The Joy Grows board met on Tuesday, October 13, in the greenhouse at Eastport Community Farm. Listen to the meeting recording.
What we decided
- Two new board members: Brian Stewart and Dan Whitney. The board is now five members: Pantha Stansbury (Chair), Tamela Spencer, Donna Johnson, Dan Whitney and Brian Stewart.
- Updated bylaws (read them). Our legal name is Annapolis Ag Inc., doing business as Joy Grows. The bylaws now include our office address (701 Chesapeake Ave) and current mission, set the board at 5 to 9 directors, require a meeting at least every other month with 51% of members for a quorum, set the fiscal year as June 1 to May 31, and change “president” to “chair.”
- New meeting schedule: the third Tuesday of every other month, at 5 pm.
- A food truck for the culinary program: a full commercial kitchen ($20,000 to $30,000) is hard to permit at the farm, so the board wants to pursue a food truck or trailer instead.
- Farm Council: its charter was introduced and will come back to the board. The council’s first meeting is Tuesday, October 20, at 11 am, led by Donna Johnson and Matthew Wallace.
Thank you to Kevin Littell, a founder of Joy Grows and our treasurer, and to Kristin, our secretary, who have stepped down from the board.
Meet our new board members
Dan Whitney
Dan is a mechanical engineer who coordinates our capital projects, giving about 20 hours a week to building out the greenhouse: the kitchen sink, the floor, heat and electrical.
Before Joy Grows, he rolled out farm-operations software across 60 acres of greenhouses at AppHarvest in Kentucky, which cut worker crop-care mistakes by 92% in under two months. He has also designed HVAC control systems and in-building wireless systems. He holds a master’s in mechanical engineering from the University of Colorado Boulder and a bachelor’s from Vanderbilt.
Brian Stewart
Brian is our communications advisor. He helped start our monthly newsletter and is helping us tell the farm’s story as a workforce development program.
He brings more than 10 years in operations, communications and partnerships. At LeadersUp in Los Angeles, he led employer outreach for the county’s Fair Chance Hiring Initiative, reaching more than 2,000 employers, and helped secure more than $5 million in grants for workforce programs. He has also worked as a mediator for California’s Civil Rights Department and the Los Angeles County Superior Court. He holds a Master of Public Policy and a Master of Dispute Resolution from Pepperdine, and a business degree from Morgan State University.
Where the money is
- Payroll is about $2,800 a week. On top of that, the State of Maryland matches the pay of our three Service Year members, and our Climate Corps member is fully covered by the Chesapeake Bay Trust (a $34,000 value).
- Our first full Form 990 (the nonprofit tax return) is in progress with ALTA. After it’s filed, we plan to switch to a calendar fiscal year.
- Grants pending: Whole Foods, $10,000 for the greenhouse planters; Rotary, $5,000 for a walk-in cooler.
- Planning: Alice Estrada is working with us for four months, at no cost to Joy Grows, on our finances, funders, programs and roles. The result will be a three-year strategic plan.
The team
- Yesenia (Chesapeake Bay Trust) and three Maryland Service Year members work at the farm full time.
- Eight New Village Academy students work at the farm on Wednesdays.
- Our newsletter now goes out the first Monday of every month.
Where we need help
- The winter greenhouse: the sides, heat and electrical have to be in by Thanksgiving. See what the farm needs.
- A food truck or trailer: if you know of one for sale, let us know.
- Two open board seats, Secretary and Treasurer. We’re looking for a CPA and someone with HR experience.
Next board meeting: Tuesday, December 15, at 5 pm in the greenhouse. To attend, contact Pantha Stansbury, Board Chair, at pantha@joy-grows.org.