Lisa Small, Director

After studying Professional Photography and working as a photographer for Parks Canada in the north, Lisa fell in love with having her hands in the soil and decided to pursue farming. She spent a decade working on and managing small farms in coastal BC. At the start of the pandemic, noticing the serge of people becoming interested in growing food, she decided to start a mentorship program for new gardeners. This evolved into her role as Programs Coordinator for Capital Region Food and Agriculture Initiatives Roundtable (CRFAIR), where she developed and coordinated Growing Together, a collaborative initiative creating tools and resources to help people in growing food. She worked with the City of Victoria in the creation of their award-winning Get Growing, Victoria! program, which has grown and distributed 100,000+ free food plants within the community annually, since 2020. She is currently the Coordinator of the Yates Street Community Garden on Lekwungen Territory in downtown Victoria, and is finishing a diploma in Restoration of Natural Systems at the University of Victoria. She is passionate about educating and supporting others in growing food and is actively involved in local food advocacy work, sitting on Victoria’s Urban Food Table, an advisory committee to the City Council providing informed support on policy decisions as they relate to local food security. She is committed to being in service to community and developing relationships through growing and sharing food!