Meet Our Team

Serena founded Stuart Farm with her husband, Fred, in 2011 in Gerald, MO, and currently raises cattle, hogs, chickens, and laying hens. Stuart Farm joined Known & Grown in 2019, and Serena served on the Farm Advisory Committee and assisted with the formation of The Gateway Sustainable Farmers Alliance. Serena earned a BS in Criminal Justice and an MA in Forensic Psychology, discovered her passion for advocacy and serving the underrepresented. After 10 years advocating for victims of domestic violence in the family courts of Texas, New York, and Hawaii, she became a farmer. Her advocacy now focuses on sustainable farming, educating her customers on the benefits of local food, and supporting her fellow farmers. In her downtime, Serena enjoys gardening, crocheting, playing pinball, and traveling to see her family.

Emily is an environmental educator, naturalist, and arborist with a passion for supporting a just and sustainable local food system. She is excited to help bridge the gap between people who eat food and people who grow food. In addition to her work with GSFA, Emily likes to hike, garden, convert lawns into native plants, and generally play in the dirt.

Rae Miller has worked in the St. Louis local food system since 2010, staffing a farm stand at Tower Grove Farmers Market, working on vegetable and livestock farms, starting her own urban farm, and working in nonprofit sustainable agriculture roles. Rae played an integral role in founding the Known & Grown program in 2019 and has been part of the team and community since. Outside of her passion for farming, Rae loves tending to her family- children Maple and Wallace, partner Jarred, and pup Woolly.

Nicki, along with their family, founded HartBeet Farm, a diversified farm, in 2015 in Eolia, MO. HartBeet Farm was among the first farms to join the Known & Grown program. Nicki served on the Farmer Advisory Committee before officially joining the team in 2023. They bring along a passion for supporting other farmers, fostering mental health, and encouraging awareness about our food system. In their spare time, Nicki enjoys writing, baking, and spending time in nature alongside their wife, Katie.

Kelsey Power was born and raised in St. Louis City. She learned to grow food in her mother’s backyard garden, continuing a multigenerational tradition of cooking and eating homegrown produce for family culture and thrifty living. In 2009, she started Charleston Power Family Garden along with her husband Darryl as a place to plant fruit trees with a focus on improving health for city residents. Charleston Power Family Garden joined Known & Grown in 2019 as a much needed way to connect with other growers in the area. It is Kelsey’s hope that Known & Grown will further the development of local, responsible production of food grown for those in our area as an industry. Collective systems like the ones being developed and advocated for by Known & Grown are our best hope to allow production of local food responsibly in a way that can sustain a family economically.

Holly Evans and her husband Randy Buck first met volunteering on an organic farm on Orcas Island in 2009, and then traveled around the country and world volunteering on a vast array of farming operations. They started Rosy Buck Farm in 2015, and moved to their permanent location of 15.6 beautiful, hilly acres in 2020. They are a small-scale produce farm focused on building up the health of the soil through the use of permanent raised beds, no-till farming, and extensive mulching. Rosy Buck has been a part of Known & Grown since its inception, and Holly was active in its transition to an independent nonprofit. Holly fiercely believes in the mission of Known & Grown in supporting local sustainable farmers. As a farmer herself, Holly knows how important outside support is, especially since small farms usually don’t qualify for many grants and subsidies available to larger operations. Known & Grown fills this vital niche.

Tosha Phonix is the founder & Executive Director of A.C.R.E.S. which stands for Agriculture for Community Restoration Economic Justice & Sustainability. She helps Black farmers strengthen their businesses through improved capacity and access to the resources needed to build a thriving agricultural operation. Having a background in social service helped Tosha understand the vital role that food and its access play in society, and thus, her objective has been to help improve Black populations through healthy food access and production. Since 2011 she has grown sustainable produce throughout North St. Louis city and county and is active in working for food justice. Tosha is currently the Director of Urban Farming at Muhammad’s Farm. She has participated in Neighborhood Leadership Fellows and Neighborhood Leadership Academy. She is an alumnus of Women’s Earth Alliance and Sierra Club’s U.S. Grassroots Accelerator for Women Environmental Leaders. She serves on the leadership team of the National Black Food and Justice Alliance.

Michaela Oldfield, J.D., Ph.D., brings deep roots in sustainable food systems, agricultural policy, and fundraising to the board. Her background includes a PhD in community, food and agriculture systems, and serving as Director of the Greater Cincinnati Regional Food Policy Council, where she secured over $1 million to support cross-sectoral collaborations and successfully advocated for urban agriculture zoning reforms and sustainable purchasing policies. With over 15 years experience, she knows how unique and important Known & Grown’s farmer-driven work is for creating a thriving sustainable food system in the region. She is excited to bring her expertise to helping Known & Grown grow its impact.  

Serena founded Stuart Farm with her husband, Fred, in 2011 in Gerald, MO, and currently raises cattle, hogs, chickens, and laying hens. Stuart Farm joined Known & Grown in 2019, and Serena served on the Farm Advisory Committee and assisted with Known & Grown’s transition to an independent organization. She currently serves as Known & Grown’s Director of Farm Services. The Staff Representative to the Board role builds cohesion between Board and Staff by aligning organizational goals with staff experience, improving communication, and honoring Staff perspectives and needs through voting rights in organizational leadership.