Who We Are
Laura Carisa Gardea
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR & CO-FOUNDER
A sonic & movement artist turned sustainability designer— Laura is the Founder of the Southside Food Forest aka @southsidefoodforestwsnc in Winston-Salem, NC USA. The Southside Food Forest serves as a prototype for urban sustainability & corporate social + environmental responsibility. Exploring themes of ecology, re-indigenization, environmental awareness, ecological displacement, food sovereignty & innovation in sustainability, advocacy & community, the Southside Food Forest is an inclusive greenspace & hub for community, education, arts, culture, environment & human scale climate action.
Laura is the founder of ‘Food to Fashion’ an educational platform in the form of a sustainable fashion showcase that brings ethical, sustainable fashion brands & community partners together on the outdoor runway of the Southside Food Forest! This platform was piloted in the fall of 2021 with the Winston-Salem Fashion Week & Sustainable Fashion Week US, along with International Human Rights Consortium & Ms. United States Cosmos.
Laura is also an inaugural member of the Arts & Culture Working Group being formed for United Nation’s Policy development & enjoys elevating radical hope & achievable sustainability culture with her original band & music platform, Proxevita.
Taylor Marshall
VICE PRESIDENT & BOARD CHAIR
Taylor Marshall is a multi-talented and heart centered young woman who is dedicated to nurturing humanity and the environment . She is an Environmental Champion, Permaculturist, Practicing Herbalist, Sustainability Practitioner, Certified Death Doula, Reiki Practitioner, & Nonprofit & Grassroots Food Sovereignty Leader. Taylor is not only proud to serve as secretary for the board of Island Culture Z 501(c)(3) whose mission is to ignite a culture of liberation, but also Vice President on the board of the Winston-Salem Permaculture Collective 501(c)(3) whose mission is to increase access to nutritious foods one food forest at a time. She is also the Founder of Arum Wellness for Alternative Holistic Health & Wellness support that is “cultivating a space to cherish the beauty of life as we demystify the journey towards death.”
Things that spark joy for Taylor are herbal teas, live music, creating art, & being in community with others who desire to birth new ways of being in the world that uplift, support, & respect all walks of life.
Mason Stevens
BOARD MEMBER & CO-FOUNDER, TREASURER
Mason is a greenspace enthusiast in Winston-Salem, NC & cofounder of the Winston-Salem Permaculture Collective 501(c)(3). Mason comes from a background of electrical engineering, application, website development, & project management. He came to understand & deeply care for good city design, & he continues to advocate for it in Winston-Salem by encouraging walkability & bikeability of the city. This is largely how he came to work with Laura & other members - by ensuring the city stays green & maintains a sense of “place,” the city can continue to buy in to reduced car-dependency & healthier communities!
Mason is also passionate about woodworking and recently launched ‘Laser Etched Botany’ garden signage through his work at the Mixxer Maker space in downtown Winston-Salem, NC USA. Laser Etched Botany was inspired by Mason’s desire educate the community on different edible varieties such as fruits, herbs and vegetables.
Meg Wong
UNIVERSITY INTERN
Meg Wong is a senior Sociology major at Wake Forest University, where she is a Civic Scholar for the Office of Civic & Community Engagement and undergraduate research fellow at the Race, Inequality, & Policy Institute (RIPI). As an intern at the Winston-Salem Permaculture Collective, Meg serves as a development facilitator for marketing & grants. Meg is committed to community empowerment by supporting the decolonization of food systems through urban agriculture.
Shakiyah McCoy
MARKETING + OUTREACH CHAIR & BOARD MEMBER
Shakiyah, a graduate of Forsyth Technical Community College, now a student at North Carolina State University majoring in Fashion & Textile Management. She began her journey through her passion about sustainability in fashion. Eventually her mission became about connecting the community to resources & spreading awareness on ways to improve the quality of people lives through sustainable practices. In her free time she enjoys to crochet, write, & create jewelry.
Pasquale Caccavella
BOARD MEMBER, FOUNDER OF SALEM SOIL SOLUTIONS & SOIL FOOD WEB MICROSCOPIST
Pasquale Caccavella began exploring soil biology nearly a decade ago, driven initially by a keen interest in mycology. Over time, his enthusiasm expanded to include permaculture, regenerative agriculture, & the overall health of soil. This evolving passion led him to become a student at Dr. Elaine Ingham's Soil Food Web School (SFWS) in 2022. Currently, Pasquale is certified as a Laboratory Technician by the SFWS, where he specializes in analyzing Soil Food Web microorganisms. His business, Salem Soil Solutions, stands at the forefront of this endeavor, offering soil testing services alongside a variety of biologically active soil amendments. Beyond his business ventures, he actively engages in community service, participating as a member of the board for the Winston-Salem Permaculture Collective (WSPC) & serving as a Scoutmaster for Troop 934 of the Boy Scouts of America.
Owner & Founder of Salem Soil Solutions, Pasquale is a Winston-Salem Permaculture Collective board member, former eagle scout badge recipient & scout troop leader for local Boy Scouts troop #934. Soil Consultant & Volunteer of the Soil Food Web, Pasquale is passionate about soil health in urban communities & sharing the knowledge & tools to improve conditions for urban sustainable agriculture & permaculture!
Cynthia Cukiernik
SAFETY, GOVERNANCE, COMPLIANCE CHAIR + BOARD MEMBER
Cynthia Cukiernik is from the small rural suburb of Pfafftown, North Carolina. Her family is from Cuba, Germany, & Poland. She studied Cultural Anthropology and Photography at UNC Greensboro & is also a UNCSA alumna. Her undergraduate research & photography explored material culture, daily ritual, food policy, public space, memory, & relationships with nature.
Cynthia has over ten years of experience in nonprofit management, community engagement, & all-ages arts education. Currently, she is completing a Masters in Landscape Architecture at NC State University. She has served as DEI Chair of the Student ASLA & is President and founder of NCSU Student NAMLA, National Association of Minority Landscape Architects. Cynthia continues to be passionate about community, local histories, & health while advocating for landscapes that support social equity & environmental resilience.
Allen Pickett
BOARD MEMBER & FOUNDER OF HONEYBEE HEMP FARM
Allen Pickett is energized by permaculture for its inherent qualities of rebuilding community around agriculture & reducing pressure on the modern food systems. Bringing life-force to what we consume enables food to be medicine & sanctions us to properly steward the earth under our feet. He is the founder of Honeybee Hemp Farms & feels fortunate to share his experience with natural farming techniques & business tenacity.
Pictured Allen with ‘CBD Hemp’ at certified Honey Bee Hemp Farms in NC USA
JOSH BANKS
DEVELOPMENT + FUNDRAISING CHAIR,
Josh Banks is a dedicated orchardist/farmer with over 15 years of hands-on experience in the garden. His journey in horticulture began in his native state of New Jersey, where he cultivated his skills under the guidance of his elder neighbor. Through this mentorship, Josh not only gained expertise in plant life but also gleaned invaluable insights into life's broader lessons.
Combining his passion for plant life & the arts, Josh spent the last three years of his time in Southern California tending to organic fruit trees while writing and recording music. Currently, Josh is strengthening his knowledge as he assists Dr. English Bradshaw in managing the prestigious MICDC Urban Farm located just outside of Winston-Salem, where he channels his expertise to promote sustainability & wellness. Grounded in his belief in giving back to Mother Earth, Josh is committed to leaving a positive impact, honoring both the past & future generations in his endeavors.
Adelina ‘Lime’ Vasileva
BOARD MEMBER
Lime is an Earth-walking blob excited to deepen our relationship with food sovereignty via sharing communal & ancestral knowledge. Their favorite way of cultivating ecological intimacy is through ritual. “Opening a space to hear the whispers & wisdoms of the Earth enables us to more deeply understand our inherent & interwoven relationship with the other-than-human world & move forward as better stewards “
Lime is a lover of art-making, queer ecology, fermentation & bacteria, herbalism, dance, & play!
DAVID GRADY
BOARD MEMBER & FOUNDER OF GRANNY GRUNTS FARM
David Grady is a licensed general contractor with 27 years of experience in residential construction. He is also a level two certified KNF (Korean Natural Farming) teacher & a certified Soilsmith. David is the owner & operator of Granny Grunts Garden, LLC, where vegetables are produced to donate or distribute to help combat food insecurities.
His aspiration is to promote the idea of food as medicine & make it accessible & available to all. David is passionate about sharing knowledge on biological farming techniques & utilizing low-cost inputs to produce more nutritionally dense food.
Jake McCabe
SECRETARY + BOARD MEMBER
Originally from New Hampshire, Jake moved to the Winston Salem area in 2018. With a degree in political science & a job in tech, he brings a varied skill set & background to the collective. His interest in cooking & fermentation, led him on a journey to learn more about permaculture & food forest design. He wanted access to fresh & nutrient dense food & wants the same for others. This opened up the door to something much bigger, & inspired him to get involved.
In his free time, Jake enjoys reading, playing guitar, jamming with friends, yoga, hiking, & tending to his garden. His most important & favorite thing to do, is spending time with his daughter Greta.