Our Staff

Abby Jaramillo, Executive Director. abby AT urbansprouts.org
I've worked as a gardener and educator in the Bay Area for the past eight years. I started Urban Sprouts at Luther Burbank Middle School in 2004 with my colleague and friend Michelle Ratcliffe and a group of dedicated teachers. I love Urban Sprouts because I can share with young people the kinds of outdoor gardening experiences that changed my life when I was a teen, trying to find peace in an urban environment. I've also worked on rural development projects in Ecuador and the Peruvian Amazon and worked in non-profit funds development at Streetside Stories. I was trained in organic horticulture at the UC Santa Cruz Farm & Garden and studied Economics at Haverford College. I also hold my Masters of Nonprofit Administration from the University of San Francisco.

Wendy Huang Landerholm, Garden Educator. wendy AT urbansprouts.org
Aptos Middle School, SF Community School, Ida B. Wells Continuation High School.
My passions in life are traveling, backpacking, and living sustainably. Adventures through China, India, and Nepal and then volunteering on an organic farm in Ecuador taught me the importance of connecting with the earth and with the people around us. I have worked as an educator for the past seven years, including with Americorps and Teach for America. I earned my Master of Education degree from the University of St. Thomas and my Post Master Special Educator degree from the University of Portland. I am especially excited to combine all my interests and be a part of Urban Sprouts!

Adriani Leon, Garden Educator. adriani AT urbansprouts.org
International Studies Academy & Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School.
My love for environmental education comes from working for and living aboard the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater in New York City, writing and teaching about the ecology and conservation of the river. I bring my interest in plants and love of cooking to the Urban Sprouts youth and am excited to serve Spanish speaking families and help include them in the urban greening movement. I am a graduate of Brandeis University, where I was a leader in the Latino Student Association.

Ami Puri, Garden Educator. ami AT urbansprouts.org
Log Cabin Ranch.
I am an educator, filmmaker, and urban gardener who works with adults and youth on bike education and urban sustainability. I believe that bikes are a great starting point to make the connections between food, transportation, and the creativity we need to transform our environments into healthy beautiful spaces for everyone. My background in urban gardening has been broadened through the Garden for the Environment's GCETP class, as a youth educator with Koshland garden, and through natural building and Permaculture courses with Kleiwerks and Aprovecho. My current work with Urban Sprouts centers the spokes of the past five years of work and learning I've been doing to mash community art, good food, and wholesome fun together!

Audrey Roderick, Community Programs Manager. audrey AT urbansprouts.org
For the past 10 years I've served as a community organizer and volunteer coordinator in San Jose, CA and Missoula, MT: at City Year, the Girl Scouts, a youth residential facility, and Girls for a Change. In Montana I also worked at Garden City Harvest, a production garden, community garden and garden-based education program. Here at Urban Sprouts I manage our volunteers and our family involvement program, including our new family Farmers-in-Residence – school families growing their own food right in the school garden.