Staff Members
Richard Olson
Director, Berea Urban Farm
responsible for management and production, outreach and educational activities of the Berea Urban Farm
Therese Hildebrand
Manager – BUF Educational Gardens
Oversees the Four-Seasons Teaching Garden and associated educational programs.
Mr. Z
Assistant, Berea Urban Farm
Visitor greeting and vole and mole control
Board Members
Janet Meyer – Chair
has worked in agriculture research, practical agricultural production and education at Berea College, the University of Kentucky, and Kentucky State University for 20 years combined. She has worked on farms or in greenhouses for another 20 years. She brings expertise in seed saving, backyard gardening, organic farming and gardening, and produce handling. She delights in sharing the fruits and vegetables of her labor with neighbors over the fence and down the road and loves to share ideas about farming and gardening with everyone.
Randy Stone – Treasurer
is the retired city administrator of Berea KY, and a life-long gardener with a particular affection for cabbage and sauerkraut.
Betina Gardner
is a Senior Fellow at the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education
Cheyenne Olson
is converting her household into an ARK with vegetable production, native plantings for wildlife, and chickens.
Richard Olson
a Ph.D. agronomist who is retired from the Environmental Studies faculty at Berea College & has experience in ecological design, ecological restoration, small-scale farming, and horse logging
George Schloemer
a local physician, bicyclist, gardener, and practitioner and advocate of the health and environmental benefits of a vegan diet
Anna Spurlock
is a Community Health Worker associated with Berea Family Medicine, CHI Saint Joseph Health. She is a life-long resident of Berea.
Chris Thomas
serves as Assistant Director of Student Financial Aid at Berea College, where he has been a member of the campus community since starting as a student in 1995. In his role, Chris works closely with students and families. Chris’ work also includes interacting with Berea community partners. Chris was raised in Tucson, Arizona, but has been in Kentucky since 1991. Chris has been married for 38 years, has 3 children, and one grandchild. In his free time, he enjoys officiating Track and Field meets, hiking, and kayaking.
Lou Deluca (Lifetime Director)
has degrees in political science (Yale), law (U. Colorado), and city planning (Harvard) & career included city planner, New Haven, CT; Asst. Dean and Assoc. Professor, Yale School of Art and Architecture; Dir. of the Mountain Program at U. Kentucky; Arts and Humanities Director, KY Dept. of Education; Exec. Director of KY Arts Council and Deputy Secretary KY State Cabinet for Education, Arts, and Humanities. Spent a decade living on and helping manage a small hill farm in Anderson Co., KY