Staff

Deb “Dandelion” Ackerson is a Louisville native who has also called New England home. She has a passion for all things animal and all things food. After a career in veterinary medicine, she began nonprofit financial management which led her to the Food Literacy Project. Her degree in Nutrition means she is happy to be in a career which promotes healthy foods and education. Her hobbies include running, cooking, piano, language studies and anything that might wear out her very active (and very awesome) Labradoodle.

Jaeden “Jackfruit” Chatham was born and raised in Texas, but fell in love with the Bluegrass State while attending Berea College, where she studied Spanish and served as Program Coordinator for the school’s Hispanic Outreach Project. She holds a Master of Science in Education from the University of Pennsylvania, and is passionate about working with youth and families to understand our relationships with food, sustainability, equity, and our environment. She is thrilled to be serving as the Planning Grant Coordinator, as the Food Literacy Project expands its programs to better serve Louisville.

Alix “Arugula” Davidson is enthusiastic about engaging youth in the work of justice and community-building through urban farming. She comes to FLP with a background of youth services and program leadership in a refugee resettlement context. She holds a Master of Divinity degree and enjoys time spent gardening, hiking, and traveling.

Kira “Kumquat” Elmer is passionate about all things food and is grateful to be a part of the urban agriculture community in Louisville. She is a Washington State native and graduated from the University of Washington with a BA in Art History and a minor in Cultural Anthropology. After graduation, she acquired a certification in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages to pursue meaningful work supporting youth achievement. In her free time, Kira enjoys hiking, baking, and rollerskating.

Rebecca “Rhubarb” Grau brings with her a background in nonprofit management and a passion for local food.  She holds a Master Public Administration degree from the University of Louisville and a Certificate in Fund Raising Management from Indiana University.  Rebecca is an avid cook and outdoor enthusiast.

Layah “Lychee” Hodges is a young woman on a mission! Relocating from Cleveland, OH to Louisville for her AmeriCorps service year will be the largest feat she has faced yet. She graduated from high school in 2019 but has taken time away from school to pursue her interests and earn some work experience before she reenrolls in university. Layah discovered the Food Literacy Project through the AmeriCorps family. Her roots lie in performing arts, dance, civic and social justice, and creating a more equitable world for all. Over the next year, Layah hopes to enroll at Jefferson Community and Technical College to earn her Associates of Arts before continuing at the University of Louisville. In her freedom, Layah loves exploring nature, kayaking, swimming and diving, reading, and building her two businesses. She lives by her mantra “Take Care, Live Well, and Prosper!”

Zac “Zucchini” Jones-Gómez graduated from the University of Kentucky with B.A.s in International Studies and Anthropology. Though it was a winding path, he is happy to have landed on a farm, learning about how to grow healthy and sustainable food. He is passionate about everything related to food, and when he isn’t tweeting or Instagramming about FLP’s great work, he can be found in the kitchen recreating his favorite bakes from The Great British Bake-Off.

Grace “Green Pepper” Mican gives life to her interest in sustainable and local food systems while working with the Food Literacy Project to make her hometown of Louisville a more sustainable and just city. She graduated from Bellarmine University in 2017 with a B.A. in Environmental Studies and minor focuses in anthropology, Spanish, and international studies. Grace is a person of many passions and loves to share knowledge and learn from others when teaching and taking dance classes, trying new cooking projects, leading youth through the learning garden, speaking Spanish, making veggie burgers from scratch, and working alongside teens on the farm.

Associate Executive Director Angelique “Asparagus” Perez, MPH, has been a key driver of the Food Literacy Project’s impact and strategic direction since 2009, maximizing extensive experience with Farm-to-School support and obesity prevention programs. She has led several cross-sector projects, including FLP’s USDA Farm to School support services project and a recent Farm-to-School grant award with Metro Louisville Farm to Table; she was also the project director for a 2.5 year Johnson & Johnson Community Health Care Program project spearheading a new level of sophistication for FLP’s monitoring and evaluation processes. Perez holds a Master’s in Public Health, and worked with Community Farm Alliance to complete Louisville’s first community food assessment, bringing attention to urgent food security issue and helping to found the city’s first Food Security Task Force in 2007.

Casey “Kohlrabi” was born and raised in northern Illinois. He has worked with non-profits since 1986, both in the US and internationally.  As Business Manager, he assists with administrative support. He is excited about FLP’s work in the community and the remarkable staff that is dedicated to service and justice.