Our Team

STAFF

Leela Basnet.png

Leela Basnet
Grower Network Coordinator

Leela makes sure that growers across our network have access to the resources they need for growing. She organizes workshops and trainings, and works with interpreters to make sure they are accessible to all growers across our network. Leela is originally from Nepal and is able to provide translation in Nepali and Hindi. Leela enjoys gardening and feels most productive when sharing the vegetables she plants and harvests with friends and families. Her favorite thing to do in Atlanta is to go hiking because it’s always green here in Georgia!

 

Matt Holbrook
Director of Operations

As Director of Operations Matt is responsible for our finance, HR, and IT functions, in addition to supporting the organization's development efforts. His goal is to create a strong foundation for Global Growers to advance its mission by building high quality processes, creating holistic systems, and fostering a supportive culture of feedback and continuous improvement. Matt previously worked at Georgia Innocence Project where he now serves as a member of the board of directors. One of his favorite parts of being at Global Growers is working to support growers who have a deep cultural connection to the food they grow. The journey from soil to stovetop is often commercial and impersonal, and he finds the work at Global Growers revolutionary. He is a board game enthusiast, sci-fi lover, and friend to cats. His favorite green space in Georgia are the Constitution Lakes.

 

Juan Tiul de la Cruz
Garden Operations Manager

Juan oversees the land, tools and infrastructure of the garden sites. He has vast experience in landscaping and concrete work and enjoys working and being outdoors. He is a coffee lover and often enjoys a cup on his patio. You can also find him cheering on Atlanta United with his family.

 

Salvia Arias Nolan
Farm Experience Coordinator

Salvia works to make the Rockdale Farm an inviting, educational and malti-faceted space by coordinating events in the retreat house and events barn. She has previous experience as an events planner, small-scale farmer, herbalist and interpreter. Salvia was born and raised in Costa Rica. She loves to dance, hike and cook delicious vegan food and is often involved in organizing around environmental issues, reproductive justice and animal liberation.

Miyah Byers
Engagement & Leadership Coordinator

As Engagement and Leadership Coordinator, Miyah’s coordinates engagement opportunities that strengthen Global Growers’ partnerships with the community, and also supports growers with technical assistance and by connecting them with market opportunities. Having recently relocated from Ohio, she has a background in theater arts, filmmaking and asset-based community development. Miyah is also a small farmer herself, and aside from spending time outside strengthening her skills as a new farmer, she loves exploring the local food scene in and around Atlanta, and testing out different coffee shops!

 

Susan Pavlin
Co Founder & Executive Director

As co-founder and executive director, Susan leads the organization to advance our mission and realize our vision of a more equitable food system. She focuses on the big picture, develops strategic partnerships and relationships, expands our landholdings and sales enterprise, and supports all staff. For the past 15 years, Susan has focused on building equitable regional food systems and mission-driven businesses. She enjoys hiking, sailing, and theater. She loves exploring Atlanta and enjoys snorkeling at the Conasauga River.

 

Shannon Kill
Grants & Impact Manager

Shannon’s role as Grants + Impact Manager is to connect generous supporters with the mission and vision of GGN and the individual impact of our work on our growers, their families and the communities they serve. She has an operations background with an emphasis on measuring program impact, sustainability and efficiency. A north Georgia native, Shannon appreciates a crisp apple in the morning and discovering hidden waterfalls. She is a passionate advocate for marginalized communities and an active ally who practices anti-racism. You can usually find her snuggling one of the “Killdren” or stretching & doing breathwork next to the lake she shares with her social butterfly of a husband.

Rachel Dekom
Operations Coordinator

Rachel manages a lot of the backend processes to ensure everything is running smoothly, including database management, bookkeeping, and onboarding processes.She has five years of experience supporting the operations and function of social impact organizations in Atlanta. Rachel worked with SageD Consulting, Wundergrubs, Carrie's Closet of Georgia, CreateATL, and the Center for Civic Innovation. In her free time Rachel loves to explore Atlanta's coffee shops and greenspaces! She also loves to bake, read, and hang out with other people's dogs.

 

Drew Nelson
Farm Program Manager

Drew oversees the various programs that are run out of the Global Grower’s co-farm in Rockdale. He leads agricultural and business trainings and workshops for new farmers, and provides them with technical assistance throughout the season. Drew also fosters relationships with other stakeholders and strategic partners who can provide additional assistance to the farmers. After college Drew worked in Uganda for six years, which is where he first became involved in agriculture. Drew is a recent Georgia transplant, and he has enjoyed finding new places to camp and backpack. His favorite spot in Georgia so far is Cohutta Wilderness.

 

Syed Irfan Uddin
CEE Fellow

As a Community Engagement Exchange (CEE) fellow from Bangladesh, Syed Irfan Uddin is engaged in the works of Global Growers Network, building capacity, and engaged in sustainable and regenerative agricultural practices. Irfan will be working on organizing workshops, training, energizing games in the events, and learning the ways of farming and teaching them to the school children and students. Apart from that he is interested in doing research on resilience and sustainable development. He has a background of Disaster Management and Vulnerability Studies and wants to build his career in the development sector. He has a philosophy of being humble and doing the best for the people and Environment. He specialized in works for environmental protection, youth engagement, climate crisis and social justice activism. He also loves taking pictures and videos of nature and people for social media and documentaries. He is a cat person and loves being with cats and other animals. In his free time, he likes to do hiking, gardening, walking in his neighborhood, and exploring new places to camp and adventure.

Todd Eittreim.png

Todd Eittreim
Farm Operations Manager

Todd oversees all land, tools, equipment and infrastructure at Global Growers Network's commercial sites. He supports infrastructure development and technical systems as needed for the community garden sites. He also supports crop planning and commercial production, harvest, and delivery schedules with partner farmers. He spent many of his early years around farms in the rural midwest and learned various farm skills from the mentorship of his tradesman grandfather. He enjoys cycling around Atlanta, surfing/climbing, and being creative in his art studio.

 

Saw Thet Naung
Grower Network Program Manager

As Grower Network Program Manager, Saw develops, manages, and documents the success of diverse urban agricultural projects that meet the needs of our New American growers. Saw has more than 10 years of experience in Network Development, crops and vegetables production, agrimachinery operations with tractors and different ranges of implements. His goal is to build a strong and sustainable grower network and to have growers own their farm land in GA and develop farming from their traditional ways to advance mechanization farming. His dream is that growers can earn additional income from their fresh vegetables and can enjoy healthy foods.

 

Safari Bahati Jean-Jacques
CEE Fellow

Safari Bahati Jean-Jacques is a CEE Fellow and Founder of Alphome Community Farms. He focuses on identifying vulnerable women, widows, and orphans in rural villages to participate in the Alphome Community Farms projects. As a teacher, Safari is dedicated to ensuring these groups maximize their earnings from farm activities, viewing the farms as vital for combating poverty and food insecurity. He is committed to improving food availability and socioeconomic conditions for rural communities through the production activities of Alphome Community Farms, aiming to enhance their quality of life by providing for their basic needs, including food, education for their children, and other life necessities. Safari has a passion for agriculture, enjoys working on farms, and loves playing soccer.


BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Katie Beacham, Board Chair | Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP

Whitney Davison, Board Secretary | The Ready

Ann DiGirolamo | Georgia State University

Miguel Granier | Invested Development

Robert Herz Friedman | Indigenous Resilience Disaster Case Management Program

Randy Martin| Randy Martin LLC

Jennifer Matthews | Eight11 Agency

Viraj Patel, Board Treasurer | Elliot Davis

Mandira Sethi | Barnes & Thornburg

Darnesha Tabor | CDC Foundation

Gaurav Uppal | Microsoft