Principles and Practices of Garden Education

Dilafruz Williams, PhD is Professor of Leadership for Sustainability Education in the department of Educational Leadership and Policy at Portland State University in Portland, Oregon.. With dozens of partners, she has designed, co-founded, and supported several cutting-edge initiatives, such as: Learning Gardens Laboratory, Leadership for Sustainability Education master’s program, Sunnyside Environmental School, and an NSF-funded project, Science in the Learning Gardens: Factors that Support Ethnic and Racial Minority Students in Low-Income Schools.

Judit's experience with nonprofits extends over 20 years. She served two terms as the Executive Director for SACNAS- Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science whose mission is to diversify science nationwide. In between these times, she was invited to work at the National Institutes of Health to develop research programs for underrepresented communities. And most recently, she supported nonprofits in Mexico, Colombia and the US with strategic planning and fund development.

Daniel is a garden educator in the DC Metro Area. Having graduated with a degree in Plant Genetics but realizing he could not tell you anything about growing food, he sought more hands-on experience by helping in a youth garden education program in Gainesville, Florida. This sent him down a rabbithole exploring the intersection of classroom education, cooking, and gardening. Daniel serves on the School Garden Support Organization’s governance board and has collaborated closely on the popular Teaching in Nature’s Classroom online course and curriculum.