Our team
Our team: who does what
Our accountability chart: each seat and what it’s responsible for. Photos of everyone coming soon.
Leadership
Board of Directors
Mission and strategic direction, fiduciary oversight, hiring and evaluating the Executive Director, and approving the annual budget.Matthew Wallace
Executive Director. Vision, strategy, and the annual plan; leads the managers; fundraising and major donors; community and partner relationships; board relations.Lily Fauntleroy
Director of Finance & Marketing. Budget, bookkeeping, payroll, grant compliance and reporting; marketing and communications; leads marketing and development.Managers
Kareem
Farm Manager. Crop plan, planting, and harvest; field crew and volunteers; soil, equipment, and safety; produce quality and distribution; the culinary program.Randall Pitt Sr. (Randy)
Greenhouse Manager. Seedlings and transplants; climate, irrigation, and pest control; propagation schedule; greenhouse staff, volunteers, and supplies.Eli
Capital Projects Manager. Plans and delivers the farm’s building projects; facilities and infrastructure; volunteer supervision.Yessenia Ayala
Program Coordinator. Education and community programs; the site event calendar; outreach and enrollment; school and partner relationships; tracking outcomes and impact.Team
Joy
Marketing & Development Coordinator (with Lily). Social media, newsletter, and website; donor records and thank-yous; events and campaigns; grant research.Dan Whitney
Capital Projects Coordinator (with Eli), volunteering about 20 hours a week, and a board member. Project budgets, timelines, and contractors; permits and inspections.New Village Academy interns
Eight interns, every Wednesday. They’re already doing real work and adding to our capacity.Our board of directors
Before 2025 we didn’t have a board. Healing Garden members and participants founded the Joy Grows board, and we held our first meetings at the garden.
Pantha Stansbury
Board Chair. Joy Grows’ changemaker extraordinaire. Her vision brought the team together.Tamela Spencer
Longtime Harbour House community member and collaborator with Donna Johnson.Donna Johnson
“Ms. Peaches.” Community leader of Harbour House and director of Donna’s Day of Hope and Giving.Dan Whitney
Joined fall 2026. Dan brings a background in engineering, sustainable agriculture, and project management. He has been actively involved in developing Eastport Community Farm, where he enjoys hands-on problem-solving and turning creative visions into practical realities. He is also our Capital Projects Coordinator, volunteering about 20 hours a week.“I hope to bring my experience in engineering, agriculture, and project management to help turn ambitious ideas into achievable goals.”
Brian Stewart
Joined fall 2026.Secretary
Open seat.Treasurer
Open seat.We’re looking for: a CPA motivated by our mission, and an HR expert. Contact Pantha Stansbury, Board Chair.
How this board came together
- Fall 2023Matthew is launching the Burnside Sanctuary. He and Donna Johnson both speak at an Eastport Civic Association meeting and start working together.
- Spring 2025Matthew proposes a community farm at the Eastport firehouse. The fire chief doesn’t jump at it, but community leaders across Annapolis’s public housing, and especially in Eastport, are excited.
- Spring 2025Pantha sees Matthew’s Facebook post and asks Ms. Peaches to ask him to start a garden at Harbour House. It becomes the Healing Garden.
- 2025Joy Grows had no board before this. Healing Garden members and participants found the Joy Grows board, meeting at the garden.
- Fall 2026Dan Whitney and Brian Stewart join the board.
