Who We Are
MONICA IBACACHE
ALEXANDRA BELLO
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MAUREEN LOHRE
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KLARA K. IBARRA
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Monica Ibacache, BOD Founder, Executive Director
A native of Chile, Monica is a New York City–based community organizer, sustainability educator, and ecological designer since 2007. An avid gardener as a small child with her grandparents in Chile, she rekindled her passion for growing food as an adult while living in southeast Alaska. Monica is committed to improving food systems while advancing social and environmental justice globally. She has dedicated her life to working with diverse and marginalized communities in education and local development in the U.S. and abroad. Monica has advanced certifications in Permaculture Design and Teaching and serves on the Board of Directors for the Institute of Permaculture for Children (IPEC), Permaculture Institute of North America (PINA), the International Permaculture Convergence Committee (IPCC), the Indoor Gardening Society (IGSA), and the Permaculture Association of the Northeast (PAN). |
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Maureen Lohre, Communications Consultant
Maureen Lohre is a community organizer, sustainability educator, environmentalist and social justice philanthropist based in Portland, Oregon Since 2010 she has specialized in curriculum development, communications, public relations, outreach as well as event planning for grassroots organizations, including Will Allen’s Growing Power, The Ron Finley Project, Edible Schoolyard Project and The Institute for Sustainable Solutions Maureen has been a believer in the farm to table and school garden movement since childhood. With her mother as the school lunch lady growing up, Lohre learned early on that most children do not know where their food comes from and that school lunches lack proper nutrition While studying for a Masters in Leadership for Sustainability Education at Portland State University from 2009-2012, Maureen was introduced to permaculture, effectively putting her on a path that has led her to role today as the Communications Consultant with Beyond Organic Design. She is honored to be part of the BOD team that is preparing the next generation to inherit the earth |
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Kayla Torrey, Education Coordinator
As an educator Kayla’s goal is to instill curiosity, a love of the world and solutionary thinking into young people. Currently Kayla serves on BOD’s curriculum development team, working closely with our founder to devise creative and engaging lessons for our students. Kayla graduated from Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts at The New School in 2022 with a BA in theater, minoring in Environmental Studies and Food studies. Kayla's Thesis was a collection of practices inspired by permaculture, designed to encourage communal design. Kayla spent two spring to summer seasons volunteering at Tig Susah Farms. Received their PDC at the Findhorn Foundation in August of 2019. Kayla also volunteers with Full Circle Compost, in Topanga California as a compost steward. “My goal as an educator is to inspire wonder; I want to share my stories and knowledge with the most important people on this planet: our kids! I am grateful for Beyond Organic Design allowing me to invest in and teach our future inventors, farmers, artists, and activists. Together we will cultivate our love of the natural world and preserve it for future generations." |
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Alexandra Bello, Operations Coordinator
Alexandra has a B.A. in International Studies and is dedicated to Human Rights defense in diverse social organizations in Venezuela while working with educational projects. She started studying her first Permaculture Design Course in 2022, and she is committed to climate change research in Venezuela, and environmental issues that happen in the Venezuelan territory. Dedicated to project management and to serve the society, she seeks to support BOD through her expertise to manage the operations of our organization. |