The GardenWorks Project’s vision and mission is driven by its leadership and staff. Our leadership team of board and committee members provide us expertise and strategic direction to improve our community, one garden at a time.
Please connect with us if you are interested in committee and/or board membership or would like to meet with a board member to learn more!
Jackie Pierucci
Jackie’s earliest memories of gardening begin on the south side of Chicago with her father in the backyard of her parent’s home. While she grew up witnessing neighborhoods turn into food deserts, she did not know of the term or how widespread it was until college where she earned her BS in Nutrition & Dietetics. […]
Nancy Bell
Nancy became a gardener by accident over 20 years ago when her sister encouraged her to start a container garden on her apartment balcony. Initially intrigued but not enthused, she followed her sister’s suggestion and a deep love of growing things was sparked. Volunteering as a University of Illinois Extension Master Gardeners for over 15 […]
Jesse Laseman
Jesse currently works at Sikich as a Senior Internal Audit Consultant. In this role, Jesse works to improve client’s, of various industries, daily processes by decreasing risk and increasing operational efficiencies. Outside of his career, he enjoys giving back to the community as the Assistant Cross Country Coach at Waubonsee Community College and serves as […]
Bill Waters
Bill has participated in a Master Gardener program, written a gardening column for a local newspaper, and taught gardening classes at his local park district. He was introduced to The GardenWorks Project through an online course in Urban Sustainable Agriculture at College of Dupage, where he learned about the realities of national and local food […]
Teri Wood
Teri is an avid gardener and annually starts seeds in the spring for her bungalow kitchen and cutting gardens. She first learned of the GardenWorks Project while wandering at a local garden center and attending a volunteer event. Teri was immediately drawn to the mission of the GWP and the commitment of the board, staff, […]