Azizah has been a retired teacher for 21 years. She has farmed for 11 years in Pembroke Township and has been a member of the Pembroke Farm and Family (PFF) since 2014. Azizah has worked with AUA since 2019. She is willing to share what she’s learned from both of these organizations. Azizah is also willing to learn from her mentee. She has learned composting from several workshops from AUA, how to use water sources such as drip systems, planting and harvesting crops, using cover crops, and managing a work schedule. What Azizah is hoping to have as a mentee is someone who is willing to spend time on her Pembroke farm and assist with her infrastructure needs, such as repairing the high tunnel, repairing fences, and raised beds. Also, planning and organizing the crop layout and harvesting when needed. Azizah is the perfect mentor for someone wanting to learn rural farming and do some hands-on farmwork.

LinkedIn

A Chicago native with a big passion for growing and local food! I currently serve as the Operations Manager at Closed Loop Farms where I oversee a year-round indoor farm and a seasonal outdoor farm. This is the third farm site I have managed. In addition to indoor and outdoor farming, I have supported local growers by helping them become distributor ready by helping them complete and implement food safety documentation and preparing them for usda GAP audits and other third party audits. I also grow ornamentals for events and currently crop planning/seeding for a wedding this fall (the third one I have done). I am excited to share with a mentee any skills and advice I have picked up managing a urban farm business in the following areas: 

-growing skills for veg, microgreens, flowers 

-business documentation

-staffing

-food safety/ auditing

-specialty crop growing

-accessing various markets

-event planning

-crop planning

-scaling up 

Available weekends and weekday evenings to meet in person. Some availability during weekday hours 9am-5pm if pre scheduled. No restrictions for travel. 

Website

Kevin Erickson has an extensive background in soil-based agriculture as well as controlled environment agriculture systems (hydroponics, aquaponics, mushroom production). Erickson began his career working on organic farms in Georgia and California in 2006 before transitioning to urban agriculture in Chicago in 2009. With more than 15 years of experience in crop production and distribution at various scales, Erickson brings a diverse knowledge of farming systems, methods, and innovations to help improve the sustainability of our food system. He currently manages the Loyola University Chicago Urban Agriculture Program which includes training and research with over 50 students per year. Specific skills and topic areas: beekeeping, livestock (specifically chickens, bees, fish), annual crops, perennial crops, farm ecology/conservation, composting, season extension, distribution/sales, crop planning, hydroponics, aquaponics, aquaculture, mushroom production, soil testing/soil health, budgeting, youth engagement, curricular development, and research/experimental design.

Instagram

Mabel is a worker-owner at OTIS Fresh, a fenceless community farm in Back of the Yards. They started growing at in 2021 in collaboration with Let Us Breathe collective across the street. They support Black and Brown growers and food businesses in the city and southland with marketing, website building, branding, copywriting, and grantwriting. Mabel can support with setting up irrigation, composting, early stage development of the farm on-site, making a business plan, getting ready to sell food, and no-till soil cultivating methods along with engaging neighbors and elected officials to support the growth of your project.

Leah has ten years of experience building and stewarding school and community gardens through their work with Gardeneers. Over the past decade, Lean has supported students, educators, and community members in creating productive, welcoming green spaces that serve as places for learning, food production, and connection.

My work combines hands-on horticulture with community building. I feel confident supporting mentees who are interested in developing garden programs, strengthening community engagement, and building practical growing skills. I enjoy helping others gain confidence in the garden while also understanding the ecological systems that support healthy plants and soil.
Some of the topics and skills I’m especially excited to share with a mentee include sustainable growing practices, trellising and pruning techniques, integrated pest management (IPM), and incorporating native plants into garden spaces. I’m passionate about helping others develop resilient, productive gardens that support both people and local ecosystems.

Instagram

Alexy is a garden educator, photojournalist and mother of two living in South Shore, Chicago. She grew up in St. Louis, Missouri and spent winters in Beaufort South Carolina on her family's land. As a photographer, she documents black and brown bodies stewarding the land, nature and her travels. She is currently working on her first photojournalism book that documents her travel to Nigeria, Africa in 2017. 

Her gardening journey has resulted in a Certificate of Permaculture Design and a Certificate in Building Resilient Communities through the Permaculture Institute of Chicago. She stewards two gardens in Chicago and volunteers as often as she can for other local growers. As a co-founder of the Seed Keepers Collective, she stewards the Roseland Community Forest Garden with a team and the neighbors. As a homeowner, she stewards her home's yard with her husband and volunteers. Her home garden includes a 20-foot greenhouse for vegetables, containers for herbs, a native garden and a few fruit trees. We also have a beehive and are patiently awaiting its guest.

Alexy would love to engage this mentorship with conversations around self-sustainability, land ownership, permaculture and community work.

Website, Facebook 

Dr. Israel was a key partner for AUA's soil stories series and soil scientists for AUA’s Soil Health program, supporting soil testing and recommendation for gardeners and growers around the city. They are the president of the North Lawndale Greening Committee and lead gardener of the Garden to Table Pipeline in North Lawndale.

AUA Webpage,‍ ‍WBEZ

Tucker started farming in 2010 on a large permaculture farm down the road from their childhood home in northeast Ohio. After college, they came to Chicago and managed farms for about 10 years before transitioning to performing water-related technical assistance for growers with Advocates for Urban Agriculture. Tucker is most proud of their work with young adults with disabilities, farm system and facility design, and community-building. They are happy to support just about any discipline, but their superlative skills are farm system and facility design, food safety and sanitation, vegetable production, horticulture, program development, carpentry, and grant writing.

Bike a Bee Website

Jana has been beekeeping in Chicago for 15 years with experience in urban settings and quality honey production. They would love to be able to offer a Mentee a full, hands-on season of beekeeping, so they can go on to start their own hives or improve on their current skills and knowledge.

Instagram 

Lucía is a 2015 Windy City Harvest (WCH) Apprenticeship graduate. Her urban farming experiences include work-trade (WWOOF) on organic farms in Puerto Rico, grower for the WCH North Lawndale Youth Farm, grower for Gary Comer Youth Center's 2 acre farm, and Farm Manager of Herban Produce's 2 acre urban farm. From 2017-2019, she ran a 1/8th acre WCH incubator farm growing for a 16 member CSA, the Pilsen Community Market, and wholesale. In 2024, Lucía earned her Permaculture Design Certificate. She is currently Director of Farm Operations with El Paseo Community Garden and a Project Manager for Homan Grown where she stewards, designs, and installs perennial gardens. Lucía currently sit on the Illinois Agriculture Equity Committee and the Flooding and Sewage Coalition Community Advisory Council.

Lucía is excited to share my knowledge of urban farming, permaculture, native & perennial plants, and entrepreneurship.

Website

Dulce has 10 years experience as an urban grower. She has spent seven years as a farmers market coordinator, is a beginner at cultivating, preserving, sharing benefits and packaging native herbs.

Fresh Roberson (they/she) is the founder and "Farming Chef" of Fresher Together, a collaborative food and farming project rooted in healing, equity, and community wealth. With 20 years of experience across the food system—ranging from early training in 2004 working on an organic farm to a career as a professional chef—Fresh is now entering their 7th year of full-time farming and leadership with Fresher Together. Fresh operates across a diverse agricultural spectrum: from intensive urban farming on Chicago’s South Side to a rural market farm site in Beaverville, IL, and an upcoming peri-urban expansion onto 114 acres in South Cook County.

Their work is framed by four core pillars—Build, Grow, Cook, and Heal—and centers on creating an equitable food system through the production of diversified vegetables, herbs, and staple crops like small grains and dry beans, while building spaces for refuge and outdoor hospitality. Complementing their on-farm work, Fresh is a recognized leader in food justice, serving on the Chicago Mayor’s Food Equity Council and as a 2025 Castanea Fellow.

Specific topics and skill areas I am excited to share with a mentee:

Land Access & Navigation: Expert guidance on navigating municipal processes, including securing land through Chi Block Builder as well as other means, and transitioning between urban, peri-urban, and rural growing environments.

Financial Strategies & Funding: Sharing "Funding Your Farm with Little to No Debt" strategies, including balancing grants, debt, and creative capital-building to ensure long-term farm sustainability.

Production & Scaling: Experience in market garden development, small-farm incubator programs, and the specific logistics of growing staple crops (grains/beans) at various scales. Using tools and equipment based on scale to support our bodies and production goals.

Community Engagement & Collaboration: Insights into building mutual aid models, developing community-based programming, and fostering value-aligned partnerships, while maintaining a viable operation.

Value-Added & Partnerships: Developing farm-based products (VAPs) and building collaborative partnerships with community organizations and peer businesses. here

Travel: I regularly travel between Chicago and the Iroquois/Kankakee county regions. I am available for site visits in the Chicago metro area and South Cook County. I have limited availability and no in-person availability for the remainder of March.

Scheduling: My schedule is flexible but best managed with advance notice. I am generally available for virtual check-ins on most days while attempting to limit scheduling on Wednesdays. In-person check-ins require coordination to align with my travel schedule between the city and rural sites.

Website‍, Instagram 

Beekeeper, owner of Bee-Utiful Honey.

Oscar Villa is a beekeeper in Chicago that produces honey and sells it in Farmers Markets and a few stores in Chicago. Bee-utiful Honey is committed to beekeeping in a way that maximizes wellbeing for bees, and produces high quality local honey, while taking care of the environment and passing knowledge about bees to future generations.