Board of Directors and Staff
WCG is supported by a volunteer Board of Directors whose names and positions are listed below.
Vince Zangardi, President
Vince is a Williamsburg native who loves having his hands in the dirt. He, and his wife Valerie, run the Zangarden Micro-Farm where they cultivate a wide range of edible fruits and veggies. Vince is passionate about sharing his knowledge of gardening through classes, children's workshops and consultations with new gardeners. He is the author of 'Vinny Veggie Seed', a children's book that teaches the value of planting seeds and growing your community. Vince and his wife love to travel to Costa Rica to enjoy the warm weather, friendly people and incredible biodiversity.
Pam Dannon, Immediate Past President
Pam lives on a little farm and has a big fruit and veggie garden. She raises chickens and compost on her farm, supporting the full life cycle of ecological farming. Pam is a Registered Dietitian and has worked in the farm to school arena at local, state and federal levels. In former lives, she has been an egg specialist, corporate trainer, preschool and science lab teacher, Master Gardener, and restaurant inspector. She is a Hokie, proud Army wife, mother of 3 adult children, and lives her best life outside. Pam served two terms as WCG Board President, from 2018 to 2022.
President Elect (VACANT)
Nathan Moore, Treasurer
Nathan grew up in Virginia, and has lived in Williamsburg since 1994, starting as a student at W&M. His first job was working on an organic farm in Oxford, Maine in 1992, and has had an interest in gardening and growing vegetables ever since. Nathan was one of the first members of WCG, and has grown his plot and plant-repertoire over the years. By day, Nathan in a software engineer. currently with Ferguson. You'll often see him at the garden working with his children that aren't playing a sport on the fields across the WISC parking lot.
Secretary (VACANT)
Liz Callan, Volunteer Coordinator
Liz is an agronomist who was a Hillside Agriculture Peace Corps Volunteer in Honduras (1995-1997), and an organic farmer in Troy, NY where she ran a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) on two acres for five years. She loves getting people involved in raising their own food! When she lived in Mt. Baldy, CA, she ran the school garden when she wasn't making and selling her Mountain Mermaids soaps. Liz, her husband Brian, their two daughters and two dogs recently moved back the United States after living in Trinidad and Tobago for eight years, where Liz worked with Habitat for Humanity. Currently, she is the Culinary Educator with the School Health Initiative Program (SHIP), and also the Williamsburg Farmers Market Assistant. Liz is passionate about equal access to opportunity for all and local food systems. She loves gardening, being outside, making soap, crocheting, Irish step dancing, learning languages, and spending time with her husband and daughters!
Whitfield "Chip" East, Community Garden Coordinator
Chip was born and raised in Winston-Salem, N.C. where he developed his love for gardening while working in his grandmother’s expansive garden. Chip moved to Williamsburg in 2013. After attending college at University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and the University of Georgia and taught in higher education at the University of Northern Iowa and East Tennessee State University. While in Iowa, he ran a successful truck farm and was a frequent supplier at the local farmer’s market in Cedar Falls. For 23 years Chip served as professor of discipline at the United States Military Academy and was appointed Professor Emeritus in 2020. He retired in 2021 and now devotes most of his time to gardening, WCG and golf. Chip and Connie have 4 children and 9 grandchildren that also consume much of their time and attention.
Jocelyn Swanson, Education Coordinator
Jocelyn is executive director of Looseleaf Learning, a nature-based non-profit education organization. A Montessori educator, teacher trainer, and former head of school for Williamsburg Field School, she is committed to restoring nature’s priority in education, recreation, and healthy food systems. In addition to providing the "Nature Hour" programs to area public and private schools, Jocelyn is founder of the Williamsburg Farm Camp and co-founder of Farm Fridays at her Toano farm. A member of the Williamsburg community since 1994, Jocelyn is passionate about bringing learners of all ages to the joy and delight of nature.
Outreach Team Coordinator (VACANT)
Susan Stewart, Food Access Coordinator
Susan grew up in Newport News, and moved to Williamsburg in 1979. She received her BA in Sociology from CNU in 1985. Upon graduation, Susan worked as the Employee Benefits Manager, for 22 years, in Human Resources at the local hospital, which is now Sentara. Susan then worked for 5 years promoting health and wellness with the School Health Initiative Program (SHIP) in Williamsburg/James City County Schools. Susan’s final career was as a pediatric urgent care nurse with CHKD. Now retired, Susan is thrilled to volunteer with Williamsburg Community Growers, helping to get fresh, organic produce into the homes of our community citizens.
Leanne Harrow, Ex-Officio Board Member
Leanne Harrow brings with her years of state and local experience in program development, education, and marketing in the land resource fields of Horticulture and Agriculture. Experiences range from serving in AmeriCorps helping underserved farmers diversify to high-value crops in the rural south, working with Farmland Preservation initiatives in New York State with American Farmland Trust to serving as an Extension Educator within both Cornell University and Virginia Tech. Prior to her role with HVLC, she served as a Program Manager in the Division of Sales and Market Development for the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS). Her duties there included developing marketing programs to facilitate the growth of direct marketing, local food systems and agritourism for Virginia agricultural producers. Her duties also included managing the Virginia Grown marketing program, serving as the state coordinator for the Virginia Farm to School program and as the State Representative for the National Farm to School Network. Her current job with HVLC as Land Stewardship and Outreach Manager embraces many of her interests and skills in preserving land and enhancing business opportunities for landowners and working landscapes.
Marty Mathes, Ex-Officio Board Member
Martin Mathes was a Botany professor for more than forty years, most of which were enjoyed at William and Mary. He has been a “gardener” for many years with interests ranging from the College greenhouse and landscape, the Bicentennial community gardens, and instruction in the Master Gardener program. He currently has a plot at WCG and is interested in the development of Senior gardens.
Brock Reggie, Advisor, VA Department of Environmental Quality
STAFF
Joseph Carlin, Farm Manager
Joseph grew up in Maryland just outside Washington D.C, and has lived in Virginia for almost 10 years. He graduated from Virginia Tech, having majored in Environmental Horticulture. He has worked on several organic farms and garden centers but in more recent years he has been a greenhouse grower, plant pathology research assistant, and public garden horticulturist. But he has always been a self-professed plant nerd. His horticultural interests are very broad, but his biggest passion is for empowering and educating others to grow their own food and plants. He is also a “guerilla gardener” who plants native fruit and nut trees in public green-spaces from local seed he collects. He does this for food security, ecological restoration, and his own amusement. Besides plants, he enjoys hiking, kayaking, reading, attending concerts, and spending time with his girlfriend and dog.