Join us as we speaker to educators at the Chicago Botanic Garden about sustainable urban agriculture. Dinner will be served.

David Wilkerson-Lindsey is a lifelong Chicago Southsider. His passion for growing stems from long weekends working in his backyard garden with his mother, a CPS Horticulture Teacher. After graduating from the University of Illinois with a B.S. in Integrative Biology & Environmental Sustainability he wanted to get his hands back into the soil. He branched out from his past work doing biology research in animal behavior and grazing systems to work at an environmental restoration firm and native plant nursery in central Illinois. Since returning to Chicago, he has planted a new perennial home garden with vegetables, fruit trees, and flowers with over 100 species native to Illinois, some of which have found their way onto WCH farms. David joined the Windy City Harvest team in spring of 2022 as a Youth Farm Coordinator. Currently he can be found bouncing around between Farm on Ogden, the Arturo Vasquez Institute, and Washington Park Youth Farm. Working with folks of all ages to share knowledge and resources on bringing biodiversity and healthy food to Chicago neighborhoods.

Kenya Vera-Sample is the Urban Agriculture Educator for the North Lawndale Youth Farm.  Kenya’s affinity for nature began at a very early age, with countless fishing and hiking excursions with her Dad and gardening with her Grandfather.  She began her career in Urban Agriculture in 2008 in the historic Black Farming community of Pembroke Il. Kenya’s love for the environment, community, wellness, and enterprise has advanced her work with organizations’ such as Grow Great Englewood, Englewood Village Farms, Urban Growers Collective, Black Oaks, and she is on the Chicago Food Policy Action Council as Co-Chair of “Produce in Protest”.  She is an owner and operator of Du Sable City Winery and Vineyards specializing in an agroforestry enterprise that specializes in the cultivation of Elderberry. The vineyard is a part of 100-year plan in Englewood.