Koiner & Loiederman Farms are managed by cooperative teams of neighbors, each bringing their own unique skill sets to the farms.
MEET THE TEAM
Kate Medina
Founder &
Executive Director
In addition to managing the business side of organization, Kate helps out at the farm with special projects K-8 educational programming. Kate can be found at Loiederman Farm on market nights. As a former Biology professor, Kate is particularly interested in the potential to use urban farms as a living classroom and inspiration for project-based STEM education.
Contact: kate@ckcfarming.org
Hannah Sholder
Founder &
Deputy Director
As the Deputy Director, Hannah wears many hats for the organization - she manages all on-farm events , as well as internships & volunteerships, Hannah's background is in urban planning with a focus on land preservation and affordable housing. Hannah likes to share stories about her days working with Charlie Koiner, and is passionate about carrying on the practices and traditions of older generations. She can be found at the farms on market nights. Hannah is a Fulbright Scholar and graduate of Wellesley College (BA) and University of California Berkeley (MAs)
Contact: hannah@ckcfarming.org
Emily Sells
Head Farm Manager
Emily is an Indiana native with a BA from Earlham College in Environmental Science. Growing her own food has diversified her palate and expanded her love for cooking. She enjoys educating people about how farming has shifted over the past 50 years to support big agriculture, where the taste of food and health of the environment are an afterthought. Emily has hiked 500 miles of the Ap Trail and enjoys exploring the DMV network of park trails. She brings this crazy energy to CKC by overseeing all aspects of plant care.
Contact: emily@ckcfarming.org
Lauren Miller
Harvest Crew Leader
Lauren serves as the Wednesday Harvest Crew Team Leader at Loiederman, partnering with the Head Farm Manager to coordinate weekly harvest priorities and guide volunteers through hands-on farm work. As a Silver Spring resident and mother, Lauren is motivated by the opportunity to model for her young daughter what it means to care for the earth with intention and to leave shared spaces better than we found them. She is continually learning more about sustainable growing practices and native ecosystems and enjoys putting that learning into action at the farm.
Lauren can be found at Loiederman Farm Wednesday mornings.
Danila Sheveiko
Volunteer Crew Leader
Growing up with daily chores on his grandma’s small subsistence farm, Danila appreciates the power of farm-to-table culture to transform diets, improve health, and reconnect people to the land. Danila’s mom, an accomplished gardener in her own right, introduced him to Charlie Koiner, and a tradition was born. After Charlie broke new ground all those years ago, Danila is following in his footsteps as the second farmer in Montgomery County’s urban agriculture program – bringing to CKC working knowledge of edible and medicinal native plants, ecosystem restoration, permaculture, mushroom growing, and beekeeping. Danila can be found at Loiederman Farm Wednesday evenings.
Jessie Sholder
Farm Educator
Jessie is thrilled to bring her expertise as an educator to CKC. A native of Pittsburgh, PA, Jessie has over 18 years experience as an elementary classroom teacher. She has certifications in Elementary General & Special Education and a Masters degree in Education from the University of Pittsburgh. Jessie leads the K-8 farm field trip curriculum and outreach, and the Excel Beyond the Bell program at Loiederman Farm. She also works with the Care Farmers at Koiner Farm. Contact: jessie@ckcfarming.org
Solange Dade
Volunteer Crew Leader
Solange is an avid plant lover! Her children, grandchild, and family members will attest that she spends most of her time either gardening, researching gardening methods, or thinking about gardening. She became a Volunteer Crew Leader in 2024 and greatly enjoys the opportunity to further expand her gardening knowledge and to be around like-minded people. Solange can be found at Loiederman Farm on Sunday evenings.
Joan Kennedy
Volunteer Crew Leader
Joan is a skilled gardener and long-time neighbor of Koiner Farm. Joan works with several volunteer crews and they get more work done in one evening than most of us get done in a whole day. Find Joan at Koiner Farm on Sunday evenings.
Cris Weals
Volunteer Crew Leader
Cris is a retired and recovering lawyer with a love of gardening. Cris is originally from Ohio, but moved to D.C. about 35 years ago. Cris comes from a long line of plant lovers... his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather were all horticulturalists. He is happy to be able to continue their legacy and pursue his own passions at Koiner Farm! Find Cris at Koiner Farm on Thursday evenings.
Evelyn Jemionek
Harvest Crew Leader
Evelyn is Koiner Farm's most tenured volunteer. She started working for Charlie Koiner back in the early 2000's. Evelyn now manages the Koiner Farm harvest crew on Thursday mornings. Evelyn is also the inspriation and name sake of the annually awarded Evelyn Jemionek Volunteer of the Year Award bestowed upon a volunteer who exhibits exceptional commitment to the people and plants.
Abigail Lowe
Farmstand Staff
Abby is a certified nutritional coach specializing in holistic health and weight loss.
She loves walking, fitness, cooking, gardening and enjoys preparing delicious nutrient dense healthy meals. Abby is also a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and has provided clinical mental health services in NYC and the DC area for over 20 years. Abby has volunteered at Koiner Farm since 2023 and loves interacting with customers. You can find her at the market on 3rd Thursdays.
Juanita Roca
Farmstand Staff & Outreach Coordinator
After over 30 years of supporting community development all across the world, Juanita is excited to join the CKC team, and contribute to the community where she lives. Originally from Colombia, South America, her passion has been working at the interface of community development, food security and climate resilience. You can find Juanita at Loiederman Farm on market nights.
Lorena Davalos
Liaison Leader & Vendor Coordinator
Lorena is excited to have found CKC in her neighborhood and couldn’t pass up the opportunity to serve as a community liaison and coordinator for neighborhood-based market vendors. Born and raised in California, Lorena uses her agricultural background and passion for food security and homesteading to get to know her neighbors in Wheaton and the surrounding communities. You can find Lorena at Loiderman Farm on market nights.
Melissa Franks
Liaison Leader, Vendor & Workshop Coordinator
Melissa is a lifelong gardener and plant lover, and finds joy in sharing ideas with her community on how to grow food and create a third space where everyone can exchange, learn, and connect. She is a member of the Culture & Agriculture Section of the American Anthropological Society, and a crochet artist. You can find Melissa at Koiner Farm on 3rd Thurdsays!
Tim Haverland
Music Coordinator
Tim is a local musician who supports CKC by organizing acts for the monthly Third Thursday concerts. Outside of his volunteer work at Koiner Farm, Tim can be seen and heard performing in the bands SloMo Trainwreck, Old Albumsides and InstaBand in Hyattsville. You may also know him as his alter-ego Skeeter Tim who leads the neighborhood battle against Asian Tiger mosquitoes. You can find Tim at Koiner Farm on 3rd Thursdays.
Amy Ruemann
Farmstand Staff
Amy is a Master Gardener and native plant lover whose love of growing things comes from her Pennsylvania Dutch grandmother. She loves how Koiner plants seeds that grow food for the body and nourishes community for the soul. The weekly farmstand is a gathering spot for a diverse neighborhood. It fosters connection between neighbors, reduces isolation and builds belonging. Come over on Thursdays and try it out!
CJ Kula
Admin & Farm Assistant
CJ is a recent graduate of American University with a BA in Environmental Studies. Born and raised in New Jersey, Montgomery County is now their home. They are passionate about connecting with students and community members and helping them learn about farming. As a Maryland Climate Corps Fellow, CJ supports CKC's intern program, coordinates volunteerships, helps run the markets, and generally fits in wherever they are needed!
You can find CJ at both farms on market nights.
Contact:
Alex Cathcart
Compost Manager
Bio coming soon!
Our Team works alongside Volunteers, Interns, Board Members, Neighborhood Liaisons and passionate community members to ensure that the protected lands under CKC's stewardship are continuously serving the needs and wants of the local community.
This work falls into three core areas...
Food Production
Ag Education
Land Stewardship
...and requires an avenue for community participation and input at each level. ​
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(1) The Farm Management & Food Production Team was formed in 2019 and consists of professional farmers, volunteers and interns all working side by side to collaboratively care for the farm. They are responsible for taking care of all things related to the soil and crops. Issues such as what to plant, how to address soil deficiencies, how to naturally manage pest problems, and who will repair broken equipment, are solved collaboratively. To join the Farm Management Team contact cj@ckcfarming.org (PLEASE NOTE: we maintain a waitlist for volunteers and interns!)
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(2) The Ag Education Team formed in late 2021 and is composed of professional farm educators, volunteers and advisors from the community. The Farm Education Team is responsible for fulfilling CKC's nonprofit education purpose. They manage the Field Trips Program, the Learning Hubs Program, the Kids' Corner Program and all on-farm and off-farm Workshops, Tours, and Conferences. The Education Team is seeking participation from active/retired/aspiring teachers. If you would like to contribute to the Farm Education Team contact kate@ckcfarming.org.
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(3) The Land Stewardship Team consists of East Silver Spring residents, who have come to be known as the Neighborhood Liaisons of Koiner Farm. This dynamic team consists of community leaders who hail from diverse backgrounds and possess a strong desire to provide more equitable and functional access to healthy land and food for their community. The work of the Neighborhood Liaisons includes fostering relationships with renters, immigrants, and non-native English speakers, as well as with small local businesses (particularly minority-owned businesses, culturally significant artisans and musicians, and fellow nonprofits). The Neighborhood Liaisons help promote our SNAP/WIC benefits, recruit culturally relevant vendors for our Farm Market, and translate materials to Persian/Dari, Amharic, French and Spanish. To become a Neighborhood Liaison, please contact Hannah at hannah@ckcfarming.org.
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CHECK OUT OUR CALENDAR OF EVENTS
FOR MORE KOINER FARM HAPPENINGS!