Shawn fell in love with plants and gardening at a young age. Exploring the gardens of her grandparents, she delighted in the flowers, herbs, and tasty harvests made possible by working with soil, sun, and water. Throughout her life, she’s continually sought out opportunities to learn and grow new things.

Civil commitment is a big part of Shawn’s life, and she was part of the original group of Oakley residents who founded the Oakley Community Gardens in 2014, serving as its first garden coordinator, treasurer, and vice-chair. In early 2015, Shawn became Chair and OCG accepted an offer from the city to beautify the current location at Creekside Park.

Shawn met the Cecchini family in 2017 while searching for a new fiscal sponsor for OCG. Since then, she’s become their lead goat milker, trainer, and soapmaker. With the opening of the Urban Edge Farm Store, she now also enjoys helping customers discover and enjoy delicious, nutritious foods.

Shawn also runs our beautiful 1000 sq ft greenhouse, with her attention to detail, each seedling gets to live its best life at The Urban Edge Farm.

Also, have you ever met anyone who found an acorn, planted it, and now has a three-year-old oak tree? That’s Shawn.