Meet Our Volunteers
Jay Ganson - Executive Director
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.
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Rob Close - President; Vegetable Circus Director & Peformer
Rob is a graduate of UNC-Asheville's Philosophy department, where he focused his studies on pragmatism and the nature of belief.
He's been a social worker, run a toy store, and is a licensed teacher in Massachusetts.
Rob co-founded and wrote the original Vegetable Circus script in 2005; his focus within AWEN is ensuring the quality of its program's content,
while constantly improving and expanding the Vegetable Circus.
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Abigail Wolf - Secretary; 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.
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Brian Walden - Treasurer; Vegetable Circus Director & Performer
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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. 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.
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Zach Fisher -- Vegetable Circus West Coast Director & Performer "Number 9"
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Meghan Schultz -- Vegetable Circus Performer "Miss Ginger"
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Allison Fastman -- Gardening Program Coordinator; Vegetable Circus Performer "Madamoiselle Mushroom"
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Vanessa Nemergut -- Vegetable Circus Performer "Miss Kiwi"
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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 is also a founding member of the Grasshopper Collective performance troupe.
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Laura Hanley -- Vegetable Circus Performer "Little L L Vanilla Bean"
Laura comes to us from the Boston Hoop Troupe and Grasshopper Collective, as one of the premier hoop artists in the region.
Laura is a both a gardener and a professional artist with diverse talents, working in costume design and a variety of graphic art mediums.
She's a graduate of UMass Lowell, with her Bachelor's in Fine Arts.
Laura continues to create costuming, vegetable props and pictures for AWEN, and has even designed the Vegetable Circus logo!
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Karina Gordin - Health Researcher
Karina received her B.A. in English 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.
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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!
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Dr. Katherine Walden - Advisor
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