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Kerry has received recognition from numerous publications and professional societies, including Financial World Magazine, The Art Director's Club of New York, The International Film Festival and the Silver Anvil Award of Excellence in Investor Relations from the Public Relations Society of America. He holds a bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from Northern Illinois University
and served in the U.S. Army, Vietnam, in the Infantry Combat Artist Program.
He is a Fellow of the American Center for Design, Chicago, served as an
advisor to the board of the U.S. Botanic Garden in Washington, DC, and as a
member of the Garden Writers Association of America. He is currently serving
on the Public Library Association's Library Card task force.
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Between February 2003 and August 2004, Eastin served as the first Executive Director of the National Institute for School Leadership (NISL) in Washington, DC. Drawing on best practices from the military and business training, this program partners with school districts to build the districts own capacity to install standards-based, results-oriented education systems, focusing on school leadership. Prior to joining NISL, Eastin served two terms as State Superintendent of Public Instruction in the state of California. The State Superintendent is a nonpartisan state constitutional office. Eastin was the highest-ranking official in California's elementary and secondary public school system and the first woman to be elected State Superintendent. As State Superintendent, she spearheaded major efforts to improve reading, writing, and mathematics instruction; reduce class sizes in grades K-3; and implement statewide standards, assessments, and a system of accountability. Eastin also advocated safe and healthy school environments; up-to-date facilities; 21st century technology; family-school partnerships; expanded teacher training and professional development; higher graduation requirements, including the arts in the core curriculum; and increased resources for schools. Beginning in November 1986, Eastin served four terms in the State Assembly. As chair of the Assembly Committee on Education, she sponsored legislation to reform the k-12 education system and to improve the sagging infrastructure of California schools. She authored the first school bond to marry higher education and k-12 education in a common bond. Eastin also carried the legislation to create the 1994 Family School Partnership Act, making California the first state to allow parents to take up to 40 hours off from work during the year to participate in their children's education. Superintendent Eastin was an early proponent of the charter school concept
and has long advocated stronger technical and vocational training for
students. She also advocated improving mathematics and science educational
standards, better laboratory science in schools, and gardens in every school.
She enlisted California as the first state in the nation to embrace the Team
Nutrition program to improve the nutritional value of school lunches. She
instituted a campaign for a Garden in Every School to create living
laboratories for teaching academics while fostering an appreciation of fresh
produce and sustainable agriculture.
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He is past-president of the American Agricultural Law Association (AALA) and author of the award-winning book What Farmers Need to Know About Environmental Law (1990). He also authored The Legal Guide for Direct Farm Marketing (July 1999), funded by USDA Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program; A Livestock Producer's Guide to: Nuisance, Land Use Control, and Environmental Law (1992); Iowa Crop Producers Environmental Law Guide (1992 and 1994); and A Farmer's Legal Guide to Production Contracts (1995). His latest book, written with Doug O'Brien and Robert Luedeman, is The Farmer's Legal Guide to Producer Marketing Associations (2005). Prior to joining the Drake faculty in 1983 to found the Agricultural Law
Center, he taught law for two years at the University of Arkansas in the
Agricultural Law masters program and from 1979-81 he was an Assistant Attorney
General in the Farm Division of the Iowa Department of Justice. In April 2000
Iowa Governor Thomas J. Vilsack appointed him to chair the Iowa Food Policy
Council, a position he still holds. Neil is on the boards of the Leopold
Center for Sustainable Agriculture, the Seed Savers Exchange, and the Iowa
Natural Heritage Foundation, and is the founder and chair of the Slow Food Des
Moines Convivium.
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Employed by the San Francisco Sheriff's Department, Cathrine has trained in law and agroecology, studied biodynamic gardening at Emerson in England, and completed the agroecology program at the University of California. Sneed's vision and work has been hailed by numerous organizations and
publications across the country. Sneed has received the Hero for the Earth
Award, the National Caring Award, the National Foundation for the Improvement
of Justice Award, and the MFK Fisher Award, among others, and has spoken at
numerous conferences, colleges and universities. Recently, her story appeared
on the A&E Channel's "Uncommon Americans" and on the Lifetime Channel. The
Economist, The New York Times, US News and World Report,
The Christian Science Monitor, The Chicago Tribune, The Los
Angeles Times, MS Magazine, Sunset, Orion, The
San Francisco Examiner, and the Whole Earth 30th Anniversary
Catalog have all featured the work of The Garden Project.
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Katherine holds a bachelor's degree from Randolph-Macon
College and a master's degree from Virginia Commonwealth
University.
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NGA President
Mike's work with the National Gardening Association has allowed him to focus his skills on connecting children to nature through gardening. Under his leadership, the association has devised many programs designed to highlight the health benefits of gardening by creating curriculum that engages children in cultivating, harvesting, preparing, and cooking food they grow themselves. Mike is a magna cum laude graduate of Gordon College with a bachelor's
degree in Economics and a minor in Psychology. He serves on the Advisory
Panel of the National Forum on Children and Nature, the USDA People's Garden
Forum, the Learning for Life Skilled Trades Committee, and is on the
Advisory Board of the Housekeeping Channel.
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Advisory Committee
Mr. Els has a BA degree in Business Administration from Principia College
in Illinois and continued his graduate studies in Public Administration at the
University of Maine. He was appointed by the Maine Labor Relations Board as
the management representative in fact-finding hearings involving public agency
labor disputes.
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Renee is widely regarded as a pioneering innovator in introducing specialty
vegetables, herbs, and cottage garden flowers for the gourmet restaurant trade
and home gardeners. Since leaving Shepherd's Seeds in 1997, Renee has started
a new seed company, Renee's Garden, which markets exclusively to high-end
independent nurseries or online at www.reneesgarden.com. She continues
to write extensively for the gardening and cooking media in such publications
as Sunset, Fine Cooking, Organic Gardening, The
Gardener, Fine Gardening, and Country Living. She has
written two kitchen garden cookbooks both published by 10 Speed Press as well
as a monthly newsletter. Renee also lectures widely at national and regional
garden shows (such as the Seattle, San Francisco, and Philadelphia Flower and
Garden Shows), and is a featured speaker at numerous gardening conferences.
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