Meet The Team

I am passionate about the environment in general and in sustainable agriculture and permaculture more specifically. I was a research chemist and project manager for about 25 years before deciding to semi-retire and become a farmer. I started expanding my backyard gardens in March 2023 and started working at VRDNT in September 2023. My goal is to eventually have my own organic farm/homestead in which I produce most of my own food and sell the rest to friends, family, and the nearby community.

I grew up in Central Texas, living in Austin while helping on the family property in San Marcos Texas. Working on a commodity cow-calf and meat goat operation on over 3,000 acres of Texas Hill Country taught me so much about the realities of Agriculture. After graduating with a BS in Microbiology from Texas State University in San Marcos, I became more interested in soil health and was actively homesteading with a variety of livestock. I met Becky at local farming conference and started working at VRDNT shortly after. A perk of the job, getting to taste test all the fresh veggies has really shown me how broken our food chain is. Veggies taste so much better fresh. I feel the strongest I ever have, eating seasonally and locally; it has been reFreshing! I have met many gritty farmers out there doing the best to provide nutritious food for their communities and care responsibly for the land they steward. I really believe in the power of preservation in perpetuity through profitability and hope to transfer these skills to my own family’s property in the coming years.

My Husband Matt and I have recently relocated back to what remains of our family’s 115-year-old Wegner Ranch in San Marcos and are laying the groundwork for plans to farm/ranch there in the years to come. 

I was born and raised in the East Coast, a small town in New Jersey. After spending years living in NYC and Chicago I made my way to Austin to earn a degree in Sustaibable Agriculture at Austin Community College. After the hardest parts of the pandemic I was ready to be a part of something bigger than me. I wanted to do something that mattered to society and hopefully make a difference in some of the ways we have been doing things in agriculture. I was paired with VRDNT as an internship at the tail end of my program and never left. It’s the hardest work I’ve ever done but it’s the most satisfying. I’m never not learning and I get to go home every day knowing I’m doing something that benefits more than just myself. 

I moved to Central Texas in 2014, unaware that I was returning home. Now, after (almost) a decade here, I can honestly say that I’m undeniably in love with Texas—faults, infernal summers, and all. Settling here has laid the foundation for the best years of my life.

I worked managing several area farms until 2019 when I had the opportunity to purchase land and begin what is now VRDNT Farm. Five Years into the journey, I feel incredibly fortunate to work with such an amazing, passionate staff and have this dream job growing food for my community. Thanks to each of you have have supported myself and the farm on our journey :-)