Verna Lee has an M.S. in Education and an M.S. in Pharmacology, and has worked with students at Newburgh Free Academy-North for the past decade. There, she serves on the Science Research Committee, which reviews, guides, and approves students' proposals for original research. Verna is also a part of the scholarship planning and student selection committees for the Chris Page Future Heroes scholarship and the Julia Felton Legacy of Caring Award. 

Ed Manner leads a collaborative Creative Placemaking firm - Edison Projects - which is based in The City of Newburgh and focuses on leveraging Arts and Cultural content to engage the community in public and commercial spaces. One aspect of the Newburgh community that Edison Projects works on is Food Justice. This interest has led to work with Our Core, The Downing Park Urban Farm and other critical initiatives that feed neighbors in need and promote progress and awareness around sustainable food justice, feeding the homeless population and advancing the success of regional Black farmers. 

A consultant at the AgriTrace Institute, over the past decade Jenn has led the development of complex technology and research initiatives. She currently serves as a consultant for Our Core Inc. and other agriculturally focused non-profits.

Julie Cestaro works one on one with classified students in the Newburgh  schools,  striving every day to ensure an enriched experience for the children under her watch and within her vicinity. She has given generously of her time to coordinate Repurpose Day, a two-day event that serves our students, our school community and our planet by facilitating the redirection of clothing and other items that might otherwise go into a landfill into the hands those who will use them.

Aidamelia Espaillat MS in Library and Information Science, MS in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, School Library Media Specialist at NFA North in the Newburgh Enlarged City School District. Ms. Espaillat has worked at the middle and high school level for 24 years. Though an agricultural novice, she found Our Core's mission and vision compelling, and began to engage outside her comfort zone to assure students a unique learning opportunity in the AgriCultural Education program.

​

​