. That, in combination with his experience as a special education assistant teacher, made him especially interested to further his purpose and skills at Grow Dat Youth Farm. His motivations are to join the team to combine his passions, as well as contribute to the beautiful New Orleans community. Diego has a positive spirit, an endless desire to learn, and a gift of bringing people together in community.
Hazel Macmillan
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E: hazel@growdatyouthfarm.org
Hazel is originally from a small town in central Vermont where they grew up around farms and forests. They completed a BA in Environmental Studies and American Studies with a minor in Studio art at Oberlin College in Ohio. Hazel has worked on organic vegetable farms, as a woodworker building furniture, and a carpenter preparing museum exhibits. With a drive to build community autonomy through hands-on skills, they are excited to share the labor of love that is growing food with the youth crews this year. New to the city, they can't wait to learn all about the local plants and exchange recipes with the Grow Dat team. Outside of work, Hazel loves birding, biking, swimming and going to the library.
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.