Hannah Traggis, Founder, President and Agricultural Director
Hannah has grown every type of vegetable there is and then some. She is not only a grower, farmer, horticulturist, and plant breeder, but is also a teacher who can keep students enthralled with stories about plants. Hannah has a MS in Plant Physiology from University of New Hampshire and worked for 5 years as Senior Horticulturalist at The Massachusetts Horticultural Society at Elm Bank. She currently works at Terrascapes Landscape Design as a Fine Gardening Division Manager. When she is not working with plants, Hannah is in the kitchen fermenting relishes or making breads.
Kathy Martin, Founder and Treasurer
Kathy has been growing vegetables since she was in 4H in high school and won silver platters for watermelons and pumpkins at the Topsfield Fair. She is the author of the long running blog, Skippy’s Vegetable Garden. Kathy’s background is in Biochemistry research. In 2009 she founded a biotech startup to develop a diagnostic to help women with advanced breast cancer. “I love the excitement of science research, but 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 lives in Lincoln with her husband, two dogs, honeybees, chickens, fruit trees, and vegetable gardens – growing and sharing as much food as she can.
Nancy Kahn, Secretary
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 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.”
Loring Schwarz, Director
Loring has been devoted to the respectful and proper use of our land and water resources since the mid 1970’s. With degrees from Tufts (biology) and Yale School of the Environment, and 35 years with The Nature Conservancy/ The Conservation Fund/Mass Audubon she specializes in the art and science of land protection. Accomplishments include the book Greenways, the set up of the Natural Heritage Biodiversity Network under the leadership of Dr Bob Jenkins, managing all aspects of TNC’s conservation work in MA, and the US Virgin Islands (for which she received TNC’s One Conservancy Award. As Climate Change Director for Mass Audubon, she promoted scientific understanding, green solutions and legislation (early work on the Climate Bill just passed). On the ground botanical research in biodiversity (Guatemala) herbal medicine practices (Caribbean) and regenerative agriculture in Italy (Spannocchia.org) impressed the importance of humbly learning from other cultures. She is a board member of the Mass Land Trust Coalition, as well as Friends of Spannocchia, Goodnow Library Foundation, and is an active advisor for LWV, Native Plant Trust, Mass Master Gardeners, and the International Land Conservation Network. She delights now in also sharing her love of plants and biodiversity with her three grandchildren.
Judith Levine, Director
Trista Ashok, Co-Leader, Medway Field
After working as a math teacher and then becoming a stay-at-home mom, Trista moved to a house with a bare yard. It was there that she discovered a passion for gardening, as she grew vegetables with her kids and planted perennials and shrubs for the birds and bees. As part of her quest of continual learning, she joined the Master Gardening program in 2021. Trista currently works at The Constant Gardener, and she enjoys baking, hiking, and spending time with her husband, two daughters, and three cats.
Mary Sodbinow, Co-Leader, Medway Field
Mary grew up with parents who were enthusiastic gardeners and as an adult has gardened pretty much constantly. When she and her husband bought their first house in Franklin 30 years ago, the yard consisted, literally, of sand backfill. After years of composting and amending the soil, it is now a pollinator paradise and a human paradise as well. In her home garden, she grows berries, vegetables, perennials, annuals, herbs, and shrubs and trees for the many local pollinators. After working as a systems analyst for 30 years, Mary joined the Master Gardening Program in 2016 when she retired. Since then Mary has volunteered at several gardens that welcome Master Gardeners but is especially interested in growing vegetables for the local food pantry at Aurelia’s in Medway.
Carrie Wager, Branding
Carrie is a PhD Biostatistician who also has had a lifelong interest and exposure to small farms, conservation of land, sustainability, local food, foraging, community supported agriculture, and community gardening. As an amateur artist and craftsperson, she designed the logo for Aurelia’s Garden and takes many of the photos that are displayed on our website, social media, and newsletter. She also has recently taken on the task of redesigning and maintaining this website. Her favorite vegetables are Swiss chard, parsley, radicchio, and cherry tomatoes. She especially loves edible flowers and perennial vegetables and herbs.
Rona Gertner, Finance Team
Theresa Smith, Founder and Newsletter Writer