Hannah Traggis
Co-Founder, President and Agricultural Director
As a child in rural Maine during the 70’s and 80’s, her back-to-the-land mom imbued Hannah with the values of organic farming, composting, and heirloom and exotic seeds from all over the world. Hannah developed a lifelong love of plants and gardening, deep connections to the natural world, and passion for working towards a just society through the lens of food security, climate resilient agriculture, and ecological farming.
As a plant physiologist and plant breeder, she has worked as a food system educator, horticulturist, and farmer for over 16 years. In that time, she has conducted numerous studies to optimize low input food production techniques for both home gardeners and farmers. She also continues work as a plant breeder to develop new crop varieties and restore and preserve regionally specific cultural crops.
Her fascination with world food culture has led Hannah to the deep belief that food should not only nourish our bodies, but should nourish our souls by connecting us to our ancestral heritages.
Katherine Martin
Co-Founder and Treasurer
Kathy has been growing vegetables since she was in 4H in high school and won silver platters for her watermelons and pumpkins at her local Topsfield Fair. She is the author of the long running blog, Skippy’s Vegetable Garden. Kathy is a PhD level Biochemist. In her most recent work, she co-founded a biotech startup to develop a diagnostic she discovered and patented at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute to help women with breast cancer select the best therapy for their particular cancer.
“I love the excitement of biochemical research, but also the simple, down-to-earth feeling of growing your own food, and especially sharing that food, provides me with great joy.” Kathy is retired from biotech and loves being “a farmer” now at Aurelia’s Garden. She especially loves the springtime and raising thousands of seedings.
Kathy is a Master Gardener and an active member of the Massachusetts Master Garden Association. She lives with her husband, two dogs, honeybees, chickens, fruit trees, and vegetable gardens – growing and sharing as much food as she can.
Nancy Kahn
Clerk
Nancy was raised in NJ, the garden state, but had no exposure to gardening until she planted a small veggie garden during medical school. Although she did not realize it at the time, the renewal of life that gardening exposed her to was an invaluable gift that provided her much strength.
During Nancy’s a career as a Harvard-trained Pediatrician in community health in Boston, she always believed in social justice. She worked at an inner-city health center providing care to people of all backgrounds, and advocated for each of them to have lives with equitable access to health care, education, housing, and food. Her interest in these things is unchanged.
“Our work in Aurelia’s Garden is an effort to decrease food insecurity in the most vulnerable members of our society. In my perfect world, we can provide our neighbors with healthy food today, and share our love for gardening with them tomorrow. I want all to see and appreciate the Zen of weeding, the pride in growing a plant from seed, the skill of cultivating food for your family to eat and the joy of spending time outdoors playing in soil.”
Nancy is a Master Gardener and an active member of the Massachusetts Master Garden Association.
Loring La Barbara Schwarz
Board Member
Loring holds a BS degree in Biology from Tufts University and a Master of Forest Science from Yale University. For the past 30 years, she has worked on environmental issues.
Most recently she worked as Director of the Climate Change Program at Mass Audubon addressing the threat of climate change through education, policy, member action, and land conservation. She has also worked 25 years with The Nature Conservancy, where she directed a national system of state Natural Heritage Programs; led science policy, revitalized its Eastern Caribbean Program; served as Mediterranean Region Project Advisor; and led the Massachusetts TNC state office.
Loring is a Master Gardener. She maintains advisory roles with Native Plant Trust, International Land Conservation Network, and Massachusetts Master Gardeners. She covers natural resources policy for League of Women Voters of MA and serves on the Board of the Massachusetts Land Trust Coalition and Friends of Spannocchia.
Judith Levine
Board Member
Judith comes from a background in teaching and nonprofit management. She holds an MBA degree in nonprofit management from Boston University and an MAT degree from the Johns Hopkins University. Most recently, she worked at the Arthritis Foundation Massachusetts Chapter, where she managed educational programs and events for children and adults with arthritis and professionals who served them. She staffed an information hotline, wrote proposals, and managed grants.
Her career (both before and after retirement) has been informed by a commitment to social justice, and influenced by her extensive travels and working experiences in developing countries, especially in South America.
Judith is a Master Gardener and an active member of the Massachusetts Master Garden Association. She is an avid fan of gardening and believes in the importance of volunteering. She has served as a president of her temple and a member of numerous boards and committees.
Rona Gertner
Board Member
Growing up in Florida, Rona took for granted the easy abundance of backyard blooms and lush foliage. It wasn’t until she moved to New England that she understood the struggles of poor soil, hot dry summers, and cold winters. Seeking advice, she joined a community of gardeners who shared their knowledge and friendship. When they founded Aurelia’s Garden in 2020, Rona joined them and has been committed to the mission of providing fresh and nutritious food to local communities. Rona has a PhD in biochemistry and works part-time in research. She and her husband have two daughters, and in her spare time she grows orchids at home and makes pottery.
Carole Hohl
Board Member
A lifelong gardener who grew up on her family’s farm in Ohio, Carole brings her passion for social and environmental justice to her work at Aurelia’s Garden. Carole is a retired physician assistant who spent most of her career working with underserved patients, most recently for 20 years with the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program. The importance of access to healthy food is a cornerstone of primary care medicine.