Who We Are
Laura Carisa Gardea
FOUNDER & INTERIM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Sonic & movement artist & sustainability designer— Laura is the Founder of the Southside Food Forest aka @southsidefoodforestwsnc in Winston-Salem, NC USA. The Southside Food Forest is a United Nations recognized model for sustainable agroforestry & permaculture appropriate for replicability & scalability in urban, rural & varying ecosystem environments as well as corporate social + environmental responsibility models for impact investment. Exploring themes of biodiversity recovery, ecology, re-indigenization, intergenerationality, environmental awareness, ecological displacement, food sovereignty & innovation in sustainability, advocacy & community care, the Southside Food Forest is an inclusive greenspace & hub for community, education, arts-empowered & human scale climate action.
Laura is the founder of ‘Food to Fashion’ an educational platform in the form of a sustainable fashion showcase that brings ethical, sustainable fashion brands & community partners together on the outdoor runway of the Southside Food Forest! This platform was piloted in the fall of 2021 with the Winston-Salem Fashion Week & Sustainable Fashion Week US, along with International Human Rights Consortium & Ms. United States Cosmos.
Laura was an inaugural member of the UN Arts & Culture Working Group for United Nation’s Policy development elevating the voices of artists & cultural workers in climate action & enjoys elevating radical hope & achievable sustainability culture with her original band & music platform, Proxevita. Laura also authored the very first Climate Opera entitled ‘Corazón de la Selva’ debuted at the UN COP30 climate conference in Belém, Brazil utilizing the arts as advocacy for the environment, Human Rights, & the advancement of UN Sustainable Development Goals .
Shakiyah McCoy
VICE PRESIDENT & BOARD CHAIR
Shakiyah, a graduate of Forsyth Technical Community College, now a student at North Carolina State University majoring in Fashion & Textile Management. She began her journey through her passion about sustainability in fashion. Eventually her mission became about connecting the community to resources & spreading awareness on ways to improve the quality of people lives through sustainable practices. In her free time she enjoys to crochet, write, & create jewelry.
Shakiyah chairs ‘Food to Fashion Sustainable Fashion Showcase’ with the Southside Food Forest + Sustainable Fashion Week US, connecting educational activations to food & fashion experiences, connecting the dots between environmental sustainability, permaculture, food & fashion. Shakiyah is passionate about sustainable product development with the full life cycle in mind & sustainable fashion textiles.
Meg Wong
FORMER INTERN & GLOBAL ADVISOR
Meg Wong is a graduate of Sociology at Wake Forest University & a Civic Scholar for the Office of Civic & Community Engagement, undergraduate research fellow at the Race, Inequality, & Policy Institute (RIPI). As an advisor and former intern at the Winston-Salem Permaculture Collective, Meg supports as a development facilitator for marketing & grants. Meg is committed to community empowerment by supporting the decolonization of food systems through urban agriculture.
Melvin Moungle
BOARD MEMBER & MUSICIAN
I am Melvin, a travel, adventure seeker, protector and provider for my family, and man of the Yah. I believe Yah's gift of nature is profound to our health. It connects us in our busy lives to the earth is timeless and we are passing thru, to enjoy the moment, nurture what we have, and know life goes in cycles, we will grow strong and enjoy beautiful days
The arts I believe important as they quietly shape how we see our environment and our environment are big part of how we see ourselves, so why would we not aim for positive empowerment and display the beauty that is life
The food forest is a special place for me as it represents that commitment to a better community, real roll up your sleeves work by people with big hearts creating a beautiful space with tangible resources for all, it really stands for something
I am a green thumb but being on this space enriches me, teaches me, and I am always glad to play my drum here to add to the greatness that so many people put in to make this green place a positive space for all
Cynthia Cukiernik
SAFETY, GOVERNANCE, COMPLIANCE CHAIR + BOARD MEMBER
Cynthia Cukiernik is from the small rural suburb of Pfafftown, North Carolina. Her family is from Cuba, Germany, & Poland. She studied Cultural Anthropology and Photography at UNC Greensboro & is also a UNCSA alumna. Her undergraduate research & photography explored material culture, daily ritual, food policy, public space, memory, & relationships with nature.
Cynthia has over ten years of experience in nonprofit management, community engagement, & all-ages arts education. Currently, she is completing a Masters in Landscape Architecture at NC State University. She has served as DEI Chair of the Student ASLA & is President and founder of NCSU Student NAMLA, National Association of Minority Landscape Architects. Cynthia continues to be passionate about community, local histories, & health while advocating for landscapes that support social equity & environmental resilience.
Olivier Mayange
WILDLIFE FILMAKER + PERMACULTURIST + BOARD MEMBER + GLOBAL REPLICATION STRATEGIST
Olivier Mayange is a Congolese wildlife filmmaker, permaculturist, architect, and multidisciplinary artist, as well as the founder of Art Plastique Hub & Senior officer of the Refugee Association of Disability & Minority Rights (RADMIR) Advisory Board (CBO) in Uganda; Growing up in Goma, DRC, he experienced ongoing conflict fueled by mineral exploitation and was eventually forced to flee to Uganda. Despite the hardships of displacement, he found purpose through art, permaculture, and humanitarian work achievement in a project Covid-19 Response 2020, educating refugee children in trauma healing through creativity. His work includes advocating for environmental sustainability and Human Rights, integrating art and permaculture as tools for empowerment. Oliver has been recognized internationally, winning the Ocean Heroes Prize (Bootcamp 2021), exhibiting his eco-designs across East Africa, and being invited to global forums to share his innovative solutions for plastic waste and sustainable development.
Currently, Oliver is directing a film and composing original music to shed light on the Congolese Economic War and its ties to global mining interests. Through his initiative, Art Plastique Hub, he leads community-driven efforts in Uganda to combat plastic pollution, promote permaculture, and support vulnerable populations, including orphans, refugees with disabilities and marginalized people. His team transforms waste into eco-friendly products while fostering skills training in art, sustainability, & entrepreneurship. With a mission to restore the environment and uplift communities, Oliver continues to champion creative resilience, social justice, and ecological restoration on both local and international levels at COP28 Dubaï as inaugural member of the UN Arts & Culture Working Group.
Alice Ashburn
BOARD MEMBER
Alice recently moved to Winston Salem, NC USA from Boone, NC, where she spent the past few years farming, gardening, and working at a local non-profit called Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture. As she went to school for Sustainable Development and simultaneously worked in community development and organizing, she grew to understand that hope lies in local food systems.
Alice’s passion for circular and regenerative food systems deepened as she realized that it brings much more than just good, healthy food- it brings connection, storytelling, healing, and grounding. She believes that in order to start to heal our current systems, it it’s integral to start at decolonizing our food systems by coming together and creating. Alice believes that art is heavily inspired by our roots and the world around us- natural and built- and that we can only heal ourselves and the land through creative expression.
JOSH BANKS
DEVELOPMENT + FUNDRAISING CHAIR,
Josh Banks is a dedicated orchardist/farmer with over 15 years of hands-on experience in the garden. His journey in horticulture began in his native state of New Jersey, where he cultivated his skills under the guidance of his elder neighbor. Through this mentorship, Josh not only gained expertise in plant life but also gleaned invaluable insights into life's broader lessons.
Combining his passion for plant life & the arts, Josh spent the last three years of his time in Southern California tending to organic fruit trees while writing and recording music. Currently, Josh is strengthening his knowledge as he assists Dr. English Bradshaw in managing the prestigious MICDC Urban Farm located just outside of Winston-Salem, where he channels his expertise to promote sustainability & wellness. Grounded in his belief in giving back to Mother Earth, Josh is committed to leaving a positive impact, honoring both the past & future generations in his endeavors.
Allen Pickett
BOARD MEMBER & FOUNDER OF HONEYBEE HEMP FARM
Allen Pickett is energized by permaculture for its inherent qualities of rebuilding community around agriculture & reducing pressure on the modern food systems. Bringing life-force to what we consume enables food to be medicine & sanctions us to properly steward the earth under our feet. He is the founder of Honeybee Hemp Farms & feels fortunate to share his experience with natural farming techniques & business tenacity.
Pictured Allen with Honey Bee Houses at certified Honey Bee Hemp Farms in NC USA