Heartfelt Heroes

Mary Jane, a long-time Baltimore city resident, was surprised that there was a 33-acre farm just off route 40 owned by Baltimore City Schools. After one visit she knew she wanted to get involved and help raise awareness of the farm and its efforts to engage students in eating well, enjoying nutritious foods and learning sustainable practices.

Mary Jane has spent over 15 years at T. Rowe Price in various Institutional Marketing and Investment Analysis roles. She is a graduate of Cornell University and earned an MBA from Georgetown University. In her spare time she enjoys traveling and cooking with her family and yoga and reading by herself. 

Sadé is committed to serving alongside others who share an interest in creating a more peaceful, equitable, and sustainable world. She is passionate about child advocacy, environmental education and food justice. Sadé is an experienced attorney with a demonstrated history of providing a high-level of advocacy for her clients. She is skilled in trial advocacy, litigation, legal writing, and child welfare laws and policies. She received her Juris Doctorate from the University of Maryland Care School of Law and her Bachelor of Science from Barry University. Sadé delights in spending time with her family and friends! 

Jennifer Youtz Grams grew up in the rural midwest where gardens and farms were plentiful. Her first job was working at a family-owned farm market where she picked blueberries, learned how to identify varieties of tomatoes, and filled many sticky jugs of fresh apple cider. She feels fortunate to have had easy, affordable access to fresh fruits and vegetables from her family’s garden and local markets and is excited about the opportunity to support Great Kids Farm’s mission to provide young Baltimoreans with hands-on learning experiences and exposure to nature and local food systems. 

Jennifer’s career spans the public and nonprofit sectors. She currently works at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Technology in Education as a Project Administrator.

Paul joined the Great Kids Farm board in 2022. In 2005, he founded Gymjam, a children's activity center in Eldersburg, Maryland. Gymjam's goal was to help kids build self-confidence while promoting positive self-esteem. Dealt a critical blow during the recession, Gymjam was forced to close in 2011, but Paul never let go of his dream to improve the lives of children.
 
A recent transplant to Catonsville, Paul found his home abutted the Great Kids Farm property. When he discovered his new neighbor was tasked with enriching the lives of Baltimore city school children, Paul knew he had to be a part of it!
 
During his 30-year career, Paul has held various sales, sales management and leadership roles. Currently, Paul works full-time as a project developer in the commercial solar industry for Gordian Energy Systems. When not working on a home project or tending to a side-hustle, Paul likes to go on long walks with his 3 dogs and wife of 30+ years. Paul is a graduate of Towson University where he received his Bachelor of Science in Accounting.

Jen Everett joined the board in 2020.  While not originally from the Baltimore area, she moved here from Philadelphia in 2012 and currently resides in Ellicott City.  She brings a strong desire to learn and drive awareness about farming and gardening and educate youth about growing food, nutrition and wellness. She can often be found in her own garden, growing as many fruits and vegetables as possible and learning about insects, soil and food.
 
Jen brings 15 years of experience in Accounting, Audit and Finance and has earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in Accounting from the University of Connecticut.  She has also earned an Executive Leadership certificate from Cornell University.  In her free time, she's usually exploring and finding a new adventure with her wife and twin boys.

Maryanne has a passion for education, wellness and sustainability.  She was involved with these efforts with her children and their schools and now wants to give back to the community and introduce children to nutritious foods, the beauty and serenity of nature and preservation and sustainability efforts.
 
Maryanne has spent nearly 20 years at M&T Bank, currently heading M&T Business Capital.  She is a graduate of Loyola University Maryland, earning a BBA and MBA and is a CPA.

Mike joined the board of Friends of Great Kids Farm in late 2023. He is a Maryland native and resides with his family in Sykesville, MD. He is passionate about food education, hands on learning, and sustainable farming practices. In his free time, he enjoys visiting the farmer's market, spending time with family and friends, and exploring the outdoors. Mike brings over a decade of leadership experience in finance, accounting, and operations. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Corporate Finance from Salisbury University and a Master’s degree in Accounting and Financial Management from the University of Maryland Global Campus.

Born and raised in Baltimore, and a Baltimore City Public School graduate, Terrell is a multi-media strategist who helps civic organizations creatively connect with the constituents they serve. He has worked extensively in social innovation and entrepreneurship. His work has developed through programming and deepened the collaboration and connection that creative projects have to the community. Having served in the Army, Terrell brings a mission focused, disciplined, and multilateral approach to relationship building which helps break down social barriers inherent in our city's landscape.

Brittany's passion for growing things was cultivated with her grandmother's guidance in their home garden on Long Island. She moved to Baltimore just over ten years ago and settled into a variety of jobs in the youth advocacy and community development sectors. These combined experiences led to a deep interest in food justice as an important subset of racial justice. Learning about where food comes from and how to grow it on your own is a human right. Being on the Friends of Great Kids Farm board is a tangible way to foster access to these bases of knowledge.
 
Brittany is a certified Master Gardener who can also be found reading, spending time with friends, hiking near some water, or honing her grilled cheese skills.

The son of an Air Force veteran, Cyrus has moved around a lot...but home is Baltimore, where his son goes to a local charter school. He enjoys taking his son hiking and boating. His fondest memory with farming is picking blueberries from his grandmother's garden.

Cyrus has spent over 5 years at T. Rowe Price in various operational and risk groups. He is a graduate of Morgan State University and earned an MBA from Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School.

Patrick is a Baltimore litigation attorney and a resident of Baltimore City. Raised in rural East Tennessee, Patrick has a passion and deep appreciation for time spent outdoors while working with one’s hands. He believes that Great Kids Farm serves a vital role in growing Baltimore City students’ understanding of food systems, the impact of food and nutrition on personal health, and environmental sustainability. Patrick is thrilled by the opportunity to serve on the Board and to further the mission of Friends of Great Kids Farms to enrich the lives of the students it serves. In his free time, Patrick enjoys cycling, spending time with his wife and family, and volunteering with a local youth soccer league.

Chef Len loves to share his passion for cooking and fresh foods with the students of Baltimore City. Len has mentored the culinary programs for the “Learning to Work” curriculum for Baltimore City Public Schools and is a member of the advisory council. He is also active as “Chef & Child" chair for the American Culinary Association, Baltimore Chapter where he has adopted William Paca Elementary and engineered a six-trough, raised bed garden there.
 
Currently Len is a Senior Research Chef at McCormick & Co. in Hunt Valley Maryland.  A graduate of the University of Maryland, Len furthered his culinary training at the California Culinary Academy. Len is a Certified Executive Chef by The American Culinary Federation and a Certified Research Chef by the Research Chef’s Association.

Marie Parfait-Davis, Ed.D., is an Equity Specialist serving in the Office of Equity with Baltimore City Public Schools.  She is a lifelong learner and educator with over 20 years’ experience in the educational field with Baltimore City Public Schools. She is a graduate of Florida A&M University, (B.S), Johns Hopkins University (M.A.T) and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. (Ed.D.)  She has served in several capacities within the Baltimore City school district, including, teacher, resident principal, principal and curriculum writer.  She is passionate and committed to providing and supporting meaningful and impactful equity work within the district that delivers the best outcomes for students, parents and community stakeholders.  In her spare time, she enjoys writing, reading, dancing to a funky groove and spending quality time with family and friends.

Sharon is a native Baltimorean and city resident and is the Development Equity Manager for Enterprise Community Asset Management, a national organization that supports the development of affordable housing.  Sharon is passionate about living a healthy and sustainable lifestyle and is excited to carry out the Friends of Great Kids Farm’s mission to positively impact the Baltimore City students’ awareness of healthy food choices, farm animals and environmental literacy.

Sharon is a graduate of the Notre Dame of Maryland University and enjoys spending her free time participating in Toastmasters, reading, exercising and spending time with her family and two puppies.  She also enjoys supporting the local farmers.

Kyana is excited to be a new board member of Friends of Great Kids Farm! As a Baltimore City Public Schools alum and great-granddaughter of a sharecropper, she’s sure she’ll fit right in.
 
Kyana is passionate about health and wellness, and improving the quality of life for Baltimoreans. In addition to her position as a Public Information Officer for the City of Baltimore, Kyana is also a certified yoga instructor at Under Armour FX Studios (UA Headquarters) and volunteers with Free Baltimore Yoga. Kyana holds a B.S. in Economics from Morgan State University and a M.A. in Public Communications from American University.

Hershel has always had a passion for volunteerism and is continuously looking for ways to increase his impact and get his hands dirty. He understands the importance of introducing students to a world outside of their norm. When he was first introduced to the work being done at Great Kids Farm, he couldn’t wait to begin making a difference.

Although a native of Baltimore, Hershel enjoys traveling to exciting places as well as trying various types of unique cuisine. Hershel currently works at M&T Bank where he provides consultation to commercial bank clients regarding their foreign exchange risk and hedging needs. He is also a graduate of Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, MD where he obtained his undergraduate degree in Criminal Justice.

Blake was first introduced to food justice and Great Kids Farm through his late aunt and mentor Jill Wrigley almost a decade ago. Since then, Blake has worked in the city as a case manager and mentor for youth, an environmental educator, and a public health advocate. He now works at World Wildlife Fund as a program specialist for their education for nature and recently earned his Master of Social Work degree from the University of Maryland, Baltimore with a concentration in Community Action and Social Policy. 
 
Blake is passionate about connecting people to the natural world and working to make Baltimore safer, healthier, and more equitable for all. He enjoys spending time with his wife and son, birding, backpacking, and getting lost in a good book.