Board Bios Expanded

Esmerelda Herrera, Student Representative
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A first-generation American, born and raised in the South Bronx, New York, Esmeralda Herrera is driven by innovative approaches to creating impact and is passionate about the intersection of business, social impact, and the Bronx. Director of Programs and Community Relations at Communitas America, whose mission is to create social impact ecosystems in underserved communities, where Esmeralda manages an accelerator in the South Bronx for local social entrepreneurs.

 She currently works with founders to expand their social impact visions and business plans. She is passionate about equity and social justice to ensure vulnerable communities have opportunities to flourish. Previously she worked with international organizations in India and China that empower changemakers that help revitalize local economies. She has experience in identifying and implementing community and system improvements, interventions, managing teams, and institutional partnerships. She believes in the exchange of ideas in order to connect communities, for growth, and most importantly for learning and organizing communities for collective action, resulting in social change and wellness. In her spare time, you can find her dancing, farming, or trying new recipes.

Kelly McLane, Faculty Representative
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Kelly was raised in Central Jersey where she gardened with her parents and worked on a flower farm. While studying social work, she managed a small residential ornamental gardening business between NJ and NY. She first fell in love with green education in 1999 at the New York Botanical Garden while facilitating early childhood edible gardening classes. Since then, she has facilitated mathematics, environmental science, urban agriculture and gardening courses in NYC public schools, at NYBG, BBG and QBG as well as with GreenThumb. 

In 2006, Kelly co-founded Bronx Green Middle School where she worked as the NYC DoE's first full time Garden Coordinator. As a new mom while attending Farm School NYC, she coordinated the farmers’ market and CSA by where she lived in the Bronx. In 2016, she co-designed, launched and managed the Forest Explorers program at the Queens Botanical Garden. Kelly now lives with her son, Malcolm, in the Bronx where she teaches 6th grade mathematics at the school he attends and co-facilitates the Advanced Facilitation course for FSNYC. She identifies as a white, middle class, cis gendered, heterosexual, Christian woman passionate about green education, racial equity, environmental justice and child development.

Tutu Badaru, Community Representative
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Tutu Badaru is the Youth Engagement Coordinator for GrowNYC’s Food Access and Agriculture program. Her passion for food and people led her to pursue a career in Human Nutrition and Dietetics. After working in the clinical field for two years and completing a graduate degree in clinical nutrition, she realized that she wanted to be able to work directly with people and communities outside of the restrictions and limitations of Hospital regulations. At GrowNYC, she is part of a team that creates a learning environment in theGreenmarkets where students K-12 can engage with locally grown food and its growers.

The fun, interactive Greenmarket School Tours help children gain an understanding of farming in our region and how their food choices impact their bodies, their communities, and their environment. Tutu Badaru was born and raised in Uganda and moved to New York 7 years ago to pursue a Masters degree in clinical nutrition at NYU. Initially, she had planned to return to Uganda at the completion of her studies. However, during her stay she fell in love with this city and its people and decided to make New York her home. She is also the Chair of the Steering and Envisioning Committee for NYC Nutrition Educators Network (NYCNEN)- a collection of dietitians, nutritionists and food educators who hold space for conversations often around issues affecting BIPOC communities that are often ignored in traditional nutrition spaces.

Ruby Olisemeka, Faculty Representative
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Ruby Olisemeka is an independent educator/consultant focusing on socially transformative education; food justice and incorporating African and indigenous spiritual practices into farming and food & farming education.

She began her farming career as an apprentice at Stone Barns (2011) and in 2014 became a certified Master Composter through the New York Botanical Gardens Master Composting Program. Ruby has built numerous school and urban gardens in lower Westchester and Harlem. Ruby has over 10 years’ experience educating children and young adults, she has worked as an educator at Edible Schoolyard NYC, Harlem Grown, Sienna Ranch and various public and private schools and institutions.

She is a facilitator with FarmSchool NYC - an urban agriculture training program for adults. She initiated and is a part of a grassroots community effort to bring local organically grown food to Mount Vernon, NY residents at no cost/pay what you can model, entitled "The Free Peoples Market".