Farming is a demanding but extremely rewarding activity. We are lucky to have a team of students and many volunteers from the community to grow with us! 

Summer 2025 Farm Team

Farm Staff

Perry Acworth, Farm Manager

Persis “Perry” Acworth accepted the UW Farm Manager position in April 2018. In 2020, she received the UW Distinguished Staff, Award of Excellence.

Originally from Long Island, New York, Perry has a special place in her heart for the Northeast.  From 1995-2012, Perry owned and operated a commercial grass-based sheep dairy, made farmstead yogurt and feta cheese, raised layer hens and grew vegetables in Union, Maine. In addition to running her own farm, she worked for five seasons at a greenhouse and nursery operation in Harpswell, Maine and a summer in the fisheries industry in Alaska.

Before becoming a farmer, she earned a BA in Environmental Studies at the University of Vermont, and an MS in Natural Resource Management and Public Administration at Antioch New England.  This was followed with a position as one of the first recycling education coordinators for the Chittenden Solid Waste District in Vermont. After a stint in rural Idaho on a large-scale sheep and alfalfa ranch, Perry moved to coastal Maine and worked for Kelmscott Farm and Rare Breeds Foundation for critically rare and endangered breeds of livestock (1995-2002). While there she focused on education, grass-based rotational grazing and cared for nine species of livestock, horses, and learned to shear sheep.

In 2012, Perry sold her farm in Maine and moved to the PNW to pursue a graduate degree with the goal of becoming a farm educator to connect urban populations to the food system. Her first year of her M Ed was spent at IslandWood earning an EEC certificate. At UW’s main Seattle campus she TA-ed for professor Eli Wheat’s ever popular, ENVIR 240 course, The Urban Farm. Her and completed master’s project focused on Seattle Tilth’s (now Tilth Alliance), Seattle Youth Garden Works program.

Since earning her Masters in Education from UW in 2014, Perry has managed three student farms including Assistant Farm Manager at The Evergreen State College. She helped build (literally) the Viva Farms King County farm incubator in Woodinville, WA. This 10-acre farm incubator also includes a farm training program, land access and assisting small scale farm businesses.  Perry has taught classes in sustainable agriculture, food safety, urban farm and business planning, and livestock management, as part of the Sustainable Agriculture Education (SAgE) certificate program at Edmonds Community College and Seattle Central College. She also helped build Morethana student farm for Antioch University.

Even though all her family is back east, Perry loves Seattle because of the mild climate, natural beauty of the Puget Sound, and proximity to so much hiking and many mountain ranges.

See the SEFS Employee Spotlight of Perry HERE  and page 27 of the UW Magazine

Year at UW: MEd 2014

Hails from: Cold Spring Harbor, NY

Hobbies: bicycling, hiking and backpacking, and home cooking with the farm’s veggies

Favorite vegetable or fruit that we grow at UW: tomatoes, eggplant, lettuce and figs

Contact Perry: persis@uw.edu

Aisling Doyle Wade, Production Manager

Aisling returned to the UW Farm as production manager in April of 2023. Aisling started her journey with the UW Farm back in 2017 during her freshman year at UW. During her first week at UW she attended a Dawg Daze pizza bake at the farm and she was blown away by the bastion of food production located in the heart of urban Seattle! 

After attending a few community events and showing up to a few volunteer shifts she became hooked. The process of growing food intrigued her unlike anything else and the farm provided a perfect setting for community building during her transition to college life.

Aisling continued to stay highly involved with the UW Farm while completing her undergraduate degree in Community, Environment & Planning in the College of Built Environments.

She worked as a student staff member for two seasons in 2018 and 2019, led the Dirty Dozen student farm RSO  and even took on additional farm projects through fellowship funding. Her proudest accomplishment as a student farmer was completing the UW Farm Student Handbook – a comprehensive guide to the procedures of the farm which is still used today to help new student farmers learn how to perform various tasks. 

After graduating in 2021 during the Covid-19 pandemic, Aisling moved out to Whidbey Island, WA where she worked on SkyRoot Farm. SkyRoot is a 20-acre, organic & regenerative vegetable, livestock & fruit farm. Here, Aisling was able to work two seasons developing her skills as a small-scale regenerative agriculture producer. She was lucky enough to live and work on SkyRoot, becoming fully immersed in the intricacies and challenges of growing food in an ecosystem-minded, community-oriented way. 

After two beautiful seasons on SkyRoot, Aisling decided to pursue a new challenge and when she heard that the UW Farm was hiring a production manager, she jumped on the chance to return to the UW and the farm that sparked her initial interest in food production! 

In her position as Production Manager, Aisling manages our growing and distribution to campus and the community: order fulfillment and sales to UW Dining and Athletics, the CSA subscription program for households, deliveries to the UW food Pantry and area food banks, and over all management of the farm’s three growing sites on campus. Aisling is committed to continually improving the UW Farm’s food growing efficiency and capacity while never losing sight of the central missions of education and strengthening community around food production. 

Year at UW: BA Community, Environment & Planning, College of Built Environments, ’21

Hails from: Seattle, WA

Hobbies: Cycling, mountain exploring, home gardening, cooking, woodworking

Favorite Vegetable and Fruit: All the winter squash! 

Contact information: amtdw@uw.edu

Work Study Students 

Sasha Crawford, Indigenous Food Growing Program Liaison

Sasha began working at the farm in summer 2024. With prior experience working on an academic research farm at his alma mater, UC Santa Cruz, he knew the UW Farm presented an exciting opportunity to be involved in community agriculture.

Sasha is passionate about green common space and the protection of land and natural resources, which he hopes to serve after graduation. He believes in the power of community and embodied, tangible work and is delighted to continue working with the UW Farm through the 24/25 school year. He hopes to aid in the maintenance of the land on which UW Farm currently resides, as well as gain confidence and skills in urban agroecology.

Contribution to the development and planning of the Farm’s long term vision are what drives him to take on duties both in the field and in the classroom.

Beginning January 2025, Sasha has been delighted to work as the Liaison between the Farm and UW Indigenous Food Growing Program. Sasha co-stewards the Wapato Pond, and is managing the construction of the World Cultural Culinary Garden, both on site at the Center for Urban Horticulture.

Year at UW: MLA 1 Master of Landscape Architecture, UW College of Built Environments, Expected Graduation ’26

Hails from: San Francisco, California.

Hobbies: Cooking, baking, hiking, biking, soccer, disc golf, and camping.

Favorite fruit and vegetable: Carrots and raspberries.

Student Interns

Phoebe Clifton, 2025 Dani Elenga Intern, CSA Assistant Manager

Phoebe started at the UW Farm as a community volunteer in winter quarter 2024, and in the spring as a CELE (Community Engagement & Leadership Education) learner for ENVIR 240: The Urban Farm. She quickly found a passion for food production, regenerative agriculture, and community building. This led Phoebe to apply to become the Vermicompost Intern to learn more about waste reduction and urban farming. She was the farm’s Vermicompost Intern for the 2024 growing season. 

Phoebe is returning to the farm for the 2025 season as our Dani Elenga funded scholar! She is xcited to now be in a position focused on the UW Farm’s Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program! With some CSA experience from last fall, she is excited to engage with the farm’s produce from planting seeds to putting meals on the table.

Phoebe is passionate about the role of community in food production, and believes that human connection is a great strength of urban agriculture. She has a particular interest in the intersection of food production and environmental sustainability, so she hopes to use her internship to learn more about the relationship between plants, food, and people.

The dramatic transitions on the farm in spring and abundance in summer and fall inspire Phoebe’s academic and personal passions to get outside and grow food!

Year/program at UW: BA Environmental Studies, Program on the Environment, Expected Graduation ’26

Hails From: Scotts Valley, CA

Hobbies: Reading, hiking, cooking, gardening, and playing pickleball

Favorite Fruit and vegetable: tomatoes and broccoli

Vedika Bhat, Education Intern

Vedika is the Farm Education Intern for Spring 2025, leading tours, compiling educational materials, and being a helping hand on the farm. She completed her undergraduate at UW, graduating with a BS in Biology and BA in Medical Anthropology and Global Health. Her favorite class during this time was Agroecology, opening her eyes to a career path that could marry her interests in ecology, plant biology, traditional medicine and environmental knowledge, and sustainability. Vedika got to study public health in Nepal, and biobehavioral health in Italy, solidifying her holistic and systems-thinking framework in human and environmental health, and passion for global community-engaged public health. 

Vedika will be a triple Husky upon the completion of her Master of Public Health in Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences. She is pursuing a career in environmental justice, hoping to illuminate the ways in which our soil and plants affect human health through mixed-methods research.

During her time on the farm, Vedika hopes to formalize her farming knowledge, share the science and history of regenerative agriculture in this space, and enjoy some sunny days out in the field. She values curiosity, passion, and authenticity which she sees on every shift with the UW Farm community, and why she is excited for this internship opportunity.

Year/program at UW: MPH 1 Master of Public Health, UW School of Public Health, Expected Graduation ’26

Hails From:  San Francisco, California

Hobbies: Reading, watching film, making chai, and hiking (with botany friends, so 1 mile can take 2 hours…)

Favorite Fruit and vegetable: Okra and Mango. Honorable mention goes to tomatoes. 

Mathew Judd, Beekeeping/Apiary & Vermicompost Intern

Aliya Thompson, Jackson Munro Public Service Fellow & Food Security Intern

During her senior year of high school, Aliya’s passion for community-based, regenerative urban agriculture was elicited fortuitously when a Plant Biology class exposed them to horticulture and food justice in addition to botany. In Lincoln High School’s greenhouses, Aliya would discover the intersection between small-scale urban agriculture and the pursuit of social parity, eventually serving as a Student Greenhouse Manager for the school’s annual plant sale and as an officer for Abe’s Acres, the school’s farm club.

As a second-year undergraduate, Aliya discovered the UW Farm through the Food Systems program and has since metamorphosed from a garden hobbyist into a full-fledged aspiring farmer. She became involved as a CELE learner through the Urban Farm and Farm Practicum courses and served as a peer TA for the Urban Farm class in Autumn of 2024. They are also proudly involved in leadership of the UW’s Dirty Dozen Farm club, managing production on the student-led plot. Off the farm, Aliya enjoys stage management and technical theater for the UW Dance Department and singing in UW Choirs.

Aliya is joining the UW Farm for Summer 2025 supported by the Jackson Munro Public Service Fellowship! She is eager to carry out her civic service in the form of her Food Security Internship project, which aims to seek consumer insight on the social and cultural acceptability of the UW Farm’s contributions to the UW Food Pantry and other outlets of donated produce.

Year/ program at UW: Senior, BA Food Systems, Nutrition, and Health, minoring in American Indian Studies

Hails from: Tacoma, WA

Hobbies: Arts & crafts, music, camping, gardening and food preservation.

Favorite Vegetable and Fruit: Kiwi & Arugula

Ariana Milo, Environmental Justice Intern

Ariana first got involved at the UW Farm as a member of the Dirty Dozen in winter 2024, then as a student in ENVIR 240: The Urban Farm the following spring. Through the friendships she found in the Dirty Dozen, Ariana gained the skills and confidence to help tend a thriving student plot, and she now serves in a leadership role within the group.

She is especially passionate about the ways growing food can bring people together and create space for learning, connection, and mutual care. Ariana values the opportunity to work with her hands and see tangible results that directly benefit the campus community, whether that’s sharing fresh produce or creating a welcoming space for everyone. She believes that campus farms like UW’s serve a vital role cultivating not just food but also community resilience and social connection.

As part of her Environmental Studies capstone, Ariana is focusing on physical and sensory accessibility at the farm as an issue of environmental justice. Her project centers on improving information access by installing braille signage and developing audio guides to help make the farm’s spaces and resources more inclusive. She hopes her work will encourage others to see urban agriculture as a place where everyone belongs. From once struggling to keep a houseplant alive to now helping lead and tend the Dirty Dozen plot, Ariana is proof that anyone can learn to cultivate both crops and community.

Year/Program at UW: BA Environmental Studies, 3rd year

Hails from: St. Louis, Missouri

Hobbies: Baking, reading, ceramics

Favorite vegetable and fruit: Honeynut squash & figs

Carilyn Brandt, General Farm Intern & Children’s Garden Lead

Carilyn is a general farm intern working in the Children’s Garden for Summer 2025. She first came to the UW Farm as a freshman after joining the on-campus farm club, Dirty Dozen. It only took one morning of volunteering for her to fall in love with the UW Farm space and its focus on regenerative methods and building community. 

As a Creative Writing major, Carilyn is particularly interested in the connection between written arts and the environment. In her poetry and writing, she enjoys exploring the many facets of our relationship to land in the face of climate change. She thinks a lot about the tie between the environment and cultural identity, and is excited about inspiring reciprocal relationships with nature. She believes strongly in the power of art to express feelings about the environment as well as share its beauty with others.

In the summer of 2024, Carilyn spent a month on Lopez Island studying its farms and local food system with other UW students. It was deeply inspiring seeing a localized community built around sustainable agriculture, and meeting the tenacious farmers that made it work. Since then, Carilyn has made it a goal of hers to remain committed to the farming space and contribute to bringing a community like that alive in the city. Looking forward, Carilyn is excited to continue learning about agriculture — particularly the tie between authentic communities and growing food.

Carilyn is grateful to continue giving back to the UW Farm this summer, developing a growing space for summer camps and farm visitors this season. She is looking forward to more adventures and learning in the UW farm space now and beyond!

Year at UW: BA Creative Writing with a minor in Environmental Studies, expected graduation 2027

Hails from: Seattle, WA

Hobbies: Hiking, drawing, reading, gardening, writing, scrapbooking 

Favorite Vegetable and Fruit: Summer squash and asian pear

Outstanding Community Volunteers

There’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes at the UW Farm, and we’re grateful for all of the volunteers who help keep things running! If you’d like to volunteer with us, get info here.

RIZANIÑO REYES – Flower Production Mentor & Educator

Inspired by tropical fruits and flowers since he was a child, Rizaniño “Riz” Reyes is a garden consultant and floral designer in Seattle, Washington, known for creatively embracing horticultural diversity with a sophisticated style that belies his 30-something years.

His early passion for plants led him to the University of Washington (UW), where in 2006 he earned a degree in environmental horticulture and urban forestry with a specialization in public horticulture.

He then worked as a horticulturist at the UW Botanic Gardens Center for Urban Horticulture for several years, as well as operating a small nursery on the side where he propagated rare and unusual plants for Northwest gardeners.

In 2015, he took on his current role as gardens manager for the brew pub and hospitality company McMenamin’s Anderson School in Bothell, Washington.

Reyes also maintains his own enterprise, RHR Horticulture, overseeing private landscapes and designing cut flowers, in addition to teaching and lecturing for various garden clubs and professional organizations.

He began volunteering for the UW Farm in 2014. Part planting consultant, flower maintenance guide, and educator, Riz spearheads its cut flower program and mentors younger horticulturists from nontraditional backgrounds.

Kurt Sahl, Volunteer Apiary Manager & Mentor

Kurt is a life-long learner and former educator who is committed to the social and intellectual benefits of growing food and providing students with opportunities to learn in a hands-on setting.

His volunteer experience centers on managing a small apiary which serves as another student learning context at the UW Farm. Kurt enjoy honeybees, yes, but he especially enjoy sharing their special world with others who want to know more about their lives and role in agriculture. 

Joel Rosen, Field Volunteer