Our Staff
Joan Pinegar
Joan is the owner/director of The Educational Garden Project. Joan Pinegar has been the director of multiple day camps, spent over a decade as Garden Coordinator at Isaac Dickson Elementary School, and led numerous community gardens, all while feeding the Asheville community with rescued food.
Ellie Philips
Ellie is currently a senior at UNC Asheville studying Environmental Science. After graduating, she plans to get her paster’s in Environmental Resilience. Ellie has been working with The Educational Garden Project for the past five years. She loves being outdoors, getting her hands dirty, and spending time in nature. She’s passionate about sustainability, community, outdoor learning and creating spaces that encourage curiosity, creativity and play.
Anneris Arjona
Originally from the Northeast, Anneris spent the last eight years in the Pacific Northwest, where she spent most of her days hiking, exploring forests, and learning alongside the grassroots forest school community with her family. As a mama of two young girls, she’s deeply passionate about outdoor learning, nature connection, and child-led exploration. She loves helping children build confidence, curiosity, and wonder through outdoor adventure and play.
Megan Lamm
Megan is a full time student studying conservation biology. When she’s not spending time collecting rocks and admiring wildlife, she’s cooking and gardening. She has experience working with kids during her time as a scout, and now an Eagle Scout, she’s excited to teach kids about gardening and animals through play and meaningful experiences.
Lorraine Dauw
Lorraine believes art, play, and exploration are essential to a fulfilling life. As a practicing artist with an MFA in Sculpture, she has over 15 years of experience teaching and is passionate about encouraging young minds to develop their curiosity and creativity. She is an avid gardener, healthy cook, kayaker, and downhill skier, and is thrilled to join the Educational Garden Project community again this summer.
Brandi Hubiak
Brandi loves to inspire young people to explore the world around them! While she is most recognized as a professional dancer and musician, she has also worked as a wilderness guide in Alaska, been an herbal and garden apprentice then later a professional farm manager and landscaper in diverse ecosystems, lived off-grid in multiple eco-villages, and has years of experience working with children. She finds immense joy in the sound of children playing and teaching about the cycles of nature that nurture all life.
Erica Indiano
Erica brings over a decade of experience in both public and nonprofit education, teaching students and both outdoor and indoor settings alike. She earned her undergraduate degree in Sustainable Agriculture from University of Kentucky and her master’s degree in Middle Level Education from University of Vermont. Currently teaching STEM, Erica is passionate about helping students explore science, problem-solving, and creativity through hands-on learning experiences.
Dayah Cray
Dayah is an Asheville native with over 10 years of experience working with children in a variety of care and educational settings. She holds a certificate in Early Childhood Education and is currently continuing her studies in Social Work, with a deep passion for supporting children’s emotional and developmental growth. She is passionate about growing food and food security for children, and believes in a process-over-product approach to learning.