Rooted in Raleigh

Raleigh City Farm is a nonprofit urban farm founded in 2011 on a formerly vacant 1.2 acre lot in downtown Raleigh. We believe in the power of urban farms to create healthier communities and reconnect city dwellers with healthy food production through more frequent encounters with agriculture.

We believe that turning vacant lots into productive, nourishing farmland is a powerful step toward a more resilient food system.

We invite our community to “dig in” and advance our mission by signing up for a workshop, taking a tour, attending a special event, and volunteering to help maintain our farm site.

View our 2026–2029 Strategic Plan

Quick Links:

Mission, Vision, Values • Our Team • Board of Directors • Advisory Council • Our Roots

Our Mission

To connect and nourish our community through regenerative agriculture

Our Vision

A healthy community supporting the next generation of farmers

Our Values

We are committed to the following NICE Core Values that guide the culture of RCF:

Nutrition - Championing the importance of growing accessible and affordable local food.
Innovation - Cultivating the entrepreneurial spirit and sustainable practices of farmers to protect and steward the land.
Collaboration - Building partnerships that increase our mission impact and strengthen bonds of community and trust.
Equity - Addressing the deep roots of racial and gender inequities and injustice through promoting and supporting economic equity for farmers in NC.

Our Commitments

Raleigh City Farm was founded as a place where all members of our diverse community could learn about farming.

We believe in growing the next generation of farmers by connecting our community to sustainable agriculture. By this, we mean our entire community. We recognize the transformative power of cultivating the soil to promote the health and well-being of both the individual and our community. And we believe in building our community from the ground up.

We commit to do our part to listen, learn, and be a part of the solution.

We commit to warmly welcoming all to the Farm.

We commit to being inclusive of everyone in the Triangle community and beyond.

We commit to stewarding the site through sustainable, regenerative means.

We commit to providing healthy food to our community and our non-profit partners who are addressing food access and insecurity.

We commit to providing a beautiful space for gathering, sharing, and learning.

And we commit to cultivating each other as we seek to build a more equitable and just future for all.

To learn more about how you can support greater diversity and equity in farm ownership, check out these organizations:

Food Literacy Center

National Black Farmers Association

Black Farmers & Urban Gardeners

Our Team

Lisa Grele Barrie, Executive Director

Lisa began digging in as a volunteer since the Farm’s inception, and is passionate about sustaining this very special urban green space around the corner from her home. Her professional background encompasses over 40 years of sales, marketing and nonprofit management and she leverages all three daily to keep the Farm growing. She helped develop and lead the Farm's "New Season of Stewardship" strategy in 2020 that resulted in robust growth in plants, people and profit as well as the "Future Farms Plan & Fund" in 2024 to ensure a sustainable future. Her love of gardening was handed down by her father and blossomed after living for two years in England. Lisa was certified as an NC State Extension Master Gardener Volunteer of Wake County in 2022 and is inspired and humbled by the plant world.

Maria Williford, Co-Farm Manager

Maria is a regenerative farmer, natural builder, and social entrepreneur that thrives at the intersection of community and craftsmanship. With a toolkit that spans permaculture certifications, nonprofit leadership, design/build expertise, and an International Business background, she builds landscapes and organizations that flourish even in the face of uncertainty. Maria has been with our growing urban farm since 2021 and her work is a testament to what’s possible when competence meets compassion, and design is rooted in resilience.

Colleen Yeager, Co-Farm Manager

Colleen is a sustainable-minded farmer who gets excited about taking care of and coexisting with the basic ingredients that our community needs to survive: plants, soil, water and insects. She finds solace in growing food using regenerative practices that are good for the earth and for her people. As a mother, wife, and daughter, she is a tireless advocate for working together to restore nature’s balance.

Anton Fatula, Program & Education Coordinator

Anton discovered a love of food and farming while studying environmental science at Penn State University. Since graduating Anton has worked at regenerative farms, gardens, kitchens and as a food systems organizer/educator in their home state of Pennsylvania and across Europe. Joining the team in Spring 2025, they are excited to dig in with the Raleigh community and join RCF as the program coordinator.

Establishing a community that includes the natural world teaches us, among many wonderful things, how to trust and communicate with one another. Anton has seen in their own life how food and farms can ignite these relationships and they are motivated to make these spaces as accessible and inviting as possible.

Board of Directors

**Bryan Vodicka, Chair**
Novartis
Raleigh City Farm brings together both areas of my family background - my roots in rural North Carolina, where growing your own food has been a core part of life, and my life as a Raleigh native, as part of a rapidly growing and changing urban center - and allows me to channel this background and these passions into benefits for my immediate local community.

**Anna Zimmerman, Vice Chair**
Imangi Studios
With family in agriculture and my own background in environmental studies, discovering Raleigh City Farm after I moved to the area was one of my first, memorable senses of familiarity in this new hometown. Now, as a board member, I am eager to uphold the farm's mission and ensure that urban, regenerative agriculture is available to others seeking community and connection to the land.

**Christy Morton, Second Vice Chair**
The Clorox Company
I am excited to serve on the board of RCF because I am passionate about the mission of growing the next generation of farmers. My husband and I grew up in farming families in Eastern NC so it is very important to us that this legacy continue. In addition, the goals of sustainability with a focus on nature have a nice synergy with the goals of my company, Burt’s Bees that is owned by The Clorox Company.

**Parth Rampal, Treasurer**
Databricks
I believe connecting with the ground, the food we eat and the community we live in is very important. RCF has allowed me to become a member of the community, feel connected to Raleigh and learn about regenerative agriculture. I hope to continue meeting amazing people and helping educate our community about regenerative agriculture and the work we do at RCF.

Sam Wright, Secretary

Armstrong McGuire

We have been calling the Mordecai neighborhood of downtown Raleigh home since 2016, and since then I've sought ways to put my education and experience to work in our local community. Raleigh City Farm combines my love for science and nature with my passion for access to healthy food and community impact. I'm thrilled for the opportunity to get hands on with regenerative farming and champion this great organization.

**Paul Carroll**
One of the greatest pleasures in retirement has been volunteering in community organizations. I’ve had the opportunity to serve on the board of Tampa’s Community Radio station, WMNF, as well as raising and training service dogs for Dogs, Inc. Since moving to Raleigh, my wife and I found the Raleigh City Farm and were hooked. I look forward to the opportunity to help grow the farm and ensure that it remains a core part of the Raleigh Community.

**Mike Frongello**
Wyrick Robbins
As a Raleigh native and downtown Raleigh resident, RCF’s mission is incredibly important to me and the opportunity to serve through this organization is particularly exciting. Raleigh has experienced tremendous growth over the last decade and it has been amazing to observe the Farm’s reach and impact grow along with our City. The Farm has become a pillar of our community, and the organization’s mission, vision and values encompass many of my own personal passions, including building healthy communities, addressing food insecurity, and furthering diversity, equity, and inclusion. I am excited to dig in and help the Farm continue to lay down important roots and serve as a point of connection in our community.

**Brian Hannon**
Rimol Greenhouses
As a staunch advocate for Controlled Environment Agriculture, I am thrilled to serve on the Board of Directors for RCF. My experience in various forms of urban and controlled environment farms has deepened my belief that integrating more farms and greenhouses into our communities can profoundly transform them. By localizing food production, we not only make our communities healthier and safer but also contribute significantly to climate change mitigation by reducing the need to ship food over long distances. I am committed to leveraging my background in horticulture to help RCF nourish our community, ensuring that everyone has access to fresh, sustainable produce. This initiative is not just about growing food but nurturing a healthier, more resilient future.

Rachel Johnson

Board Apprentice

After interning with Raleigh City Farm in 2025, I developed an interest in how the nonprofit sector functions. While serving as an apprentice, I will also continue growing my career in sustainable agriculture.

**Ruhi Pitre**
SAS
Raleigh City Farm is such an exciting place to be: I've gotten to learn so much about regenerative agriculture while also getting to connect with my community. I look forward to continue learning and working towards our mission.

Meridith Pumphrey

Busy Bees Book Club

I am passionate about building community through shared experiences and was drawn to Raleigh City Farm for its commitment to sustainability, food access, and bringing people together in a shared space. I am grateful for the opportunity to support Raleigh’s urban farming movement and believe that nurturing the environment also nurtures the people within it. Pollinators are near and dear to me - especially bees!

**Amanda Frystock Ronan**
Research Triangle Foundation
I am excited to join Raleigh City Farm and support the mission through community building and strengthening partnerships. I come from a family of “aggies” and while I did not inherit any sort of green thumb, I feel fortunate to able to contribute to the agriculture community through serving on the Board.

Michael ScottThe Clorox Company “When the going gets tough, the tough get growing…” is a saying I heard during some of the darkest times of 2020, which could not be more synonymous with Raleigh City Farm’s mission. Personally, serving on the board h… — **Michael Scott**
The Clorox Company
“When the going gets tough, the tough get growing…” is a saying I heard during some of the darkest times of 2020, which could not be more synonymous with Raleigh City Farm’s mission. Personally, serving on the board helps me to connect with very fond memories of gardening with my family.

Katie Steindl

Volunteering at the Raleigh City Farm during the pandemic was an incredibly meaningful experience for me. It has been remarkable to watch the Farm’s impact and growth over the last five years. I am excited to continue contributing to its mission as a board member, helping to expand its reach and address food insecurity, while also educating the community about sustainable farming practices. I hope to help foster a sense of belonging and responsibility within the Raleigh community, encouraging people to connect with and care for the land we inhabit.

**Lauren Swan**
AECOM
With a background in urban ecology, I’m excited to help RCF bring people together through sustainability and local produce. I've spent several decades helping communities with climate and equity challenges, I see urban farming as a hands-on approach to make a big impact—reducing environmental footprints, supporting healthy lifestyles, and creating spaces where neighbors connect. For me it’s about becoming part of my community and helping to enhance Raleigh's community resilience. I’m excited to share my experience and energy, meet new people, and learn about growing conditions to help the farm thrive and inspire others.

**Jason Tyson**
NC Department of Insurance
Jason is a native North Carolinian who grew up growing vegetables and herbs as a kid with his three siblings. His father and grandfather had a large crop farm in rural Eastern North Carolina, and he used to go out to the field and harvest watermelons with his grandfather. Jason began collecting plants as a hobby and visited urban farms in New York City and arboretums and green houses across the southeast. "The success of farms and gardens is crucially important to the overall health and lifeblood of any major city. I am excited about the prospect of working to ensure the continued success of RCF and to plan for the expansion of its impact to our citizens.

Joining the Board of Directors

Interested in exploring whether a board seat is right for you? Or do you want to dig in by volunteering on a committee such as Event Planning or Marketing & Communications? Learn more and apply online here.

Advisory Council

Mary Archer
NC State University

Kamal Bell
Sankofa Farms

Meg McKinnon Bullard
Meg Bullard Realty

Coleman Bumgardner
PwC

Norma Burns
Bluebird Hill Farm

LeAnna Cargman
Nomadic Roots Herbals

Melissa Creamer
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina

Lyndsey Delk

Carly Demler

Nation Hahn
Nation Co. Consulting

Kate Kimball
BlueCross and BlueShield of North Carolina

Caitlin Kitchen
Align Technology

Tiffany Lopez
Harbor Global

Miranda Miller
Smith Anderson

Ryan McGuire
Executive Mansion NC

Preston Montague
Artist, Landscape Designer

Julie Moore
NC Composting Council

Caroline Morrison
Fiction Kitchen

Meryl Murtagh
Wyrick Robbins

Al Newsom
Good Dirt

Jamie Ousterout
Stabilimenta

Tara Zechini Owens
Goodness

Laurel Varnado Passera
EQ Research

Sam Ratto
Videri Chocolate Factory

Michael Roberts
Office of the State Auditor

Matt Spitzer
Triangle Hemp

Melissa Vega-Magbitang
melissa-vega.com

Chase Werner
Triangle Hemp

Jake Wolf
Capital Club 16

Helen Yoest
Bee Better

Larry Zucchino
JDavis Architects

Our Roots

Raleigh City Farm began as a vision between two friends: "A place where anyone could learn about farming." Neighbors and community members gathered around the original visionaries and brought the dream to life.

The Raleigh community raised $25,000 on Kickstarter, rows were planted in Spring 2012, and many farmers have cared for the land in the years that followed. Read more about our history, and meet the farmers who have kept our one acre plot thriving.

Read Our History