Mindy Bell joined the team as Executive Director in 2018. A native Oregonian, she enjoys all the natural beauty our state has to offer. She has over 18 years private financial sector business management and national team-building experience. Mindy made a career change to the nonprofit world 7 years ago. She has built programs from the ground up, done advocacy work for underserved communities at the state and federal level and has most recently been working in development and fundraising.

As she lives in a house that is divided, she enjoys rooting for the Ducks and the Beavers at all sporting events. She, her husband and youngest son are all University of Oregon graduates. Her oldest son, the renegade, is an Oregon State University graduate. Mindy has been married to her master gardener for 31 years and enjoys canning and preserving the bounty from their garden.

Ingrid joined the School Garden Project team in July of 2018 as the Communications Director.  Although a California native, Ingrid found her love of the Pacific Northwest while attending the University of Oregon, graduating with B.A. in English and Ethnic Studies. After settling down for a few years as a stay at home parent, Ingrid re entered the workforce first as a committed volunteer at her children’s elementary school – both as PTA president and as helping lead the charge in fundraising for public education. She also spent two years working as a development assistant with a local nonprofit dedicated to helping provide parenting tools and support for local families. Deeply immersed in the belief that children should be able to explore and think for themselves, she is also dedicated to the notion that children should learn to work within a community. Ingrid has served on two local boards – the Lane County Equity and Access Advisory Board which advises the County Administrator on policies and practices surrounding equity, inclusion, and access for our local community, and the Eugene School District 4J Equity Committee which advises the district and acts as a community catalyst in improving student success among students from racial and ethnic minority groups and economically disadvantaged backgrounds, LBGTQ+ students, students who have disabilities and students who speak languages other than English. While not helping to fundraise for public education and strategizing on EDI initiatives, Ingrid enjoys spending time with her two wild and wacky school aged boys and hanging out with her equally wacky nine chickens and two dogs.

Heather joined the School Garden Project staff in September of 2016. One of her earliest memories is sneaking out to her first garden to pull up the carrots to check on their progress. (Sadly, they didn’t get bigger after she carefully put them back in the ground!) With over a decade of experience in the nonprofit world as both an employee and co-founder of the HHH Foundation, Heather is thrilled to be back in her hometown working at an organization fostering the love of planting, growing and eating real food in children. A self-proclaimed “Italophile,” Heather loves to read and cook anything Italian. She is always running after her energetic toddler and two crazy pugs, Henry and Frankie.

Haley (they/ them) is a non-binary educator originally from Northwestern Oregon. They have been teaching outdoor education and early childhood education in Massachusetts for the past six years and are very excited to put down roots in the community of Eugene. They’re passionate about providing children with access to wild ecosystems and about equipping them with skills that will help them to build resilient and equitable communities throughout their lives. In the garden, you can often find them with their hands in the soil, closely investigating a natural mystery.

Originally from Corona, California, Isaac moved to Oregon to attend the University of Oregon, where he’s a senior this year. He’s worked with children since middle school, tutoring children after school and coaching them in different sports. His love of gardening and plants started during quarantine, as he amassed a collection of over 50 houseplants! He has two older siblings, and lives with one pet cat and one pet tortoise. “I love Oregon, and I’ve taken trips across the state collecting different coffee roasts and unique chapstick flavors!”

As a life-long science and outdoor enthusiast, Sara Hicks is excited to join School Garden Project in the role of garden educator. Sara first became passionate about using creative, hands-on methods to demonstrate complex scientific principles as an instructor at Utah State University. With a degree in cellular biology and biomathematics, she worked in the field of molecular diagnostics, before taking time to raise her four children. She currently works part time for the Junction City School District as an educator, volleyball coach, and parent volunteer. As a garden educator, Sara is thrilled to teach kids science in an environment where students can let curiosity direct their learning and then apply their knowledge in a meaningful, practical way.
Sara receives a great deal of satisfaction working with her husband and kids on their small farm. With a large garden, fruit trees, chickens, and cattle, she enjoys providing meals for her family that are quite literally, farm to table. She hopes to pass along the skills of self-sufficiency she learned from her parents and grandparents. In her free time, Sara enjoys exploring the natural beauty found in the Pacific Northwest along with volunteering in her community and church.

Lucy joined School Garden Project in October 2016 as a Garden Educator. Hailing from Seattle, Lucy has always loved spending time outside and inspiring others to care for the earth through hands-on science experiences. Her work with educational non-profits in Maine and California has increased her enthusiasm and skill set for leading outdoor lessons. In 2010, Lucy interned at Chandler Pond Farm, in Vermont, and was struck by the importance of growing organic food and supporting local food systems. She is thrilled to combine her passions for science education and gardening with the students of Lane County. Lucy also enjoys playing soccer, hiking, playing harmonica, and cooking with friends.

Chris Sharpe is originally from Southern Maryland where he grew up playing outside in the woods every day and camping with his family on weekends. He studied History in Western Maryland at Frostburg State University. There his ethnobotanist roommate opened up a whole new way of looking at the woods. After college and a short stint with AmeriCorps he took a job as an environmental educator for a local nonprofit. It was there that he began to love learning and teaching students about our environment. After moving to Bend, Oregon, to work for Portland’s Outdoor School program he decided to further his education at Southern Oregon University, earning his MS in Environmental Education. Having resettled in Eugene, he’s excited about teaching students to garden and share his love of nature. In his spare time he enjoys tending to his home garden, camping, hiking, rock climbing, snowboarding, mountain biking, and live music.

Motivated by completing the School Garden Project Seminar at the University of Oregon in 2002 Sarah began volunteering with SGP programs and served several years on the Board.  In 2012, Sarah was hired by SGP as an official Garden Educator employee. Her previous work has encompassed garden education, nursery management, and farming. Growing up, Sarah’s experience taking nature classes and cooking fresh foods was a catalyst in her passion for educating children about gardening, insects, environmental issues and those interconnections. She holds an Environmental Studies degree from the University of Oregon, with an emphasis in sustainability and environmental education. Sarah enjoys gardening and hikes with her dog foraging for mushrooms in Oregon’s great outdoors.