Staff

Gavin Raders

Co-Founder + Co-Director + Leadership Council
gavin@plantingjustice.org

Gavin Raders is a co-founder and co-director of Planting Justice, a father to two amazing daughters, a social justice activist, and a permaculture demonstrator/teacher. For the past 17 years, he has dedicated his life to peoples’ movements for peace and social/economic/racial/environmental justice. Prior to Planting Justice, he studied the history, failures, and successes of social movements as a cultural anthropology student at UC Berkeley, and Read More

Salvador Mateo Escobar

Co-Director + Leadership Council
Pronouns: he/him

Sal was first introduced to Planting Justice during his senior year art class at Fremont High School in East Oakland, California, where he grew up. PJ’s education team established a garden of 8 raised beds at the school in 2010, and it was in this garden, that Sal first planted seeds, saw food grow naturally, and tasted his first fresh snap pea! Instantly grasping the importance of others having that same experience, that same year Sal and his very close friend Julio Madrigal received the opportunity to Read More

Lynn Vidal

Operations Director + Leadership Council
Pronouns: She/Him/They/Them
City: Berkeley, CA

Lynn has been on the Admin Team since April 1st 2022. We’ll find out if it’s just an April Fool’s joke. She heard about Planting Justice 11-12 years ago when she first worked for Causa Justa (then called Just Cause Oakland). Lynn’s favorite part of working at PJ is discovering its current stability impacts and gearing up to slipping foundations underneath the programs. Read More

Nadia Barhoum

Operations Coordinator
Pronouns: she/her
City: El Sobrante, CA

Nadia grew up in the Bay Area and has been on the Farm Team since 2020. Her favorite part about working at PJ is getting to be in deeper relationship to the land and keeping her hands close to the earth. Read More

Andrew Chahrour

Sustainable Infrastructure Director + Leadership Council

Andrew grew up in Ohio and has devoted his work to our collective rights for healthy food & clean water for the last 18 years. Working with the Bureau of Land Management in Wyoming he documented the recession of Aspen stands, researched grazing strategies, and documented watershed impacts of federal livestock management practices. Read More

Andre/a/s Loyola

HR Manager – El Sobrante
Pronouns: They/She, Elle,Ella
City: Born in Huichun/Oakland

Andres started working for Planting Justice on August 18, 2023. They discovered Planting Justice through volunteering with the Sogorea Te’ Land Trust and visiting the Huichun/Oakland Nursery. Andres’ passion for gardening ignited while learning to cook traditional Oaxacan dishes from their parents and understanding their historical practices of forming relationships with plants for medicine and food.Read More

The Good Table Café and Nursery

Samuel Lustig

Kitchen and Retail Manager
City: El Sobrante

Sam Lustig has been working with Planting Justice since July of 2022. He was brought on to manage Planting Justice’s kitchen and nursery retail space at our soon to be open Good Table project in El Sobrante. Sam has been intimately familiar with Planting Justice since its inception, having been dear friends with co-founder Gavin Raders since he was a teenager. Read More

Education

Itzel Mercado

Educator
City: Oakland, CA

Itzel joined Planting Justice when she was in highschool and started as an intern in 2020. They found Planting Justice through Dewey Academy while she was a student and then turned into an intern. Itzel’s favorite part of working at PJ is when she gets to make smoothies, go to fruitvale bart station and hand it out to people. Read More

Bilal Coleman

Educator + Leadership Council

Bilal Coleman was born in Berkeley and raised in Oakland, CA. He is a parent of two and he enjoys spending time with both his children. He has a passion for health and personal fitness and giving back to the youth by sharing his personal experiences with the criminal justice system. He appreciates the way everyone at Planting Justice treats each other like family and has supported and accepted him as part of the family. Read More

Media & Communications

Birhon Quizhpe

Media Associate + Leadership Council
Pronouns: he/him
City: Oakland, CA

Birhon’s favorite part of working at PJ is all the amazing people that he works with and all of the support that he receives. Birhon is passionate about photography,  he believes that pictures are able to tell numerous stories. He loves capturing the beautiful moments on camera, to be able to revisit them. In his free time he enjoys discovering new trails, and walkways to take in all of the beauty that nature has to offer. 

Nursery

Otis Spikes

Nursery Manager + Leadership Council 

Otis grew up in Sobrante Park and has lived here in the neighborhood for the past 40 years. After hearing about the Planting Justice Nursery & Aquaponics Farm Incubation Center, he came to apply for a job, and was quickly hired for his experience and expertise in irrigation construction, a skill he honed working for the City of Oakland’s Parks & Recreation Department. He’s excited to be a part of something BIG that will benefit the community of Sobrante Park.

Cynthia Green

Nursery Office Manager
Pronouns: she/they
City: Oakland, CA

Cynthia Green is thrilled about her new role at PJ. A passionate gardener, she first learned about the organization from a fellow gardener who spoke highly of the nursery’s mission and its diverse plant offerings.

Nature has always held a special place in Cynthia’s heart. From hiking and camping in her younger days to inheriting the gardening passion from her parents, she finds solace in the ever-changing beauty of gardens. Read More

Sloan Thompson

Nursery Office Clerk
Pronouns: she/they
City: Oakland, CA

Sloan Thompson has been with Planting Justice since September 14. Sloan was introduced to Planting Justice (PJ) through a few of her friends and her mom. Sloan is a student herbalist and would love to learn at PJ how to grow plants. In addition, she is passionate about her child and enjoys spending time with her. Sloan believes in the importance of giving people second chances and likes how PJ makes that happen for many people in the community.

Arturo Solano

Nursery Technician
Pronouns: he/him
City: Oakland, CA

Arturo Solano has been on the Technician Team since June 2021. Arturo was introduced to Planting Justice by his good friend Jose Isordil. Arturo’s favorite part about working at Planting Justice is the people and the work that Planting Justice does for the community. He would love to stay around to see how far Planting Justice will go in the future. Arturo is passionate about plants and nature – he loves the outdoors and working with plants.

Adela Flores

Nursery Propagation Team
City: Oakland, CA

Adela Flores joined Planting Justice on September 20th, 2017. She was introduced to the organization through a friend. Adela enjoys working with plants at Planting Justice because she understands the importance of plants for her health. She is a happy person and in her free time, she likes to listen to music, sing, and dance. Adela also loves that Planting Justice is growing medicinal plants and offering them to the community.

Max Cadji

Nursery Mother Team Lead
City: Oakland, CA

Max Cadji is an urban gardener, a lover of fermented foods, and a community restorative justice activist. He lives in Oakland, Ca with his wife, two amazing kids, and his mom. In the past he has done community food work with People’s Grocery, Phat Beets Produce, North Oakland Restorative Justice Council, The Ecology Center and Self Help Hunger Program. His passion lies in community agroforestry work and has spent the last 17 years working with community groups planting trees in Southern Madagascar.

Jose Isordia

Nursery Field Team Lead

Bio coming soon!

Luis Ortega

Nursery Field Team Technician
Pronouns: he/him
City: Oakland, CA

Luis Ortega joined Planting Justice in August 2017. He was introduced to the organization by his own curiosity when he approached the nursery when it first opened. Luis enjoys working with plants and has been working in gardening since he arrived in the US. In his free time, he enjoys focusing on his family. Luis believes in Planting Justice because, just as he was able to get a job with a livable wage, other people in the community could also have the same opportunity.

Luis Ortega Jr.

Nursery Shipping Team
Pronouns: he/him
City: Oakland

Luis Ortega Jr. has been on the Nursery Shipping Team since October 2017. Luis was introduced to Planting Justice through the reentry program and his father, who also works at Planting Justice. Luis’s favorite part of working at Planting Justice is he is now able to get more knowledge about plants, and he is now able to identify many different types of plants. Luis is passionate about Art and the outdoors. He loves hiking, camping, and fishing. He believes in the work Planting Justice does for his community because he understands how hard it is for a previously incarcerated person to find a job.

Rogelio Rizo

Nursery Shipping Team

Rogelio joined Planting Justice in winter of 2019. He was first introduced to Planting Justice as an intern through a partner organization and later transitioned to the nursery crew as a nursery technician. Planting Justice’s work matters to Rogelio because it supports the community, helps people find jobs, get education, growing their food, and teaches sustainable living.

Gordon Limbrick

Nursery Shipping Team

Gordon “G-Lean”  Limbrick is a musician, entrepreneur, and community activist. A vital member of the Planting Justice team, Gordon supports ongoing operations of a 2-acre Nursery site and the development of a 3-acre Aquaponics site. Read More

Bobby House

Permaculture Designer + Leadership Council
Pronouns: he/him
City: Oakland, CA

Bobby first began working at Planting Justice in 2020. As a returned citizen, Bobby, while incarcerated, became a long term member of IGP (The Insight Garden Program). Preceding his release, the IGP family introduced Bobby to Planting Justice. Bobby loves drawing, landscape design, and gardening, and the art of applying the principles of permaculture to his everyday life. Read More

Mason Moore Jr.

Nursery Technician
City: Oakland, CA

Mason Moore Jr. has been on the Nursery Technician Team since July 2021. He was introduced to planting justice through reentry. Mason believes in the work that planting justice is doing his community. Mason had gardening jobs before, so he has a lot of experience working with plants. He is passionate about the outdoors and loves going fishing.

Joseph Urias

Nursery Team

Bio coming soon!

Yennifer Flores

Nursery Propagation Team Lead
City: Oakland, CA

Yennifer Flores joined Planting Justice on February 6, 2018. She was introduced to the organization through her mother. Yennifer started as a part-time employee and later became full-time. She believes that gardening is in her roots, as her family has a history of growing plants that goes back to her grandfather. Read More

Cesar Fragoso

Nursery Propagation Team
Pronouns: they/them
City: Oakland, CA

Cesar joined Planting Justice in the fall of 2018. They are a neighbor who has experience in community organizing from previously working with the statewide environmental justice nonprofit CBE (Communities for a Better Environment) and the GSA (Gay Straight Alliance). They are also a member of the Sobrante Park RAC.

Simone Robinson

Nursery Mother Team
Pronouns: she/her
City: 
Oakland, CA

Simone Robinson has been on the Nursery Mother Team since July 2021. She found herself walking down the street one day when she came across the nursery. She then started volunteering and soon got hired. Simone’s favorite part of working at PJ is the plants. She is passionate about growing her food and working on the land. Simone is also a fantastic artist and painted a mural for PJ.

George Victory

Nursery Technician
City: 
Oakland, CA

I am Victory, honored to be one of the youngest and most esteemed members of PJ. My journey with the organization began in February 2021 as an intern, and I had the privilege of being formally hired on July 24th, 2022. Working at Planting Justice has provided me with the opportunity to contribute to the betterment of my community while pursuing my passion for music. Read More

Food Forest + Farm

Julio Madrigal

Farm Manager

Julio Madrigal grew up in Oakland, he has witnessed the struggles people have around food along with the health issues of malnutrition. Julio has had the opportunity to learn from people in his community and this has rooted his love for the Planting Justice community. Read More

NneJ Ke

Farm Steward + Leadership Council
Pronouns: the/ke
Huchiun Unceded Ohlone Land

NneJ started volunteering for PJ in 2015, primarily at the nursery, then transitioned to the farm team in December 2020. NneJ first discovered PJ from friends, then reconnected with PJ from a fundraising campaign to raise money for building the nursery. Read More

Mark Fujiwara

Grant Writer & Farm Steward
Pronouns: He/Him
City: The foothills of Tuyshtak / Mt. Diablo on Bay Miwok land

Mark grew up gardening in the Inland East Bay Area and wandering the Open Space around Tuyshtak / Mt. Diablo. After returning to the Bay Area from time living in China, Japan, and San Quentin, Mark became more deeply engaged in social justice, Read More

Damian Villa

Farm Steward

Kathryn Hart

Farm Steward – El Sobrante
Pronouns: she/her
City: born and raised in Fort Wayne

Kathryn Hart (she/her) hails from Fort Wayne, IN, and recently graduated from Indiana University Bloomington, where she earned a BS in Environmental Science and minored in Spanish and Global Cuisine – Sustainable Food Studies. An alumna of the Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program at UC Santa Cruz, Kathryn completed her program internship at Año Nuevo Reserve in 2021, Read More

Translation & Administrative Support

Jie Wang

Accountant

Jie Wang is a Certified Public Accountant who specializes in non-profit billing for mental health, foster care, adoption, Title IV and more. Jie supports the Planting Justice Financial Committee with financial reporting, reconciliation, audit preparation, and annual tax preparation.

Lesbhia Morones

Spanish Interpretation

Bio coming soon!

All Staff

Sol Mercado

Reentry Coordinator + Nursery Propagation Team
Pronouns: she/her
City: Oakley

Sol has been with PJ’s Nursery Land team since December 2020, and recently became our Reentry Coordinator! She found Planting Justice through a garden program inside prison while serving a 16-year sentence. Sol’s favorite part of working at PJ is, how it teaches her how to connect with nature and how to get back to the community. Read More

Victoria Montaño (STLT)

Bio coming soon!

Michael Garrison

Nursery Shipping Team Lead

Jaime Ortega

Nursery Land Team

Maricela Perez

Nursery Propagation Team

Guillermo Ortega Jimenez

Nursery Land Team
Pronouns: he/him
City: Oakland, CA

Rigoberto Ortega

Nursery Technician
City: Oakland, CA

Rigoberto Ortega has been on the Nursery Technician Team since July 2020. Rigoberto was introduced to Planting Justice by his brother and father, who also work there. He is passionate about art and watching plants grow. Thanks to Planting Justice, he enjoys watching his peers and his community thrive.

Covonne Page

Nursery Land Team Lead + Leadership Council
Pronouns: he/him
City: Oakland, CA

Covonne Page has been with the Land Team Lead since February 2020. Covanne was introduced to Planting Justice by the community since he had lived there all his life. He remembers when PJ first moved there. Covanne is passionate about gardening because his family does a lot at home. He enjoys listening to music, hanging out with friends, and walking the dogs in his free time. He believes that Planting Justice works are important because they introduce fresh organic food to the community that otherwise would not have access to it.

Thomas Gibson IV

Nursery Shipping Team
City: Berkeley, CA

Thomas Gibson IV has been on the Nursery Shopping Team since March 2022. He was introduced to Planting Justice through a friend. Thomas’s favorite part of working at Planting Justice is all the learning about plants and gardening he is receiving. It’s a good experience, and all the help Planting Justice offers the community. In addition, he is passionate about his family, especially his two-year-old kid, and he enjoys watching and playing basketball.

LeJeun Clarke Sr

Nursery Shipping Team

Eric Soto

Nursery Field Team

Obichukwu Lebeke

Nursery Propagation Team
Pronouns: he/him
City: Oakland, CA

Julia Toro

Nursery support
Pronouns: she/they
City: Oakland, CA

julia toro has been on the Nursery Team since the summer of 2021. They love the blending of plants and people that makes Planting Justice thrive. julia is passionate about environmental justice & indigenous sovereignty and cares deeply about our Re-Entry program and abolition. They have a degree in Botany from UC Santa Cruz, and a Master’s in Forestry from UC Berkeley. In their free time, they like to play board games, garden, and spend time with family and friends.