Denzel Mitchell, Jr., Executive Director | denzel@farmalliancebaltimore.org
Denzel brings a fusion of leadership, varied professional experience, and a deep-rooted connection to agriculture. Raised a country boy with cowboy roots in Oklahoma, Denzel’s journey into farming began early, sparking his
interest and commitment to food, consumption, production and sovereignty. Denzel was a founding organizer and member farmer of the Farm Alliance. In November 2012, he completed Future Harvest-CASA’s Beginning Farmer Training Program. Soon after, he (alongside a farmer friend, a chef, and a food historian) brought a nearly-forgotten heirloom pepper variety, Baltimore’s Fish Pepper, back to the Chesapeake foodshed’s culinary palette.
He and his family founded Five Seeds Farm and operated it with a cadre of supporters and volunteers between 2008 – 2016. From 2012 to Spring of 2017, Denzel mentored and trained new growers, organized farmers’ markets, advised others in starting small farms, community gardens, food co-ops and food businesses. Over the last 15 years, he’s held various roles supporting healthy food education and access in the Baltimore area; teaching young people at several Baltimore City public schools and after-school programs.
He was the Brownfields Coordinator for Baltimore City’s Office of Planning, the farm manager at Strength To Love 2 for three seasons (2017-2020) and has served as advisor to several farms including Real Food Farm, Whitelock Community Farm, Strength To Love 2 Farm and Great Kids Farm. He has served on the board of directors for the Friends of Great Kids Farm, Belair-Edison Neighborhood, Inc. and Acres4Change. He currently sits on the board of Our Common Table.
With nearly 15 years of farming experience to inform and enrich his strategic approach, his leadership is enabling FAB to navigate market shifts and pioneer innovative agricultural methods. Through mentorship and advocacy, he ignites passion in the next generation of Black farmers, fostering a legacy of stewardship for the land.
Beyond his professional endeavors, Denzel actively engages with local communities and continues to feed his passion for cooking and feeding people as an integral member of Baltimore’s favorite eatery and catering outfit, Blacksauce Kitchen. In his free time, he enjoys music, film, art, and the outdoors. He is the proud “baba” of 5 fantastic humans. Contact Denzel at denzel@farmalliancebaltimore.org
Skher Brown, Finance & Administrative Manager | skher@farmalliancebaltimore.org
Skher is a lifelong martial artist who gained his non-profit experience through an organization to preserve his traditional art form of Capoeira Angola. In his career work, he has served as a business owner-operator, non-profit executive director, teaching artist, choreographer and performer, k-12 and college instructor, law librarian, and lineman worker. Skher is a proud Southerner–born and raised in Florida and graduating from the HBCU of Florida A&M University. He as been a resident of Baltimore since 2003 and is father to three school-age sons. Skher can be reached at skher@farmalliancebaltimore.org
Alison Worman, Programs Manager | programs@farmalliancebaltimore.org
Alison Worman grew up tending a small backyard garden in the city of Milwaukee, WI. Shortly after moving to Baltimore in 2008, she was introduced to the city’s food landscape through working at Whitelock Community Farm. Her experience managing Whitelock from 2014-2018 was instrumental in building her commitment to supporting urban agriculture through advocacy and collaboration. Alison is a 2013 graduate of the Future Harvest Beginner Farmer Training Program and has worked at several urban and rural farms. She is thrilled to continue to work among an amazing network in her role as Programs Manager. If you would like to learn more about the Farm Alliance of Baltimore’s programs please contact her at programs@farmalliancebaltimore.org
Myeasha Taylor, Farm Manager | myeasha@farmalliancebaltimore.org
Myeasha Taylor began growing food in an elementary school garden club and later returned to it in her college senior year as a member of the Morgan State University Garden Club. For the last decade, she has strengthened her skills in sustainable farming, education and leadership by training various ages in urban agriculture production and managing/stewarding several community gardens and organic urban farms under three acres along the MidAtlantic seaboard with various nonprofit and for profit entities. Myeasha is committed to building an equitable food system that builds economic development and sufficiency in communities combating food apartheid. She is a longstanding member of Farm Alliance Baltimore since her early days in Americorps, a member of Future Harvest CASA, and the Black Dirt Farm Collective. In her role as Farm Manager, she will be managing the Black Butterfly Teaching Farm. She can be contacted at myeasha@farmalliancebaltimore.org
Andy Szentendrei, Production Coordinator | farmer@farmalliancebaltimore.org
Andy Szentendrei moved to Baltimore City from Vermont in April of 2021. He joined the Farm Alliance of Baltimore shortly after in early June as the Production Assistant for the first year of the BBUFA program. Early in 2022 he became a full time staff member and gained the title of Production Technician where he oversees and maintains the demonstration farm in Curtis Bay. His background is in high intensity greenhouse growing specializing in tomatoes and peppers in the summer and spinach and salad greens in the winter. He has a broad base of knowledge from crop management to greenhouse construction down to the electrical work.
Emily Castle, Operations & Executive Assistant | emily@farmalliancebaltimore.org
Emily, a recent transplant to Baltimore, discovered her passion for growing food in college while helping to create a campus food forest. She has since worked at arboretums, botanical gardens, and an environmental publishing company, where she co-developed the book Tiny Victory Gardens: Growing Food Without a Yard. Most recently, she managed the veggie department of an edible landscaping company. Outside of work, Emily enjoys practicing yoga and tending to her small but mighty vegetable garden. She is excited to return to her non-profit roots at the Farm Alliance, supporting urban agriculture and community building while keeping everything running smoothly with her love for spreadsheets.
Peter Sparklin, Market & Sales Coordinator | markets@farmalliancebaltimore.org
Peter Sparklin has always had a passion for plants and animals. Growing up in Baltimore County, he developed a love for the outdoors and spent several years working on organic farms across the United States, gaining hands-on experience in sustainable agriculture. Peter enjoys solving puzzles, growing vibrant flowers, and fostering cats from BARCS. He graduated from the Future Harvest Beginner Farmer Training Program in 2016. In his free time, Peter can often be found tending to his home garden, cooking, hiking, or reading.
Claudia Torrieri, Farm Crew Member
Claudia Torrieri (she/her) graduated from the Institute of Applied Agriculture at UMD in 2020 and holds a sustainable Ag Certification. Over the past year, she has gained valuable experience working on various farms that grew flowers, vegetables, cannabis, and herbs. This summer, Claudia is excited to establish connections and learn from all the farmers in her community.
Ben Andreesen, CIIP Intern
Ben Andreesen is a sophomore at Johns Hopkins studying Environmental Science and Anthropology. He is passionate about protecting the lives of humans and the natural world, and seeks to uplift projects that provide people with what they need to be at their happiest. Outside of the classroom, he spends time biking, gardening, listening to live music, and climbing the occasional oak tree. He is excited to be interning this summer at the Farm Alliance of Baltimore, and hopes to learn more about the individuals who have worked tirelessly to establish an autonomous food system in the city.