Our Team

Kord Staley | Education & Curriculum Coordinator

Kord first worked alongside Jeanne and Verd Nolan in Austin, Texas, and later in Asheville, North Carolina, on the communal farm where they all learned to grow food. Kord grew up in Illinois and, after ten years with the commune, returned home in 2005 to join Jeanne and Verd as a crucial part of the early TOG team. He worked on all aspects of the start-up operation – garden consultation, soil preparation and maintenance, and teaching in gardens.

Around 2009, Kord began pursuing his Masters of Education in Science Education at the University of Illinois at Chicago. With a UIC Bachelors in Environmental Science already under his belt, Kord was eager to further his passion for environmental education and apply it to his work with TOG. In 2016, Kord will complete his PhD in Math & Science Education – his research interests include the integration of informal education in non-classroom spaces (like gardens), and how that type of learning can improve formal math and science education outcomes for students.

Kord co-leads our educational department, focusing especially on youth projects like La Casa Norte, The Edible Gardens, and Boys & Girls Club, and developing curricula and programming for our school gardens.