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 skills as a nonprofit administrator were honed at NC Theatre where she served as the CEO for over eight years. She sees a direct link between the importance of “art and ag” – two key ingredients that contribute to an enhanced quality of life for our community.
Her love of gardening was handed down by her father and she takes great pleasure in cultivating all manner of plants inside and out. She is the creator of “Wine + Weeds,” Raleigh City Farm’s weekly volunteer event that keeps the Farm looking good while growing meaningful community connections. Lisa has a deep belief in the transformative power of cultivating the soil and how it contributes to our personal and collective well-being.
Maria Williford, Farm Manager
Maria joined our team in 2021 and brings joy and passion to our nonprofit urban farm. As she digs into the farm manager role, she’ll be drawing from her deep-rooted experiences in social entrepreneurship, design/build, and permaculture.
She believes our community’s biggest resource in times of crisis are our neighbors. Maria has dedicated her career to growing businesses that empower people and protect their access to our most vital resources: clean water, land, food, and air.
She is excited to use her landscape, natural building, and management experiences to help grow the mission of Raleigh City Farm. Maria believes the farm is a place where the transformative power of being connected to the soil can be seeded and flourish — one person and one plant at a time.
Colleen Yeager, Assistant 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.
Talyr Johnson, Program Coordinator
Talyr first joined Raleigh City Farm in 2023 as an intern after graduating with her Master’s degree in Urban & Regional Planning from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. There, she focused her studies on community food systems and developed a deep passion for urban agriculture. Talyr is driven by the potential of urban farms and gardens to inspire and strengthen communities.
Talyr feels a deep connection to Raleigh City Farm because it was the first place she felt a sense of “home” after moving to the South from the Midwest. She is excited to continue working with the team as the Program Coordinator and is grateful for the opportunity to stay connected with the land. You can find her at the Pay-What-You-Can Farmstand on Wednesday evenings, where she is eager to chat about all things food, public transit, and comedy!