Monica Ibacache, BOD Founder, Executive Director

A native of Chile, Monica has been a New York City–based 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. A bite of her first homegrown lettuce and understanding why it was so delicious, unlike the store-bought variety, led Monica down the rabbit hole to healthy food, small-scale agriculture, environmental preservation, and permaculture. 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, with a focus on children and young adults. She 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). 


Rachel Blalock, Director of Operations and Finance

Rachel has always been fascinated by the science of how things work and has a passion for educating both adults and children. She received her PDC in NYC as well as her Permaculture Teaching Certificate with Jude Hobbs and also has a B.S. in Middle School Science Education and a M.S. in Educational Administration. She currently serves on the Northeast Womyn in Permaculture SEED team. Before her work with BOD, she co-directed educational activities at an organic permaculture farm in Austin, TX and has organized and ran various educational and camp programs with several NYC non-profits. Rachel incorporates her love of environmental education, social justice, and natural design into her work for BOD.
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Dana Deaton, PR/Marketing Specialist

A North Carolina native, Dana is passionate about communications, education, environment, and community.  Her professional background is in middle school teaching and she holds a B.S. and M.Ed in Technology Education.  Dana taught technology and communications classes in the NC Public Schools for 14 years, and since then has become involved in school, community, and nonprofit communications and social media marketing.  She is excited to learn more about the many great things that Beyond Organic Design is doing and to help others understand the role of this unique educational nonprofit.  Dana lives with her family in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina.
Ebony Gustave:
Ebony grew up in urban environments, with little to no exposure to gardening but inherently knew that connecting to nature was imperative. After receiving a B.S. in Fashion Business Management and feeling that there was a void that needed to be filled she spontaneously bought a one way ticket to South Africa and backpacked for 8 months. There she tapped into ancestral knowledge and the abundance that Mother Nature provides. She volunteered on a natural building project, beekeeping, and the oldest permaculture farm in South Africa.Her positive experience volunteering with children in Malawi, sparked the will to continue learning and working with children. Through Beyond Organic Design she’s able to connect her passion for health and wellness, connecting children to nature in urban environments, and cultivating curiosity. 


Cassandra Brown: 
In the summer of 2009, Cassandra would bike from her mother’s house to garden with a kind Chilean, Monica and she had no idea it would bring her back to permaculture education 9 years later! Since her time learning permaculture from Monica she earned a B.S. in African art and Af-Am History at Oberlin College while also traveling with Dance Diaspora, a semi-professional West African dance troupe, coordinated a summer youth employment program at George Jones Farm in Ohio, and became a certified yoga teacher. Cassandra loves the opportunity to teach holistically, both through her work with BOD and as an after-school cooking teacher, to prepare our young people to design a better future. 
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