Alameda Backyard Growers is a community-driven organization powered entirely by volunteers. Serving on our board of directors is a pivotal role for dedicated individuals who share our passion for growing food and living sustainably. We currently have openings on our board and warmly welcome applications from anyone interested in contributing to our cause.
If you're intrigued by the prospect of joining our board, we invite you to learn more about the responsibilities and opportunities involved by clicking here. To apply, please click here. We will continue to review applications until all positions are filled.
Thank you for considering this exciting opportunity to make a meaningful difference in our community through Alameda Backyard Growers!
Dena Andersen, the granddaughter of Georgia and Idaho farmers, was active in the Future Farmers of America (FFA) in high school and attended U.C. Davis (Go, Aggies!) A 25-year resident of Alameda, she has lived in numerous places and can embarrass herself and others in several languages. Following 35+ years of employment in a variety of laboratories, she is currently dabbling in retirement while happily sharing her experiences of worm bins and raising chickens. She also works compost and grows a variety of fruits and vegetables. Dena helps with Project Pick.
Linda Carloni is an active bird-watcher, community volunteer and gardener who also practices Business Law. Linda moved to Alameda in 2010, in part to find a larger, level, sunny place to garden. As a novice gardener needing some assistance, Linda found ABG’s members exceptionally generous with helpful advice. She has had gardening success in Alameda with Satsuma mandarins, Meyer lemons, tomatoes, tomatillos, green beans and leafy greens, and she keeps trying new varieties and techniques. Linda coordinates ABG's eNewsletter and handles a variety of legal and logistical tasks to help keep ABG running smoothly.
Birgitt Evans has grown her own food on a large scale for the past 25 years, experimenting with new crops like oca and pepino dulce as well as dietary staples like potatoes, onions, garlic and dried beans. She has been involved with Alameda Backyard Growers since its inception, providing inspiration to its co-founders and putting together the Master Gardener Series of presentations at our monthly meetings. Birgitt has served on several boards, including the Board of the Alameda County Master Gardeners for the past 13 years. She is passionate about growing and raising food and seeks to both encourage and educate others so they can also share the benefits of fresh, healthy, homegrown food. Birgitt is our Volunteer Coordinator.
Holly Johnson is a garden enthusiast with her best successes in strawberries, blueberries, peaches, and parsley. By day she works in fundraising at the UC Berkeley School of Law. Holly has lived in Alameda since 1999 but also counts Santiago, Chile, as home. She's a lifetime subscriber to Sunset Magazine and is happy to give away succulents for water-free gardens! Holly is currently serving as Vice President of ABG.
Amy Kalkstein, while not a gardener, is passionate about is minimizing food waste and helping her community. She has been an active volunteer with Project Pick since early 2020 and also volunteers with the Alameda Food Bank. She enjoys being able to be part of helping fresh fruit not go to waste and getting the food into the hands of those in need. Amy has lived in Alameda since 2008. Previously she spent a year living on a small farm in New Zealand. Looking back, she wishes she had taken the time to learn about the host family’s vegetable garden that the host father seemed to effortlessly maintain. By day, Amy now works with an education company to help teachers and student digitally access educational resources.
Marla Koss inherited her love of gardening from her parents, but didn’t start gardening until she grew up and moved to Alameda. Here, the unamended sandy soil made it ridiculously easy to work in. So, over time, in went any number of roses bushes, tomato plants and a scattering of fruit trees. Which of course led to an excess of backyard produce. When her friend Amanda Bruemmer co-founded ABG in March, 2010, suddenly there were other locals to compare notes with. And eventually there was Project Pick as an outlet for her bounty. Marla is a founding member of ABG's board and its Community Events and Outreach Committee (CEOC). In 2016 she oversaw ABG's development of Project Tree in partnership with the Alameda Sun to bring more fruit and shade trees to Alameda yards. Marla has run Fruit Tree Pruning and Tree Care Workshops and written articles for ABG's monthly column in the Alameda Sun. She also grows flats of tomato, veggie, herb and flower starts every year for ABG’s Spring Plant Sale. Marla currently volunteers in the orchard at APC’s Farm2Market and answers the occasional gardening question on Quora. She’s also the current ABG Board Secretary and co-lead of the Community Event & Outreach Committee (CEOC).
Alison Limoges is retired - from teaching, managing volunteers and handling communications for a college foundation. With her husband Ron and family she has moved often and has gardened in 9 states. Her love of gardening, creating nature collages and ceramics (another way to play with dirt) comes from her mother. To make new friends and to gain California gardening experience when she moved to Alameda in 2011, Alison attended ABG functions and trained to be an Alameda County Master Gardener. Through these organizations she meets skilled, dedicated, generous gardeners who always teach her a great deal. Alison serves on ABG’s Board as the Chair of the Education Committee and she helps gleans fruit with Project Pick.
Ron Limoges is retired from a 40-year career in which he planned, managed and implemented resource development activities for a wide range of not-for-profit, community and public organizations in the U.S. and abroad. He also served as a personal advisor to individual entrepreneurs and their families, focusing on the management and distribution of philanthropic investments. Ron currently serves as President of the ABG Board of Directors and assists with the Fundraising and Finance Committee. He has no gardening abilities whatsoever, but he is delighted to help his colleagues bring fresh fruit and produce to Alamedans in need. Ron is now serving as Board Treasurer.
Sarah Miller believes in blooming where you are planted. Committed to community, equity, local food access and sustainable agriculture, she joins the Alameda Backyard Growers Board after completing an organic farm apprenticeship at Cloud Mountain Farm Center, Alameda County Master Gardener program, the UC Master Beekeeper exam, and is in her fourth-year with San Francisco Bee Cause. Sarah currently works for Alameda Point Collaborative's Farm2Market where she is an Assistant Farm Manager, as well as Acta Non Verba: Youth Urban Farm Project in East Oakland as a Operations Manager. Sarah is excited to be working with ABG to support the behind the scenes operations of the organization. She hopes that her experience and enthusiasm will contribute to the continued experiential learning of others in her community. Sarah helps ABG with social media.
Jillian Saxty is an independent graphic and web designer who lives in Alameda. In her spare time she loves taking care of her garden with fruit trees and vegetable beds. She joined ABG on October 10, 2010 when the group participated in a global Day of Action Against Climate Change by helping build a giant compost pile at Alameda Point Collaborative’s Ploughshares Nursery. Since then, she has lead ABG's Project Pick and loves that it is a direct, community-based way to transfer backyard fruit that would otherwise go to waste to hungry local families. In addition, Jillian is the ABG webmaster. She hopes to continue to work with other Alameda organizations to make Alameda the greenest little town in America! Jillian is currently serving as President of the Board.
Though Liz Warmerdam is new to Alameda Backyard Growers, she is not new to Alameda nor to the trials and tribulations of personal gardening. Originally from upstate New York, Liz is used to short but mighty growing seasons. As a kid, one of her fondest memories is eating warm summer cucumbers straight off the vine and picking strawberries from nearby fields to make jam with her mom. One can only imagine her delight in moving to Alameda (over 25 years ago) with its nearly year-round growing season. Recently, Liz made the bold move of pulling out her entire front lawn in order to plant a vegetable garden. Taking a cue from her family’s French heritage, she planted what’s called a “potage”, also known as a year-round kitchen garden, carefully chosen for its southern exposure. While the passion is there, Liz is still working on the patience needed to properly plan and tend her neighborhood-friendly plot. When Liz isn’t gardening, she is enjoying retirement from working 25 years in local government, several of which were here in the special island of Alameda.
