I have spent more than 25 years in regenerative agriculture, livelihoods, community development and humanitarian aid work. Presently based in Santa Barbara I have extensive field experience across Sub-Saharan Africa- with significant time in Mozambique, Uganda and Ethiopia. My focal areas are urban agriculture, food production system design, post-conflict recovery, agricultural extension, permaculture, natural resource management and food security. I spend much of my spare time in these countries climbing the odd mountain and researching succulent plants, primarily aloe, euphorbia and sansevieria.I currently work as an agroecology and resilience design advisor for global USAID food security programs and provide technical agricultural support for numerous communities recovering from conflict and disaster. I have broad experience with internally displaced populations in Ethiopia, Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan and in refugee camps in eastern Chad and Northern Uganda. Previously I worked as the Africa Region Food Security and Livelihoods Advisor for Save the Children. I am co-founder and technical advisor for African Women Rising, a community-based organization empowering thousands of women in post-war Uganda. I am also a founding partner and VP of sourcing and sustainability for Kaibae, a Santa-Barbara based company that revalues Lost Crops found in local communities across the world and reimagines them as potent health and beauty solutions. Throughout my career I have continued to work as a Strategic Philanthropic Advisor for several family foundations, including Crown Family Philanthropies and the Oprah Winfrey Foundation, helping to guide strategic investments across a range of program areas including global health and sustainable agriculture.In Santa Barbara, I am the co-owner and operator of Cold Spring Aloes, a small botanic garden, succulent plant nursery and award-winning garden design business. I received the Bouquet of the Year Award in 2017 from the Santa Barbara Horticultural Society and am a multiple-time winner of the Santa Barbara Beautiful Award. I have described three new species and one sub-species of aloe from Uganda (aloe wanalensis, aloe butiabana, aloe lukeana and aloe labworana ssp. longifolia), a new species of Sansevieria (Sansevieria conduplicata) and am a co-author of the Field Guide to the Aloes of Uganda. I hold a Masters degree in Humanitarian Assistance from both the Friedman School of Nutrition and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and am a 5-time world Frisbee champion.