Main Office – 612.872.4226 | Main Fax – 612.822.2510
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Gunnar Liden, Executive Director
gunnar@youthfarm.net 612.872.4226
Gunnar joined YFMP in 1999 and spent his first 7½ years as the Program Director for the West Side neighborhood before becoming the Executive Director in 2006. Gunnar has a degree in Philosophy from the University of Minnesota, with an emphasis in Education and Social Change. Prior to his work at YFMP, he spent 3 years working at the Jane Addams School for Democracy on the West Side of St. Paul leading a variety of youth organized initiatives. He spent time in 2002 organizing and fundraising alongside the Homeland Project, a group of Hmong teens that he traveled to Laos and Thailand with, in order to visit their homeland and families. Currently, Gunnar has also served as a board member for Community Shares of Minnesota and as a board member/chair of the West Side Citizens Organization in the past. Originally from Pittsburgh, PA, he lives on the West Side of St. Paul with his wife, Kate, and 2 young children.
Amanda Stoelb, Associate Director
amanda@youthfarm.net 952.220.0953
Amanda started working at YFMP in 2004 as an Americorps member and continued that work for two years. She was the West Side Program Director from 2007 – 2011. During her time as Program Director, Amanda became an accomplished organizer with youth, developed YFMP’s in-school and after-school greenhouse programming, and was the driving force behind the development of YFMP’s progressive programming model. She was hired as YFMP’s first Associate Director in 2011 and will be a key element in YFMP’s expansion into new neighborhoods in 2011-2012. Amanda is currently a participant in the After School Matters Practitioners Fellowship. Originally from Sheboygan, WI, she is a graduate of St. Thomas University with a degree in Justice and Peace Studies/Spanish.
Phil Rooney, Lyndale Neighborhood Program Director
phil@youthfarm.net 612.990.9261
Phil began working with YFMP in 2007 as an Americorps member and spent three summers with the West Side program. He has coordinated the Second Shift Youth Commission for the City of Saint Paul and has been the teaching assistant for HECUA’s programs based in Oslo, Norway. He spent his first year out of high school as an Americorps NCCC travelling around the Northeast U.S. and eventually graduated from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities with a degree in Political Science. He was born in Canada, but his home is definitely Minneapolis. He is happily married to a former Youth Farm cook, Cate Carlis.
Hashep Seka, Powderhorn Neighborhood Program Director
hashep@youthfarm.net 612.990.0074
Hashep started participating at YFMP in 2002 at the age of 10. Since then she has participated in every level of YFMP programming (Youth Farmer, Project LEAD, Adult summer staff) and was hired as the Powderhorn Program Director in 2012. Through her 11 year involvement with YFMP she became interested in the local food movements in Minneapolis. Before being hired as Powderhorn Program Director, Hashep was the Community Engagement Specialist at the Cultural Wellness Center through the Twin Cities AmeriCorps LISC program. She is a Powderhorn community resident and works with many community partners including the Backyard Initiative, a partnership of the Cultural Wellness Center and Allina, to find ways to increase food access for her south Minneapolis community. A Minneapolis native, Hashep is a graduate of Loring Nicollet Alternative High School and currently pursuing a degree in Community Development at MCTC.
Tyler Berres, West Side Program Director
tyler@youthfarm.net 651.600.6099
Tyler started participating with YFMP when he was a student at Humboldt Jr. High in 2000 on the West Side as a youth. From there, he has held many different positions at YFMP including Project LEAD Staff from 2002-2005, Assistant West Side Program Director from 2006-2008 at which time he was the first All-Stars Focus group leader, and as the Farm Camp Coordinator in the summer of 2009 (which he describes as the “Best Job Ever”). In addition to his employment, Tyler was a Youth Board Member from 2004-2006, and was elected to the YFMP Board of Directors from 2006-2009. For the past 2 years, Tyler has been working at a variety of outdoor education, leadership, and social service agencies across the country, including Wilderness Inquiry here in Minneapolis, Adoption & Foster Care Mentoring in Boston as an AmeriCorps VISTA, as well as completing the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) in the Rocky Mountains. Outside of YFMP, he loves tomatoes, snow, traveling, his family, and being outside. Originally from St. Paul, Minnesota, Tyler has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Outdoor Education from the University of Minnesota.
Beth Ringer, Frogtown Program Director
beth@youthfarm.net 651.325.7453
Beth began working with YFMP in 2010 by doing a year of service through the St. Joseph’s Worker Program, and was hired as the Frogtown Program Director in 2011. She is a skilled Youth Worker with a passion for community centered youth work. Beth currently serves on the Board of Directors of Community Shares of Minnesota. Prior to her work at YFMP, Beth worked in a variety of Youth Programs, as well as the “Campus Kitchens Project” at Augsburg College. Originally from Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, she is a honors graduate of Augsburg College with a Bachelors’ Degree in Music.
JP Mason, Hawthorne Program Director
jp@youthfarm.net 612.222.5280
JP began working with YFMP in August 2011 after serving as an AmeriCorps Vista at Nellie Stone Johnson Community School and initiated an expansive farm collaboration between YFMP, Beacons Minneapolis and Nellie Stone Johnson. Prior to his work at YFMP, JP served as an AmeriCorps member at NSJ for 2 years, where he developed a student-led, school-wide recycling and composting program, coordinated the planting of 38 trees and shrubs with the Minnesota Tree Trust, and facilitated the planting of 3 native prairie gardens with Metro Blooms. Before working in North Minneapolis, he was involved in a variety of social justice/leadership activities and spent time working in the Dominican Republic tutoring youth. Outside of YFMP, JP is an artisan bread baker and avid cook. Originally from North Carolina, he is a graduate of Virginia Tech University with both a Bachelors and Masters Degree in Sociology.
Heather Wiitala, Business Manager
heather@youthfarm.net 612.872.4226
Heather started as a student intern in 2000 from the University of Minnesota. From 2000 – 2005 she worked in the Lyndale Neighborhood YFMP as summer staff, serving as the Assistant Lyndale Program Director in 2002, and became Business Manager in 2002. Heather provides strong behind the scenes support of the executive and program staff, as well as the Board of Directors. Originally from Mt. Iron, MN, she is a graduate of the University of Minnesota with a degree in Sociology.
Alice Martin, Farm Steward
alice@youthfarm.net 651.239.2788
Alice first stumbled upon YFMP as a child in the summer of 2001. Since then, she has been involved in the program every year, starting as a youth participant from 2001-2006 and then as a Project LEAD staff from 2007-2011. She now works as a Farm Steward and adult staff for the West Side YFMP. Outside of YFMP Alice often finds herself drawing pictures, exploring the bluffs and thinking about playgrounds.
Shanna Woods, Farm Steward
shanna@youthfarm.net 612.275.0975
Shanna started with YFMP at 8 years old in 2000 in the Lyndale neighborhood program. From her experience, she has grown an amazing love for YFMP as well as a passionate pursuit of community development, youth development, and sustainable agriculture. At the age of 14, Shanna was granted the opportunity of becoming a Project LEAD where she worked with facilitating gardening groups and also coordinating focus groups including biking, Adventure Club, and All Stars. After graduating from the Project LEAD program in 2010, Shanna then worked as an MCA AmeriCorps member where she continued work in youth development and community organizing. Since her year of service, she has worked as a Digital Connector instructor educating teens in financial literacy, computer hardware and software and serving their community through teaching digital literacy trainings. As a Farm Steward, Shanna is very excited to be a part of seeking ways for greater food production, educating and personal advancement of youth, and working actively with the non-profit’s agricultural operations.
Jesus Perez, Farm Steward
jesus@youthfarm.net
Jesus is an eighteen years old that is currently going to Normandale Community College. He graduated from high school in 2011, and math and science are his favorite subjects. He is from Michoacán, a western part of México. Spanish is his first language. Jesus likes to play soccer with friends in his spare time. He live in Lyndale Community where he has participated in YFMP for eight years. He was a youth for four years, then three years as Project LEAD staff, and now he is a Farm Steward staff. Also he likes to volunteer in his community, because he gets to know more people. He likes to get involved with different people, because he gets to learn from them and they get to learn from him. He always works hard and his goal is to become a businessman in Human Resources.
Teng Lee, Farm Steward
teng@youthfarm.net 651.399.1171
Teng enjoyed his first summer with YFMP in 2011. As a youth, Teng interned with the Community Design Center of Minnesota, in both the Garden Corp and the wilderness conservation corp. He is a graduate of Highland Park Senior High in 2010, and spent his year out of high school interning as a naturalist at the Belwin Nature Conservancy in Afton, Minnesota. At Belwin, Teng gathered knowledge about working with youth in a non-traditional classroom setting. Teng started with YFMP as an adult summer staff and has been working in the greenhouse as a Farm Steward during the colder months.
