WHO WE ARE
Our Staff
Amanda Bradshaw-Burks
Amanda is our new Movement Manager! She transplanted to Evansville from northern Minnesota in 2009. She currently resides on the west side with her husband, three children, and a menagerie of rescued pets. Previous to her move she completed a bachelors of science at the University of Wisconsin – Stevens point, majoring in forest management and minoring in soil science. Decades spent working in the natural resources field helped to shape her view on the importance of food as a way to not only keep our bodies healthy but also our environment. With the addition of children to her family, one with extensive food allergies, the importance of the access to abundant, nourishing food really came into focus for her. She became aware of the barriers that can be present in the pursuit of gathering nutritious food and started doing what she could to help break those down. Amanda is very excited to be on the Urban Seeds team and to serve the community in a much deeper and meaningful way. Please do not hesitate to contact her if she can assist you in any way at aburksurbanseeds@gmail.com or 812-213-7241.
Our Board of Directors
Robin Mallery, Board Chair
Robin is passionate about food! As a full-time community volunteer, Robin is active in implementing programs that increase access to fresh, nourishing foods to those who are food-insecure, thereby elevating the Food Justice conversation. Robin loves preparing cooked-from-scratch meals, shared with others around her own dining table or in cooking classes! As well, she is committed to supporting locally-grown, cleanly-grown food as one of the many opportunities to create a vibrant local foods economy. Her professional experience as a cardiovascular and diabetes nurse provides the platform for her teaching a “Food as Medicine” philosophy. Robin is also active with the Healthy Communities Partnership initiative, sponsored by Welborn Baptist Foundation and Purdue Extension.
Casey Williams, Vice Chair
Casey serves as a Community Wellness Coordinator for the Purdue Extension Nutrition Education Program, working to improve food access for low income families in Vanderburgh and Warrick County, as well as working to create policy, systems, and environmental change in a variety of healthy eating and active living initiatives. Casey previously worked in tobacco prevention and control with the non-profit Smokefree Communities, working to create smoke-free air policies and educating youth on various tobacco related issues. Casey has lived in Evansville for ten years and holds a B.S. degree in Advertising and Public Relations from the University of Southern Indiana and a Masters degree in Public Service Administration from the University of Evansville.
Kayleigh Howard, Secretary
Kayleigh has been a social worker in Evansville, Indiana for 10 years. She earned her Bachelor’s degrees in Psychology and Criminal Justice, as well as a minor in Human Development and Family Studies from Indiana University. In her profession, Kayleigh has had the opportunity to work with our community’s diverse population. She has seen the barriers faced by individuals and families in trying to access meaningful and healthy foods. She believes that everyone who would like to live a healthy lifestyle should have the choice, opportunity, and resource to accomplish this goal.
Blythe Battram
Blythe is a lifelong Evansville resident who currently lives with her husband and house full of rescued dogs and cats. Blythe works with Another Chance for Animals as well as Urban Seeds. Blythe’s interest in Urban Seeds evolved from her experiences living below the poverty line with a disability; and her calling to turn her past into a way of helping others in similar circumstances. Her other interests include food and vegan cooking, disability advocacy, graphic design and videography, and the outdoors.
Julie McCullough
Julie holds key roles at the University of Southern Indiana as the Chair of Food and Nutrition Program, and as an Associate Professor of Nutrition and the Assistant Dean of Health Services. Julie has been involved with various successful studies and program implementation in the Evansville area having to do with childhood nutrition, and increasing the access of fresh produce to those that are food-insecure in our community.
Tommy Housman
Tommy is a Graphic Designer and Artist. He is passionate about using art and design to make a difference in our community. Evansville has been home his whole life. While attending the University of Evansville he became aware of how serious of an issue access to fresh and healthy food is to some that live in our area. This is also when he discovered the unsustainability of our current food system which inspired him to become vegan in an effort to be more environmentally conscious. Tommy aspires to bring about positive change towards a more sustainable and inclusive food system. “If you want to make difference in the world start with your city, your community, and your neighborhood. My vision is to project balance, inclusion, social responsibility, empathy, and compassion into the world around me.”
Serah Theuri
Serah is an Associate Professor of Nutrition in the Food and Nutrition Program at University of Southern Indiana. She is a Registered Dietitian and a member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. She is also a member of the Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior. Her research focuses on food access, chronic disease, nutrition assessment and interventions among underserved populations.
Annie Roberts
Annie graduated from Purdue University in 2016 with a B.S. in Public Health. She moved home to Evansville and began further exploring her interests in non-profit development and reducing the obesity epidemic. Along this journey, she connected with Urban Seeds! She thus was able to bring to life her passion of decreasing obesity through making healthy, nourishing foods available to those without access to such foods. While continuing to serve this passion on the Urban Seeds board, she also serves as a Crisis Intervention Specialist at Albion Fellows Bacon Center.