Reno Nonprofit, Urban Roots, Installs Two Executive Directors from Within, Hiring to Expand Team
— The leadership transition harnesses historical intelligence from the organization while expanding the education team and maximizing resources —
RENO, Nev. – After a comprehensive search for new leadership, Urban Roots, a tentpole nonprofit in the Nevada education community and beyond, has installed Jenny Angius as executive director of operations and development and Sydney Callahan as executive director of programs and staff in a shared leadership model designed to flex with the organization’s needs. The two internal promotions bring historical knowledge of the organization and, in their first joint decision for the entity, will add four employees to expand education efforts as the nonprofit’s focus expands to serve a broader cross section of community members in need of gardening education. Angius and Callahan assumed their positions on January 18, 2022.
“The team at Urban Roots has proven consistently its tenacity is a key ingredient in the survival of the nonprofit and its ability to deliver to constituents,” said Urban Roots board president Frankie Vigil, APR, business development manager at Lumos Associates. “But this particular team coalesced during the difficulties COVID-19 presented. They shifted offerings, re-envisioned how to make the farm benefit the community when individuals could not visit, and dug their heels in to orchestrate logistics for programming to be safely delivered. The board took a close look at how we’ve operated previously and what it will take to help more individuals and are confident this approach doubles down on their investments while also giving them some much-deserved support.”
In this shared leadership model Angius and Callahan will direct the organization. While Angius and Callahan will have differing day-to-day responsibilities, they will work in tandem to create and implement strategic direction and ensure the organization’s priorities are implemented. Together the executive directors will oversee compliance of local, state and federal laws while safeguarding the fiscal health of the nonprofit.
As executive director of operations and development, Angius will oversee organizational and fiscal management, including serving as lead on fundraising and revenue efforts.
“The pandemic illustrated there was a greater need for Urban Roots services and we need every member of this team in a healthy and secure position in order to guide this expanded audience toward improved health outcomes,” said Angius.
As executive director of programs and staff, Callahan will oversee planning and execution of nonprofit programming as well as staff development and evaluation of program opportunities.
“This organization has the ability to impact so many in our region, and I’m honored to have expanded freedoms to evaluate some of the gaps our community might have and understand what Urban Roots can offer to those affected by said gaps,” said Callahan.
For more than 11 years, Urban Roots has offered a mix of programming designed to change the way communities eat and learn. In normal years the organization hosts Farm Camps for students in the Washoe County School District of varying ages, Farm School for those students enrolled in homeschool programs, and Little Gardener classes for young children not of traditional school age. The Teaching Farm located at 1700 E. Second Street often hosts field trips and anticipates its Teaching Kitchen will finish construction prior to the summer of 2022. The nonprofit also works in tandem with the Renown Food Pantry, donating produce for Renown Health’s Prescription Pantry program, wherein patients can redeem “prescriptions” for healthy food from doctors who believe altered or enhanced nutrition could improve patient health. Innovations born from the pandemic include the introduction of gardening kits that are made possible to purchasers as well as all students who participate in field trips. The pandemic also spurred the creation of general education options, including the Dead Plant Society, monthly classes designed to help individuals improve their knowledge of gardening basics, and the Gardening for All initiative, an effort to help people or entities assess their space and install garden beds at their locations.
“I was excited to hear about the joint leadership model,” said Kathy Kent, Nevada market manager for Farm Bureau Bank – Reno, a financial support of Urban Roots. “After all, the pandemic taught us to work differently, be bold, make changes and practice out of the box thinking. None of the magic at Urban Roots blooms without people and [Urban Roots has] a solid team of people already in place that has the knowledge, the spirit, the can do attitude and the passion to lead Urban Roots to the next phase.”
To learn more about Urban Roots, visit www.urgc.org. For media inquiries, contact Rachel Gattuso at rachel@gattusocoalition.com or (775) 336-9453.
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About Urban Roots
Urban Roots is a Reno-based nonprofit that strives to improve the way communities eat and learn through garden-based education. The organization ensures all students, regardless of age or economic background, foster a connection to local food, creating lifelong learners and healthy eaters. Serving primarily Washoe County, Urban Roots has a history of bringing seed-to-table education to the community through standards-based programming at the Urban Teaching Farm and in Washoe County. The organization uses the garden as a lens to teach concepts ranging from mathematics to English and from science to philanthropy that help implement the nonprofit’s core values of academic achievement, healthy eating, and environmental stewardship.
