Staff

Staff

John Harris, Director of Knox County CAC Green Thumb

In 1998, I was an AmeriCorps member at Beardsley. This was the first year for Beardsley. In 2003,I became the program director for CAC AmeriCorps- our corps is focused on environmental service. In 2004, I became the director of community gardens for CAC. I like gardening,cooking, and taking my kids to Ijams and Beardsley on Saturdays. I make apple pie from scratch for my friends. My wife, Terri, is a first grade teacher at Brickey-McCloud Elementary School. I have two daughters, Mallory and Sophia.

Khann Chov, Farm Manager

I grew up in Chattanooga and am the youngest of five children. My family immigrated to the United States from Cambodia in 1979, a year before my birth. My parents grew a lot of our vegetables and my father enjoyed fishing and hunting with his friends. My love for home-grown vegetables and home cooked meals began at childhood, where I enjoyed delicious Cambodian, Chinese, and Vietnamese cooking. My family celebrates our culture and family with food as the centerpiece.

I joined the CAC AmeriCorps team in 2004. I was on the Earth Flag Team and was involved with composting and recycling in elementary schools. The following year, I taught middle and high school students about water quality through classroom and place-based learning. These two years (and really all that came before it) lead me to pursue an alternative and personal educational experience “on the bus,” where I lived outside for three semesters. I went to graduate school through Lesley University’s traveling, wilderness, and experience-based graduate program, the Audubon Expedition Institute, and graduated with M.S. in Environmental Education and Advocacy. My studies on the bus were largely focused on the connection between people and the environment, sustainable communities, and social and environmental justice.

All of these journeys have led me to Beardsley Community Farm. My interests in Knoxville, living simply, social and environmental justice, and environmental education make Beardsley Community Farm a perfect place to work and play.

AmeriCorps Members

Jarius Bush

In 1988, I was born in the inner city of north Knoxville. Growing up at home, my parents and older siblings taught me the values of being placed in good soil to grow properly. After graduating from high school, I planted myself into college, just to return back home after one semester. From there, I taught myself the skill of graphic design, and then found work at the local nonprofit, Tribe One, as a graphic design artist. After leaving Tribe One, I continued to work with my former supervisor named Stan Johnson, who taught me the importance of building the community in which I live as well as building myself. I now spend most of my time making music and continuing to work to build community.

Mark Inman

In 1987, a boy was born in the foothills of the smokies. While he lived at home, his parents showed him how to love and learn and enjoy nature. He left the foothills for the flatlands after high school to attend university. He married while he was away, and learned quickly to find great pleasure making a living with his Wife. After finishing his studies, he returned to his family and homeland. He and his wife are currently living an ordinary life with their dog.

Liz Moniz

Food is something all cultures have in common. On every corner of the planet, people come together around food. Birth, death, marriage, graduation, birthdays, retirement…food. My family is no different and I have been raised to love, not fear, food! Additionally, another thing we all have in common is our planet. And our food comes from our planet. It’s impossible to appreciate one and not the other. To say that food is important – regarding how it’s eaten, how it’s grown on our planet, and if it’s respected along with the planet – is an understatement. After beginning study in Hospitality Administration at Boston University (foolishly thinking the restaurant business was the one for me), then earning a degree in Italian Studies as a default, I’ve decided that food, the culture that surrounds it, and the social and environmental injustices that pertain to it should be my focus, in life or work or both. And so, here I am!

Rachel Plauche

One of the earliest memories that I have is of an abundance of strawberries growing in my backyard. I was living in Pennsylvania at the time, and when I was six, my family and I then moved to Georgia. We didn’t grow as many strawberries there, but my dad planted a garden each year. Those memories stuck with me when as I attended the University of Georgia and received a degree in elementary education. During the summers I was a camp counselor and ended up at a farm camp in upstate New York. I had always loved working with children, but there I realized that I had a second love in life– farm work. I enjoyed seeding, transplanting, weeding, watching plants grow, harvesting, and of course, eating. That job left me thirsty for more farm experience and I feel lucky to have stumbled upon Beardsley.

Katie Ries

I am a Nashville native. I moved to Knoxville after graduating from Colorado College to intern with the folk art heroes at Yee-Haw Industries on Gay St. I am involved with the Knoxville Birdhouse, a DIY community space for emerging artists, musicians, and activists– and founded the Urban Land Scouts, a group encouraging and teaching land stewardship to urban dwellers, as part of her MFA thesis at the University of Tennessee. You can see more of my work here: whoshareswins.com.

Lauren Schott

Born in Illinois, I’ve lived in nine different locations thanks to my father’s military career and my subsequent gypsy blood, but when pressed would probably consider myself a Virginian. I grew up horseback riding, fencing and going adventuring in woods and cornfields. For the past four years I’ve been in undergrad just outside of New York City studying art history and writing and have gone into a slight nature-withdrawal. I’m looking forward to my year at Beardsley to get back outdoors, work with my hands and get to know and love my new community. When I get stressed, I juggle and sing, but to be honest I don’t even need an excuse to do either. I’m prone to bursting out into Disney medleys and picking up the closest three or four objects and tossing them about at any given moment.