Isabel Wade, Ph.D.

Board President

Dr. Isabel Wade is the founder and President of Urban Resource Systems (URS), a pioneering organization dedicated to advancing innovative urban environmental initiatives. Throughout her career, she has served as Executive Director for several URS-led projects, including ZooDoo, California ReLeaf, the AIDS Memorial Grove, and the Neighborhood Parks Council.

A trailblazer in the environmental movement, Dr. Wade launched the State of California’s Urban Forestry Program in 1977 under Governor Jerry Brown. She was among the first recipients of a national award for environmental excellence from Good Housekeeping magazine, recognizing her early leadership in the field.

From 1994 to 1996, she served on San Francisco’s Commission on the Environment, and from 2000 to 2005, she chaired the Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Advisory Committee. In 1999, she was honored with the prestigious Gerbode Fellowship for her impactful work in environmental policy and community engagement. In 2010, she received the Silver SPUR Award, acknowledging her leadership in expanding open space throughout the Bay Area.

Dr. Wade continues to consult on urban environmental projects both locally and internationally. She is the co-author of Citizens and the Environment (Indiana University Press), author of City Food (URS, 1981), and has written extensively on urban agriculture and sustainable food systems.

She holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Planning from the University of California, Berkeley.

Mindelle Kershner

Board secretary

Mindelle Kershner is the founder and President of Resourceful Systems, a nonprofit organization established in 1980, dedicated to environmental innovation with a particular focus on recycled paper. A recognized expert in the field, she has long championed sustainable practices through both professional and community-based efforts.

In addition to her environmental work, Ms. Kershner is an active real estate agent with Tower Properties and works independently as a property manager. Deeply engaged in her local community, she serves on the Boards of the Neighborhood Parks Council, the Margaret Jenkins Dance Company, and Friends of Noe Valley. She also chairs the Noe Valley Emergency Preparedness Group, where she leads efforts to enhance neighborhood resilience and disaster readiness.

Jan Chernoff

Board Treasurer

Jan Chernoff has a long-standing commitment to community service and youth development. He served for over 20 years on the Board of Morrisania West, an organization focused on empowering youth through education and support programs. In addition, he dedicated 14 years as a Board Member of the Neighborhood Parks Council, where he played a key role in advocating for accessible, well-maintained green spaces in San Francisco.

Kent Anderson

Managing Director/Executive Director

Kent has worked in the non-profit realm for nearly 25 years, including organizations in Sacramento, Reno, Redding, Chico, San Francisco and the greater Bay Area. He has been a director with organizations including the Effie Yeaw Nature Center/American River Natural History Association, the San Francisco LGBT Pride, Putah Creek Council and others, including a parks foundation, several museums and education focused organizations. With degrees from California State University, Chico and California State University, Sacramento, along with numerous certifications including Project Wet, Project Wild, Project Learning Tree, California Naturalist, Nonprofit Management, Kent also received his Emergency medical Technician license in 2001.

As part of his early professional career, Kent served for over five years with the (then) California Department of Fish and Game, including in fisheries and reservoir research, special hunts, wildlife nuisance, fish pathology, inland fisheries and reservoir research, interpretive services, multiple hatchery programs, and assisted with several unique and innovative projects including floy tag retention studies, salmon tracking and recapture study, electrofishing studies at Folsom Lake, Truckee River and Tayler Creek, a garter snake pesticide study, Chronic Wasting Disease check stations, and the Concord Naval Weapons Station Tule Elk Capture and Relocation project. As part of Interpretive Services, Kent coordinated the Sandhill Crane Festival and American River Salmon Festival, managed the Nature Bowl student competition and oversaw information distribution regarding the Lake Davis Northern Pike elimination project.

Kent has served on several non-profit Boards, including the Wildlife Care Association, and has supported the development and inception of several non-profit organizations as well as professionally consulting for a variety of others, in addition to supporting several LGBT Pride organizations. Kent served with the Boy Scouts of America including as staff, a Program Director and as the Conservation and Ecology Chair.

With diverse experience and expertise in fund development, organizational leadership, program development, grant writing and more, Kent brings a wealth of knowledge to Urban Sprouts and a passion for the outdoors, volunteer work and service to the community. Kent is an avid outdoorsman and enjoys kayaking, hiking, backpacking, camping, fishing and nature photography. He also has a passion for museums and cultural centers, botanical gardens and other public education venues and he takes every opportunity to visit similar places with his partner, when not working, caring for his three rescued dachshunds and menagerie of other rescued critters.

Tyler Tiffin

Administrative Manager

Tyler, a California native from Modesto and a proud Navy veteran, joined Urban Sprouts in February 2024 as the Operations and Administrative Manager. He brings over five years of experience in operations and administration, with a strong background in project management, office coordination, and customer relations.

Prior to joining Urban Sprouts, Tyler served as Operations Manager at the Sierra 2 Center for the Arts and Community, a Sacramento-based nonprofit. He has also supported both small businesses and large corporations as an administrative assistant, developing a well-rounded and adaptable skill set.

Passionate about community and the environment, Tyler has held various roles with nonprofits across Northern California. Outside of work, he enjoys painting, gardening, traveling, hiking, and spending time with friends and his dog.

Violeta Sandoval

Community Health Program Manager

Violeta Sandoval is a Community Health & Nutrition Education Program Manager at Urban Sprouts. She promotes adequate nutrition habits , Food justice and Healthy food practices by using seasonal and Food Bank ingredients.

Violeta demonstrates through interactive in-person and virtual classes that healthy eating is tasteful , interesting, inexpensive and beneficial. She encourages using seasonal and Food Bank ingredients such as vegetables, grains, herbs, veggie proteins and sometimes meats. She believes that food is attached to culture and  family values.

With over 17 years of experience working with the Latino community, Violeta has received training about the ​​immigrant mental health, emotional nutrition, Ayurveda medicine, aromatherapy, promoter of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, training related to the care and treatment of Child Development and management of chronic and acute diseases in the Latino community , among others. She has participated in the development of curricula to train promoters in community health and nutrition, food decolonization, participation in the book “Nuestras raices Saludables”, food recycling, soda tax projects with the San Francisco Department of Public Health, round table of the climate change with the California Environmental Protection Agency, development projects with the California Air Resources Board, coordinator of the Bay Area Vision and Compromiso committee.

Violeta has been interviewed by the Edible magazine in San Francisco “Kitchen Wisdom”, she received “the heart of the community” award, nomination for the “community love award”, interviews in post cats, radio and television. She also wrote the Book of recipes “ El Sabor de la Inspiracion, Recetas del Corazon”. Violeta graduated from The School of Culinary Arts in San Francisco.

Her hobbies include walking and enjoying the sea, the forest, read books on psychology and personal improvement , make jewelry by hand and plan family and community events.

Alex Aguilar

Farm Manager

Alex, a native of West Palm Beach, Florida, became part of the Urban Sprouts community in his first year of high school and now he’s a recent college graduate. Drawn to the experiential learning and friendly environment, he kept coming back, learning how to grow his own food, cook fresh meals, and take advantage of every internship offered after school and during the summer. He loved the program so much that he began sharing it with friends and family, ultimately introducing siblings, cousins, and friends to the Urban Sprouts community as well.

Alex started developing his farming experience at the beginning of his time with Urban Sprouts and kept expanding his experience through a year-long internship with Alemany Farm. These experiences provided him with a solid background in urban agriculture, food justice, and community work.

Now a college graduate with a Marketing degree and an Accounting minor from San Francisco State University, Alex serves as the Farm Manager. He oversees seasonal crop planning, manages daily farm operations, and leads projects like building a new greenhouse and compost systems. The food grown on-site is donated to local food banks, helping provide fresh, healthy produce to low-income communities. He also works to transform the space into a fully functioning food production garden that serves the community in both practical and meaningful ways.

Alex’s work and life were featured in the documentary San Francisco Rising, which follows his life and journey in the city.

Outside of farming, Alex loves being outside running, hiking, taking his dogs out for a walk, and testing out new eating places throughout the Bay Area. He also loves to spend time with family.

Ari Zaragoza

Education Coordinator

Ari Zaragoza is the Education Coordinator at our High School Sites, where they create hands-on farm education curriculum, teach students, and support the farm team. Their education journey started at 15, when they became a mariachi teaching assistant and discovered how much they loved working with students. Since then, they’ve learned almost everything from hands-on experience, apprenticing at Hummingbird Farm, leading apprentices at Alemany Farm, leading community outreach and education with San Bruno Mountain Watch, and supporting education programs with Urban Sprouts. 

Born and raised in San Francisco, with family roots in agriculture in Jalisco and Guanajuato, Mexico, Ari brings a deep connection to land and food into their work. Growing up with limited access to safe green space shaped their appreciation for every moment spent outdoors, and they carry that awareness into their teaching. They are passionate about sharing plant medicine traditions and helping students connect with the healing and cultural knowledge that plants carry.

Their goal is to make students feel that they not only have to enjoy being outdoors, but also have a role in restoring, growing, and organizing the spaces they deserve. They’re especially excited to introduce students to the many career paths in agriculture, native plant restoration, and food systems, helping them see themselves succeed in untraditional ways. 

When they’re not teaching, you can usually find them digging through crates of vinyl, DJing, or taking their Tacoma out on a road trip.