Ellie’s agricultural roots run back to the farmlands of the Midwest where she grew up growing everything from grain for homemade bread to produce for the nearby university’s cafeterias. A background in education led circuitously to homesteading near Tensleep, then to the green eastern slopes of the Bighorns. Ellie joined the board in 2019, and is enthusiastic about Rooted’s future. She lives in Sheridan with her family and operates East Slope Design, an interior design, staging and hospitality company in northeastern Wyoming.

Olivia believes that every child should be given the opportunity to learn about the importance of fresh produce by gardening and experiencing the literal fruits of their labor. She joined Rooted in Wyoming’s board in 2022 after seeing the impact of the garden program on her daughters at Woodland Park. She enjoys gardening, and being outdoors, as well as playing all kinds of sports and games with her family. Olivia is the Investment Operations Manager at Frontier Asset Management.

Victoria is passionate about Rooted in Wyoming’s work to teach children the importance of eating fresh produce, and to get students gardening. She knows this can significantly impact their lives in a positive way, and is excited to help improve local school meal programs. Victoria joined Rooted in Wyoming’s board in 2022. She loves the outdoors, gardening, hunting, fishing, spending time with her dogs, and cooking anything she harvests. Victoria is a Real Estate Agent for Century 21 BHJ Realty.

As an athlete, Falk is committed to healthy living, and considers unprocessed, nutritious food a priority. Falk’s upbringing in East Germany, where reliance on locally grown produce was pivotal, influences his belief that Rooted’s work to cultivate local innovation is profoundly worthwhile. His experience as a pastor, engineer, coach, and father inspire him to foster the growth and health of our community. Falk is a Dynamic Controls Hardware Engineer for EMIT Technologies.

Donna brings experience as an educator and a plant scientist to the Rooted in Wyoming Board. She is passionate about gardening and eating locally grown foods, and believes in the work that Rooted is accomplishing in the community. Donna is currently working on developing tomato and pepper varieties better suited to Wyoming’s climate as Assistant Professor in Plant Breeding & Genetics, and the Whitney Endowed Chair in Plant Sciences at UW's Sheridan Research and Extension Center.

Micah was born into an agricultural family on the prairies of western Nebraska. From vast croplands, to native wildflowers, to zinnias and tomatoes in his mother’s garden, he grew up with plant life all around him. Micah’s degrees are in Animal Science. His work as UW Extension Educator in Johnson County is to expand food systems literacy, and food sovereignty efforts in the community. Teaching folks where their food comes from and how they can grow it themselves is his primary passion and focus.

Ann passionately believes that investments in our youth will pay off dividends in the future. She is interested in locally grown food, and believes that Rooted’s current and future partnerships can be of significant value to our community. Ann is a participant in Leadership Wyoming, and is involved in several state and county organizations concerned with youth and family well-being, including the SCSD2 Board of Trustees. She is the Community Prevention Manager for Sheridan County & Community Service Block Grant Program Coordinator.

David brings more than three decades of experience in finance to the Rooted in Wyoming Board. His roots in agriculture come from time spent working on his family’s farm in New Jersey, the Garden State. He and his family are now involved in local food production in Sheridan. David is a Master Beekeeper, and previously served as President of the New Jersey Beekeepers Association. David is collaborative, business-minded, and focused on helping Rooted achieve its goals and objectives. He is the Managing Partner of Savile Capital Group.

Hanne has been gardening since age two – she deeply understands the importance of inspiring the next generation to grow food. The mission of Rooted in Wyoming is close to her heart. She is passionate about building up the local food movement. Hanne brings to Rooted a background as a scientist, having worked for the Turner Endangered Species Fund as their Senior Wildlife Biologist. She is a master gardener, and the owner of Wellborn Farms and Cheesecake Squared.

Micah is delighted to add his thread to the tapestry of Rooted in Wyoming’s Board. Since the first Hoe Down fundraiser in 2017, Micah has watched Rooted grow, and supported it through the gift of his music. Micah grew up gardening in Sheridan, and values the natural world and local food. He is currently on the Wyoming Community College Commission, and works as the Deputy County Attorney in the Fremont County Attorney’s Office where he handles all cases involving youth and children.

David was born and raised on a wheat farm near Kimball, Nebraska. He studied agriculture at the Universities of Wyoming and Arizona. David has agriculture policy experience working in Washington, DC, served as a commercial alfalfa & clover breeder, and most recently international agricultural research and development experience throughout Asia, Africa and the Americas while serving as Deputy Director General Research at the World Vegetable Center based in Taiwan. David is passionate to inspire the next generation of agriculturalists to ensure food security.

Ian grew up in a hydroponic tomato greenhouse near Tongue River Canyon. He is thrilled to be working at Rooted in Wyoming, and knows that we really can change the world “one forkful at a time” by centering local food in our lives. Ian has worked with elementary-aged students since 2009. He has a master’s degree in education, was the librarian at Meadowlark Elementary in Sheridan, and has been active in developing and coordinating local gardening programs for over ten years.