Meet Our Team
Sara L. Stewart, RN, MSN
Executive Director, Board President
In 2008, Sara saw the need for fresh, barrier-free food in our community and decided to grow a garden. This spout of an idea has grown and spread throughout our region providing opportunities, resources, and life-long relationships. Her passion for connecting people to healthy food and each other keeps her striving to make this "outrageous" idea the standard everywhere. Contact Sara [email protected]
Executive Director, Board President
In 2008, Sara saw the need for fresh, barrier-free food in our community and decided to grow a garden. This spout of an idea has grown and spread throughout our region providing opportunities, resources, and life-long relationships. Her passion for connecting people to healthy food and each other keeps her striving to make this "outrageous" idea the standard everywhere. Contact Sara [email protected]
Katie Lane
Director of Operations
Katie joined Unity Gardens as an intern in 2021 and has since taken on the role of Director of Operations. She oversees all aspects of the day to day at Unity Gardens, including managing our full time staff, and overseeing our Giving Grove partnership and satellite gardens. She's always happy to talk gardening or fruit trees or rock climbing. Contact Katie [email protected]
Director of Operations
Katie joined Unity Gardens as an intern in 2021 and has since taken on the role of Director of Operations. She oversees all aspects of the day to day at Unity Gardens, including managing our full time staff, and overseeing our Giving Grove partnership and satellite gardens. She's always happy to talk gardening or fruit trees or rock climbing. Contact Katie [email protected]
Danny Davis
Special Projects Manager
Danny joined us in August of 2023 as a jack of all trades. He now keeps the building and garden in shape as well as takes on all sorts of building and infrastructure projects to improve the gardens, including the Geodome, our pack house, and many many raised bed and irrigation projects. Contact Danny d[email protected].
Special Projects Manager
Danny joined us in August of 2023 as a jack of all trades. He now keeps the building and garden in shape as well as takes on all sorts of building and infrastructure projects to improve the gardens, including the Geodome, our pack house, and many many raised bed and irrigation projects. Contact Danny d[email protected].
Eve Renee
Horticultural Lead
Eve is a South Bend native and a woman of the woods. She is a barefooter, forager, and lifelong student of nature. She is a budding herbalist and is interested in pursuing clinical and community herbalism. Eve is very passionate about holistic health and teaching others how to re-establish their connection with nature and re-wild themselves. Through Unity Gardens, she hopes to foster a deep connection between people and plants within her community. Eve plans and maintains all of our growing spaces including our main garden, market garden, and geodome. Contact Eve: [email protected]
Horticultural Lead
Eve is a South Bend native and a woman of the woods. She is a barefooter, forager, and lifelong student of nature. She is a budding herbalist and is interested in pursuing clinical and community herbalism. Eve is very passionate about holistic health and teaching others how to re-establish their connection with nature and re-wild themselves. Through Unity Gardens, she hopes to foster a deep connection between people and plants within her community. Eve plans and maintains all of our growing spaces including our main garden, market garden, and geodome. Contact Eve: [email protected]
Dr. Randy Miller
Intern & Event Manager
Randy loves welcoming people to the garden, working with interns, and making new connections with our amazing volunteers! Randy started with Unity Gardens in 2024 while at the South Bend Community Re-Entry Center. Randy is passionate about leadership, discipline, and giving back to the community. He enjoys learning, teaching, working out, and being a positive influence in the lives of others. The best way to find yourself, is to lose yourself in the service of others.
Contact Randy: [email protected]
Intern & Event Manager
Randy loves welcoming people to the garden, working with interns, and making new connections with our amazing volunteers! Randy started with Unity Gardens in 2024 while at the South Bend Community Re-Entry Center. Randy is passionate about leadership, discipline, and giving back to the community. He enjoys learning, teaching, working out, and being a positive influence in the lives of others. The best way to find yourself, is to lose yourself in the service of others.
Contact Randy: [email protected]
Erskin Jenkins
Volunteer Coordinator
Erskin Jenkins is a Re-Entry Center Intern who joined our team full time in December 2025. He is a South Bend native who loves spending time with family and watching sports and reading non fiction biographies. His favorite thing about Unity Gardens is reconnecting with the community. He will helping support our full time.
Volunteer Coordinator
Erskin Jenkins is a Re-Entry Center Intern who joined our team full time in December 2025. He is a South Bend native who loves spending time with family and watching sports and reading non fiction biographies. His favorite thing about Unity Gardens is reconnecting with the community. He will helping support our full time.
Jonathan Gonzalez
Garden Guide
Jonathan has been part of the Unity Gardens team since 2010! You'll often see Jonathan out in the garden, helping visitors harvest, taking people to meet the goats, and being a listening ear.
Garden Guide
Jonathan has been part of the Unity Gardens team since 2010! You'll often see Jonathan out in the garden, helping visitors harvest, taking people to meet the goats, and being a listening ear.
Chad Bartalone
Beekeeper
Chad Bartalone is a recent graduate of IUSB School of Social Work pursuing a graduate degree in clinical therapy. Prior to joining the team at Unity Gardens, Chad worked for the past twenty years as a firefighter and paramedic in the Southwest Michigan area and later for the South Bend Fire Department. He lives on the west side of South Bend with his wife Raquel and two children. Chad is serving as our new beekeeper.
Beekeeper
Chad Bartalone is a recent graduate of IUSB School of Social Work pursuing a graduate degree in clinical therapy. Prior to joining the team at Unity Gardens, Chad worked for the past twenty years as a firefighter and paramedic in the Southwest Michigan area and later for the South Bend Fire Department. He lives on the west side of South Bend with his wife Raquel and two children. Chad is serving as our new beekeeper.
Victoria Kintzele
Lead Intern
Victoria is earning her bachelor's degree in biology at IUSB and joined Unity as an intern in 2025. She has a profound fascination for entomology and botany, but you can find her all over the garden. She loves to embrace her creative side with our handcrafted products, while also getting her hands dirty during the growing season! She will be supporting our staff part-time during the winter season.
Lead Intern
Victoria is earning her bachelor's degree in biology at IUSB and joined Unity as an intern in 2025. She has a profound fascination for entomology and botany, but you can find her all over the garden. She loves to embrace her creative side with our handcrafted products, while also getting her hands dirty during the growing season! She will be supporting our staff part-time during the winter season.
Arturo "Tootie" Casiano
Intern
Tootie is an intern from the South Bend Community Re-Entry Center and is looking forward to new opportunities and to creating new stories, not only for himself but also new stories with you.
Intern
Tootie is an intern from the South Bend Community Re-Entry Center and is looking forward to new opportunities and to creating new stories, not only for himself but also new stories with you.
Amado Garcia
Intern
Amado is from Fort Wayne, Indiana and is a proud father. He is looking forward to his internship with Unity Gardens in order to educate himself and pass the things he learns on to his daughter. Amado is focused on learning about healthy food, self efficiency, and community engagement.
Intern
Amado is from Fort Wayne, Indiana and is a proud father. He is looking forward to his internship with Unity Gardens in order to educate himself and pass the things he learns on to his daughter. Amado is focused on learning about healthy food, self efficiency, and community engagement.
Leia McCann
Intern
Leia is a student at IUSB studying Sustainability Studies. She will be graduation in December of this year with two additional minors in Women and Gender Studies and Business Administration. Leia loves music, and has started collecting vinyl the past couple of years. Additionally, she has a chinchilla named Ziggy, and he is 9 years old.
Intern
Leia is a student at IUSB studying Sustainability Studies. She will be graduation in December of this year with two additional minors in Women and Gender Studies and Business Administration. Leia loves music, and has started collecting vinyl the past couple of years. Additionally, she has a chinchilla named Ziggy, and he is 9 years old.
Casey Dyczko
Intern
I am a student at Hope College in Holland, MI. I'm majoring in Sociology on a criminal justice track, and what excites me the most about being at Unity is working with and creating a relationship with the community.
Intern
I am a student at Hope College in Holland, MI. I'm majoring in Sociology on a criminal justice track, and what excites me the most about being at Unity is working with and creating a relationship with the community.
Zoe Brown
Intern
Zoë is a biology nerd and current nursing student, minoring in nutrition and health promotion. She has a love of all living things, especially her cat Moxie. She is at Unity as an intern from IUSM’s Summer Community Health Innovation Program, and is looking forward to connecting with the community in and around Unity while here!
Intern
Zoë is a biology nerd and current nursing student, minoring in nutrition and health promotion. She has a love of all living things, especially her cat Moxie. She is at Unity as an intern from IUSM’s Summer Community Health Innovation Program, and is looking forward to connecting with the community in and around Unity while here!
Market Support
Taylor Waldron
Market Support
Taylor is a South Bend native who joined Unity Gardens as an intern in 2017. Since then, she has worked part-time on Saturdays at our farmers' market booth. During the week, Taylor works for a local print and embroidery company in Mishawaka.
Market Support
Taylor is a South Bend native who joined Unity Gardens as an intern in 2017. Since then, she has worked part-time on Saturdays at our farmers' market booth. During the week, Taylor works for a local print and embroidery company in Mishawaka.