Kari Bersagel-Braley
Executive Director & Co-Founder
Kari Bersagel Braley is one of the co-founders of GROW. She worked in education for 12 years as a special education teacher, elementary classroom teacher and a literacy teacher. She is a mother and wife who feels passionately about buying and eating locally grown food. She believes in the benefits of educating her own children and the children in the community about healthy living and working to ensure that all children have access to healthy food. In her free time Kari enjoys hiking in the bluffs with her family, practicing yoga, and eating delicious food around the table with good friends and family.
Bonnie Martin
Director of Communication & Outreach
Bonnie brings skills from past experiences such as: marketing, event planning, volunteer organizing, and graphic design. She is passionate about enriching the lives of children through providing hands-on educational activities. As a leader and volunteer in her children’s school and 4-H club Bonnie has been able to help provide enrichment events and travel experiences for children. It was through these roles that Bonnie became familiar with GROW. She finds great value in being a part of an organization that is making a positive impact on the lives of youth and their families.
Ana Skemp
Farm Experiences Director
Ana Skemp’s background in biology/ecology allows the farm program participants to experience learning about their food and where it comes from an in depth level. For example children will learn how plants turn sun into energy during photosynthesis. Ana has experience teaching in a school setting and has led cooking classes for youth. She is a farmer and the owner of Deep Roots Community Farm.
Amy Sherrill
GROW Educator
Amy grew up on a family farm where gardening and a love of the outdoors were a part of life from her earliest years. She went on to earn a Bachelors in Animal Science from Iowa State University. For nine years she gained experience as a substitute teacher. She loves helping children grow through experiential learning and watching their eyes light up with new information. As a mother she will often be found in the family garden with her boys. Providing fresh veggies for the family and neighbors and helping others grow is a favorite family pastime.
Sara Wooden
Sara found a love of gardening as a child spending summers outdoors foraging, gardening, making maple syrup, and learning about native birds and plants with her dad. She earned a bachelors degree in Recreation Management and Environmental Studies from UWL. Sara has 20 years of teaching experience to all ages and abilities including yoga, nature programming and garden lessons.She loves to spend time outdoors with her dog and two children. As a yoga teacher, Sara loves incorporating mindfulness into her garden lessons, as well as watching the kids learn and GROW in the garden.
Mary Callen
Mary is a retired teacher from LaCrosse School District. Co-learning, facilitating, and teaching children within a natural environment is a favored activity of Mary’s; It is a gift observing young and old develop their relationship with the natural world. Retirement has allowed Mary to become more curious about this beautiful place we call home. She, more recently, enjoys tapping maples, caring for bees, walking in woodlands, and sitting in tree dwellings sharing stories with her 3 grandchildren.
Jessica Malpica
Jessica grew up in a rural community in the Driftless region. Her parents were both educators and inspired her to combine the joy of being in nature with education. Jessica received her undergraduate degree in Outdoor Education with an emphasis in Natural History and then went on to complete a master’s program in Environmental Education. She has taught in different educational settings in Minnesota, Texas, and Wisconsin. Jessica loves to spend time traveling, hiking, canoeing, reading eating,
and gardening with her spouse and two children. She is excited to work with students in the GROW gardens and explore garden and nature topics and experiences!
Heather Talbot
GROW Educator
Heather has called the Driftless Region home for the past decade and feels deeply connected to the La Crosse community. They bring experience working in childcare, community-supported agriculture, and student support roles. Heather received an undergraduate degree in Philosophy with an emphasis in Sustainable Community Development and earned a master’s degree in Education. A local sustainability advocate, they co-founded Solar on La Crosse Schools (SOLS). Heather enjoys gardening, cooking, and spending time playing, singing, and dancing with their wife and kiddo. They are excited to join students in the GROW gardens and to foster curiosity about the work of seeds and the earth we share with all living things.