Pete's Garden Staff

Tamara is a business professional with over 25 years of experience developing  and executing business growth strategies.  She left a successful career at Hallmark to launch Pete's Garden after learning about the global food waste problem and the gaps in Kansas City's approach to solving this growing environmental and social concern.   Prior to Hallmark, Tamara worked as a strategy consultant with the Boston Consulting Group in their Chicago office.  She has an MBA from Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and an economics degree from the University of Pennsylvania. 

Mindi brings many years of experience in business development, strategic partnerships, and community engagement to her role at Pete's Garden. With a strong history of building meaningful relationships and leading initiatives that drive growth, she is passionate about using her skills to help others and strengthen the Kansas City community. 

Guided by her passion for helping others, Mindi is dedicated to expanding resources for those facing food insecurity and strengthening the fabric of the community. Her work is driven by both professional expertise and a personal commitment to serving others.

Joe grew up in Kansas City and is deeply passionate about getting healthy food into the hands of hungry people. After graduating from the University of Kansas with a degree in Political Science, History, and Environmental Studies, he began a career as a sustainable farmer. Farming lands in both KC and Alaska for several years, he designed and built organic systems that grew nutrient-dense fruits, vegetables, and animals while also regenerating soil health.   At Pete's Garden, Joe ensures smooth daily operations for our food recovery program and he is working to expand operations by building partnerships with restaurants, caterers, food service managers, and other potential food donors across KC.

 Having supported Pete’s Garden from its inception, Jennifer brings passion for wasting little-to-no food and for family mealtime; both are integral in her daily home life as a wife and mother of three.  Jennifer’s background includes teaching high school English, providing communication and public information for two child advocacy organizations, and coaching and working with young people.  She loves working with our volunteers to support families in need. 

Aimee began as a Food Recovery volunteer but soon wanted to learn more about Pete's Garden.  She joined our staff, helping to manage volunteers in our kitchen and has expanded her scope to include communications and social media. As a mom to three grown children, Aimee has a deep appreciation for our Family Mealtime mission.

Craig has served the Kansas City community for over 12 years in operating roles at several area nonprofits including Harvesters, KC Can Compost, and Habitat for Humanity.   He is the face of Pete's Garden with our food donors, working to establish and maintain effective and efficient food recovery programs so that no good food gets wasted.

With over a decade in the catering and food business, Cody understands the need for safe and convenient food donation.  Cody ensures our kitchen operates safely and efficiently and works with food donors.  In his spare time, Cody runs his own microgreens business, Third Floor Roots. 

Dani Hudson is a sustainability-minded professional with experience in organic farming, land management, and emergency medical services. Her work reflects a strong ethic of care—for the land, for food systems, and for the people they serve. 

Diane holds multiple degrees in Culinary Arts, Business, and Education, as well as professional honors of distinction as a chef and as a high school English teacher.   Her leadership of Kids Feeding Kids enables her to impact communities with authentic Project Based Learning that focuses on diverting edible, nutritious food from landfill and reducing harmful atmospheric emissions.  She provides students with opportunities to gain knowledge that may spark a life-long interest in responsible, sustainable culinary practices for professional or personal kitchens. 

Rachael is a strategic leader dedicated to bringing structure and momentum to complex, high-visibility initiatives. At Kids Feeding Kids, she focuses on implementing scalable process improvements that bridge the gap between strategy and execution, ensuring the program's unique educational experiences can effectively reach classrooms across the country. 

 With 30 years of experience in teaching and curriculum development across elementary, middle, and high schools for Wichita Public Schools, Blue Valley School District, and Shawnee Mission School District.   In her role as project manager, Theresa ensures teachers have what they need to successfully complete their Kids Feeding Kids classroom projects. 

In his role as Logistics Coordinator, Easton supports Kids Feeding Kids program operations and school partnerships—helping ensure that students and educators have the resources they need to turn culinary classrooms into engines of social impact.

Easton is currently pursuing a degree in Political Science with a minor in Education at the University of Kansas, where he is preparing for a career in education policy and public service.  He has served as a three-time Kansas FCCLA State Officer and a National FCCLA Officer.