Who's Who?

Mary Beth Leland - Director
As the founder and director of REA, Mary Beth brings decades of experience in education and community leadership. Her vision and dedication fuel the programs and initiatives that empower students and strengthen connections to the land. As a special education teacher specializing for 25 years in working with students who struggle with emotional regulation, Mary Beth finds enormous value in bringing teens into nature, creating opportunities for connection, and teaching to the whole child instead of subject-centric education models. 

Liz Sanders - Community Garden Teacher
Liz serves as our teen teacher and a member of the REA Leadership Board. She also works as a land manager at Heron Shadow Farm for the Cultural Conservancy. She founded Coyote and the Magpie, which provides guided naturalist-focused outdoor adventures to make our outdoor experiences more accessible. With a rich background in organizing, landscaping, horticulture, ecology, advocacy, food security, and native plant restoration, Liz brings invaluable expertise to our educational programs, outreach, and community service. 

Tomi Henry - Secretary 

Representing Fern Homestead, owner and operator Tomi Laine Henry has had a lifelong passion for sustainability and self-sufficiency. As a descendant of America’s first pioneers, Tomi has an innate thirst for frontiers of all kinds. Growing up in an industrial farming family, Tomi wondered if there was a better way of doing things, and she hasn’t stopped wondering. Tomi’s version of modern homesteading is forward-thinking, tech-savvy and designed for both quality of life and efficiency in production. She began homesteading in 2013 and earned an A.S. in Sustainable Agriculture from SRJC in 2023.

Ruby Rinehart - Student Representative

Petaluma’s own Ruby Rinehart is preparing for a career in agriculture - first stop, Santa Rosa Junior College. In Ruby’s first internship with REA, she embraced the possibility that change is possible, and she is now taking the lead in her second semester with us. She brings optimism, hope, and seriousness to our board and offers a student perspective to our discussions and decisions. Now she's employed on the farm where she first interned, and is working with our Zero Waste cohort to reduce food waste in landfills. 

Claudia De La Pena - Zero Waste Coordinator

Claudia de la Pena is a Sonoma County farmer and community educator whose work centers on growing food and teaching others to do the same. Through her role with Farm to Pantry, she cares for greenhouse operations and leads hands-on learning experiences, from school visits to gardening workshops, that help people grow food even in small spaces. She's also a longtime volunteer with the Sonoma County Black Forum, and brings that same community-first, hands-on spirit to her work with REA's Zero Waste program.