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.
Amy Gilbert, Program & Partnership Coordinator
Amy is a Blount Street neighbor and longtime supporter of Raleigh City Farm. With a background in public health, she is enthusiastic about the power of urban farms to bring people together and cultivate healthier, more resilient communities. She brings a diverse and creative skillset to this role with years of experience in project management, volunteer engagement, community outreach, and program evaluation. Having dedicated extensive time to hunger relief efforts, she looks forward to connecting more people with nutritious locally grown produce. Outside of her time at Raleigh City Farm, Amy enjoys practicing yoga, trying out new recipes, and experimenting in her backyard garden.
Emily Weyne, Assistant Farm Manager/CEFS Apprentice
Emily is passionate about building strong connections between people, food, and the land. She holds a degree from NC State University focused on the intersections between agriculture and society, with an emphasis on cultivating sustainable food systems. Her interest in sustainable agriculture grew through hands-on experience working on local farms, where she discovered the powerful role that growing food can play in strengthening communities.
At Raleigh City Farm, Emily is excited to support efforts that increase access to fresh, healthy food while creating meaningful opportunities for education and engagement. She is especially interested in community-based farming and how shared growing spaces can foster resilience, connection, and a deeper sense of belonging.
Outside of the farm, Emily enjoys spending time outdoors, cooking, and connecting with her community at Neighbor to Neighbor, just down the street.