Meet Our Volunteers

Jay Ganson - President, Board of Directors

Jay comes to AWEN from the CleanTech industry where he works with electrical utilities as well as state and federal legislators to promote the adoption of smart grid. Jay holds a M.A. in Environmental Management from Harvard Extension and a B.A in Russian from Dickinson College. Jay has roots in another Non-Profit, Dive-Kulture, who’s existing network and activities are complementary to the goals of AWEN. Jay sees AWEN’s message and approach as an important, and lacking, element in education and is excited to have the opportunity to help drive AWEN forward.

Rob Close - Executive Director, Vegetable Circus Performer "Gazpacho"

Rob is a graduate of UNC-Asheville's Philosophy department, where he focused his studies on pragmatism and the nature of belief. Rob co-founded and wrote the original Vegetable Circus script in 2005, and has kept himself busy revising our shows and directing our programs ever since! Rob's favorite toy is a contact juggling sphere, and his favorite vegetable is asparagus.

Allison Fastman -- Vice-President; Gardening Program Coordinator; Vegetable Circus Performer "Mademoiselle Mushroom"

Allison leads our Urban Gardening Program over at the Cambridge Community Center, and she's an active performer in the Vegetable Circus as well! She can be found sprouting rooftop gardens across Cambridge while fighting for the chickens & ducks!

Brian Walden - Treasurer; Vegetable Circus National Program Director & Performer "Hot Soup"

Brian is a professional entertainer, educator, and wellness promoter imbued with a tireless devotion to improving the quality of the life we all share. It was with this devotion that Brian co-founded and named the Vegetable Circus in 2005. Brian is a regular face at most of the elementary schools in Somerville, MA, and many in the Boston area. Brian strives daily to nurture the Vegetable Circus so it can grow ever-more educational, inspiring, and fun! Brian's contagious enthusiasm has helped him excel at recruiting talented artists, practitioners, and organizers into our programs.

Rachel Viola - Secretary, Board of Directors

Rachel graduated from Boston University in 2008 with a B.A. in biology and public health. During her time at BU, Rachel was a volunteer health educator for a non-profit organization, Peer Health Exchange (PHE), which partners with colleges around the US to bring health education to schools in need. She currently works for a professional society dedicated to disease surveillance, and will soon be returning to graduate school to pursue an MPH. Her primary interests in public health are centered around improving health communication practices, in order to maximize the impact of health messages and education.

Marria Grace - Vegetable Circus Performer "Madame Spinach"

Madame Spinach joined the Vegetable Circus in 2009 and brought color, laughter, yoga, hooping, acrobatics and lots of fun to both shows and the classroom. Having served as a leading member of the Boston Hoop Troop, the Madame brings a vast knowledge of all things hoop. She has recently moved to California to help set up Veggie Circus West Coast, but plans on spreading smiles and wellness to both coasts and everywhere in between.

Zach Fischer - Vegetable Circus West Coast Program Director & Performer "Number 9"

Number 9 came to the Vegetable Circus in 2009 with just the seed of an idea. After over a decade working in live theater on both sides of the curtain, he realized it was time to use his ability to create spectacle to inspire and educate young people wherever he could. #9 is an acrobat, martial artist, and multi-skilled object manipulator, who concentrates on freedom and fluidity of movement in all of his art forms. He also takes a strong hand in the creation of curriculum at the Vegetable Circus, and is proud to admit that his best ideas are always stolen from children in his classes. And if your fruit sticker starts with a #9, you know it's organic!

Little L - Vegetable Circus Performer & Artist

Little Legume comes to us from the Boston Hoop Troop and Grasshopper Collective, as one of the premier hoop artists in the region. She is a both a gardener and a professional artist with diverse talents, working in costume design and a variety of graphic art mediums. Little Legume teaches movement arts to all ages, leads a clown club for high school girls, and continues to create costuming, props and pictures for AWEN and has even designed the Vegetable Circus logo!

Sam Perry - Vegetable Circus Performer "Green Bean"

Sam was raised by clowns to express the spectacular, fostered in the artistic and vibrant community of Brattleboro, VT. He set his sights on Boston, graduating BU Theater Arts conservatory. Passionate about ensemble based performance, Sam uses his talents to constantly enhance the theatrical elements of our stage shows..

Justine Pattantyus - Vegetable Circus Performer "Juice", Marketing Manager

Justine graduated from Simmons College in 2008 with a BA in Management. She has a passion for marketing, circus, and all things healthy! Juice joined the Vegetable Circus in 2010, and performs in stage shows, writes show material, and supports our outreach efforts. Juice is also a member of the Boston Hoop Troop, an avid juggler, and her favorite vegetable is kale.

joanna Caffrey - Creative Artist, our "Fiber Fairy"

joanna is a graduate of the Sudbury Valley School, where she spent her years knitting, sewing, crocheting, all while teaching to and learning from those around her. She has continually used these talents to the benefit of the Vegetable Circus, sewing amazing pairs of Vegetable Pants & Skirts and also crocheting Vegetable Balls for Juggling! Some of joanna's work can be found here on Etsy.

Vanessa Nemergut - Vegetable Circus Performer "Lady Kiwi"

Lady Kiwi fell in love with the movement arts about 3 years ago and has found herself utterly transformed as a result. She loves spinning poi, hula hooping and is on her way to becoming a pretty decent juggler! She also has a passion for healthy eating and is enthusiastic about getting kids on the good eats train.

Abigail Wolf - Gardening Program Director

Abby earned her B.S. in Environmental Design at U-Mass Amherst. She has used her degree to begin a back yard farming service for people interested in eating food grown where they live. Her work at AWEN will begin with developing a kids' vegetable gardening program for AWEN, using her experience organic farming and co-teaching ceramics classes.

Dr. Katherine Walden - Advisor

Katherine has her doctorate in Clinical Psychology, and aids our programming in a multitude of manners. Her help has been instrumental at keeping our bi-coastal operations well connected.

Our Health Research Team

Nigel McCourry - Health Research Director

Nigel is a graduate of UNC-Asheville, with his B.S. in Biology. Nigel leads our reviews of the hard science behind AWEN's programs, and is our programs go to source for hard biological & medical knowledge. Nigel has even graced the stage with the Vegetable Circus during our Library Tour of Buncombe County, sharing both his knowledge, charisma, and musical talents.

River McDowell - Vegetable Circus Performer; Health Researcher

River is a certified Nutripath, who completed a 5 year internship where he learned European Biological Medicine, Electrodermal Bio-feedback, and Live Blood Cell Microscopy. River runs a private practice based out of Asheville, NC, and has been contributing his energy to AWEN since 2006 in the form of research and fact-checking, and recently joined the Vegetable Circus as a performer in the spring of 2009.

Karina Gordin - Health Researcher

Karina received her B.A. in Enlish at Tufts U., a certificate in Journalism at Wellesley College, and is presently pursuing her Masters in "Applied Natural Products" at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. She has combined these disciplines, health and writing, to pursue a part-time metier in non-traditional health journalism. Published articles may be found in "Healthcare Ledger", "Townsend Letter", "Lilipoh", "Spirit," peer reviews, amongst others.

Aaron Marxsen - Founder of AWEN; Executive Director (2004-2008)

Aaron is a student of Health & Wellness Promotion at UNC-Asheville, steadily earning his degree since 2003. His goal is to see AWEN chapters spring up across America, allowing health-promoters and artists to work in unison, creating innovative & sustainable programs that foster one main concept: everyone can take charge of their own health!