Valerie has had a love for agriculture and foraging since childhood; in high school, she was the vice president of her high school FFA (Future Farmers of America). At age 17, Valerie enlisted and served our country in the US Army. After that, she studied at Mercer University and dual-majored in Chemistry and Biology. Even though her career changed paths when she became a mom, her passion for agriculture stayed with her.

Valerie found Rosebud Continuum during the time that she was also seeking to fight the rezoning for the development of the property adjacent to Rosebud. She joined Rosebud members and other neighbors to co-found the Hale No! Coalition for Responsible Development. Valerie was interested in learning more about permaculture and this drove her to volunteer at Rosebud. After two years of volunteering, we now have the privilege of having her as our director and president of our board.

Valerie is an active citizen in the community. She is a board member for Pasco County’s Environmental Land Acquistion and Management Program. She joined the Food Policy Advisory Council for Pasco County (FPAC) where she leads the Agritourism subcommittee. Through FPAC, Valerie seeks to help build and strengthen the local food system; she believes in the potential of growing food locally and organically, in reducing the miles our food travels, in promoting the local economy, and in contributing to global sustainability through it. She also helps lead the Growing Knowledge Project through FPAC where she volunteers to bring gardens to local schools. As a veteran, Valerie serves as an Executive Board Member of The American Legion Post 108 where she hopes to serve her fellow members through Rosebud.

Valerie is always seeking to learn. She is currently studying permaculture design. She also has the American Heart Association Heartsaver First Aid CPR AED certification. We are very grateful for Valerie’s leadership and can’t wait to see what other initiatives she brings to Rosebud!