Ab joined Metro Blooms in April 2021. They have a background in retail greenhouse labor, conservation work and an education in both Interpersonal Communication and Urban Forestry. Ab is deeply interested in native plant ecology and insects, and loves working hands-on in the diverse landscapes they care for. In their free time, Ab enjoys laying in the sun and spending time with their loved ones.
Aleli has a Bachelor of Arts in History of Ideas from Williams College. She has experience as a freelance writer, newspaper reporter and in publishing. Working for Metro Blooms has opened her eyes to the importance of the natural spaces in our urban environment. She has a great appreciation for the way Metro Blooms engages individuals to take action in their own backyards and motivates communities to work together to improve their landscapes.
Alexandra has a Bachelor of Arts in Biology and Religion from St. Olaf College. After graduating, Alexandra spent time working in healthcare before coming to environmental work. Her undergraduate research exploring the intersections of religion and the natural world inspired her desire to work directly with communities and how they relate to the environment surrounding them. In her free time, you can find her in her garden, spending time with her resident and foster dogs, or on the side of a trail trying to identify plants.
Chris graduated from the University of Minnesota with a Master of Landscape Architecture, class of 2021. He also has a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) in Nairobi, Kenya. Before relocating to the United States, he ran a landscape design-build company in Kenya. Chris is interested in green infrastructure and how it can be a critical component in climate change adaptation and resilience.
Erin has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Kansas City Art Institute and a Master of Library and Information Science from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Prior to working for Metro Blooms, Erin worked as an organizer, librarian and youth worker. They are passionate about activism, transformative justice, eating good food and photography.
Graciela, a new Minneapolis resident, grew up in Minnesota and felt called to help fight climate change as she started considering careers after college. Graciela completed a service term for AmeriCorps in forestry. During her term, she was inspired by a documentary about regenerative farming, which led to an interest in soil biology. After working for a couple of organic lawn care companies, Graciela gravitated towards Metro Blooms’ community and environment-focused work. Now a part of the education and development teams, she’s excited to learn and grow with Metro Blooms. Graciela is personally interested in art in many forms and enjoys spending plenty of time with her cat, Archie.
Jack is an ecologically minded landscape designer, gardener, and stone worker living in Minneapolis. He supports Blue Thumb by assisting their resilient yard workshops and providing other consultation related to gardening with native plants. He attended Luther College for his undergraduate degree in environmental studies. Afterwards, he found his way into the professions of landscaping and ecological restoration, working in communities across Minnesota and Missouri. In 2022, he received a masters of science in ecological design from the Conway School in Northampton, Massachusetts. Since then, Jack has enjoyed reacquainting himself with the Twin Cities. He is fond of taking walks in his neighborhood, appreciating the myriad of creative expressions and natural beauty found in his neighbors’ yards.
Jacqueline supports Metro Bloom’s mission by helping connect Minnesotans to our statewide Blue Thumb Partners. She is grateful her work gives her the opportunity to connect with people across Minnesota to support the healing of our relationship with the environment. Jacqueline earned her B.S. degree in Marketing at the University of Minnesota, Carlson School of Management. She was introduced to Metro Blooms through her work at the university Institute on the Environment’s sustainability office. Outside of work, she enjoys live music, painting, and traveling.
Jaiden, a North Minneapolis resident, studies environmental sciences at Alabama A&M University. She became an environmental and social justice advocate to make communities of color more aware and more educated on climate change. In her free time she loves planting trees and traveling the world. She can’t wait to continue to make a difference within her community.
Jason works on neighborhood projects with Design+Build. He is working toward a Masters of Landscape Architecture at the University of Minnesota, and has lots of community-based work experience. He has a strong interest in tree care and is working towards his arborist certification, and he enjoys schoolyard design and environmental education. He loves to hike, run and be on the water.
Jennifer has a Bachelor’s Degree in Plant Science + Sustainable Agriculture from Cornell University and a Masters of Landscape Architecture from North Carolina State University. She has worked on merging ecological and aesthetic principles in site design for 16 years, including commercial and public projects at CLH Design in Raleigh, NC, as well as stormwater-focused residential and commercial design in North Carolina and Minnesota. Her work at Metro Blooms combines her passions for plants and planting design with engaging and educating people about creating resilient and beautiful landscapes. Jen leads the design team at Metro Blooms Design+Build, ensuring that equity principles are incorporated throughout company culture and projects. She has a strong passion for this work, leading design on numerous affordable housing projects, ensuring that design processes and implementation center resident voice, values and needs.
Jennifer graduated with a Masters of Arts in Organizational Leadership from St. Catherine University and a Bachelor of Arts from Lawrence University in Appleton, WI. She is excited to serve Metro Blooms’ mission, in partnership with donors and communities, to create resilient landscapes and foster clean watersheds as we strive to solve environmental challenges. Jennifer lives in St. Paul with her partner Ray and their two small dogs.
Jennifer is a graduate of the University of Minnesota twice over, with a Bachelors of Environmental Design and Planning and a Masters of Landscape Architecture. Joining the Metro Blooms team has happily provided a place for her passions in creative stormwater solutions and community health, education and all things green. Jennifer has been volunteering as a certified Master Gardener since 2011 and loves vegetable gardening and camping during summer months, or moonlighting as a freelance muralist during winter evenings.
John graduated from American University in Washington, D.C. with majors in International and Environmental Studies and Philosophy. He worked as an educator in the Mid-Atlantic region for a few years—savoring every opportunity to help students draw connections between themselves and a greater world—before joining Metro Blooms as a Minnesota GreenCorps member in 2015. John enjoys reading, cooking, fixing things, every sort of people-powered movement, and the way atmosphere and stellar bodies play together to paint the sky. He is a certified Minnesota Water Steward.
Laila has been doing environmental justice work since she was 14 when she joined the organization Youth N’ Power and learned community organizing. Contributing to and supporting the well-being of her community is one of her passions. Over the last six years, Laila has participated in many apprenticeship programs, learning about trees, soil, sustainable building, compost and environmental justice, and is proud of her work sharing what she learns with community. Laila graduated from Robbinsdale Cooper High School and so far completed one year at Minneapolis Community and Technical College. One of her life goals is to travel the whole world!
Laura became President + Executive Director in May 2022, after 10 years serving in other roles at Metro Blooms, most recently as Associate Director + Director of Fund Development. She first joined the organization in 2012 as a MN GreenCorps member. She has a Bachelor of Science in Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology from the University of Minnesota, as well as a minor in Spanish Studies. Learning on the job, she combines a deep understanding of green infrastructure design, implementation, and care with a community-centric approach, fostering the expansion of supportive relationships to heal our earth. Outside of work, she enjoys hiking, kayaking, spending time at the lake and camping with her family.
Lucia has a background in Communication Studies and is pursuing a Masters of Landscape Architecture at the University of Minnesota. They help design and install Design+Build’s neighborhood and city rain garden projects. They come to Metro Blooms with some ecological restoration field experience as well as lots of community organizing and volunteering. In their free time, you can find them line dancing, making ceramics, or hanging out with their cat.
Makayla is an environmental justice and social justice activist and advocate. She grew up in North Minneapolis, a heavily environmentally-impacted community. The community has the highest asthma rates in the state, is a heat island, and has the highest concentration of low-income black and brown people. Makayla joined Youth N’Power 5 years ago, where she has learned how to do community organizing in her community through the essential lens of environmental justice. She cares about serving her community and making intentional relationships with others. She continues to learn and grow her personal and collective knowledge around environmental justice, community organizing, and communication. At Metro Blooms, she does community engagement and focuses on planting trees, rain gardens, and boulevard bioswales to help improve the air quality, water quality and soil quality in North and South Minneapolis.
Manny is a Southside Minneapolis native but has lived in North and Northeast in recent years. Manny attends the University of St.Thomas. His jobs have always been focused on community and educating communities on social and environmental issues affecting them. He loves to connect with others. During his free time, he loves to explore Minneapolis on his bike and spend time with his dog.
A former first-grade teacher, Meg loves gardening and is studying landscaping and horticulture at Hennepin Technical College. Meg appreciates the intentionality behind connecting social and ecological justice at Metro Blooms, and likes Metro Blooms’ work with community. Currently she is experimenting with a cut flower garden at home and pursuing the perfect chocolate chip cookie.
Megan is passionate about strengthening relationships between humans, non-humans, and place through community-centered storytelling. She graduated in 2022 from Johns Hopkins University with a Master of Arts in Science Writing. Prior, Megan completed a Minnesota GreenCorps service term with the We Are Water MN program. In her free time, she enjoys playing the flute and writing poetry.
Michelle met Metro Blooms as a resident of a rental community that Metro Blooms was partnering with on a landscape redesign. Working as a project steward, Michelle helped lead activities, and recruited other residents to take part in planning and carrying out the work. At the same time she gained valuable experience in sustainable landcare — which has helped her greatly in her work at Metro Blooms.
With prior experience in landscaping and nonprofits, Neely supports Metro Bloom’s Design+Build by managing the maintenance and installation crews and assisting the design team. Neely is passionate about supporting pollinators, ecological health, and environmental justice. She believes respecting and helping to improve the environment can be a thousand small choices you make every day. Outside of work, she enjoys local farmers’ markets, riding bikes, and cooking.
Rich Harrison is a Registered Landscape Architect in the state of Minnesota, with a Master of Landscape Architecture from the University of Minnesota. His work focuses on sustainable design, place making, and community development. Rich has worked on water quality issues for more than three decades, including research at Mankato State University, working for the Met Council studying non-point source pollution, and research at University of MN focusing on transit-oriented development and organic Infrastructure. For Rich, on-site treatment of stormwater is the best way to prevent pollution and preserve our precious water resources. Rich believes that education, working directly with community and facilitating the understanding of how our actions impact our natural environment is critical to successful design.
