From a young age, Beth was fascinated by different cultures and their relationship with the natural world. These passions resulted in a unique career path, starting with earning a degree in Anthropology and Ecology from the University of Connecticut. Upon graduation, Beth joined AmeriCorps and served as an Environmental Educator. After a few years of working in education, she was ready to expand her worldview. She moved to Portland, Oregon, to pursue a Master’s Degree in International Development. During this time, she lived abroad in Ecuador, and Italy, and traveled to seven countries. For her thesis, Beth focused on her passion for farming, drawing on experiences working at various organic vegetable farms.

Following graduation, Beth moved to Cusco, Peru, and worked as a Field Manager for international volunteers. Time abroad helped Beth reflect on her own culture and motivated her to apply a racial justice lens to her work in youth-focused nonprofits over the following years. 

Today, Beth has landed her dream job at Ocean Hour Farm! She is excited to learn and share as much as possible about whole systems farming with communities across the Ocean State.

Brad was born and raised in Rhode Island, the Ocean State. He grew up on the water, where his dad taught him to surf and fish at a young age. His first ever job was collecting bushels of quahogs and selling them to the local fish markets. Brad attended the University of Rhode Island, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Horticulture and, even more importantly, met his future wife, Jenlyn.

After college, he spent a few years prepping for a US Open at Pebble Beach in California. Today he enjoys doing small projects at his home in North Kingstown along the Annaquatucket River. If not at home, you can find him living the dream, working at a small farm in Newport whose primary focus is taking care of the environment for future generations.

Julia Chille was born and raised here on Aquidneck Island. She spent much of her childhood following her father, a horticulturist, around greenhouses and gardens throughout Newport. After graduating with a degree in Religious Studies from Wellesley College, Julia lived on organic farms in Western Massachusetts and County Sligo, Ireland, which deepened her interest in building accessible and equitable food systems and supporting land rematriation. Since moving back home in 2017, Julia has spent as much time as possible outside exploring the island’s shorelines, learning about local ecosystems, and contemplating how she can best help the home she loves during this age of deepening climate crisis. She is thrilled to join Ocean Hour Farm and aid their vision to steward land on Aquidneck Island and build collaborative partnerships within the community and region. In her spare time Julia can be found knitting, quilting, cooking with friends, and studying herbalism and ancestral folkways. You can find her swimming at Third Beach every night in the summer, and she’s working her way up to a three minute cold plunge this winter.

Melissa grew up near a 60-acre bird sanctuary at the end of a winding farm road in Warren, Rhode Island. She spent most of her time as a child running around the marshlands of the Touisset. Her first job was mucking stalls and tacking up horses in exchange for horseback riding lessons. Melissa has always been fond of the outdoors and working with her hands. She discovered her love of sailing traditional schooners when she was twenty-two years old and has since traveled up and down the east coast on vessels such as Privateer Lynx and Schooner Tree of Life. Sailing eventually ignited her interest in wooden boat building, leading her to IYRS School of Technology and Trades for certification in Wooden Boatbuilding and Restoration. Throughout her travels, she has also acquired her Associate’s degree in Fine Arts from Community College of Rhode Island. Melissa enjoys various art mediums and is always looking for new ways of creative expression. When she’s not creating or building, she enjoys hiking or cozying up with a good book.

Justin was born and raised in Rhode Island and grew up with a passion for sports. He fell in love with nature through time spent hiking and camping all over New England. His first hike was up Mount Washington, and he hopes to summit all 48 4,000 ft peaks in New Hampshire and is also eyeing the Appalachian Trail, among others. Justin’s passion for nature led him to work taking care of the natural ecosystem. Upon taking his first permaculture course, he was truly inspired after discovering a way of seeing and thinking that spoke to him. Justin looks forward to continuing to implement and study permaculture. While working at Ocean Hour Farm, he is thrilled to have the opportunity to impact the environment and his community in a positive way.

Abby’s love of and devotion to the land and its creatures was born from summers spent on her grandparents’ farm in north-western Illinois, where the air smelled of queen anne’s lace and cow’s breath: a stark contrast to the exotic, flashy, and smog drenched cities where her family lived the rest of the year. Under her grandfather’s tutelage, she learned to drive a tractor, back up a trailer, run a chainsaw, know when to cut a pasture and tell if the corn was ripe. On those youthful July afternoons, the land taught her how to pay attention to the supple bloom of a rain cloud, the swift dive of a swallow in flight, and a white-tails pause before the bound. Both her grandfather and the land have been her most important teachers ever since.

After graduating college with a philosophy degree in hand and a few pretty words in her head, Abby was drawn back to work that left her with sore muscles and calluses on her hands. The wilds of Alaska called, and she found herself on a salmon troller, falling in love with the sea and the salmon who navigate by smell back to their native streams. The ocean inserted itself in her life then as the third teacher. Every summer that she has not been farming for the past ten years, Abby’s been fishing for salmon off the coast of Alaska, and every season she’s not fishing finds her farming. She is excited to have the opportunity at Ocean Hour Farm to knit together her love of the sea and the soil and experience the scent of cow’s breath and ocean spray daily.

Jason was born and raised in Rhode Island. His first experience with the land was at the age of 13 when he took on his first job at a local farm picking corn and working in the greenhouses. At around the same time, he also became connected to the sea, both on Narragansett Bay, where he learned to fish, and at the South County beaches, where he took up surfing and became a lifeguard.

Jason graduated from Maine College of Art, where he received his BFA in Ceramics. He focused on using natural objects to create textures and explored the method of Raku firing. In his free time up north, he pursued another childhood passion, skiing. During his summers home, Jason worked on several charter boats and obtained his captain’s license. After college, he took an opportunity to run a sports fishing boat on the South Pacific island of Samoa. When he returned to the Ocean State, he began his own charter boat business, Pamela May Charters, and also spent time teaching children’s art programs at local educational organizations. He also started his own architectural landscape business and worked in several property management roles, which has given him experience as a facility manager. Jason continues to operate his charter boat, as well as being an artist, ski instructor, and volunteer ski patroller.

All of these experiences with the land and sea, as well as a passion for teaching others what he has learned, has led him to another great opportunity, working at Ocean Hour Farm. 

Jason and his wife, Jennie, have passed these interests on to their two daughters. Whether it’s helping with the backyard garden, fishing on the boat, surfing, or snow sports, they all have a love of the outdoors and a desire to preserve our environment for all to enjoy.

Logan grew up in Warren, Rhode Island and learned carpentry skills from his father at a young age. He studied physics and computer science at Rhode Island College. Upon graduation, he furthered his carpentry skillset by working in a residential construction building. From perfecting chicken tractors to beautifying our four-bin waste systems, Logan brings his talented woodworking and impressive attention to detail to every project. He is excited to work at Ocean Hour Farm and contribute to our efforts on environmentalism and sustainability.

Jane was born and raised in Newport, Rhode Island, by her wonderful parents. Her dad was a Newport police officer and detective. He also worked as head of security on the property where Ocean Hour Farm now sits, giving Jane the chance to explore the land in her younger years.

Jane raised five children in Newport and was deeply involved in school activities. While raising her children, she also worked part-time at Newport County Schools, McGrath’s Clambakes, and the SVF Foundation. When Jane isn’t taking care of everyone at the farm, she enjoys spending time with her eleven grandchildren.

Grace grew up on the shores of Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay, climbing trees and playing with bugs in her mother’s vegetable garden. She fell in love with education during a study abroad semester in Ecuador with an innovative, community-based program that opened up new possibilities for what a more liberatory, just, and joyful model of education can look like. This combined naturally with her love for the earth and other beings in a career in environmental education. 

After graduating college, she returned to Ecuador for three years, working for the same organization. There, she learned to use art and intercultural education to develop tools for community-led social and environmental justice projects. Living in an agricultural community in the Andes mountains, she also learned ancestral agricultural practices from friends and neighbors, which sparked an interest in sustainable food systems. This path eventually led to a master’s program in Adult Education for Social Change, focused on exploring and transforming relationships with the earth in Scotland, Ireland, and Estonia. 

After her master’s, she returned to the U.S. and joined Ocean Hour Farm as our ‘Tide to Land Education Apprentice.’ She is excited to explore New England and learn more about regenerative agricultural practices.

Sean moved to Newport in 2019 to join the SVF Foundation grounds team. Prior to that, he lived in New York City and the Lower Hudson Valley, where he owned a 124-acre farm. Livestock included Polled Hereford (with Cornell Cooperative Extension), Holstein cows, and retired racetrack horses. The farm had a large organic vegetable garden, and approximately 50 acres were hayed every August. Sean’s farming practices are greatly influenced by Rachel Carson, Eliott Coleman, and Joel Salatin. He has also worked as a carpenter and a sawmill operator and has extensive experience with apple orchards. Sean is a graduate of the University of Rhode Island and has been a commodities trader for over 30 years. He is very excited to continue working the land at Ocean Hour Farm to combat climate change.

Joey’s love for farms and the animals that live on them was born from growing up on a farm in Warren, Rhode Island. After graduating from Warren High School, Joey got his CDL license, became an EMT, and studied animal sciences.
Joey has worked the land at Ocean Hour Farm for seventeen years. He knows each animal’s name and needs and is one of the few people the sheep will walk to instead of away. When not on the farm, one of his favorite activities is moose watching in New Hampshire.

Dan grew up in Newport, Rhode Island fishing and swimming at the local ponds and beaches. He earned a BA in History from St. Anselm and was drafted into the Vietnam War upon graduation. Afterward, Dan became a history teacher in Middletown and was heavily involved with the Model Legislature and Close Up Washington DC programs. After retiring, Dan has spent his time as first mate and tour guide on a local boat and working at the farm. Dan is married to Geraldine, a retired English teacher, and has one son, a city firefighter.

Dan feels his most meaningful contribution to his community began when his parents and a small group of other families started a local community center for children with developmental disabilities. Dan served on the board for many years as the vice president and president.

Martin grew up in a mountainous region in Germany, where nature and the outdoors was always present. His family’s large vegetable garden provided tasty produce of many different varieties. He and his siblings were given a strip of land for planting and harvesting from an early age. The surrounding forests were their playground – observing wildlife, picking berries, nuts, mushrooms, collecting firewood, building rafts, tree houses, dams, and fishing for trout made for fun activities.

After finishing college, Martin worked outdoors all over the world. He also enjoys biking, cooking, photography, and listening to music. He has two loves, his wife of many years, Rafaela, and in second place FC St. Pauli, his favorite soccer team from Hamburg.

Self-proclaimed “Jes of All Trades,” Jes Scribner is a skilled leader, manager, and innovator with extensive technical expertise. Nearly a decade ago, she transitioned from art school to agriculture, starting her journey with Cathy Bardsley at Silk Tree Farm in Little Compton, RI. This experience quickly led her to Sterling College, where she crafted her own Bachelor’s degree and found the ecologically focused, hands-on coursework and immersive, community-centric environment to be deeply formative. This experience continues to provide inspiration for Jes’ work.

Jes has worked with a variety of livestock, crops, and ecological systems across Rhode Island, Vermont, and the Netherlands. She holds Certificates in Permaculture Design and Project Management Principles and has completed hands-on master courses in Agroforestry, Value Added Production, Harvest Preservation, Butchery & Charcuterie, and Natural Cheesemaking. 

Along the way, Jes founded a co-working landscape and residential incubation program on a 49-acre property in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, Birdhous. This project lessened barriers to entry and brought together ecologically minded farmers, chefs, land-based entrepreneurs, and creatives, through offering a shared space with communal tools and resources. As Land & Project Manager, she spearheaded initiatives that integrated agricultural productivity with environmental stewardship, and provided mentorship each growing season to ensure long-term sustainability and community engagement.

In support of the Birdhous project, Jes also founded “VT Pierogi,” where she developed and managed a wholesale product line centered on local, sustainable ingredients and led by example in naming each producer directly on the ingredients label. A true VT Pierogi, the product was handmade in small batches, and all ingredients were sourced in Vermont, many directly from Birdhous and in collaboration with Sweet Rowen Farmstead, where Jes herself spent several years working with a heritage breed dairy herd in the milk house, creamery, and market. 

Committed above all else to helping ensure the future of farming is ethical, sustainable, and delicious… Jes is excited to work with the Ocean Hour Farm team in their next phase of integrating land and ocean health.

Mike grew up in Cumberland, RI, raised in an Italian immigrant family that taught him gardening, cooking, canning, collecting blueberries, mushrooms, and watercress from the local woods. Growing up, his favorite sports were basketball, skiing, hiking, and fishing. Mike attended Florida Institute of Technology, graduating with a BS in Marine Biology. He moved to Newport in 1981, married his wife Gail, and raised two great kids, lan and Meredith. He worked at the Middletown Fire Department for 27-years, ending as the Chief.

His son joined the Special Olympics in 2003, and Mike has coached numerous Special Olympics teams. Mike has many hobbies, including raising honeybees, volunteering for the Mystic Marine Mammal Rescue Program, skiing, hiking, backpack camping, surf fishing, boating, and volleyball.

Nicolas grew up in Nueva Concepción, El Salvador on his father’s farm. As a young boy, he helped take care of the cows, red hens for eggs, and white chickens for the market. His family also cultivated corn, rice, beans, and vegetables. While studying business administration in El Salvador, Nicolas decided to come to the U.S. due to the dangerous twelve years of civil war in his home country.

When Nicolas arrived in the U.S., he didn’t speak English, but as he learned the language, he took on jobs in the restaurant and construction industries before returning to his love of farming. In his spare time, Nicolas enjoys walking on the beach and visiting the mountains to see wildlife.

Sara grew up on her grandparents’ farm in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. This is where she first developed a deep curiosity and appreciation for the complexity and beauty of the world we all live in. This curiosity has taken her around the world, working with and learning from farmers, land stewards, and communities to regenerate ecosystems, grow delicious food, and create beauty. She finds herself most drawn to the edges, where differences meet, and emergence is possible, such as the nexus of art and science or where agriculture meets wilderness or where diverse cultures come together, or where land meets the sea. It is not surprising then that Sara has found her way here to Ocean Hour Farm.