We know what it takes for a school garden to thrive.
The School Garden Doctor was initially launched in 2016 as a blog dedicated to gathering and sharing best practices to sustain school gardens. The name was derived from the practical and research experiences of our founding leader, whose doctoral dissertation, Scientific Literacy in Food Education: Gardening and Cooking in School, examined the under-utilized pedagogies that have the potential to foster understanding of agriculture, nutrition and the environment. After completing her degree, Carrie still had unanswered questions related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ) in the school garden movement, which our organization pursues through related projects and partnerships.
Our Leadership
Our organization is led by dynamic community members with various backgrounds, expertise, and experiences.
Carrie Strohl, Program Director
Carrie has worked as a classroom teacher, science curriculum specialist, and teacher educator. While earning her Ph.D. in from UC Davis, she took a position as a garden educator, which inspired her to research cooking and gardening instruction in schools. She holds a certificate in therapeutic horticulture from NC State.
Returning Board Member: Nancy LIm
Nancy shared her interest in gardening with students during her 17-year career as an elementary school teacher, reading specialist and parent education coach. She taught at a K-8 school that valued monthly class field trips and class gardens. Now retired, she is eager to help educators provide hands-on learning and gardening experiences through supporting the mission. Nancy completed a three-year term, but agreed to stay on to help onboard our newest members.
New Board Members for 2024-2027
Board Bios
Wendy Fitzgerald: “Feet on ground, head in clouds.”
Wendy brings more than 2 decades of service in public education, working with adult learners, and children of various ages. She spent many years teaching in a bilingual Spanish-English capacity.
Gardens and the greater outdoors have always inspired her and she enjoys sharing that inspiration with people of all ages so that curiosity and dialog about nature can be learning experiences in and around our communities.
Pat Parker: “Serving Napa Valley for 50 years.”
Pat grew up in Bethesda, Maryland, went to college at the University of Iowa to become a nurse and have lived in California all my adult life. My beautiful twin sons were born during my first marriage. When the boys were 3 years old, I worked full time for the next 30 years. My specialty in nursing was Home Health Care and I was the Director of the Home Care Agency at Queen of the Valley Hospital. While working at the agency, I met the man of my dreams on a blind date and he changed the life of my twins and me. He introduced us to the favorite food he made, Papa Joe’s Pizza. We were married for 35 years until he died of Covid in 2022 while we were on a cruise to Alaska.
When I was 50 years old, I decided I didn’t want to be a nurse anymore and I received my AA degree at NVC in Family and Child Studies. I became a preschool teacher and I loved guiding the children in their physical, emotional and intellectual growth. My gift was in curriculum development I met many wonderful children and families teaching preschool. When I was a teacher with Music Together, I met even more families. During my second career, I became a Master Gardener and worked with the team that built the El Centro Elementary School Garden. I also helped with gardens at Phillips and in a program for disabled adults. I volunteered often for the Master Gardener’s Help Desk at the Farmer’s Market. I currently have a water harvesting system at my home and my garden was featured one year in the Master Gardener’s Garden Tour. I retired in 2020 from teaching preschool Music Together but I have served since January 2023 as the Children’s Ministry Coordinator at Napa Methodist Church. So many of the Bible stories we tell from Godly Play involve deserts, dirt, plants, vines and trees. I just can’t away from green and growing things and digging in the dirt. I have also been actively involved in The American Association of University Women, Days for Girls and United Methodist Women. These organizations sponsor and contribute to programs that enhance the lives of girls and women locally and globally. My reasons for being so interested in Dirt Girls relate to my experiences with these non-profits. I have lots of hobbies. I love singing and music and I play the autoharp and handbells. I am learning to play the Handpan Drum. My faithful companion these days is my Cardigan Corgi/Mini-Aussie mix puppy dog, Pepper. We try to go on walks daily. I am a big reader of historical fiction and I love to cook, always trying new recipes. I also like to camp with my teardrop trailer quietly knitting by Bodega Bay. I am so looking forward to working with this organization, learning new things and contributing my talents.
Lori Klein: “Believer in the power of gardening!”
Lori became passionate about Early Childhood Education while raising her own children. After pursuing a new career in early education, Lori made her way to Child Start (Head Start) and has been involved in social justice ever since. Lori uses her past experiences in cooking, baking, and love of gardening to teach her young students about preparing nutritious foods from the school garden and to help foster a love for nature. Lori joined The School Garden Doctor to aid in bringing the joy of gardening to more children and their families in the Napa Valley and to inspire our future leaders to become caretakers of our planet.
Zindaida Beynon: “Supporting organizations pursue their vision joyfully.”
Zinaida’s love of art led her to graphic design. After a fulfilling decade as a web designer she turned towards work at non-profit organizations. A highlight was working at an organization that took kids out of the classroom and into nature. In that role she enjoyed helping behind the scenes with everything from creating fundraising events to organizing paperwork for field trips. She currently works in a school office and enjoys supporting teachers, staff and families. Art is still an important part of her life and nature is often the inspiration.
Former Board Member Bios
Louann Talbert
I have been an avid gardener my whole life and come from a long line of gardeners and farmers. My involvement with school gardens covers the past 30 years, eventually leading to the development of a Garden-to-Table elective at my last school before retiring in 2020. Getting outdoors is so important for people of all ages; it promotes good physical and mental health and helps us understand our place in the world. I am passionate about helping educators get children outside to learn and become good stewards of our planet.
Rebecca Abbott
I have spent my career working in public school education settings, as a 3rd grade teacher, an instructional coach, early literacy teacher, and teacher-educator. A highlight over these years was regularly taking students on field trips to explore the Bay Area and seeing their curiosity and excitement about the natural world. In my current role at The Lawrence Hall of Science, I provide support for educators across the country as they work to infuse high-quality science teaching and learning into their school settings. I am excited to bring this range of large-scale to small-scale perspective of education reform to The School Garden Doctor and to support the organization’s mission of providing engaging, local, relevant nature- and garden-based experiences and to promote student and teacher learning in these areas.
One of my main goals when I was a school garden teacher was helping my students understand the depth of their responsibility for the planet.
~ Louann Talbert, Napa Valley Register, December 2022
Founding Projects
Squash for Nosh
During the summer of 2019, Napa school gardens grew veggies for the cafeteria! Dubbed Squash for NOSH, this pilot involved ten school and community gardens in growing, harvesting, and selling zucchini/ summer squash in Napa’s first garden-to-cafeteria effort.
Common Core Cooking
Awarded by the Whole Kids Foundation in 2017, this grant provided 15 teachers with children’s literature and classroom cooking supplies. Three teachers also earned CEUs (continuing education units) for learning to integrate food education into their curriculum. Read about the standards-aligned lessons here.
schoolgardendoctor.org 