Lina Alegre is a South American native that’s been living in northern New Mexico for almost a decade after falling in love with the region; she dove right into off-grid living which got her an internship for permaculture design thinking. Her work as a Soil Health Champion has been recognized by the NACD at her land in northern New Mexico. As a Soil Food Web School’s Certified Lab Tech, she has enhanced her appreciation and understanding of nature at the microscale, assessing soil and compost samples. In 2022 co-founded the NM Soil Enthusiasts group. Her work on the macroscale is through building human community, helping facilitate programs like “Women in Ag” in Spanish through the Santa Fe Farmers Market Institute and helping Spanish speaking farmers apply for government grants.

https://www.soilfoodweb.com/laboratory-technicians/

Navona Gallegos is a soil ecologist and lover of life. Coming from a multi-generational northern New Mexico mestizo farming family, she was raised to understand that our lives come from the cycles of the Earth. Her passion for the wholeness of nature led her to study terrestrial ecology and specialize in soil biology. Navona’s educational background includes a BA in Environmental Science from the University of Virginia, Starhawk’s Earth Activist Training Permaculture Design Course, and Dr. Elaine Ingham’s Soil Food Web School as well as lived experience as a farmer and informal learning from a wide variety of land stewards from across the United States, Caribbean, and Central Africa. Her work has included organic farm management, municipal soil remediation, and ecology training and consulting for international public and private sector partners. Her focus is building bridges between communities—both human and more-than-human—by highlighting the values we hold in common and co-creating solutions that empower everyone to inhabit ecosystems with equity, abundance, and care towards future generations.

Amara Szrom is a youth environmental educator, ecological designer, and event organizer. She is a garden educator with 12 years of experience and a published author on the university campus garden movement. She founded and directed the Indigenous Wisdom and Permaculture Skills Convergence, a 10-day ecological skills share dedicated to food security and cultural preservation, on the Oglala Lakota Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. Amara holds an undergraduate Environmental Science degree and a master’s degree in Community and Regional Planning, focusing on Southwestern Water Resource Management. Her design skill sets focus on permaculture site design, rainwater catchment and greywater management. Amara’s mission is to reconnect the youth to our life-sustaining systems through joyful participation and place-based belonging.