Meet the Ready Set Grow Advisory Board

Will Tolliver is a Pittsburgh based leader, innovator and changemaker recognized throughout the education community.  He holds a B.A. in Environmental Studies with a minor in Anthropology and Community and Justice Studies from Allegheny College. The environment, communities and our future leaders inspire Will to ignite new perspectives around the globe. You can find Will in his full-time role as Manager of Early Childhood Learning for the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh. Will was recently named one of 17 Early Learning Champions from around the country by PBS Kids for his commitment to fostering diversity and inclusion with our youngest learners.

Chastity Bey is  transparent and evolving environmental educator whos holds a B.A. degree in Environmental Studies from Penn State University. She is a full time Community Nature Educator at the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy.

Ahmed Tacumba Turner Jr. is a 24-year-old Pittsburgh native dedicated to improving the lives of the youth in Pittsburgh through his work as an educator and mentor. He has a diploma in Horticulture Technology and is currently studying to become a master gardener through Penn State. He joined the Advisory board because he believes this is an opportunity to create multiple points of impact within his community and state as a whole.

Martha Faust is an urban farmer from Somerset County where she lives with her husband and two children. She is also the Program Director and Parent Educator for Parents as Teachers where she works with families with young children.

Becky Aardweg is the Health/Nutrition Manager for Columbia Child Development Program/Head Start. She has been working with Head Start children and families for 39 years. She lives on a small farm in Northeast Pennsylvania and is an avid gardener. Farm to Early Learning is important in both her professional and personal life.

Jocelyn Krieg has served as the owner /director for The Kreig Institute for Early Childhood Education for the past 29 years. Her center is NAEYC accredited and STAR 4. She believes it’s important that children learn the importance of good nutrition at a young age. She incorporates gardening and growing of fresh vegetable in the science curriculum.  Her program uses items from the garden in meals for the children. She has observed that children are more excited to eat produce when they are part of the growing process. She holds a BSN in Nursing and PA director’s credential. She feels it’s important to work as closely as possible with local farmers to provide as much farm to table experiences as possible for children and families.

Yoshiko Yamasaki was born and raised in Mexico City to a Mexican mom and Japanese father. She left the dental practice in Mexico and moved to Philadelphia 20 years ago. She has worked on Women’s Health, early childhood education and was the chef and owner of a restaurant. She is passionate about Farm to ECE and knows the importance of setting a foundation of wellness at an early age, especially when the community is living in poverty, which affects what we eat, where we live and if we are active. She believes that having a garden, accessing fresh produce at corner stores, eating cooked-from-scratch food in school meals, cooking in classrooms, etc. should be an integral part of education curricula. Children engage their families and the community serves as an extension in improving nutrition and overall health outcomes.

Shenita Patternson makes certain that what she does for a living has a direct, positive impact on the livelihoods of others. She believes that education and healing are to be approached both creatively and holistically. Having worked nearly a decade in various levels of youth care, Shenita has always had an eye on how the foods we eat affect nearly every aspect of our lives. Shenita is ecstatic to be working alongside a wonderful group of people to celebrate the earth, the resources it provides us with and each other!”

Galissa Jones is a mother of two. She is a birth doula and a certified lactation counselor who advocates for breastfeeding, equity in areas of health, wealth and education through her work. She believes that by planting a seed today, you may only water this generation but you will feed many generations to come.