Mid-Atlantic Urban Agriculture Summit 2021 - Keynote Speakers

Karen Washington – Rise & Root Farm, New York City

Karen Washington has lived in New York City all her life and has spent decades promoting urban farming as a way for all New Yorkers to access to fresh, locally grown food.

Washington has been a resident of the Bronx for over 26 years, although in 2015 she began living part time in Orange County, NY near the farm. Since 1985 She has been a community activist, striving to make New York City a better place to live.

As a community gardener and board member of the New York Botanical Gardens, Washington worked with Bronx neighborhoods to turn empty lots into community gardens. As an advocate, she stood up and spoken out for garden protection and preservation. As a member of the La Familia Verde Community Garden Coalition, she helped launched a City Farms Market, bringing garden fresh vegetables to her neighbors. Washington also co-founded Black Urban Growers (BUGS), an organization of volunteers committed to building networks and community support for growers in both urban and rural settings. In 2012 Ebony Magazine voted Washington one of their 100 most influential African Americans in the country, and in 2014 she was awarded with the James Beard Leadership Award.

Washington was a physical therapist for over 30 years, and she "retired" in April 2014 to start Rise & Root Farm.

Kristof Grina – Up Top Acres, Washington, D.C.

Kristof Grina is co-founder of Up Top Acres in Washington, D.C. After growing up in the District of Columbia and studying agriculture in Vermont, he became obsessed with scaling commercial agriculture to the densely populated, built environment of D.C.

In 2014, this interest led Grina to co-founding Up Top Acres. He took to city rooftops with the goal of better activating these underutilized spaces, distributing food locally and providing an educational venue for children and adults alike.

Previous to Up Top Acres, Grina managed an organic farm in Potomac, MD that distributes produce to the Washington D.C. area. Under his direction, the farm successfully implemented a 60-member weekly community sponsored agriculture (CSA) delivery program. He also worked installing for one of the top green roofing companies in the Washington D.C. Metropolitan area. Grina holds a bachelor’s degree in plant and soil science with a concentration in sustainable agriculture from the University of Vermont.

Gail Myers – Farms To Grow, Inc., Oakland, CA

Dr. Gail P. Myers, cultural anthropologist, earned her doctorate in anthropology from The Ohio State University, master’s in applied anthropology from Georgia State University and bachelor’s in English from Florida State University. She is the founder of Farms to Grow, Inc. in Oakland, CA, where she works with local, national and international organizations to improve the lives and futures for socially disadvantaged and sustainable small farmers.

For the last eighteen years, Myers has been researching, teaching, and writing about black farmers, producing articles, papers, and documentary shorts related to the adaptations and sustainable practices of African American farmers.

In 2001, Myers organized the first statewide conference for African American farmers in Ohio. In 2005, she served as the conference coordinator of the 19th California Small Farm Conference in Ventura, CA. In 2013, Myers worked with community stakeholders and farmers to facilitate the Freedom Farmers Market in West Oakland. Their mission was to connect black farmers with communities in need.

Myers has received numerous awards and honors and is considered a subject matter expert in the anthropology of African American farming. In addition to managing the operations of Farms to Grow, Inc., she lectures and consults for community-based, local, state and national organizations. Before her education, Myers served in the Air Force.

If you are a person with a disability and desire any assistive devices, services or other accommodations to participate in this activity, please contact Jessica Harris at jbrown@vsu.edu or call (804) 524-5964 / TDD (800) 828-1120 during business hours of 8 am. and 5 p.m. to discuss accommodations five days prior to the event.

Virginia Cooperative Extension programs and employment are open to all, regardless of age, color, disability, gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, veteran status, or any other basis protected by law. An equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Virginia State University, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture cooperating. Edwin J. Jones, Director, Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg; M. Ray McKinnie, Administrator, 1890 Extension Program, Virginia State University, Petersburg.